Gorge FC lit up the provincial stage this weekend, as both its Women鈥檚 Premier and Masters teams brought titles back to Saanich 鈥� one with ice-cold nerves, the other with a seven-goal statement.
The Women鈥檚 Premier side edged 台湾MM裸聊室 FC in a wild 3-3 draw that went the distance and then some. After extra time couldn鈥檛 separate the teams, Gorge coolly converted four penalties to win the shootout 4-2.
鈥淲e picked up a couple of injuries to key starters in the first half, so we had to adjust on the fly,鈥� head coach Dave Dew said. 鈥淪ome younger players stepped up in a big way. They coped well.鈥�
Gorge struck first 鈥� three times, in fact 鈥� with Kiara Kilbey netting a brace and captain Liz Gregg adding another. But 台湾MM裸聊室 kept answering, sending the final to penalties. From the spot, Gregg, Kilbey, Elly Parker and Emma Dewit all buried their kicks to seal the title.
It鈥檚 the club鈥檚 third provincial women鈥檚 crown, adding to wins in 1995 and 2022 鈥� with their past two both coming at 台湾MM裸聊室鈥檚 expense.
鈥淲e talked before the game about playing like they did when they were 11 or 12,鈥� Dew said. 鈥淛ust enjoying the game, trusting each other, not worrying about the result. I think that really helped them stay composed.鈥�
The victory capped a dominant season for Gorge鈥檚 Premier squad. They went undefeated in league play, captured the Terry Price Cup for a fourth straight year, and now head to nationals in St. John鈥檚, Nfld. in October.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been quietly confident all year,鈥� Dew said. 鈥淟iz Gregg is 41, still scoring at will, and Kilbey has led the league in goals four years running. We鈥檝e got players who鈥檝e been at the next level 鈥� UVic, Dalhousie, even overseas.鈥�
One day earlier, the Masters team delivered a clinic of its own, dismantling the Port Moody Gunners 7-0 in a one-sided final. Mallory Hackett had a game for the ages, pouring in five goals to lead the charge.
鈥淥ur plan was to come out hard and fast,鈥� said player-coach-manager Caitlin Siska. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to give them any time on the ball. We scored in the 12th minute and just kept rolling from there.鈥�
Heather Christie added another, and by halftime it was 3-0. Even Siska was stunned.
鈥淚 was honestly in disbelief,鈥� she said. 鈥淧ort Moody finished top of their league on the mainland. We knew they were good, but we didn鈥檛 expect to go up that big, that early.鈥�
For Siska, a longtime Gorge veteran, the win carried extra meaning.
鈥淚鈥檝e played in a few finals, but this is my first provincial win,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or a few of us, it was a long time coming.鈥�
The Masters squad also punched its ticket to nationals, with their tournament set for October in Winnipeg, Man.
