COQUITLAM’S Metro Ford Ajax tock its first step towards competing against the world’s best _in Paris this summer by winning the inaugural . Nike International .. Premier Cup regional _. qualifying tournament at Ambleside Park on Sunday. The-under-14. boys squad defeated the. North Delta Selects 3-2 in penalty kicks “= after the reams played to a 2-2 : draw i in regulation time. i The..Delta Selects edged North. Shore Selects 1-0 in semi-final action to carn a - berth. in the tournament final, “while Ajax blanked Vancouver International Selects 2-0 in the other semi-final. The North Shore squad advanced to the semis with a] - 0 win over Kelowna Warriors and a 0-0 draw sith eventual champion Ajax in preliminary round play. As finalists in the cight- team tournament, both Ajax and North Delta will represent the west in the Premier Cup final in Torontu, May 30-31. Qualifying tournaments will take place in Toronto and Montreal over the next two weeks to determine the addi- tional four teams that will compete in the Canadian final. The under-13 girls Nike Canada Challenge Cup quali- fying tournament was also played at Ambieside Park last Several past. and present ind: olympic: players : * have played“in the Peg ranks along with‘a number of cur- - rent Vancoiiver: 86ers. - The club: ‘grew up. on the orth: Shore: but is: moving jot: yer. “official, but ing “One ‘Of it’s” top. soccer clubs..." ween: "Pegasus y Youth'soccer receiving ¢! talent: from“one: of the most *' successfull youth programs: in. eal. will: include rey’ -under-19 . select |: team. joining forces with Pegasus~’ as’ ‘a" combined “Zundeér-21- squad. | The Pegasus U-2]s' will call Surrey home next season.. “We've always had a lot of | Surrey players,” said Pegasus manager» Frank §Martincllo. has ‘to’ do with demo- g ics; there are way more kids’ playing. soccer in ‘Surrey so they can’t help bur pro- Guce. better Players on aver- ‘Martinello said Pegasus . will play out of North Van’s. Kinsmen Stadium next sea- son, but after that.a move to : Surrey. may be in the cards,: = *Wefwon't be moving in the “hear. future, but: possibly in the distant future. “*We want the best players -in our club no matter where ‘they:come from,” added the « Peg. manager,. “It’s not that -the ‘North Shore doesn’t ‘produce good young players, just seems there aren’t enough.” “>” North Shore Pegasus was formed in 1972 and quickly = established“ itself as one of he top al mateur clubs in the The team captured the © SPORTS Ajax cleans up at tourney weekend, with Burnaby Inferno downing — Langley Scorpienne 5-2 in thc final. The sole North Shore entrant, the North Shore Kodiaks won all three of ticir preliminary games (outscoring their opponents 7 () before losing to Langley 3-0 in the semi-tinals. Burnaby and Langley have qualified for the Canadian final in Toronto, May 30-31. — Andrew McCredie A North Shore Select (right) battles for the ball with a North Belta Select during U-14 semi-tinal action in the Nike Inter- national Premier Cup. Deita won 1-0. Province Cup:in.1995 and 7 1997; but had ‘a’ disappoint- ing campaign this past winter finishing : eighth in the 10- team “Premier . League: <-Winning the Province: Cup vas a mixed blessing, as tvo "trips to the national champi- :onships, most recently in | Calgary, lefr the team in : dete. ; On the issue of the club’s “debt, Martinello would only say that “they (Surrey Y.S.A. assumed our assets and liabil- ities and will provide financial : support. in the future.” “Vancouver Metro League resident Willi Azzi says he as no problem with the Pegasus deal. “If they had to rely on the North. Shore (for. players), they'd be in trouble — not that the North Shore doesn’t produce good players, there’s just too much com- petition for young: talent because. there are three Premier clubs playing out of a: comparatively small com- munity.” West Van Trollers and Norvan F.C. are ‘the other Premier sides and both oper- ate under-2] reams. “Ir’s stmple demograph- ics,” explained Azzi. “More kids are playing in the Fraser Valley, but the. top league is in Vancouver — it makes sense for a Premier. team to capitalize on the talent com- ing out of the Valley.” The Surrey Youth Soccer Association has 1,800 mem- bers. Azzi says the league is pushing for more deals simi- far to. the Pegasus-Surrey merger. “The league would like te see the formation of bigger clubs — similar to rugby clubs,” he admitted. “The league could learn a lot from rugby.” Per eee ot i oe i It’s easy to give your outdoor cooking a whole new flavour. From as little as $25 a month; the BC Gas Inc. 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