The Beautiful Game will be front and centre in the Comox Valley this week as Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School is hosting the 2013 Girls AA High School Provincial Soccer Championships at their school and adjacent Valley View soccer facilities.
Isfeld, and the Comox Valley, will be welcoming nearly 350 athletes, coaches and spectators representing 16 schools from around the province. The tournament goes for three days, from Thursday, May 30 through Saturday, June 1.
Sixteen games each day will be taking place on Thursday and Friday, with start times being 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. On Saturday, the final eight matches will take place to determine final standings, with the championship final going at 11:30 a.m. The games will be followed by an award ceremony on the field. This year’s competition will showcase the finest in girls’ school soccer, and spectators are encouraged to come out and watch.
On the field, the Isfeld Ice senior girls’ soccer team is in the midst of a terrific season. They consistently improved all season and had only two league losses heading into playoffs. The girls entered tournaments to keep them sharp, finishing third at the Carihi invitational in April.
At the North Island tournament in early May, the team placed third after wins over Brentwood, Gulf Islands and Shawnigan and losing only to eventual North Island champs Ballenas.
A week later at the Island championships, the Ice started slowly with a loss to SMUS but bounced back with a super performance, beating Ballenas 3-0 and headed into the last game with a chance to claim top spot in their pool. Things weren’t to be, and the girls lost to Brooks and finished out of the top four.
"We have been looking forward to hosting and it’s exciting to play at a provincial championships. Also high on the girls list of things to look forward to is the provincial tournament banquet which they will host at the Isfeld gym on Friday, May 31," a team spokesperson said.
Hosting a tournament of this magnitude is a big job. In addition to running 40 games, Isfeld will host the banquet for over 320, create packages and tournament souvenir programs for all the teams, as well as keeping everything organized on and off the field. This would have been an impossible task without tireless efforts that the numerous volunteers, parents, players, friends and soccer colleagues have contributed so far.
If you would like to know more, contact Jonathan Bos jonathan.bos@sd71.bc.ca for more information. For up to the minute tournament details, check out the championship webpage http://www2.sd71.bc.ca/aagirlssoccer2013/.
Meanwhile, it's a busy week for Isfeld as they are also hosting the B.C. high school golf championships at Crown Isle. Action runs today and concludes tomorrow.
– Isfeld Ice