Burnaby South Secondary rallied to claim a top-five ranking at the 2023 B.C. soccer provincial championships this past weekend.
The host-Rebels combined for a 4-1 record and a fifth-place finish among 16 teams that competed for the AAA senior boys' blue banner at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West (3677 Kensington Ave.).
The black and yellow's 2-1 record from the group stage relegated them to the fifth-to-eighth-place bracket, as per tournament rules for elimination play.
Burnaby needed a skills contest to claim the highest ranking possible, defeating Argyle Secondary (North Vancouver) by a score of 1-1 (4-2 on penalty kicks) on Saturday, Nov. 24.
A day earlier, Nov. 24, the Rebels shut out Abbotsford Senior 2-0 to reach their consolation bracket's final.
The team's lone loss of the week was to the eventual provincial-champion Reynolds Secondary (Victoria) during the round-robin on Thursday, Nov. 23.
Burnaby South's game-by-game results were as follows:
- 1-1 (4-2 on penalties) win over Argyle
- 2-0 win over Abbotsford Senior
- 3-2 win over North Peace (Fort St. John)
- 2-0 loss to Reynolds
- 3-0 win over Lord Tweedsmuir (Surrey)
South finished with a silver in Burnaby New Westminster Schools Athletic Association (BNWSAA) league play, falling to North 1-0 in the final.
They also claimed a bronze medal at Fraser North AAA district playoffs, earning a spot at provincials with a 1-0 victory over Dr. Charles Best Secondary (Coquitlam).
