On November 16 the weather forecast in Grand Forks was calling for sunny skies and mild temperatures; in short, a perfect autumn day. But in the Arrow Lakes valley a storm was brewing when the low-pressure swagger of the Nakusp Senior soccer team collided with the high-pressure situation of competing for one provincial berth for the Kootenay region. The resulting storm front gathered momentum on the practice pitch at Nakusp Secondary School and eventually spilled out of the valley and rolled south to the Grand Forks region to lay waste to the perfectly planned sunny day.
The regional zone finals are the gateways to the provincial stage and each corner of the province is allocated a certain number of the 16 potential playoff berths. This year the Kootenay zone was afforded one playoff berth and Grand Forks, Boundary Central, Mt. Sentinel and Nakusp had to face off in a soccer scrap to claim the spot. Our boys entered into the zone playoffs with a year record of six wins and six losses, but the conclusion of the junior soccer season added some depth and support to the senior team roster as select number of junior players were moved up to senior.
What arrived at the soccer pitch in Grand Forks was a grey teeming swarm of our Nakusp boys ready and willing to bring the thunder. The junior/senior chemistry proved volatile and the Cougars dispatched the competition with a combined total of 20 goals for and only one against by the end of their three matches. The fury of precision passing and eclectic teamwork subsided as the Nakusp storm front rained itself out with a sparkling apple juice celebration of their victory. Finishing the year with a nine-wins, six-loss record, the Nakusp Cougars will be traveling on Nov. 5 to Abbotsford to participate in the 2013 Soccer A provincials.