If the Burnaby District Metro girls under-16 Dynamite can attest to anything, it’s that there’s always a chance.
Finalists for Sunday’s Coastal A Cup championship in Aldergrove, the Dynamite demonstrated in their route to the big game how long a fuse they have.
They knocked off North Shore 3-1 in a Sweet 16 game, with Michaela Cervellin netting a hat trick. Next up, Burnaby edged Vancouver 2-1 in a penalty kick thriller.
In the semifinal, it was another 2-1 decision, this time over Fraser Valley, to propel them into this weekend’s final against West Coast Metro.
There were enough moments along the way where fate could have produced a different result; but not even a 2-0 hole in penalty kicks could deter Burnaby from its goal.
“It’s been quite a fun ride,” Dynamite coach Ivan Svetic said of the playoff run and season. “This is a special group of girls that just never gets down on itself.”
That quarter-final, tied and forced to penalty kicks, was a true test of that determination. Vancouver scored on its first two chances while Burnaby missed and had one turned aside. It took a heroic save by netminder Johanna Coley from stopping Vancouver from finishing it on the fifth shot.
In the end it went nine shooters deep, with Ashley McKee’s shot being the final goal.
“You go down 2-0 in penalty kicks and I don’t think the statistics are in your favour,” noted Svetic. “We started scoring, (Vancouver missed one) and (Coley) punched it away. When it was finished the kids were ecstatic.”
To beat Fraser Valley, the defence, led by Gurneet Sidhu, Samantha Gee, Mikaela Viani and McKee, dictated the tone of the semfinal, maintaining a standard that saw them surrender just 15 goals over 18 league games. Every player did their part, with the end result another game to play.
They’ve met West Coast two times before, with a 2-1 win and a 1-0 loss the results.
“They are a strong, technical team and we expect a good close game,” said Svetic. “After finishing the season in fourth I’d say we are slight underdogs. … It never hurts to go in thinking you’re the underdog.”
The final goes at 3 p.m. at Aldergrove Athletic Park.
