The Royal Bay Ravens took the long route, aided by some notable soccer genes, to the 2024 sa国际传媒 high school girls’ Triple-A title.
The powerhouse Ravens needed a circuitous challenge path just to get into the provincial tournament following a surprising third-place finish in the Island championship.
Royal Bay prevailed at provincials at Cloverdale Athletic Park by beating the Walnut Grove Gators of Langley 2-0 in the championship game Friday. The Ravens defeated the Argyle Pipers of North Vancouver 2-0 in the semifinals. An all-Vancouver Island final was denied by Walnut Grove’s 1-0 victory over the Island-champion Spectrum Thunder in the other semifinal.
Argyle blanked Spectrum 2-0 in the bronze-medal game.
Royal Bay, Argyle, Walnut Grove and Spectrum had won their respective preliminary pools.
“It was a difficult route but our players bounced back from the Islands and they played well as a team,” said Ravens head coach Angus Stewart.
“They really came together as a team at provincials and we had five different goal scorers in the tournament. I am super proud of how we performed as a team.”
The Ravens’ championship roster includes some notable family lineages. Midfielder Hayden Pakos is the grand-daughter of 1986 World Cup player and qualifying-round hero George Pakos. Ravens player and sa国际传媒 tournament MVP Cassie McKinty’s dad, Doug McKinty, was capped for sa国际传媒 and played pro for the Vancouver 86ers. Grade 10 Ravens standout midfielder-striker Gaby Gilbert, who had two goals in the tournament, is the daughter of former pro and 12-time sa国际传媒-capped Nick Gilbert.
“[Dad Nick] has taught me so much about the sport,” Gaby Gilbert told the sa国际传媒.
“Perhaps the biggest thing is to focus on what you need to work on now and don’t rely on past accomplishments.”
There will be no shortage of those to fall back on as the Ravens, who also won the Ryan Cup Lower Island championship, look to be a factor next season as well. Goalkeeper and captain Emma Sparrow, committed to play U Sports next season in sa国际传媒 West with the UBC Thunderbirds, is the lone graduating Grade 12 on the team.
There should be plenty to follow as Ravens coach Stewart has said most of the Royal Bay players are good enough to go on to play university soccer.
Dom Butcher’s Island-champion and sa国际传媒 semifinalist Spectrum team graduates no players, setting up what should be some epic league games against the Ravens next season, and a possible Royal Bay-Spectrum provincial final.
Royal Bay played in both the girls’ and boys’ sa国际传媒 high school Triple-A soccer championship games this season. The Ravens lost 3-0 to Reynolds in the all-Island boys’ sa国际传媒 championship game in the fall as the Roadrunners won their third consecutive provincial title.
CORNER KICKS: The Island second-seed Reynolds Roadrunners placed third in their pool and were relegated to the consolation bracket, where they lost 1-0 to the R.A. McMath Wildcats of Richmond and 2-0 to the Salish Wolves of Surrey to place 12th.
