P.E.I. U-15 girls soccer wins national silver on home ground

It was an unprecedented run for a P.E.I. soccer team at a national championship, and the Island's U-15 girls squad did it in front of a hometown crowd.

The team beat Ontario 3-2 in extra time to on Sunday to ensure a silver medal but fell short in the championship game Monday, losing 2-0 to Manitoba.

"It hurt yesterday for a bit. The girls were pretty disappointed, and rightly so, they're competitors. We were not in it, at that point, for second. We believed we could have pulled that off," said coach Janos Barna.

"We let them know what an accomplishment it was. We didn't lose gold, we won a silver medal."

Indoor soccer facilities that provide the opportunity to train year-round are beginning to make a difference on P.E.I., Barna said, allowing the Island to compete against much larger provinces.

The team has been playing together all season, and developed a special personality that drove them to the national final.

"It was surreal. It's like a Cinderella story. These girls, they just didn't quit. They didn't know the meaning of it. They just battled and battled all year," said Barna.

"That was their identity. They wanted to outwork any team they ever played."

It was exciting to watch, he said. Right from the start it was clear the team would be able to compete at the national level, not allowing a goal in its first two games against Alberta and New Brunswick.