Royals, Wildcats, Orcas, Dragons, Breakers and Sun Devils.
A half-dozen schools have the best chance to advance to the semifinal round Friday afternoon at the B.C. girls triple-A soccer championships in Tsawwassen.
But before Handsworth, R.A. McMath, Elgin Park, Fleetwood Park, Oak Bay and South Delta can look too far ahead, there is the matter of the final round of pool play on Friday morning.Pool C and D winners clash in a 12:45 p.m. semifinal at South Delta Secondary oval, while Pool A and B winners follow at 2:45 p.m. The final is slated for 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
Here’s our look at the substantial happenings on Thursday’s opening day:
POOL A
North Vancouver’s Handsworth Royals are as battle-tested a team as you’ll find at the 2016 championships, having survived the gauntlet of three must-win games over Sentinel, Burnaby Central and New Westminster just to arrive in the final field of 16 here at provincials.
Now, head coach Brian Gibbard’s team has destiny within its control for a berth in Friday afternoon’s semifinals.
On Thursday, the Royals looked lethargic in a 0-0 draw with Chilliwack’s Sardis Falcons, but they rebounded with goals from Destiny Lutz and Sophia Verdicchio to edge Victoria’s Reynolds Roadrunners 2-1 later in the day.
All of that sets up an 11 a.m. contest Friday against Richmond’s R.A. McMath Wildcats in the final game of pool play. Goal differential will create more than one scenario, but the bottom line for both teams is that the winner will advance to the Final Four.
“We control our fate, so it’s just win, baby,” said Gibbard, relieved that Verdicchio’s top-shelf offering off a free kick in the second half was able to stand as the winner.
POOL B
Surrey’s Elgin Park Orcas aren’t letting adversity stand in their way.
The Orcas went 2-0 in pool play Thursday, meaning a victory over the South Kamloops Titans on Friday (11 a.m.) would send them to the provincial semifinals.
Yet timing, according to head coach Chris Ellett, is not on their side.
“It’s our school grad dinner and dance on Friday so tomorrow, we have no Grade 12s,” said Ellett after his team completed Thursday with a 3-1 win over the defending B.C. champion Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils of Coquitlam. “But today we had three of our seniors writing tests, so we were super hard-pressed to get a result against Best. Our girls played incredibly well and it was one of the most impressive games I have seen in my 10 years coaching here.”
With Alyssa Hunt scoring three times, Kayla Johnson back-stopped the Orcas to a 6-2 win over Quesnel’s Correlieu Clan in a morning contest.
However Johnson was unable to play against the Blue Devils, forcing Ellett to move back-up centre back Sage Stevens into goal, and all she did was make two big saves in support of one goal from Hunt and two from Kali DuMoulin.
“There is some bad timing this weekend, but we are happy to be where we’re at,” added Ellett of a team which graduated 10 seniors from last season’s team, including six starters. “Based on our expectations at the start of the season, we’re punching above our weight class. But we’re just happy to be punching.”
POOL C
The host South Delta Sun Devils were the opening day’s most impressive team, trouncing Coquitlam’s Centennial Centaurs 7-2 in their opener, then toppling the North Shore champion Argyle Pipers 3-0 in their second match.
For a team that was challenged to find the back of the net early in the season, the Sun Devils look like a team totally re-invented.
“I really can’t explain it,” said South Delta co-coach Stephen Burns, who got two goals in each of the wins from Grade 9 Breanne Gallagher, the sister of Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher. “For us, this is an aberration. It just hasn’t happened this way. But sometimes, I guess you’re just on.”
The Sun Devils will face the winless Mt. Baker Wild of Cranbrook in their final pool game on Friday (9 a.m.). A win or draw would send South Delta into the semifinals.
POOL D
It will all come down to a battle Friday morning (9 a.m.) between Surrey’s Fleetwood Park Dragons and the Oak Bay Breakers of Victoria for a berth in the semifinals.
The two teams finished the day undefeated at 2-0, and each produced identical plus-five goal differentials.
“It’s going to come down to who finishes their chances,” said Dragons head coach Sunny Uppal of the contest.
Fleetwood Park, with two goals from Liesanne Musico, began Thursday with a 2-0 shutout of Abbotsford’s W.J. Mouat Hawks, then followed with goals from Musico, Laura Marr, Nikki Virk and Kayla Smith in a 4-1 win over Kitsilano.
“We’ve gotten better as the season has progressed,” said Uppal. “We’re organized and our best players are playing their best.”
Oak Bay topped Kitsilano 3-1 and then finished with a 3-0 win over Mouat.
