Athletics Review

Grade 9 Girls Basketball
The Grade 9 girls basketball team had their first league game, facing Spencer in what turned out to be a competitive contest. SMUS led for the majority of the game, with a great attack from Vivian Lam, contributing 8 points while Chris Chen and Yasmin Roudsari each chipped in with 4 points. Spencer attempted a comeback by putting on a press, but SMUS was able to maintain control of the game and came out with a 22-18 win.

On Friday, the team headed to the Parkland Panthers Junior Girls basketball tournament. In the first round, they faced a very strong team from Kamloops: Brocklehurst. The zone defense was too much for the Jags, and they lost the opening game. Saturday morning pitted SMUS against the Gulf Islands. It was a competitive and fast paced game, and in the end, SMUS couldn’t overcome the early lead the Gulf Islands had built.

The Grade 9 girls then found themselves with a rematch of their league game from Thursday against Spencer. With a depleted SMUS squad of 6 players, the girls fought hard through faitigue and physical play to once again come out with the win, by a score of 24-22. Kudos go out to the gritty play of Sofia Liang, Stephanie Wong-Harrison, Jill Ding, Yasmin Roudsari, Jane Pirie and Emma Laprise. Their focus and determination were impressive in holding on for the win.

Grade 10 Boys Basketball
Another fine week of play resulted in three more wins and, for the first time since 1997, a move to #1 in the provincial basketball rankings!

In a December 10 matchup vs Brentwood, a blistering 21-2 third quarter broke open a fairly tight game, as SMUS rolled to a 61-27 win. Keiler Totz, with 19 points, led all scorers, with Dawit Workie adding 13 points.

The next morning, yet another dominant second half saw the team defeat Wellington of Nanaimo. Balanced scoring was again the key, while PG Mark Yorath dished out 11 assists.

Finally came a much anticipated showdown with two time defending provincial champion and pre-season #1 ranked Vancouver College. The Fighting Irish showcased a huge and bruising front line, but struggled against another fine all round defensive effort by the hosts. Wayne Lin, Steve Whillans and Monty Fraser-Brown managed parity on the boards despite giving away height and weight, while David Pollen, even if hobbled somewhat by a sore ankle, notched 9 key points in addition to contributing in many other areas. Again, while Yorath with 11 was top scorer, Fraser-Brown (9), Workie (8), Totz (8) and Lin (6) ensured that VC could focus on stopping any one player. Trenton Schulz-Franco further pitched in with some key steals and help defence.

In the end, after jumping out to a 16-7 first quarter lead, SMUS retained control throughout. While a careless final minute before the half allowed the Irish back within nine points, early threes by Yorath and Workie shortly after intermission stretched the margin back to 34-19. VC never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way with SMUS finishing on top 57-38.

While results from November and December guarantee absolutely nothing come playoff time in February and March, SMUS can take some satisfaction from moving on top of the provincial polls. In compiling a 6-0 record to date, the team has conceded double digit points in only two of the 24 quarters played.

Monday, December 13 sees the team take on Lambrick Park in league play before heading off to participate in a tournament in Honolulu.

Grade 8 Boys Basketball
The Grade 8 boys basketball team completed their pre-Christmas season undefeated, thanks to important City playoff semifinal and final victories.

With BC tournament qualification at stake, the squad first met a tenacious Cedar Hill outfit, and, despite being outrebounded, used strong defence and a blistering fast break to prevail 56-33. Owen Sudul set the tone with his aggressive play, while Matty McColl, Max Pollen and Jason Scully led the offence.

This victory set up a much anticipated rematch vs Monterey, which was played in front of over 300 fans at a noisy SMUS gym. Though falling behind early, SMUS kept its composure, and aided by some free throws, ended up 10-10 after one quarter.

An offensive surge, led by Scully and Pollen, along with a suffocating defence which limited the dangerous Monterey wing players, saw SMUS grab a 26-18 half-time lead.

The key moment of the game came late in the third quarter, when back-to-back three-pointers, one by Scully and one by Graeme Hyde-Lay, and a long Jack Sherrod jumper extended the SMUS lead to 38-24. From then on, though not without some hairy moments, which saw Monterey scramble back within seven, victory was assured. The 46-35 final score reflected very good preparation and an excellent all round effort.

With the City title, SMUS qualifies for the 2011 BC Grade 8 Provincial Tournament, to be held March 10-12 at Pitt Meadows SS in the Fraser Valley.

Senior Boys Basketball
The Senior boys team, under the weight of a preseason AA #5 provincial ranking, opened up the 2010-2011 campaign with five games in a ten day span.

First, the squad defeated Belmont 67-61 in exhibition play, almost squandering a 20 point halftime lead before prevailing. Joe Erlic (21) and Derek Hyde-Lay (14) led the SMUS scorers.

Next up was the ISA Tournament, played at West Point Grey Academy in Vancouver. A jittery start, full of missed shots and, even worse, multiple missed free throws, allowed St. George’s to gain a 26-13 lead after the first quarter and then use its superior size and depth to carry on to a decisive win. Hyde-Lay, again with 14, was top scorer.

SMUS looked to back up the following morning against Collingwood, and, despite playing a solid defensive game, lost 51-50. Fortunately, a disappointing weekend was then saved to a degree by a 74-55 victory over host WPGA.

On December 6, the team hosted Oak Bay, in what turned out to be the usual thrilling encounter against cross town rivals. While the Bays may have been definite favourites going in, SMUS, though down twice by 11 points in the third quarter, managed to keep in touch. Slowly, with a packed house willing the players on, the deficit narrowed until the score sat tied at 72 with ten seconds to play. To the delight of the visitors, a tough bucket by PG Kobyashi saw Oak Bay in front by two, before Erlic responded in equally clutch fashion at the buzzer to send the game in to overtime.

In the extra session, the Bays edged in front 80-76, but SMUS did not falter. Down 82-81, a key defensive stop led to a transition opportunity, and the last of Erlic’s 12 assists found Mitch Wiggins open in the right corner. The ensuing three put SMUS up 84-82 with virtually no time left. Following a timeout, a last second Drake Downer drive rolled around the rim and fell out, giving SMUS a notable victory.

Balanced scoring was the order of the day. Connor Eden, with 18, which included several key buckets inside, Hyde-Lay and Wiggins (15 each), Liam MacLure (14 along with 7 rebounds) and Erlic and Dave Lafleur (10) all reached double figures.

The team now returns for to the practice court before departing for a tournament in Honolulu just prior to Christmas.

Senior Girls Basketball
The Senior girls basketball team opened play this week in an exhibition series. The team faced Belmont on Friday afternoon, winning 76-17. The Blue Jags were led by Madison “McGoo” Hadfield (19 pts), Abbey “Zeke” Piazza (17 pts) and Cliona “Qube” Quail-Bradley (13 pts). Allie “Legs” White chipped in with 10 rebounds. Their second game was not much different, as they defeated Brentwood 94-32. Qube finished with 18 pts and 9 steals, Zeke chipped in 14 pts and Rachel Sibbald added 12 pts.

