Two late goals, including a breakaway score at the final whistle, allowed Dover Bay to break open a close game in a 5-2 senior girls soccer victory at Kwalikum Secondary School Thursday afternoon.
The Kondors, who will host the AA North Island Championships May 9-10, were punching above their weight against the Class AAA Dolphins, from Nanaimo’s largest secondary school.
“We have six girls in club soccer; they have 20,” Kwalikum coach Ruth Stefanek said. “We have a few that have never played soccer before. This is only their third game together and they’re still learning to work together as a team.”
The squad opened the season with a 5-1 win over Wellington and dropped a 2-0 decision to Nanaimo District Secondary School, both on the road, before hosting Dover Bay. KSS will host Wellington in a rematch today at 3:30 p.m. and then welcome NDSS the following Tuesday, April 26.
“We lost to NDSS last week, but they are beatable,” Stefanek said following the Dover Bay contest. “I think we will be surprising them (next) week.”
Alex Shaw scored both goals for the Kondors Thursday. The first was a 20-yard blast from the centre of the field, off snappy passes from Larissa Stefanek and Cara Burch, that tied the match 1-1 in the 18th minute.
That shot followed a wild sequence of near-misses at the Dolphins’ net, during which Reece Koch, Montanna Mosher and Shaw each tried shots with Dover Bay goalkeeper Hailey Zonneveld out of position after ranging high in the box.
A pack of scrambling Dover defenders managed to get back and block each attempt.
Kwalikum Secondary’s Reece Koch, centre, is pinched between Dover Bay teammates Hannah Rafuse (7) and Kaylie Rafuse as she fights to get off a shot during the teams’ Senior girls soccer match in Qualicum Beach Thursday. — Image credit: J.R. Rardon/PQB NEWS
Shaw’s second goal came on an eight-yard boot from the right wing after she beat the Dover Bay defence on a rush, and drew Kwalikum to 3-2 in the 62nd minute.
“It was a close game most of the way,” Stefanek said. “The girls didn’t do badly, and we lost three players at halftime to work commitments.”
The Kwalikum team is made up of 19 players from divergent backgrounds and experience levels, united in their desire to represent their school on the pitch, Stafanek said.
Shaw and Charlotte Palmer capably held down the centre-midfield positions Thursday, and Mosher, a B.C. female midget AAA hockey standout who played goal in the team’s first two games, adds athleticism and multi-position versatility.
Thursday’s game featured the debut in goal by Ana Franco-Costales, an international student from Spain who made several big saves against the speedy Dolphins’ strikers. The Kondors also introduced two Grade 8 players, Olivia Williams and Catalina Magana, to the Senior level. Missing was Grade 9 standout Jodi Lekx, who pairs with Larissa Stefanek in a “dynamic duo” in the centre back spots for the team.
Ruth Stefanek is supported by assistant coaches Emma Taylor, a Vancouver Island University grad who played in the school’s soccer program, and by Tyler Lucente, a Grade 12 student at Kwalikum who has helped with the program for three years.
“It’s great to have some young coaches for the girls,” said Stefanek.
