Rick Stiebel/B次元官网网址 staff
The Royal Bay Ravens are in full flight.
Royal Bay Secondary SchoolB次元官网网址檚 senior boys soccer team earned a berth in the provincials with a strong showing in the Island championship. The Ravens beat the North Island champion Cowichan Eagles 3-1 to kick off the tournament, which took place Nov. 7 and 8.
The Ravens, who finished third in lower Island regular season play, followed that up with a 1-0 win against Reynolds Secondary School before falling to Oak Bay 1-0 in the Island championship game. Despite the loss, Royal Bay finished as one of the top two teams on the Island and, along with Oak Bay, qualified for the provincials, which took place Nov. 22 to 24 at Burnaby Mountain.
The victory over Reynolds constitutes a major upset, said Ravens coach John Mennie. B次元官网网址淩eynolds was the second-ranked team in the province,B次元官网网址� Mennie said.
B次元官网网址淚 believe this is the first time an unranked boys soccer team from our school district has qualified for the provincials. The key is that it showed weB次元官网网址檙e able to compete with the bigger schools. Oak Bay and Reynolds have been considered powerhouses for many years. Just qualifying for the provincials is a win-win for these kids. The players now know they can compete with the best teams in the triple A program, and thatB次元官网网址檚 a great confidence boost going into the provincial tournament.B次元官网网址�
Mennie was quick to credit fellow coaches Brian Hobson and Kay Otani for playing a major role in the teamB次元官网网址檚 success. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e very strong from the keeper out defensively,B次元官网网址� said Mennie. B次元官网网址淭he boys are really playing for each other, and they play hard as a unit.B次元官网网址�
Mennie, in his second year as a coach, is also director of the Royal Bay Soccer Academy. B次元官网网址淭he academy followed Troy Harris to Royal Bay from Belmont,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭royB次元官网网址檚 responsible for a lot of the great things weB次元官网网址檙e doing here.B次元官网网址� The soccer academy is a physical education class devoted to soccer where students can earn their PE credits, Mennie explained.
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