On Saturday, the Blue Jags faced the #4-ranked Nechako Valley Viqueens. Boasting a big, physical lineup, the Viqueens would prove to be too much for the Jags to handle. Down by just 5 points after the third quarter, SMUS stuggled offensively, only netting 4 points in the 4th to finish the game on the losing end 34-46. In spite of the loss, SMUS did compete for three quarters and proved that they are competitive with one of the top teams in the province. Qube led all SMUS scorers with 10 points and Annie “Matrix” Pike chipped in with 7 points.

The team has a big weekend coming up, as they travel to St. Thomas More Collegiate (#5-ranked) for a weekend tournament featuring four top-12 teams.

Grade 9 Girls Basketball
The Grade 9 girls basketball team were in Richmond this past weekend for their first competition of the season at the Hugh Boyd Tournament. It was a tough draw, with the first game against an athletic and strong Handsworth team. SMUS tried their hardest, but couldn’t keep up with the pace of Handsworth. The second game was much more evenly matched against Centennial, and the Jags came out much more agressive. Stephanie Wong-Harrison led the team with 17 points, and Tammy Tan chipped in with 8 points, and Chris Chen had 3 of her 7 points with a great shot from behind the arc. It was a tight contest for much of the game, but in the end, Centennial pulled away to win 56-42. The final game of the weekend was against Rockridge. Tammy Tan hit an impressive 5 of 6 from the free throw line, and it was the best defensive performance by the team thus far, but unfortunately, it was not enough to win.

Grade 8 Boys Basketball
The Grade 8 boys basketball team completed a very successful week, winning all six games in comfortable fashion.

A combination of solid defence, improved rebounding and balanced scoring saw the team defeat Royal Oak 51-31 in exhibition play before then, behind some especially good play from Mike Edwards and Steve Piazza, going on to beat Spencer in the City quarterfinals.

On December 3-4, the team made the trek to Chilliwack for the Slesse-Vedder Invitational tournament, and, with Jason Scully, Jack Sherrod, Matty McColl and Max Pollen leading the way, opened with large wins over Sahali of Kamloops and Pemberton.

In the semifinals, with Grant Nicholson, David Lee, Alex Caton and Jake Wilmott providing a real boost off the bench, the team overcame a sluggish start and a host of missed free throws to finally subdue MEI 42-23. This win advanced SMUS to the tournament final against highly regarded Brookswood, from Langley.

Any preconceived ideas that this would be a nailbiter of a championship match were quickly dispelled, as a red hot opening six minutes, fueled by Scully, Owen Sudul and tournament All-Star Graeme Hyde-Lay, allowed SMUS to grab a 19-2 lead. Stifling defence and a smart transition game were the order of the day throughout in what was a comprehensive 55-16 final scoreline.

The team now returns to City playoff action, with coaches Cyril Indome and Greg Wallis prepping the boys first for a semifinal matchup with Cedar Hill.

Junior Boys Basketball
The Junior boys basketball team, ranked #4 in the opening BC poll, opened preseason in good form, registering comfortable wins over Belmont and Claremont.

Still saddled with injuries, the team dressed only eight players for both games, with starters Mark Yorath, Dawit Hailemariam, Keiler Totz, Wayne Lin and Monty Fraser-Brown all logging a lot of minutes. Guards Dave Pollen (ankle), Trenton Sculz Franco (hip) and Steve Whillans (flu) provided bench support despite all being less than fully fit.

December 6-12 will be a real measuring stick for the team, as exhibitions against Oak Bay and Brentwood set the table for a much anticipated December 11 matchup against defending provincial champion and current BC #1 Vancouver College.

Junior Girls Basketball
The Junior girls basketball team travelled to Vancouver this weekend to play in the York House Season Tip-Off Tournament. The girls had a challenging first game against one of the top ranked junior girls teams in the province, Brookswood, and with a second game win by default the girls were ready for some serious competition in their final game on Saturday against St Thomas Aquinas. The game was tied after the first quarter, but the bigger STA team beat out our Jags in the end. Orla Glen and Kate Cluley were awarded with players of the game, and Jocelyne Yan was the leading scorer with six points. The girls play their first league game against Reynolds on Monday.

Rowing
Thirty-nine athletes and six coaches experienced another successful city championships! Over three days and 18 hours of racing the rowers endured lots of rain, mud, wind, fog and chilly temperatures. SMUS entered 13 of the 22 events and competed against 16 other high schools, making 10 finals. Unfortunately the fog played havoc on the last day of racing and put the racing on hold for several hours. With daylight diminishing and the fog not lifting the Senior Women’s 8+ was unable to race their final. They were excited to see if they could improve their second placing from the previous regatta. We will never know but are sure that they would have given a great effort!

To the coaching staff, Richard Curry, Suzy Hall, Bea Seaman, Crystal Lenarcic and Brett Malcolm, thank you! To all the rowers stand up and take a bow! You are awesome!

Event Result

• Senior Girls 1X: 4th (Jocelyn Stedman)
• Senior Girls 8+: Cancelled
• Senior Novice Girls 4X: 2nd (Sky Richards,Olivia Pierce, Rosalie Koenig and Bairavi Murugakumar)
• Senior Novice Boys 8+: 1st (Chloe Carlson, Fraser McGee, Stefan Hall, Michael Shaw, Davis Shi, Alex Lamberti, Lucas Comamala, Bradyen Jebbink and Oliver Lackner)
• Senior Novice Boys 4X: 3rd (Stefan Hall, Julian Allen, Fraser McGee and Michael Shaw)
• Junior Girls 4X: 6th (Charlie White, Hannah McElderry, Calina Kim and Allie White)
• Junior Girls 2X: 3rd (Charlie White and Allie White)
• Junior Boys 8+: 2nd (Colin Knightley, Riley Erickson, Josef Svorkdal, Marcus Lelewski, Sebastian Schicknoff, Nicholas Cunningham, Brody Watkins, Kia Newman and Alpha Willeboordse)
• Junior Boys 4X: 2nd (Riley Erickson, Josef Svorkdal, Marcus Lelewski and Colin Knightley)
• Junior Boys 2X: 2nd (Riley Erickson and Josef Svorkdal)

As a result of all of the great racing and teamwork:

• Junior Boys Aggregate (3rd)
• Junior Boys Efficiency (2nd)
• Overall Efficiency – Senior (1st)

Junior Boys Soccer
The last week of Junior boys soccer season started out badly but ended triumphantly. On Monday, the boys faced Oak Bay, a side they had beaten during the regular season. This match, though, was for third place in the city. The team played well but went down a goal in the first half after a quick free kick. Soon after, Dawit Workie, using his speed and a strong finish, brought SMUS level. Late in the second half, however, the boys switched off for a moment, thinking an Oak Bay attacker was in an offside position, and with no whistle, he slipped in and scored what turned out to be the winning goal. It was a tough loss for the boys, only their second of the season. As a result, SMUS finished fourth in the city.

