Burnaby North qualified for the B.C. high school AAA girls’ soccer championships on short notice and made the best of it.
The Vikings lost the Burnaby/New Westminster/North Shore zone berth to Argyle following an earlier 4-0 loss last month. But North got a second opportunity as an 11th-hour entry after a Williams Lake school backed out just a week before the tournament held at the University of Victoria last weekend.
Placed in a tough pool with last year’s champion Fleetwood Park and No. 6-ranked McMath, North finished last in its pool and wound up in 16th place following a 5-3 loss to Mt. Baker in the final placement game.
Megan Lai was North’s selection for the Commissioner’s XI, while Allyson Dickson and Sophia Gorovcin led the Vikings on the playing field with three and two goals, respectively. Jessica Filippelli also had a goal on a free kick in the tournament.
Charles Best defeated Fleetwood Park in extra time in the provincial final.
Despite finishing the tournament with just 13 players and losing some key figures to graduation, North coach Deb Peters is encouraged about next year’s team.
With the majority of players returning of junior age or younger, Peters said it is all about next season.
In AA high school girls’ soccer, Notre Dame Regional School placed 11th following a 2-0 victory over Holy Cross at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex-West on Saturday.
Notre Dame played eventual provincial champion Brooks tight in its opening game, narrowly surrendering a 1-0 outcome. The Jugglers also lost to eventual eighth-place finisher Archbishop Carney 1-0 in a shootout.
Brooks went on to defeat BurWest/North Shore zone champion Seycove 2-1 in the AA final.
