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Pinnacles ready for provincials

Five Pinnacles Football Club teams are competing for provincial championships

Pinnacles Football Club has five teams vying for a provincial championship this week.

Starting Thursday, Penticton hosts the Les Sinnott Memorial Boys Provincial Cup and Girls Provincial B Cup (U16-U18). There will be 48 teams competing at Kings Park and Penticton Secondary/KVR Middle School July 9-12.

Representing Pinnacles FC will be the under-16  and 18 girls and U18 boys. The U14 and 15 boys will be playing in 100 Mile House.

Duarte Francisco, coach of the U16 girls went through the regular season and playoffs undefeated as they won the Thompson Okanagan regional championship. Francisco’s team opens the championship at 3 p.m. at KVR Middle School against the Prince George Timberwolves and he isn’t looking beyond that match.

“We’re peaking at a good time,” said Francisco. “We have some key players that have stepped up to the plate.”

Among those is his daughter Celine, who scored five goals, including three against Vernon to advance to the Thompson Okanagan championship game, where she added two more.

“She’s peaking at a good time,” he said. “The system is working.”

Francisco has figured out how to utilize his players in their system and for the first time has a full roster at his disposal. After opening against the Timberwolves, the Pinnacles take on the Chilliwack Attack July 10 at 11 a.m. at Kings Park and then the Williams Lake Storm July 11 at 1 p.m., also at Kings Park.

Pinnacles FC U18 boys earned their spot in the provincial championship with a 5-1 win against Kelowna.

“It’s probably the best game that the u18s have played this year,” said coach Paulo Araujo. “They are doing well. If they played like they did (against Kelowna), I think they have a very good chance of doing well.”

Last year Araujo and his team settled for silver after losing the championship in penalty shots.

“I think this year we have a better team,” he said. “More experience. More flair. Scoring more goals.”

The U18 boys open against the Columbia Valley Titans at 3 p.m. on July 9 at Kings Park. On July 10, they face Coastal FC Royal at 11 a.m. at Kings Park. Their final game is at KVR against the Williams Lake Storm at 9 a.m. The U18 girls play their first game July 9 at 9 a.m. at Kings Park. Their second match is July 10 at Kings Park at 1 p.m. against Shuswap FC Selects and their final match is July 11 at KVR Middle School at 3 p.m. against Coquitlam Metro-Ford Black Ice. Pinnacles FC will have an opening ceremony at Kings Park on July 9 at 7 p.m. The full schedule of the tournament is available at http://girlsandboysbcups.bcsoccer.net/schedule-results.