On Thursday and Friday, SMUS hosted the Island championships. In their first group match, they faced a spirited Kwalikum side. Thirteen minutes into the game, Keiler Totz pulled in from the right flank, spotted the keeper off his line and lofted a beautiful shot that went over the keeper and into the net. Soon after, Michael Baart struck an equally beautiful ball on the volley, and it too went over the keeper. The boys, exuding confidence, went on to control the game and scored five more goals. Among the goal-scorers were David Daehler, Dawit Workie, Fynn Kehl, and Michael Baart who completed a hat-trick.

In their second group game, the boys faced Stelly’s, the team that had beaten them in the semi-final game in the city championships a week earlier. Both strikers, Michael Baart and Georgios Ikonomou, managed to score midway through the first half to establish a comfortable lead, which the boys managed to defend until the final whistle. Cole Tamburri was solid in goal, making some great saves, and the back four of Mark Yorath, Lindon Carter, Sam Reid, and Fynn Kehl were solid and impenetrable. David Daehler and Mauricio Montiel controlled the midfield for most of the second half, while Dawit Workie and Mark Kiggundu raced tirelessly up and down the flanks and tormented the Stelly’s defence.

In their first game on Friday, the last group game, the boys played Mark Isfeld. Their two earlier wins and the results of other games in the group made this game a mere formality: the boys were already through to the final. In the damp November morning, they managed only one goal against a very hard-working and determined side, and it came late off the boot of Michael Baart.

On Friday afternoon, the Junior Boys played Oak Bay for the third time this season, but this time it was to determine the champions of the Vancouver Island. The game was a hotly contested affair—highly competitive, fast-paced, and full of skill on both sides. As the game wore on, it appeared that the outcome would come down to one team capitalizing on the other’s mistake or one team having a moment of brilliance. Lucky for SMUS, Dawit Workie found that brilliance as he latched onto a beautiful through ball, which he smashed home. With only minutes remaining in regular time, Oak Bay attacked relentlessly and even struck the crossbar in the final minute of the game, but the boys held on till the final whistle. With this win, this Junior boys soccer team has brought the Island trophy back to SMUS for the first time since 2004.

The coaches would like to thank all the players for their hard work this season, which has turned out to be a hugely successful one. As the coach of the Mark Isfeld team put it, “They are a class act.”

Senior Girls Volleyball
The team had league matches against Victor Brodeur, Oak Bay and Belmont at the latter’s home gym. In the first match against the powerhouse Belmont, both teams had a tentative start. Despite some consistent serving from Tanya Rossa, Sophia Ducharme and Leah Hall, the passing skills and effective spiking from Belmont was a bit too much for our blocking and back-row defense. Strong serving from Belmont further put the team on its heels and despite a good effort, we lost both sets.

Despite the setback against Belmont, the team had to regroup and play Victor Brodeur immediately afterwards. Strong serving from Shayla Baumeler and Ali Pollen set the tone for success and the girls never looked back. Accurate serve receiving from Michelle Yim and Ali Pollen really made it easy for Leah Hall to run attacks from middle and power. This was the difference in the set and we prevailed 25-21. In the second set, great passing from Shade Souc and Sophia Ducharme, particularly on serve receive, enabled the team to win 25-16.

In the final match against Oak Bay, the team really showed some focussed and consistent play against a strong opponent. Both teams traded points from the outset in an intense set that was fun to coach; each team exchanged in a number of exciting rallies. Aggressive serves from Sophia Ducharme, Ali Pollen and Shade Souc helped us win many points. The team fought to the end but lost the first set 22-25. In the second set, our passing and focus was not quite the same and we lost 10-25.

At the ISA Tournament at Crofton House, the girls were psyched to take on the tournament favourite to win gold. From the first point, the girls showed good intensity and competed hard during every rally. Michelle Yim and Sophia Ducharme led the team with some good serve receive passing. The team played with aggression as Annie Pike had two blocks for points and power hitters Shayla Baumeler and Sophia Ducharme had two and four kills respectively. After trading points at 16-16 all, Crofton House increased the pressure further on our defense with some effective hitting and serving. They prevailed 25-18. The second set was very similar to the first in that we matched them point for point for most of it. Once again, Crofton House prevailed by the same score in the second set as they were able to control our attacks and serves a bit better than us.

Our next opponent was Shawnigan Lake and they were a strong opponent with much skill and good height. We started out strong and really put them on their heels with a good lead. Unfortunately, Shawnigan gained momentum. Although we played very well, they executed their offense a bit more aggressively than we were able to; consequently, we lost a heart breaker 25-27. At the crucial points in the set, we made some key mental or positional errors, which really hurt us. To the team’s credit, we dismissed the possibly depressing loss and came out strong to start the second set. Some amazingly accurate serve receive passing from Tanya Rossa and impressive blocking from the entire front row (eight in total), really helped us attack aggressively and maintain momentum. We won another nail-biter 25-23.

At this point, the team was feeling very good about its play and we were looking forward to doing well against our last two opponents, Mulgrave and Collingwood both from West Vancouver. Unfortunately, despite all attempts to combat fatigue, the team started to “run on vapours” as the matches progressed into the night. A strong serving run by Shade Souc and some good blocking from our middle blockers Sophia Ducharme and Annie Pike really helped us win some points. Two kills apiece from our middles and Shayla Baumeler enabled us to prevail 25-21. However, this set really took our last bit of energy. In the final set against Mulgrave, we lost in a disappointing 23-25 outcome.

Against Collingwood, our team really tried to find some energy and focus but we lost two disappointing sets that were close in score. This put us out of contention for medals but did not reflect our play for most of the day. In our final match against Saint Margaret’s the next day, the team won the first set 25-21 with some good attacks (three kills from Sophia, two from Annie, one from Tanya, two from Shade and one from Kirby) and strong serving from everyone. We lost a close second set 23-25 and then came up short in the third set that was filled with mental errors. Disappointed but not defeated, the team had a good tournament overall and we left Vancouver with confidence that the final results were not indicative of our true ability.

In our league matches on Nov. 2, we hosted Glenlyon-Norfolk House, Claremont and Lambrick Park. Against GNS, some great serve reception from power-hitter Shade Souc, libero Kirby McLean and offside player Tanya Rossa really made it easy for our “emergency” setter Sophia Ducharme. Some strong kills from Shayla Baumeler and Annie Pike were too much for GNS. With setter Leah Hall back in the second set and Sophia Ducharme as power-hitter again, GNS had no answer for the eight kills they combined on. This was made possible by some great passing from everyone. The team played a relaxed and composed match as we won both sets.

