Junior Boys Finish Third

Shawnigan's Junior Boys showed considerable improvement as they claimed a bronze medal at the ISA soccer championship, Sept. 29-30.

The boys opened the tournament on Friday morning with a matchup against host Brentwood, falling 3-1 to the eventual tournament champions.  An hour later, the squad faced another well-organized team from SMUS, falling behind 3-0 in the first half.  A terrific effort in the second half saw Shawnigan close the gap to 3-2 – even hitting the post on a late push – before the final whistle confirmed a second defeat on the day.

Despite the two losses, the boys knew their efforts had been worthy and they returned determined to salvage better results on Saturday. 

Facing Collingwood, Shawnigan again fell behind early in the game, but pressed relentlessly for the remainder, earning an equalizer (scored by Dario S.) and countless chances at a go-ahead goal.  A 1-1 draw kept Shawnigan alive heading into what turned out to be the third-place matchup against St. George's.

Playing for the fourth time in two days, the Shawnigan team was finally rewarded for their focus, controlling play early and gaining confidence when playing with the lead.  Goals from James P., Jamin H. (2), and Will M. were enough to propel Shawnigan into third place in the standings, giving the boys a deserving victory and a medal to validate their efforts.

"It was great to see the boys continue to improve over the course of the tournament," says Coach Jon Zacks.  "We played well on Friday and didn't necessarily get the most illustrious results.  It was awesome to see them stick to the process and get rewarded on Saturday."

 

The Junior Boys return to league play on Tuesday when they host Frances Kelsey Secondary.