Ballenas Secondary School’s senior girls soccer team is the toast of the town this week after securing the school’s first-ever Island title.
The Whalers girls, the core group of which have been together for four years under head coach Larry Stefanek, clinched the Vancouver Island AA championship Tuesday on the pitches of Brentwood College with a convincing 3-0 win over the host team in the final.
“Incredible performance for our girls and first ever Island Championship for senior girls soccer,” Stefanek said after.
Beyond the hardware and having their names forever etched in school history, the win also puts the Whalers in the mix at the provincials in Vancouver June 2-4 as the No. 1 seed off the rock.
In action in Mill Bay as part of the eight-team Island final, with the top three teams advancing to the BCs, Ballenas opened the tournament Monday morning with a 2-0 win over the Marc Isfeld Ice from Comox.
“It was one we could have won by a lot more, but we had to rest some players and get some players in,” said Stefanek.
The Ice staked Ballenas to a 1-0 lead 10 minutes in off an own-goal and Rachel Jones struck twice to make it 3-zip at the half.
“They were definitely outgunned, but they put up a fight for a bit,” said Stefanek.
Back at that afternoon for game two against the Gulf Islands Scorpions the Whalers rolled to a 5-1 win.
All Ballenas from the opening bell, the blue and white led 4-1 at the half, one of those an own-goal by GI, and cruised to another win.
Standout striker Emma Greig struck twice in that one, as did Virs, with Jones rounding out the scoring.
An immensely talented side with the toughness it takes to make noise in the playoffs, the Whalers picked up where they left off in game three Wednesday morning and dumped perennial powerhouse St. Michael’s University School Blue Jags, 3-2.
“We were up 3-nil at halftime and they added a couple late … it definitely wasn’t a 3-2 game,” said Larry. “We dominated the game.”
The Blue Jags scored their first goal with about 15 minutes remaining, then got a lucky bounce in the dying minutes to make it close, but the outcome was never in question.
Olivia and Jenna Peachey scored for Ballenas and the Blue Jags helped with an own-goal.
“We had some great set pieces off corner kicks that game, it was one way traffic,” said Stefanek.
Whalers first in their pool at 3-0 and a berth in the final against Brentwood College that afternoon.
“It was a tough game, a physical game,” said Stefanek, adding, “it was close for a long time — it was 0-0 at the half, and then our girls just took over.”
Took over as Greig, the tournament’s most valuable player, torched the home team with a natural hat trick in the second half and the blue and white were celebrating.
“It was her best game of the season — she put on a clinic in the second half.”
Rebecca Bonnell “was great in goal, and the defence was anchored by the superb play of Kim Watson and supported by Darcy Bennett, Taylor Mang and Val Watson.”
Midfield standouts added Stefanek were Olivia Virs, Jenna Peachey and Kelsey O’Connor out wide and Ked Nuamthanong “stepped her game up coming back from injury.”
Also earning props for their efforts were Kayla Mohr, Gaby Hebert, Alysha Lehmann and the lone Grade 10 on the team, Carmina Rocheleau.
“Our strikers were lead by the dynamic duo of Emma Greig and Rachel Jones with Leah Klobchar and Lindsay Mjaaland coming off the bench to contribute,” said the coach, adding Emma and Rachel either scored or set up the majority of the goals.
“The whole team played really well — all four games.”
“The key to our team we can score goals, we defend really well as a unit, and we work hard.
“We are a very skillful side,” he said, “but we’re learning it takes more than skill to win that you have to play with a ton of grit and toughness every game, which we do,” said Stefanek.
Winning the Island title was especially sweet for the seniors on the team — the side features 12 seniors on the roster of 17, with four Grade 11s and the one Grade 10.
Last year they lost in the AAA final to Claremont, and two years ago they lost the junior girls Island final on the last shot of a penalty shoot-out.
If the coach sounds proud he has good reason given the time and energy he puts into the sport. Stefanek has been a teacher/coach at BSS for 18 years.
He started the boys program, and this is his fourth year with this group of girls which he started with in Grade 9.
This is only the fourth time in the school’s 34 year history that a senior girls soccer team has advanced to the provincial finals.
Don Boyd coached the Ballenas girls to their best provincial showing, an eighth place finish at the BCs back in 1988.
“You can’t ask for any more,” said Stefanek.
“So many standouts. The whole team — everyone stepped up in all four games. It was a total team win.”
GAME ON
The Whalers open the 16-team BC championships, to be played out on the turf fields at Burnaby 8 Rinks, Thursday, June 2, against an opponent yet to be named.