The second match against Claremont was particularly rewarding as the team competed well against a good team; especially the second set, which we held them off 26-24, maintaining the lead throughout and not letting them take control of the set. Strong play from Deryn Ramsey really added some energy positive spirit to the team; she had some effective serves and three kills in the frontcourt. Tanya Rossa finished the set with two kills and Sophia Ducharme had four.

In the final match against the “well-oiled machine” that is Lambrick Park, arguably the best team in the city, the team came out a bit intimidated. However after calling a timeout down 6-0, the team re-grouped and competed well. Ultimately, their precise serving and strong attacks to our seams in defense really put them over the top. In the second set, we played well despite the circumstances and did our best. We served effectively but their passing was superb and any free balls we gave them were usually answered promptly with some innovative spikes or attacks to our weak areas on defense. Despite losing the second set 25-19, the team and I were feeling good about our effort overall against them.

The city playoffs begin next week to determine placing for the Island championships the weekend of Nov. 19. SMUS is hosting the tournament and we hope to get another crack at teams we have played against in previous tournaments.

Squash

• Lachlan Glen 3-1 Loss
• Michael Groot 3-1 Loss
• Chris Groot 3-2 Win
• Cole Turner 3-0 Loss
• Zach Khan 3-0 Loss

Senior Cross Country
The Island Championships took place last Wednesday at Beaver Lake. The conditions were a little muddy, but all things considered, it was a perfect day for cross country. In all, there would be approximately 250 entries in both the girls race and the boys race. For SMUS, we had 20 runners total.

In the girls race, the expectations were high that we would qualify to the provincial championships. In order to accomplish this, we needed to finish as one of the top four teams on the day (each team is composed of their five best runners). However, this would prove to be a very difficult task, as key runners Laura Simandl (sickness) and Shawdy Joobbani (injury) could not take part.

The girls race was packed with talent, and our SMUS girls did well to finish up in the standings. Jocelyn Stedman would be first across the line for SMUS, with a 29th place finish overall. Hannah Nielsen was close behind in 31st place. Alexis Thind, Raquel Solmer and Christina Chewl rounded out the SMUS team. Special mention should go to Grade 9 standout Chrissy Robillard, who had a superb race.

When the results were announced, SMUS was very disappointed with a 5th place team standing. The girls had worked hard enough in training to be provincial calibre, but in the end, the girls could not fill the gaps that a couple of runners had left.

In the boys’ event, SMUS was not expected to qualify for the provincials, but that did not curb their enthusiasm. The boys collectively ran their best race of their season, and finished with a 13th place team finish. While this result may sound nothing special, our SMUS team was only a few points out of the top 10. Alex Kinahan was the top SMUS boy, with a nice pack consisting of Cole Turner, Sam Jackson and Robert Wyatt right behind. Kieran Hyatt rounded out the SMUS scorers, and had he not taken a tumble into a mud puddle, a top 10 finish may very well have been in the cards. Special mention goes to Billy Cheng and Mike Gau for their awesome improvement this season.

Coaches Hunt and Tobacco applaud all team members for their effort in training and their overall commitment to the team. With very few Grade 12 members on the Senior cross-country team, future success will be inevitable.

Junior Boys Soccer
On Wednesday, the Junior Boys soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season at the hands of a strong Stelly’s side. The game was hard fought and generally quite an open affair, but late on in the first half, the opponent’s ring winger found his way deep into our sixteen-yard box and managed to slip one past our keeper, Cole Tamburri. Cole, who was tremendous throughout the entire game, made some spectacular saves that kept us in the match. In the second half, the team changed its formation and managed to get some shots on goal, but in the end our attackers were unable to foil Stelly’s keeper and the score remained, 1-0.

The coming week, the last one of the season, will be a busy one for the boys. On Monday, they face Oak Bay again; this time it is a fight for third place in the city. On Thursday and Friday, SMUS will host the Island Championship, which promises to be a highly competitive tournament.

Middle School Cross-country
The Middle School cross-country team wrapped up their season this week with some fantatic results! After six weeks of practicing on all sorts of terrain and in every possible weather condition as well as participating successfully in four races with the Lower Island League, a loyal group of 13 athletes raced in the Island Championships at Beaver Lake.

The Grade 6 girls’ team placed 2nd overall, with placements from Kate Laumann-Wallace (7th), Miwa Masuda (13th), Grace Hart (14th) and Isabel Schopper (42nd). The Grade 6 boys’ team also took 2nd overall, with placements from Lucas Simpson (2nd), Bryn Haydock (26th), Donovan Stordy (28th) and Ben Keep (30th).

Our Grade 8 girls team placed 3rd overall, with Beta Willeboordse (19th), Christina Sipos (21st), Uma Hallea (31st) and Isabel Williams (37th). A young man who deserves special recognition is Grade 7 student Michael Wong Harrison who trained consistently all season without support from any other Grade 7 students from SMUS and he placed 8th place overall. A newcomer to the team was Anderson Wang who competed as an individual and placed 38th.

We missed strong runners Anna Mollenhauer, Sam Kahn and Max Olberg who were unable to make the championships, but whose support was appreciated throughout the season. Ms. Keziere, Ms. Miller and Mrs. Haydock all enjoyed working with the athletes and agreed that they could not have hoped for a more enthusiastic, hard working, committed team!

Junior Boys Soccer
In the final week of the regular season, the boys had two fixtures. On Monday, they travelled to the turf at Hampton Park to take on St. Andrew’s. From the start, the team imposed themselves on their smaller opponents, and in the fourth minute, after finding some space on the edge of the box, Michael Baart scored. But six minutes later, following a mix-up in defence, the boys conceded one, and suddenly the complexion of the game changed. In the twelfth minute, Keiler Totz came on and had an immediate impact, scoring a goal with almost his first touch of the ball. From that point on, the team was in complete control, and by the end of the 70 minutes Georgios Ikonomou, Fynn Kehl, and Dawit Workie had added their names to the tally of nine goals.

On Wednesday, the team hosted Reynolds in what was expected to be a tougher match than Monday’s. In the first attack, indeed in the first minute of the game, the boys moved the ball quickly up the pitch, and Michael Baart put a lovely ball through to Georgios Ikonomou who slotted home the first goal. SMUS maintained much of the possession in the first half, but Reynolds managed to claw one back and level the game in the twelfth minute.

