Although seeded third among the eight teams competing, the Burnsview Griffins won a fourth-consecutive Fraser Valley Senior AA girls high school soccer championship Wednesday afternoon in Coquitlam.
The Griffins capped a three-game run through the competition with 2-1 victory over the top-seed Archbishop Carney Stars, and will go into the B.C. Championship tournament May 30 to June 1 in Courtenay as the Fraser Valley champions.
Myranda Willis was set up by Michelle Hashimoto for the first Burnsview goal, and Courtney Badali took a pass from Kylee Walker to score on a breakaway for the second.
The Griffins received strong play from defenders Olivia Kappeli, Robyn Abe, Brooke Schlossarke and Emma Peckinpaugh.
Burnsivew finished first in the Fraser Valley West league with five wins and a tie in six games, outscoring the opposition 24-1.
The Griffins, playing at home for the first two games of the Fraser Valley tournament, blanked the St. John Brebeuf Bears 1-0 in a first-round game, then topped the M.E.I. Eagles of Abbotsford 3-1 in a semifinal match.
Burnsview won the provincial title in 2010 and 2011, but placed fifth last year.
The Surrey Christian Falcons also qualified for the Senior AA provincial tournament, clinching a third-place finish at the Fraser Valley tournament with a 2-0 win over M.E.I. on Wednesday. The Falcons won their first game of the competition 2-0 on the road against the Pitt Meadows Marauders, then fell 2-0 to Archbishop Carney. A 6-3 victory over Abbotsford Traditional high school clinched a top-four finish and a place at the provincials in Courtenay.
Surrey Christian, second to the Griffins in the West league with five wins and a loss, was the fifth-seed at the Fraser Valley tournament.
