Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating this special group locking up the BCSPL Regular Season title. This Wave squad has proven that they can throw up W’s for fun and that didn’t change last Saturday in the BC Premier Cup Final, where they defeated Burnaby FC 1-0 and lifted the trophy. Although these two major milestones have come in such short succession, this is years in the making. This win isn’t just a trophy for the cabinet, but a culmination of all the hard work done by players, coaches, friends, and families – a significant development milestone and a reason for all to be proud. This is another amazing moment for the Pacific FC development pathway, a clear blueprint for the Wave teams to follow, and a step towards the future for each of these players.
Playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd at South Surrey Athletic Park, the top-seeded VI Wave came out strong. Both sides held firm and Burnaby would even save a Mattias Vales penalty kick late in the first half, keeping the game scoreless. In the second half, both sides would keep the game deadlocked, until finally a dramatic goal in the 91st minute secured the 1-0 victory. Fittingly, it was Vales (who had missed the penalty previously) that would score the winning goal. With that last-gasp winner, the U-17 Wave clinched the Provincial Premier Cup and completed a rare provincial double – adding the Cup to the league title they secured earlier in the month.
This championship is a testament to a development journey that began many years ago. This 2008 group was the first group to come through Pacific FC’s integrated youth pathway from the very start. “This group represents why we started Pacific FC in many ways,” said Pacific FC Head Coach James Merriman, who has been involved with the boys since their early days in the program. “We’ve been there with them from their first sessions to now, and their growth has been incredible — not just as players, but as young men.”
Merriman recalled how the core of this team was formed through Pacific’s Trident Development Program, then progressed into the Vancouver Island Wave academy structure as part of the club’s Intake Program. Over the past 7 years, this group has worked through countless training sessions, matches, and challenges. They’ve developed not only their technical skills and tactical understanding of the game, but also character, resilience, and strong camaraderie. “This was a very clear pathway to develop local players for our first team, but more importantly, to develop them personally – to be respectful young athletes in sport and to gain life skills to be successful in whatever they pursue,” Merriman explained, emphasizing that success is measured in more than just wins and trophies.
The 2008 Wave boys have now been crowned top team in the province multiple times, highlighting the club’s vision for youth development. “This has been a 6- or 7-year development process and we have been there with this group every step of the way – through the successes and the trials,” Merriman noted. The Provincial Cup win is a moment of celebration for the program, but also a reflection on how far the players have come since they were eager kids dreaming of these opportunities.
The success of this team and the development pathway is already on display with 4 members already signing Pacific FC Development contracts (Will Edgson, Matthias Hallam, Mattias Vales, and Venny Chernyshev). One of these young players, Mattias Vales, has already made his professional debut with the first team. The rest of the squad is also drawing interest from teams and universities across the continent, with club captain Cormac Mallet graduating this year and committing to St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.
With the Provincial Premier Cup in hand, their focus shifts to the next big challenge. The team will prepare to represent British Columbia at the 2025 Canada Soccer Player Development Program (PDP) National Championship this August. They had already clinched their spot in this tournament when they captured the league title earlier this year, but this accomplishment is still just as sweet and shows that they mean business.
The PDP Championship is a new national competition launched in 2024 to showcase the country’s top youth teams and it will be an opportunity for the Wave boys to test themselves against Canada’s best.
This Provincial Cup win is more than a trophy, it’s a validation of a development process that has involved players, parents, and club staff all working towards one common goal. The commitment over the years between the athletes and their coaches, managers, and families has built something special. “We have always taken great pride in the planning, the training sessions, the coaching staff conversations, and even parent feedback – we tried to give this group our best while also building our professional organization,” James Merriman said, praising the holistic effort behind the team. “At this moment, we celebrate this team with a real sense of accomplishment, but we’re most proud of all the individual players and how much they’ve dedicated to their development.”
Achievements like this are truly a shared victory for the entire Pacific FC family. The 2008 Wave boys have embodied the mission of the club, proving that with patience, passion, and a clear pathway, local youth can rise to the top of the sport. No matter what happens on the pitch in Ontario, this group has already made the Island proud. Their story is an inspiration to the next generation coming up through the Pacific FC pathway, and their growth as young men are victories alone. Congratulations once again to the players and everyone behind the scenes.
Learn more about Vancouver Island Wave and the Pacific FC Development Pathway HERE
Read more about this 2008 Wave Team HERE