Two minutes later, however, after some great individual work in the midfield, Georgios once again put SMUS ahead. In the second half, Reynolds started to get back into the game and was pressing for an equalizer. Cole Tamburri made some crucial saves to keep SMUS in the lead, making one spectacular save where he managed to palm the ball over the crossbar. The game went on and the play became quite open, but ten minutes from full time, Mark Kiggundu made a marauding run down the left flank, flashed inside his check, chipped a ball in from a seemingly impossible angle, and found the back of the net.

His goal gave the team a solid cushion for the boys to defend, but five minutes from full-time Reynolds scored one more from open play and continued to apply pressure until the final whistle. The boys held strong, though, and the game finished 3-2.

With this victory, not only do the boys finish first in their pool, they also clinch a berth in the Island Championship. They will now play either Oak Bay or Belmont next Wednesday at SMUS in one of the two semi-final games for the City Championship.

Field Hockey
The SMUS field hockey team trained and prepared very well for the possible culmination of their season: the AA Island Championshps at UVic last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Everyone was in good spirits after a fun scavenger hunt at Ms. Mollenhauer’s house on Wednesday night, and ready to battle hard.

The first game on Thursday against Lambrick was very even, much more so than Lambrick had envisaged. In spite of a couple of 1-on-1 chances with their goalkeeper, Lambrick were a little lucky to go in to the half 1-0 up. SMUS pressed up hard all the second half, but could not quite find an opening, and a late goal sealed it for the opposition.

On Friday with glorious weather materializing despite a poor weather forecast, SMUS played two games, the first against Brentwood losing 2-0 and then a wipeout loss against a very strong Shawnigan outfit 7-0. The Brentwood game was frustrating as the scoreline betrayed two soft goals and what was a wide open game with plenty of chances at either end, particularly in the second half.

The girls deserved better than what the score read. Playing against a team full of experienced Grade 12 players was not easy for the players in Grades 9 and 10 in our team. The following morning, the SMUS team picked themselves up and played a far better game, losing rather unluckily on a deflected goal to GNS 1-0. ]

It has been a promising season in many respects, especially with one of the youngest teams at the senior level. In the Island championships, there were only three Grade 12 players in the roster and no Grade 11 players. So, the “youngsters” in the team really had to step up to the plate, playing against senior teams in Victoria and beyond. Essentially as a Junior team, and learning huge amounts about the pace, pressure and expectations of game play, which they will take forward next year and beyond. The odds were stacked against the team this season, but it bodes well for the future.

Rowing
This weekend, while most people were enjoying time away from the academic classroom, the 38 members of the SMUS rowing team were battling other local schools and the weather at Elk Lake. This was the first regatta for many of our rowers this season.

Even though the competition pulled hard, the SMUS team pulled harder. Several of our crews made finals. Through all sorts of weather: sun, gale-force winds, and rain over two days (16 hours), everyone’s spirits remained high. All in all, it was an excellent weekend and a great team bonding experience. The coaches are exhausted and proud of the entire team’s efforts, both on and off the water. It is a pleasure to work with a great bunch of athletes!

Event Results

• Senior Girls 2X (double): 5th fastest time in the heats (Jocelyn Stedman and Olivia Krusel)
• Senior Girls 4X (quad): 4th (Jocelyn Stedman, Jinsun Choi, Olivia Pierce and Olivia Krusel)
• Senior Girls 8+: 3rd (Sky Richards, Jocelyn Stedman, Jinsun Choi, Alex German, Olivia Krusel, Rebecca Berardelli, Cortney Ewonus, Gabby Jezliakov and Katherine Fretz)
• Senior Novice Girls 4X: 3rd (Bairavi Murugakumar, Rosalie Koenig, Judy Beestermoeller and Olivia Pierce)
• Senior Boys Novice 8+: 4th (Chloe Carlson, Stefan Hall, Fraser McGee, Oliver Lackner, Brayden Jebbink, Lucas Comamala, Alex Lamberti, David Shi, Michael Shaw)
• Senior Novice Boys 4X: 4th but DNQ due to lane infraction (Stefan Hall, Fraser McGee, Mike Shaw and Julian Allen)
• Junior Girls 4X: 4th (Allie White, Charlie White, Carlina Kim and Hannah McElderry)
• Junior Novice Girls 4x: DNQ for the final
• Junior Girls 8+: 4th (Sage Friswell, Alie White, Charlie White, Calina Kim, Hannah McElderrey, Judy Beestermoeller, Paloma Junco, Rachel Sibbald and Jocelyn Yan)
• Junior Boys 4X: 5th (Joseph Svorkdal, Marcus Lelewski, Colin Knightley and Ryley Erickson)
• Junior Boys 2X: 2nd (Joseph Svorkdal and Ryley Erickson)
• Junior Boys 8+: 2nd (Sage Friswell, Joseph Svorkdal ,Ryley Erickson, Marcus Lelewski, Hannah McElderry, Kai Newman, Brody Watkins, Colin Knightley and Sebastian Schickoff)
• Junior Novice Boys 4X: DNQ

Next up for the team are the City Championships, November 12-14th at Elk Lake.

Senior Girls Volleyball
Last Tuesday, the team played its league matches against Mount Doug, Stelly’s and Spectrum at Stelly’s. Mount Doug came out with some really strong serving and our passing was really affected. Despite all efforts, the team came up short in the first set 25-9. The second set was better overall but the stronger and more skilled Mount Doug squad prevailed 25-18.

In the second match against Stelly’s the team was able to pass more effectively and execute more attacks from free balls and serve receive. Unfortunately, we came up a bit short in both sets, 23-25 and 22-25. In the last match against Spectrum, the girls were able to recover from the disappointment against Stelly’s and respond. Some missed serves hurt us in the first set but some accurate passing and attacks from these put Spectrum on its heels. Unfortunately, we lost the set but built some momentum going into the second set. Strong serving from Shayla Baumeler and Sophia Ducharme helped turn the tide and we won the second set and match overall by total points.

This past weekend, the team travelled to Courtenay/Comox for the Isfeld/Vanier tournament. With 24 teams in eight pools of three, SMUS faced some strong teams from all over Vancouver Island and some from the Mainland. Ranked second in our pool, we faced the third-ranked Gulf Islands Secondary in the first match. Playing a relaxed and composed match, the girls prevailed over this team 25-14 in the first set. Good serving from Shade Souc, Leah Hall and Abbey Piazza paved the way to victory in the second set 25-21.

Against the first ranked Ballenas Secondary in our pool, we knew that this team would be strong. From the outset, a textbook serve receive from Abbey Piazza (one of many that match from her) really set the tone for things to come. The team, especially Tanya Rossa and Michelle Yim, passed superbly against a good serving team. This allowed Leah Hall to run many attack options off both serve receive and free balls, including some “5-1” kills for our middle blockers Annie Pike and Musu Ofosu. Shayla Baumeler really stepped up her serve receive and served aggressively. The intensity and tenacious defense was something that had been eluding us all season and this was a defining match for the team.

