By MARCIA JANSEN
Driftwood Contributor
The Gulf Islands Secondary School (GISS) Scorpions senior girls soccer team returned home on the weekend with a sixth-place finish from the BC AA Girls Soccer Provincial Championships in Kamloops.
The Salt Spring team started the tournament on Thursday, May 28 with two wins, beating Archbishop Carney from Port Coquitlam by a 2-0 score and then host Valleyview from Kamloops 1-0. They ended the group stage on Friday with a 3-0 loss against Windsor from North Vancouver (one of the two tournament finalists), placing second in pool D.
In the second game on Friday, GISS beat Stelly’s from Saanich by a 2-0 score.
“We played with so much energy and desire to win and we didn’t give them an inch,” said coach Ciarán Ayton. “It was nice to beat them after previously losing to them at Islands.”
In the last game on Saturday, playing for fifth place, the Scorpions missed all Grade 12 players — Kadence O’Dwyer, Rosa Lacarte, Donna de Roo and goalkeeper Melody Silva — who left early to make it in time to attend Safe Grad celebrations on Salt Spring Island, and lost 10-0 to Charles Tupper of Vancouver.
“The last game was tough, but sixth place is a fantastic achievement and the best placed soccer finish for a GISS soccer team, boys and girls, since 2013.”
It was the first time in 16 years a GISS senior girls’ soccer team was represented at provincials, and that group finished in 13th place.
Ayton said his team’s excellent result didn’t come as a surprise to him.
“Vancouver Island is one of the strongest regions in B.C.,” he said. “We only lost four games this season, and three of these four teams made it to the AA or AAA provincial final. It has been a great season.”
Another Vancouver Island team — Mark Isfeld from Courtenay — was the AA tournament winner.
Ayton added, “We have a young group — only half of the players are seniors — but the team has been working really hard. The girls represented GISS with a lot of grit, resilience and sportsmanship, and I am not only proud of them for what they have accomplished on the field, but also how they grew together as a group.” Now that provincial championships are in the rear view mirror, Ayton wants to thank everyone who made donations or supported the fundraising efforts that helped cover the expenses for the trip to Kamloops, whether through direct donations are by supporting the girls’ May 23 bake sale.“We are grateful for all the community support. It means a lot.”