After both teams suffered disappointing losses earlier this week the Centennial Centaurs and Charles Best Blue Devils bounced back with convincing wins Wednesday in the girls' soccer AAA Fraser Valley championship tournament.
The win setup a third-place showdown at Town Centre Thursday night (after The Tri-City News' deadline) and guaranteed a medal for at least one Coquitlam club.
But Centaurs coach Larry Moro said Thursday morning that both clubs were already looking past the Fraser Valley tournament to the provincials, where the teams will face off against the best in B.C. soccer.
"We are excited because we have a great rivalry [with Best]," Moro said. "But on the other hand, the Fraser Valleys are a long haul. It is almost like we just want to get this done."
Moro's Centaurs bounced back from an earlier 1-0 loss with a win over Lord Tweedsmuir Wednesday. Centennial's offence came alive with Olivia Aguiar quickly converting a penalty kick, followed up by another goal six minutes later on a 20-yard shot to the corner. Amy Kirby knocked home a rebound in the 33 minute mark to give the Centaurs a comfortable lead.
But the team was relentless. Sarah Furner netted a goal, along with picking up three assists, while Tia Edgar finished of the scoring with a goal late in the second half. Her goal helped the Centaurs secure a 5-2 win over their Surrey opponents.
Following Thursday night's game Moro said he would be holding two practices next week as his squad prepares for the provincial championship, which begins on June 2 in Kamloops.
"It is mostly just fine tuning and making some adjustments," he said. "We just want to get through our last game without any injuries."
Charles Best coach Dave Jones said his squad is also feeling good about next week's trip to B.C.'s Interior.
For most of the season the Blue Devils have struggled with injuries and have lost players to other school trips and extracurricular activities.
But when the matches begin in Kamloops in two weeks Jones said he will have a his full compliment of players, who are excited to compete against teams from around the province.
"I think everyone is feeling pretty good," he said. "We are all excited to be going to the provincials."
On Wednesday his team defeated Sardis 3-2 in a tightly played match against the Fraser Valley's third seed team. The victory will improve Charles Best's seeding at the provincial tourney and helped create the third-place matchup with Centennial.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