Excellent passing and coverage by Michelle Yim helped establish a strong transition game for us and we never looked back. The team fought off a strong surge by Ballenas to win the first set 25-19. I was really proud of the way the team maintained its focus and intensity in the second set against an even more determined opponent. Both teams squared off toe to toe with some exciting rallies, digs, and strong play. Despite losing 20-25 in the second set, the team was confident going into the third and final set.

Everyone continued to pass the ball accurately and with pride. At the side change, we were down 8-5 and at one point we were down 11-7. After a timeout the team committed to playing out the set with aggressive play – win or lose. The tide turned as we converted some tentative balls from Ballenas into some aggressive attacks and we continued to put the pressure on their defense. Musu Ofosu sealed the deal with three consecutive blocks in one critical rally near the end and we prevailed 17-15. We finished first in our pool and awaited our cross-over opponent.

Wellington from Nanaimo was our next opponent and the winner would go to the gold division. With everyone on the team playing and contributing in this evening match, the girls were able to continue the momentum and prevail in two sets 25-21 and 25-18. It was a great first day to the tournament.

On Saturday, we faced some very strong teams and were unable to recapture the energy and intensity of play we showed most of Friday. Against a very strong host school, G.P. Vanier, the team was outmatched. They served very effectively and put a lot of pressure against our defense with some solid spikes and attacks. We were unable to respond to this and lost two sets 10-25 and 23-25.

In the second set, we had a strong run to come close but some uncharacteristic errors really hurt us. The next opponent, Woodlands, was not overpowering but they were fundamentally strong and consistent. We made some errors on serve receive and could not gain any momentum at all throughout the match. After losing the first set 24-26, the team could not muster any energy in the second set and we lost 18-25. With our confidence shaken by two strong opponents, N.D.S.S. took advantage of our mistakes and turned them into to critical points for them. We fought to the last point but came up short in both sets.

Overall, the weekend was a positive step forward in our season. We demonstrated some focussed play and commitment to defense that brought us much success. We finished in the gold division eighth out of 24 teams.

Senior Girls Volleyball
After a busy Thanksgiving weekend, the team went into the second week of league matches against Reynolds and Saint Margaret’s. In the first match against Reynolds, the team started strong. With some good serve-receive passing from our libero Michelle Yim and offside Tanya Rossa, Leah Hall was able to run an effective offense which included some solid kills from power hitter Sophia Ducharme.

The girls kept up the intensity throughout the set and won 25-16. In the second set, Reynolds passed the ball more effectively and ran more attacks against us. Despite some good passing and missing only two serves in this set, the team came up a bit short, losing 25-22. Overall, Sophia Ducharme finished the match with five kills, and Kirby McLean and Shade Souc adding one each. However, we won the match considering total points for and against.

In the second match, the team came up against a Saint Margaret’s team that wanted revenge from its defeat against us the previous weekend. We were able to survive the first set 25-22 but in the second match, the combination of nine missed serves and three errors gave Saint Margaret’s 12 free points. We ended up coming up short 22-25 and ending up with a match tie.

This week, the team plays matches at Stelly’s on Tuesday night and we travel this Friday to Courtenay/Comox for the Mark Isfeld tournament.

Senior Cross-Country
The Senior cross-country team has had an excellent start to the season thus far. Training for the team has been rigorous, especially on Mondays which have been speed/hill days. To date, four meets have taken place: Beacon Hill, Lambrick Park, Beaver Lake and Cedar Hill. In all events, SMUS has put forth about 20 runners, and in each meet, SMUS has fared very well and been involved in the awards.

The Grade 9 girls team of Chrissy Robillard, Sarah Taylor, Christine Chiu and Jill Ding have earned themselves 2nd place team honors so far in their category. Individually, Chrissy has also been improving dramatically, with two top-10 finishes in the last two weeks.

For the Senior girls, the hope is high for a repeat of last year’s qualification for provincials. While superstars Jocelyn Stedman, Hannah Nielson, Laura Simandl, Raquel Solmer and Shawdy Joobbani have all been incredible in certain races, a full team has yet to form. Special mention goes out to Jocelyn who came 1st overall at the Lambrick Park meet.

On the boys’ side, it has been the Grade 10 runners that have been making the most noise. The team of Alec Kinahan, Gabe Lunn, Stephan Fuller and Wayne Lin have consistently been 2nd team overall in their division. Individually, Alec has cracked the top 10 in all his races.

For the Senior boys, the lack of results has not been from a lack of effort. The division is extremely competitive, and Cole Turner, Sam Jackson, Austin Huang, and Roger Luo have done everything in their power to improve their standing. The improvement is obvious and determination and further effort will take them to the next level.

The next race for SMUS is Tuesday, Oct. 17th at Beaver Lake.

Junior Boys Soccer
On Wednesday, the boys travelled to play Glenlyon, a team they had already met during the recent ISA Tournament. After two quick goals in the first half, there was little doubt that the result was going to go the same way.
The boys moved the ball comfortably up the pitch and managed two more goals before the end of the first half. The goal margin established in the first half allowed the coaches to give some valuable playing time to all the boys. Jason Wong relieved Cole Tamburri in goal and maintained a clean sheet. He wasn’t very busy in the second half but did manage a few quality saves.

Russell Carleton and Chris Bjola worked tirelessly in the midfield and both nearly scored. Monty Fraser-Brown, composed as ever on the ball, proved his worth at right back. By the final whistle, SMUS had put six goals past the opponent’s keeper. The squad looks fit for a busy final week of regular league games.

On Monday, the team travels to Hampton Park to take on St. Andrew’s, and on Wednesday they will host Reynolds for what should be a tough game.

Junior Boys Soccer
The second week of the Junior Boys soccer season was not nearly as busy as the first but was every bit as exciting. On Monday, the team faced their arch rivals, Oak Bay, in what turned out to be one of our most exciting games of the season so far.

Still feeling the effects of their ISA triumph and from playing four games that day, the boys struggled and were immediately overwhelmed with the fast-pace of Oak Bay’s movement on the field. The team was beaten to almost every ball, and by the end of the first half the team was down 3-0. At the half, the coaches decided changes were needed, and switched to a more attacking formation, with three strikers up front.

With newfound vigor and a desire to get something out of the match, the team rallied and fought back with gusto, managing against all odds to score five unanswered goals. It was—as the old cliche goes–a game of two different halves. Georgios Ikonomou was instrumental in leading the comeback, scoring the first goal, which lifted the team and gave the boys momentum. Michael Baart, Mark Kiggundu, and Mauricio Montiel were also among the goal-scorers that day, but the entire team must be congratulated for not giving up and instead fighting hard till the final whistle.

The boys continue league play this week with one game against Glenlyon on Wednesday.

