Brooks Secondary School is celebrating a first as the school’s senior girls’ soccer team brought home top provincial honours this week.
Coach Cam Miller told the Peak that everyone is still somewhat stunned at the victory because it is so rare that teams outside the Lower Mainland win provincial titles.
The BC High School Girls AA soccer championships this year were hosted by Vancouver’s Crofton House School and held on May 28 to 29. Brooks Thunderbirds clinched the first place after defeating North Vancouver’s Seycove Seyhawks 2–1 at Burnaby Lakes Sports Complex.
The team, which entered the tournament ranked ninth, went undefeated to take the provincial title Friday, May 29.
“We knew we had a good team and that we could play with any of the teams in there, so we were confident,” said Miller.
The Thunderbirds earned a berth in Friday’s semifinals by winning their first two pool matches Thursday, defeating Vancouver’s Notre Dame 1–0, and Port Coquitlam’s Archbishop Carney 3–2 with three quick goals in five minutes.
Brooks met North Vancouver’s Windsor Dukes in the semifinal and won 1–0 after a scoreless game forced overtime and a shootout. “It got ridiculously hot,” said Miller, who added that before the game the temperature was 33° Celsius down by the turf and by the end was about 38°C. The Thunderbirds scored on each of their four penalty shots, while the Dukes were only able to get two past the Brooks keeper. “It was very exciting,” Miller said.
Seycove scored early on the T-birds at about three minutes into the game, Miller said, “but we came back right away and tied it up.”
Seycove had not given up a goal during the playoff or qualifying rounds, so Brooks’ goal “raised some eyebrows,” he said.
Brooks scored early in the second half, taking advantage of a Seyhawks’ defensive mistake. “We were able to shut them down for the rest of the game and take home the provincial championship,” said Miller.
“It was such an incredible thing because it is so competitive to try to win [provincials] and the girls played incredibly good soccer,” he said. “If you get the wrong breaks it doesn’t happen. It came together beautifully for them.”
Brooks’ sweeper Natalie Verdiel won most valuable player for the tournament voted for by all the coaches.
Miller credits his team’s overall work rate and the fact that they have had really good community coaches and the strong community soccer program in Powell River. “It really set us in good stead for school soccer,” he added.
The head coach added that his team had a great season and the championships were “an incredible run for the girls.” The death of Toni Marciniak, the girls’ junior coach, this spring had been tough for the team, said Miller, but Marciniak was on his players’ hearts and minds during the championship.
