Going into the season, Larry Moro knew his Centennial Centaurs senior girls soccer team was good enough to be among the best in the province.
But it was the leadership of his senior players that made their bronze medal in last week’s Provincial AAA championship tournament at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex happen.
Coming off a tough, emotional loss in extra time to Panorama Ridge in the semi-finals on Thursday, the Centaurs were flat and listless in the first half of Friday morning’s match against Sardis for third place. The Falcons controlled the tempo of play, got to balls quicker, and a brilliant strike put them up 1-0 at halftime.
“It’s a tough rebound to lose the semi-final like that,” said Moro. “We weren’t in sync in the first half.”
But as his team regrouped on the sidelines, senior players like Catrina Olstrom, Nicole Chursinoff, Risako Kazemi. Alicia Ungaro, Victoria Yule and Kara Plican spoke up; they didn’t want to end their high school playing careers on a downer. They wanted to fulfill the promise their coach had seen in them.
“They demanded everyone step up,” said Moro. “I didn’t have to say a word.”
Olstrom put a boot to her words when she hammered home the tying goal off a pinpoint cross from Kiara Buono to finish a play started by Danae Robillard, who was named the player of the match.
The Centennials continued to press, dominating the field in the second half. Their pressure was rewarded by Jadyn Vance who headed home the game-winner that started as a corner kick by Matisse Jones to Olstrom.
Centennial, which finished ninth in last year’s provincials, was a bit of a darkhorse heading into this year’s tournament, They finished league play with four wins and two losses, the same as Dr. Charles Best and Terry Fox, and behind Heritage Woods who were undefeated. But when the injury-riddled Kodiaks were upset in the Fraser Valley regionals, that opened the door for the Centennials, said Moro.
“I’d put my team against anyone,” said Moro. “We knew we could play against everybody.”
The strength of the competition in the Fraser Valley tournament was also good preparation for the finals. In fact, all four of the semi-final teams in the provincials were from the Fraser Valley Secondary Schools Soccer Commission, which sent seven qualifiers to Burnaby.
“If you can get through the Valleys, you’ve got a shot,” said Moro. “You’re battle-hardened.”
And if it was the seniors who helped put Centennial on the podium this year, it’s a bumper crop of up-and-coming younger players who could propel them even higher next season, said Moro.
“We’ve built a great base,” said Moro. “We have a score of young talent. We want to put ourselves in the same position to win a medal next year.
• Catrina Olstrom was awarded the tournament’s Golden Boot for the second year in a row. Kara Plican was named to the Commissioners Eleven all-star team.
The Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils placed 11th in the tournament. They finished pool play with three draws, then lost their first-round playoff match, 2-1, to South Delta.
Panorama Ridge won the title when they defeated Fleetwood Park 2-1 on penalty kicks.