Field Hockey
The SMUS 1st team played a considerable amount of field hockey last week. There were two league matches against Reynolds and Lambrick Park. The former ended up as a frustrating 0-0 tie, with large periods of possession and territorial advantage, but no goals materialising. Shinai Sorensen in goal did not need to make a save in the whole game, while the Reynolds goalie was sensational.

The Lambrick game was very even, with the only goal for the opposition coming in late. It was a very encouraging performance as Lambrick are one of the top AA schools on the Island. There were noteworthy performances all round, particularly from the Grade 12 players: Paula Weech on right wing, Montana Sawyer at right back, Meredith Witoski as left midfield, Bonnie Moore in a sweeper role and Selby Knudsen (probably our MVP)in goal.

For the Bridgman Cup, SMUS was in a tough group with powerhouse AAA teams Carson Graham from North Vancouver, and Oak Bay, plus Brentwood. With the boarders away, we had a young team with only three Grade 12 players and no Grade 11 players. Up against teams with 13 Grade 12 players, it was going to be a mismatch.

After rather a drubbing, the girls played with great resilience and determination against Brentwood later on Friday, coming away with an unlucky 1-0 loss, despite a very even, fast-paced game which could have gone either way (rather like the Lambrick game earlier in the week).

On the Saturday, the SMUS girls played their best game of the tournament, holding high-powered Oak Bay to a 1-1 tie in front of a large appreciative crowd. Jenna Dhillon’s goal in the second half capped a superb display which involved everyone playing to the best of their ability and defending resolutely and attacking with creativity and speed. With a long rest until the crossover game late in the afternoon, GNS outwitted a tired SMUS team 2-0 with two penalty corner goals from their top player. Despite creating considerable pressure on the GNS goal, the finish was not there.

The final game against Kelsey on Sunday morning was rather an anticlimax with a 1-0 loss in the pouring rain. Nevertheless, the young team has learned a huge amount over the course of the tournament as playing against stronger, more experienced teams has helped our players to rally together, learn what it takes to defend stoutly and keep working hard for the full course of a game.

The next major hurdle will be the Island Championships on October 22 and 23 at UVic, where SMUS will hope for a strong showing.

Senior Girls Volleyball
Last Tuesday, the Senior girls started their league play when the team hosted Vic High, Pacific Christian School and Parkland. In the opener against Vic High, aggressive serving from Tania Rossa and Shayla Baumeler kept Vic High off balance and built lots of momentum for our side. The few free balls that we received were taken advantage of; effective middle attacks from Annie Pike and Musu Ofuso supplemented spikes from the outside by power hitter Sophia Ducharme.

SMUS easily won both sets in timely fashion (25-4 and 25-15). PCS was the best competition of the night for the girls. Although we won both sets, 25-19 and 25-16, the first was well contested with some good rallies. A good serve-receive from everyone and accurate passing from libero Michelle Yim really enabled Leah Hall and Abbey Piazza, our two setters, to run many offensive options, including a couple which really turned the tide. Using the entire team with two balanced line-ups in the final match against Parkland, SMUS still prevailed 25-22 and 25-16. The first week of league matches were really positive for the team as it prepared for its first tournament of the season during the Thanksgiving weekend.

At the Camosun College Invitational this past weekend, the team was seeded third in its pool with Belmont (Sooke), Cedar (Nanaimo) and Duncan Christian (Duncan). Without the services of Kirby McLean and Deryn Ramsey, the team had to play six matches over the course of two days. In pool play, the AAAA powerhouse Belmont was our first opponent. Although we lost both sets, the girls held their own, particularly in the first set when we held a lead of 13-8 but finally succumbed to the more powerful and skilled team 25-20.

Against Cedar, we lost the first set but regrouped in the second set. The girls played smart with much focus; the team missed only one serve and accurate free ball passes by Michelle Yim enabled Leah Hall to effectively set to Musu Ofosu and Annie Pike (two kills each). The third and final set was a “barn burner.” After leading 8-5 at the side change, Sophia Ducharme sealed the deal with two kills and Musu Ofosu had three blocks to maintain the momentum and allow the team to prevail 15-12.

In the final pool match against Duncan Christian, the girls came out flat and lost the first set 25-14. Stronger serving from everyone and more accurate passing, especially from Tania Rossa, enabled the girls to prevail 25-18 in the second set. Shayla Baumeler set the tone in the third set with some deep, strong serves and the team won 15-11. Having beaten both Cedar and Duncan Christian, everyone expected to come back on Saturday with SMUS being second place in the pool behind Belmont.

However, in the last match, Cedar had an amazing upset of Belmont which resulted in a three-way tie. Unfortunately, the SMUS team lost the tie-breaker to both teams and we were placed third in our pool which put us in the consolation bracket.

On Saturday morning, the team did not play their best against Highland (Courtenay-Comox). Despite trading rallies in the first set, SMUS could not find the extra energy and emotion to win. After that disappointing loss, we finished the tournament against Saint Margaret’s School and Duncan Christian again. Wearing their new warm-up tops before the match, the girls found the energy and focus which was lacking in the earlier match.

In the first set, solid contributions by Ali Pollen (serving and serve receiving) and Shade Souc (serving) helped the team compete well but we lost 25-22. Led by some consistent serving from Shayla Baumeler and Abbey Piazza, accurate passing from Tania Rossa and libero Michelle Yim, and timely kills from Sophia Ducharme, the team fought hard to reverse the tide in the second set. Converting some quality passes into some fine sets, Leah Hall helped lead the offense to an easy 25-14 second set victory. Flawless yet aggressive serving from Sophia Ducharme, Leah Hall and Tanya Rossa set the tone for success in the final set. The turning point in the 15-10 score was a stuff block by Musu Ofosu which initiated a standing cheer from the bench in “Who let the Jags out!”

The team finished on a high with a straight sets victory over Duncan Christian in the final match: 25-19 and 25-12. This was our goal going into the match and the team executed well. Ali Pollen helped build a lead in the first with some flawless serving and the team never looked back. Passing was solid overall and power hitter Sophia Ducharme and middle blocker Annie Pike benefitted from this with a combined five kills. The momentum carried into the second set as the team finished strong. Abbey Piazza led the offense as the setter in the final set and she helped create four kills by our attackers.

Overall, accolades go to Abbey Piazza who really stepped up with some strong serving, sound positional play and active defense. Also, Leah Hall was the setter for every set except for the final set against Duncan Christian. She was a workhorse showing determination and stamina throughout the weekend. Shayla Baumeler really demonstrated a clinic in serving at times as she picked apart the serve-receive of many line-ups. Tania Rossa’s consistent play continued and Sophia Ducharme was a rock out there showing her prowess from the power hitter position. The block timing from Musu Ofosu and Annie Pike was definitely evident at times as both seemed to be improving in this key area for our defense. It was a good weekend overall as the team finished with an overall match record of 4-2.

