THE Argyle Pipers senior girls scored the big headlines with their provincial championship win on home soil over the weekend but a couple of other North Shore teams were in the mix as well, battling to earn their way back onto the podium.
Ultimately, however, both the Seycove Seyhawks at the AA level and the Handsworth Royals in AAA action failed to reach the semifinals this season after scoring medals last year.
Seycove won the AA title last season, the first in team history, and made it back into the tournament this year but couldn't recapture the magic at Mark Isfeld secondary in Courtenay. The Seyhawks notched a 1-2 record in pool play, losing to Archbishop Carney and Sa-Hali while scoring a win over the host team. That left them last in the group and battling for 13th place.
Playoff wins over Kalamalka and Princess Margaret, however, ensured they locked up that 13th spot in the 16-team tournament and gave them a winning record of 3-2 in the event.
At the AAA tournament the Royals followed up last year's bronze medal win with a ninth place showing this year. Handsworth struggled to score in their tough opening group, their 0-0 ties with Kelowna and Panorama Ridge and 3-1 loss to Kitsilano relegating them to third place in the pool.
Like the Seyhawks, however, the Royals played their best soccer in the playoffs, scoring a 4-1 win over Clayton Heights to make the 9th/10th game and then beating Fleetwood Park 3-1 in penalty kicks after yet another 0-0 tie. Handsworth's Petra Stastney was named to the Commissioner's 16 tournament all-star team.
