Columbus-Clan FC Defeated the Vancouver Firefighters in Provincial Cup Final. The Firemen had gained a berth into the final by upsetting 3 top-notch teams—Sporting Club, ICSF Inter, and Victoria Gorge—while Columbus had a much easier time of it against Cowichan, Aldergrove, and Croatia SC. Despite the fact that the Firefighters seemed to be peaking at the right time, it was Columbus that dominated proceedings for most of the game, as the final 4-0 scoreline clearly demonstrates. Young veteran Tiernan King opened the scoring early in the match as he cleverly chipped the ball over a bewildered Marco Durante from well outside the penalty area. The remainder of the first half was played at a high tempo with the Firemen trying desperately to get back in the game and Columbus replying with some very dangerous counter-attacks—particularly on the part of young Brendan Stabeno. The insertion of the VMSL’s top goalscorer—Niall Thompson—gave the Firemen an additional boost in the second half, but the Columbus defence—anchored by veteran Tony Gaita and young Luca Bellisomo—made things relatively easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he earned his 4^th consecutive clean sheet in Province Cup competition. It should be noted that Lindley was called upon to make one phenomenal save early in the second half—with the score still at 1-0—as Thompson unleashed one of his patented wicked shots from the edge of the penalty area. Shortly thereafter, veteran Columbus defender Frank Mollica sent an impeccable through ball to a streaking Robbie Cairns who proceeded to rifle a low, unstoppable shot into the back of the Firemen net. At this point, Columbus—led by second half substitute Joe Scigliano—started to dominate every aspect of the match and added two more goals to the comfortable margin of victory. Scigliano—the VMSL’s Most Valuable Player Award recipient during the 2006-2007 season—played a part in both goals as he unselfishly set up Steve DeBlasio for the third goal and then proceeded to beat Durante with a brilliantly-taken free kick in the late going. Two youngsters—Jonathan Poli and Nathan Quan—deserve special mention for their magnificent work in the Columbus midfield as they ran miles throughout the contest to thwart any dangerous buildup by the Firefighters. The Province Cup victory is the first for the Columbus squad since 1978! Congratulations boys and good luck in the National championships in October. The entire VMSL family will be cheering for you!!!