Field Hockey
The SMUS 1st team played two league games last week. They were two very contrasting games – a superb 1-0 win in a crucial game against GNS on Monday, and a 4-0 loss to Claremont on Wednesday with a very depleted and weary team (in a game which did not count in league standings).

The GNS game was excellent, particularly in the manner in which SMUS played collectively as a team, and while 1-0 did not suggest a thumping win, in territorial terms it was a dominant performance with many more goals possible with the number of goal-scoring opportunities. Jenna Dhillon was the clear MVP, not only with a great surge into the ‘D’ to score the winning goal, but also for all her defensive work. Overall, it was an exciting game up on the water turf at UVic, and showed with all the players available, that we have a good chance against most of the AA opposition who will be encountered up to and during the Island tournament in three weeks time.

The 4-0 loss to Claremont reflected the number of players away on the Grade 11 out trips, in Montreal with the U15 soccer team, or partly injured. Claremont played very well and it was a good learning opportunity for the fringe players on the team, and even for some regulars to play out of position.

This coming week sees league matches against Reynolds on Monday and an important AA match against Lambrick Park on Wednesday. And then on to the prestigious Bridgman Cup over the Thanksgiving weekend!

Rowing
Saturday saw the SMUS rowing team begin their fall competitive season at the annual high school Crabfest Regatta. The regatta gets its name from the concept of a crab, which is when an oar becomes stuck in the water because it was not removed in time. A very common act for rowers very new to the sport! The SMUS team’s goal was to be crab-free. With a reduced team due to the Grade 11 outdoor trips, the rowers showed their force by making two finals of the four events they entered.

• Open Novice Boys 8+: 1st place (Colin Knightley, Nicholas Cunningham, Marcus Lelewski, Kai Newman, Brody Watkins, Alex Lamberti, Josef Svorkdal, Alpha Willeboordse, and Brayden Jebbink)
• Senior Girls 2X: 3rd place (Jocelyn Stedman and Olivia Krusel)

Congratulations to all of the SMUS rowing team for a great day of racing! The weather was brilliant and so was their sportsmanship and support of one another. The SMUS rowing teams next competition is the 2nd Annual Regatta, the weekend of October 23-24th at Elk Lake.

Junior Boys Soccer
The first week of the Junior boys soccer team’s season was a winning one. The boys started things off on Monday with an exhibition game at SMUS against Claremont in which the boys humbled their opponents, 6-2. Mark Kiggundu got the scoring underway after only six minutes. Two minutes later, Mauricio Montiel converted a penalty and added another with a beautiful free kick just before the half. Dawit Workie scored twice, one goal in each half. Although the boys conceded a couple of goals in the second half, the visitors never looked to really trouble our back four of Sam Reid, Lindon Carter, Mark Yorath, and Monty Fraser-Brown, especially after Keilor Totz put a sixth past Claremont’s keeper and killed the game off.

On Wednesday, the team travelled to Lambrick Park for their season opener, knowing that the game would not be as easy as Monday’s. Early in the first half, the boys went one down, but continued to fight for control of the match. In the final play of the first half, Mark Kiggundu scored from a corner kick and tied the game up. In the second half, the boys went down a goal again, but soon Michael Baart brought the team level again. As the half wore on, Lambrick tired and SMUS began to control the game, with Kielor Totz and Dawit Workie adding two more goals and ensuring all three points for the team. In the end, the boys beat Lambrick confidently, 4-2.

On Friday, SMUS hosted the ISA Junior Boys Soccer Tournament. With two convincing victories earlier in the week and two players returning to play with the team after being out through injury and illness, the team’s confidence was high, and it showed in their first two round-robin games against Brentwood and St. Georges. Against the former, SMUS dominated and scored five goals. Michael Baart, Georgios Ikonomou, and Keilor Totz added to the tally in the first half. In the second half, Georgios added another while late in the game Russell Carleton stepped up and coolly converted from the spot and finish the game at 5-0.

Against St. Georges, the game was tighter with the score level at the half at 1-1. Georgios and Michael Baart, however, could not be held back and were able to put two past the opposition’s keeper and win 3-1. Their first knockout game put SMUS up against local rivals, GNS, who were unable to stop Michael Baart scoring two and Keilor Totz’s from adding a third before full time. After this victory, SMUS found themselves in the final gold medal game against Shawnigan Lake. The boys found themselves 1-0 up after a lovely goal from Michael Baart.

In the second half, Georgios and Dawit managed two more goals to put SMUS 3-0 up. The game looked to be over, but soon after the third goal Cole Tamburri, our starting keeper who had been playing brilliantly all tournament, picked up an injury and Jason Wong was brought in to hold off Shawnigan. After making some great saves, Jason was unable to stop two excellent shots from Shawnigan. The remainder of the game was tense but SMUS managed to hold off and win the 2010 ISA Tournament and their first piece of silverware for the season.

The coaches would also like to highlight other members of the squad who worked hard not only Friday but all week long: David Daehler broke up much of the opposition’s forward momentum and managed some great runs himself. Fynn Kehl, our team captain, was versatile as ever, playing effectively as either a full back or as a wide midfielder. Chris Bjola, Russell Carelton, and David Pollen filled in, replacing tired legs, and were crucial to helping the team win this tournament.
The team will be hosting Oak Bay on Monday, which promises to be a great game.

U15 Girls Soccer
Fifteen girls travelled to Montreal to play soccer and explore part of Quebec. The students toured Montreal’s Olympic Stadium that hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics and visited the Montreal Science Centre before joining the Sacred Heart School of Montreal.

The team opened the tournament with three games on Thursday. The girls were ecstatic about their game against Southridge School of Surrey, which they won 2-0. Against Sacred Heart, the team were up 1-0 at the half but then collapsed in the second half to lose 5-1. To make the championship round, the team needed to beat St. John’s Ravenscourt School of Winnipeg. The girls really worked hard and made it to 2-0 before SJR scored. This made for an action packed ending but SMUS prevailed and we advanced into the championship round.

The team now had to play three more games against even better opponents. The weather and tough opposition took its toll. We fought extremely hard in every game with our goalkeeper Shinai Sorensen and her key defenders Sarah Taylor, Isabella Gudgeon, Sam Colby and Sarah Loughton showing that sheer effort could neutralize skill. Alas, it was not to be, and we ended up with three 1-0 losses. The girls never lost confidence and continued to fight valiantly right to the end.

For Sam Colby, Jenna Dhillon and Alisha Murtland the tournament ended three years of wonderful effort and cooperation. There was no doubt as to the key player this year; Shinai Sorensen kept us in virtually every game, playing remarkably well despite the elements. It was a great trip with girls that truly represented the school in an exemplary manner. Vivat!