Nelson U17 girls soccer team won gold at provincials
Published 4:41 pm Friday, July 24, 2026
The Nelson U17 girls soccer team won gold at the BC Soccer Provincial B Cup.
Nelson played against UFC Okanagan on July 18 in Kamloops.
This makes an incredible run for the team, after winning gold and silver medals over the last three years.
“Getting to win for a second time with the same group of people is the most special feeling ever. Our team has gotten so close,” said Piper Kuran-Dowden, a player on the team.
“It is a proud feeling to bring that home and to represent Nelson at that level,” she added.
Kuran-Dowden has been playing soccer since she was 3 years-old and is now a coach for Nelson Soccer Association.
She coaches players from U4 to U15 and says her view of the sport has changed since becoming a coach.
“I carry another sense of pride with me when I play now. It gives me a lot more appreciation for the game because I started at the same spot,” Kuran-Dowden said.
“I started at the same spot as those kids, so it has given me a deeper appreciation for soccer,” she added.
Kuran-Dowden is not the only person in her family who is involved in the sport. Her mother, Cheryl Dowden is a coach on the team, along with Jen Moynes.
Moynes started coaching the girls when they were in U10 and Dowden came on board when they advanced to U12.
Dowden has watched the players mature as players, but also has human beings.
“They are developing as young athletes, but are also developing incredible leadership skills. I really saw that in this tournament and I am so proud of them,” she said.
“They are a team that really supports each other.”
Since the team won three provincial medals, they have the ability to qualify to the BC A Cup, the highest level of provincial championships.
Kuran-Dowden wants to continue playing the game and having soccer in her life post-graduation from high school next year.
“I am currently in the process of talking to a few schools for university recruitment. I just want to play soccer for as long as I can.”