It was almost dark as the final whistle sounded. The shrill sound concluded what was an emotional, see-saw game and the 4-3 double extra-time result has propelled the Salmon Arm Secondary Golds soccer team to their second consecutive provincial championships.

The victory over the Kelowna Secondary Owls came on Wednesday afternoon at the Sullivan campus field.

"It was pretty fun," said a drained but happy Raymond Ross who scored the winning goal in the second extra-time stanza.

Noting it came off a great feed from mid-fielder Spencer Duncan, Ross elaborated on the play which resulted in the winner.

"We were kind of looking for it," he said. "Their player was blocking me with his arm so I took his arm, pushed it off, snuck in there and put it in."

Duncan had scored the Golds' two goals in regulation. Both his markers tied the score as the Golds never enjoyed a lead in the contest until Ross' goal in the dying minutes.

In the first extra-time period, Kelowna took their third lead of the day on a penalty kick. Wasting no time, the Golds went right down the field and evened the game up on a Dylan Abbott blast. Abbott found the ball and a little empty space after some aggressive Golds pressure had put the Owls on their heels.

"That was important to get the momentum back," said Abbott when asked about how quickly he and his team struck back.

Asked about what he saw as the difference in what was a very hotly contested Okanagan championship game, Abbott talked about the Golds' conditioning.

"They weren't as fit as us," he said. "Through our training, our fitness level gave us an advantage."

Abbott is one of Golds who will be returning for their second kick at the provincials. He noted last year's squad battled injuries as they placed 12th out of 16 teams and he believes the keys to success are playing "smart and hard."

Finishing off the chances the team is creating is going to be the most important challenge, said coach Brad Ross following Wednesday's game. "Everybody worked hard and played well, but we did have some easy shots to score."

The provincials take place in Burnaby from Nov. 20 to 22, the same setting for last year's tournament.