Defending champs BB5 hit six of the best as VMSL dominant once again in Provincial A Cup (with video highlights)

The 2024 BC Provincial A Cup kicked off last weekend with some fantastic action and a plethora of goals, showcasing the top level of amateur soccer in our province. With two spots up for grabs at this year’s Challenge Trophy, which will be held in Surrey in October, this year’s competition has a little bit more added spice to it.

Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) clubs have dominated the competition for over a decade, with Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) side Gorge FC the last non-VMSL side to lift the historic trophy way back in 2010. Will this be the year to end their dominance? It’s perhaps hard to see it but Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) champions Abbotsford United, who went undefeated during their league season, will certainly fancy their chances of doing so.

Five of the six VMSL sides advanced to this weekend’s quarter-finals, with two FVSL and just one VISL teams still in the mix to lift this year’s trophy.

Before we get into how the Round of 16 action played out, here’s a summary of all of last weekend’s results at a glance, in bracket order:

Vancouver United Hibernian (VMSL) Forfeit over FC Tigers Vancouver (FVSL)
Langley United (FVSL) 2 – 1 Port Moody (VMSL)
Abbotsford United (FVSL) 3 – 0 Lakehill (VISL)
Columbus FC (VMSL) 5 – 0 Gorge (VISL)

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Vic West (FVSL) 1 – 2 Coquitlam Metro-Ford Wolves (VMSL)
Columbus FC (FVSL) 1 – 2 Croatia SC (VMSL)
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) 6 – 1 Comox Valley United (FVSL)
Bays United (VISL) 5 – 3 Ares AFA (FVSL)

The A Cup action was meant to kick off with two matches on Friday night, but FVSL side FC Tigers Vancouver forfeited their match against VMSL Imperial Cup champs VUFC Hibernian due to a lack of eligible registered players. It’s not been a good couple of years in the competition for Tigers, coming after they were kicked out of the 2023 cup for fielding an ineligible player.

The match that did go ahead saw FVSL Pakenham Cup champions Langley United beat Port Moody SC of the VMSL 2-1 at Willoughby.

Saturday’s action kicked off with third-placed VMSL side Columbus FC going nap over VISL runners-up Gorge FC at Burnaby Lake, in a 5-0 scoreline that didn’t fully tell the story of how the game played out.

Gorge started the stronger and created a couple of early chances before Alan Camacho’s hustle on the edge of the Gorge box won the ball, and saw the striker head to goal before slotting home the opener. The teams exchanged chances for the rest of the even half but the Vancouver side headed into the break with the narrow lead, with all still to play for.

But things escalated quickly at the start of the second half.

Gorge thought they’d been given a lifeline in the opening minutes as the referee pointed to the spot following a challenge, but the linesmen indicated the tackle was outside of the box and the islanders had to settle for a free kick which they didn’t take advantage of. Columbus went up the pitch and doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Matteo Polisi ran onto a lovely chip over the defence from Camacho to finish with a nice chip of his own over the Gorge keeper.

After that there was no looking back for Columbus. Matthew Chow hit a brace, with a stunning 25 yarder into the postage stamp corner in the 54th minute and slotting home number four with 20 minutes remaining. John Brendan McKeown put the icing on the cake for Columbus with a nice finish in the 86th minute.

You can see our highlights of the match below and over on our YouTube channel.

It wasn’t a happy trip over to the mainland for another VISL side, Comox Valley United, who went down to a 6-1 defeat to VMSL champions BB5 United CCB at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey.

Devin O’Hea grabbed two goals for BB5, with Danylo Smychenko, Farivar Torabi, Albert Kang, and Yigal Bruk also getting on the scoresheet for the Surrey side, who are going for a fourth straight provincial title.

FVSL champions came away with a 3-0 win at home to the visiting Lakehill FC from the island, and after giving up just eight goals over the league season they are going to be a hard team to break down as they go for their first ever provincial title after coming oh so close in 2017.

A Sam McDonald hat-trick, the third coming from the spot late on, saw Bays United become the only VISL side to make the quarter-finals, after a barnburning 5-3 win over FVSL visitors Ares AFA in the last of Saturday’s action.

The biggest shock of the round came in Victoria on Sunday as VISL champions Vic West were knocked out by VMSL side Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves by a 2-1 scoreline.

Kyle Jones had given the visitors a 27th minute lead from a fantastic free kick before Paddy Nelson sent the teams in level at the half with a 44th minute volley. With all to play for in the second half, the goal that decided it came in the 65th minute from Metro Ford, making it a very nice journey home for the Coquitlam lads.

The last action of the weekend came on at Burnaby Lake on Sunday evening as Columbus FC’s FVSL side hosted Croatia SC from the VMSL, in one of the most entertaining matches of the round.

Columbus came out strong and took an 18th minute lead when Ryan Torresan headed home a corner, but their lead was to last just six minutes when a wide open Edris Najm finished off a perfect Emile Saimovici cross. Saimovici then superbly headed Croatia into the lead in the 29th minute and it was a lead they weren’t to give up, despite Columbus throwing everything at them in the second half.

Michael Hennessey crashed one off the post late on for the FVSL side, but they just couldn’t find the equaliser and Croatia moved on.

You can see our highlights of the match below and over on our YouTube channel.

A lot of fantastic action over the weekend in the A Cup, all of which sets up the following interesting quarter-final ties this weekend:

FRIDAY APRIL 12TH:

Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves (VMSL) vs Croatia SC (VMSL)
Charles Best Field, Coquitlam – 8.00pm kick off

SATURDAY APRIL 13TH:

BB5 United CCB (VMSL) vs Bays United (FVSL)
Newton Athletic Park Stadium, Surrey – 4.00pm kick off

Abbotsford United (FVSL) vs Columbus FC (VMSL)
MRC Sports Complex Field 3, Abbotsford – 6.00pm kick off

SUNDAY APRIL 14TH:

Vancouver United Hibernian (VMSL) vs Langley United (FVSL)
Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver – 4.15pm kick off