Four teams in first as season winds down

BY JOHN DECOSTE

jdecoste@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

And then there were four.

Entering the final weekend of the Nova Scotia Soccer League’s Tier 1 indoor season this weekend, four Valley United teams sit atop their respective divisions.

The Valley U-14 boys joined the U-16 girls and U-18 boys and girls in first place following a 1-0 shutout of Halifax County Feb. 23 in Kentville. Keifer Levy had the game’s only goal and Keiran Collins picked up the shutout.

Valley (10-2-2) has 32 points, one better than Scotia, which completed its season at 9-3-4, and were two ahead of Mahone Bay (9-3-3). The South Shore squad is scheduled to play in Kentville Saturday before Valley wraps up its season Sunday in Truro.

The Valley U-18 boys remain undefeated on the season at 10-0-3 with a 1-0 shutout of Highland Feb. 24 at the new indoor facility in Stellarton. Tye Borden had the goal and Andrew MacRae earned his ninth straight shutout and tenth of the season overall.

The U-18 boys have allowed just three goals all season while scoring 24 entering their final regular season game Sunday against Dartmouth United. With an eight-point lead over second-place City 18s, Valley has already clinched first place.

The U-18 girls all but clinched first place in their division with a 3-0 victory over Dunbrack Feb. 24 in Kentville. Ashley Hardman, Emma Young and Lauren Landry scored the Valley goals and Danielle Bennicke and Jillian Cochrane shared the shutout.

With two regular season games remaining - Sunday against Scotia and Tuesday evening against Dartmouth United - the U-18 girls were at 11-0-1 for 34 points.

The Valley U-16 girls remain comfortably in first place at 13-1-1 despite failing to win for only the second time this season, playing to a 1-1 draw with Halifax City. Carly Goodine scored the Valley goal. Oram Mackenzie replied for Halifax City.

The U-16 girls, who had a 14-point lead over both Halifax County and Scotia entering play this weekend, wrap up their regular season Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. against Dunbrack.

The U-14 girls were the only Valley team not to win in action Feb. 23-24, dropping a 2-1 decision to first-place Scotia. Ashley Poirier and Meagan McKenna scored for Scotia while Emilie Lake, with her team-high 12th goal of the season, replied for Valley.

Despite the loss, the U-14 girls remain solidly in third place, assured of a playoff berth.

The Valley U-16 boys did not play on the Feb. 23-24 weekend and are tied for the fourth and final playoff berth in their division entering the final weekend of play.

Both Valley and Cape Breton had three regular season games remaining, one of which is head-to-head Saturday in Kentville.

The Valley teams wrap up their regular season this week, but with some postponed games still to be made up, it will be March 22 before the NSSL Tier 1 playoffs will begin. The playoff schedule can be accessed online at www.nssoccerleague.ca.