The lengthy layoff wore both teams down, but the Royal City u17 girls Rebels had enough in the tank to edge the North Shore Fury 1-0 in the first round of action in the Coastal B Cup playdowns.
Alysia Moysiuk’s cross into the box at the 30-
minute mark gave Jaime Lee and Abbey Flintoff a chance to break the stalemate. Flintoff volleyed the ball into the net to give the New West squad a lead it could protect.
As the game rolled on both teams tired, having not played since the middle of February. Showing grit and determination with a 90-minute effort was defender Brianne Lowka, who continues to impress after missing all of the 2014-15 season due to a torn ACL.
The Rebels advance to a quarterfinal showdown this Sunday against SurDel – a team they battled to a draw three times this past season.
A win on the North Delta pitch this weekend would propel the Royal City team into the Final Four for the first time.
