The Fleetwood Park Dragons will have a chance to defend their sa国际传媒 triple-A senior girls soccer title, advancing to today鈥檚 championship game against the Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils with a gritty 1-0 win over the Panorama Ridge Thunder in Friday鈥檚 semifinal.
鈥淲e鈥檝e played them five times and they鈥檝e all been one-goal games. Us, them, us, them, us 鈥� 鈥� said Dragons coach Sunny Uppal, whose Surrey-based club lost 2-1 to the Thunder in the Fraser Valley semifinals. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I told the girls after that loss that it鈥檚 OK.
鈥淲hen we get to provincials is when we really want to win it,鈥� he added.
It took a late goal from Kayla Smith to get it done as she pounced on a loose ball that eluded the Panorama Ridge goalkeeper. Earlier on, Lorissa Houle had the best opportunity to score for the Dragons, but sent a right-footer over the crossbar.
Chances were few and far between in the game as the Dragons defended their lair, loading up the back end against the Thunder, who were silenced. Simi Lehal was a tower of strength on defence.
Charles Best, meanwhile, bested the Elgin Park Orcas 2-1 in the second semifinal.
The Orcas were earlier pushed to the limit in their final round-robin game.
The host and Island runners-up, Stelly鈥檚 Stingers, were seven minutes away from toppling No. 1 Elgin Park, but Brooklyn Tidder鈥檚 late goal eked out a 2-2 draw for the Orcas, which was enough to get through pool play after two opening wins.
鈥淲e were lucky,鈥� added Orcas coach Bruce Filsinger. 鈥淭hey came out in that second half and pushed us. They were physical.鈥�
A Stingers鈥檚 win would have pushed them through to the semis, but it wasn鈥檛 meant to be.
鈥淪o close, down to almost five minutes away from pulling it off. I thought we had it,鈥� said Stingers coach Jackie Cunningham. 鈥淭hat was the best I鈥檇 seen this team play all year. That was what we aspired to all season.鈥�
The Stingers placed second in Pool B behind the Orcas.
Down 1-0 on a goal from Elgin Park鈥檚 Mairin Kiloh in the first half, Julia Coulson tied it five minutes into the second for Stelly鈥檚 on a great through ball from Kelsey Boudreau. Boudreau sent a corner kick onto the head of a leaping Mara McCleary for a 2-1 lead just minutes later as the Stingers dictated play.
The Island champion Oak Bay Breakers fell 1-0 to the solid Panorama Ridge team that was ranked No. 1 for most of the year until Elgin Park knocked them off in the Fraser Valley final. That result pushed the Thunder into the semifinal.
鈥淚t is [disappointing], . . . the girls have had a really good year so it鈥檚 tough to be that disappointed,鈥� said Breakers coach Brent Garraway.
Oak Bay, second in Pool C, then lost 1-0 to McMath, second in Pool D.
Stelly鈥檚, second in Pool B, defeated the Argyle Pipers (second in Pool A) 2-1 and will play McMath for fifth place today at 11 a.m. on Field 3.
The Dragons face the Blue Devils in the noon championship final today at UVic鈥檚 Centennial Stadium, while the Thunder take on Elgin Park for bronze at 10 a.m. on the same pitch.
Twitter.com/tc_vicsports
