Squamish鈥檚 Peter Cooper was so close to a national championship he could taste it 鈥� but the star defender on the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners men鈥檚 soccer team thinks it鈥檚 only a matter of time before his squad tastes gold.
Cooper and the Mariners qualified for the CCAA Men鈥檚 Soccer Championship after being ranked number one in the Pacwest during the regular season and finishing second at the Pacwest Provincial in 麻豆社国产in October.
VIU was one of eight teams in the country at the event and opened with a 1-0 win over PEI鈥檚 Holland Hurricanes on Nov. 5. They followed that up with a 3-2 shootout win over Ontario鈥檚 Algonquin Thunder on Nov. 6 to advance to the gold medal game against the host Sheridan Bruins on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The battle with the Bruins also was settled in the shootout, with Sheridan edging VIU 6-5. Cooper said it was a disappointing result but that his team played to the best of its abilities.
鈥淚t was definitely an entertaining game for the fans,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll I can say is that we tried our hardest and that is all we can do. Sometimes games just don't go your way.鈥�
Cooper spent two seasons with Squamish鈥檚 Quest Kermodes and he said he鈥檚 been a great fit with the Mariners. The move to the new team also resulted in a position change. Cooper spent most of his time a Kermode as a striker but he鈥檚 now become a defender. He said he鈥檚 enjoyed both changes.
鈥淚 love playing defence,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love playing soccer, period. I just always played where my coach told me to play. It didn't matter where I played. I just wanted to play. One of my former coaches decided to play me at centre back not to long after I left Quest and I have played there ever since. I just want to do anything to help whatever team I am on win.鈥�
VIU dominated the Pacwest regular season. Cooper said the future is bright for his team.
鈥淚 think we played amazing this year,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were nationally ranked all year and didn't lose first place in the league at all. We finished second at provincials and nationals, so I'd say it has been a very good year for our team. The core of this team will be together for the next two or three years, so we are expecting to do some damage in the coming years. Our team is more like a family, we are all brothers, we do everything together and I am very proud of my team this year - we have accomplished so much.鈥�
He added that his education is also going well and he鈥檚 enjoying his time on Vancouver Island.
鈥淪chool is going great,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am getting good marks and my teachers are great. VIU is amazing, and it is completely changing my life. I plan on graduating VIU with a Bachelor of Arts degree and winning this team another national championship鈥�
