THE best in B.C. are here for the AAA Girls Soccer B.C. High School Provincials running Thursday to Saturday at North Vancouver's Inter River Park.
Here's a look at how the opening round pools shape up, with a few thoughts from Darren Rath, head coach of the host Argyle Pipers.
Pool A: Terry Fox, McMath, Oak Bay, Clayton Heights. Games Thursday 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Friday 11 a.m.
Terry Fox looks to be the top seed in this tough pool - they won the ultra-competitive Fraser Valley playoffs. "They'll be a very good team," said Rath. "Coquitlam has a very strong soccer community."
McMath should challenge as well - they won the Vancouver/Richmond zone. "I would expect them to be a team to watch," said Rath.
Oak Bay, another traditionally strong team, lost in a shootout in the Vancouver Island championships. Surrey's Clayton Heights grabbed the sixth spot out of the Fraser Valley playoffs.
Pool B: Kelowna, Handsworth, Panorama Ridge, Kitsilano. Games Thursday 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Friday 11 a.m.
This could be the group of death. Kelowna comes in as the No. 1 team from the power-packed Okanagan zone. "Kelowna is traditionally a very strong, physical team," said Rath. "I'm familiar with some of the players on their team and they've got some very talented players."
Handsworth was uncharacteristically weak during the regular season due to injuries but everyone is back and healthy now and the Royals crushed on their way through the playoffs. They could be a snoozing giant that's about to awake. "Handsworth is a strong team, they've got some strong players," said Rath. "I know they had a tough start, I know they had some injuries at the beginning of the season but as they got healthy they got stronger and they started winning. They worked their way all the way in and I think they're going to be a strong team in the tournament."
Surrey's Panorama Ridge has a pretty good pedigree as well - they won the whole thing last year. "They've got some very talented players on their team that can make a difference in the game and drastically impact the game," said Rath. Rounding out the pool is Kitsilano, a team that won the Vancouver league but stumbled in the playoffs, eventually earning a backdoor qualifier. They'll be no pushovers.
Pool C: Argyle, South Delta, Winston Churchill, Mount Baker. Games Thursday 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.
Argyle headlines this pool, putting together an impressive undefeated run through the North Shore league and playoffs despite having an automatic berth in provincials locked up all season due to their hosting duties. The Pipers will be looking to get back into the medals after finishing ninth last season. They won it all in 2011 after earning silver in 2010.
Pushing the Pipers will be South Delta, runners up out of the Fraser Valley league.
"South delta is traditionally one of the top three or four teams in the Fraser Valley," said Rath. "They've traditionally been at the tournament each year, traditionally in the top eight. They're going to be a challenging game for sure."
Winston Churchill finished fourth in the Vancouver league but went on a strong run through the Vancouver/ Richmond playoffs to earn the zone's No. 2 seed. Cranbrook's Mount Baker, the Kootenay champs, round out the group.
Pool D: Stelly's, Fleetwood Park, Dr. Charles Best, Belmont. Games Thursday 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.
Stelly's from Saanich won the Island championships for the first time this year.
"They're a good team," said Rath. "They'll be tough."
Fleetwood Park has a young team, said Rath, but they still battled well in the Fraser Valley playoffs, finishing third. Charles Best finished fifth in the Valley playoffs while Victoria's Belmont earned the No. 3 spot out of the Island playoffs following a win at the Lower Island championships.
The tournament heats up with semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m and then comes to a boil Saturday with the bronze medal game at 11: 30 a.m. and the championship final at noon. For full schedules and updated results visit argyle2013.ca.
