The Caledonia Kermodes senior boys soccer team is setting up for provincials after turfing the competition at the Northwest Senior Boys Soccer Zone competition in Prince Rupert two weekends ago.
Under the rules of the tournament, each team played each team and the winner was decided by wins or, in the event of a tie, goals for and against as provincial regulations only allow two games per day.
The Terrace boys started their first game against the hometeam Charles Hayes Secondary School Rainmakers on Saturday, who had won against Smithers Secondary School 1-0 earlier that day.
“We were quite pumped in regards to playing the Rupert game thinking that we had a legitimate chance,” said coach Mike Denomme. “We’d beat Rupert before and beat them quite handily before … And the whole goals for and against scenario, we knew we had to put a lot of balls in the net against them.”
And that they did.
Caledonia ended up winning 4-0, setting the bar high for the goals for and against component of the tournament, if needed.
But it wasn’t, as Terrace faced Smithers in the third and final game of zones and the two teams played to a 1-1 tie, giving Terrace the overall victory with one win and one tie. Prince Rupert placed second with one win and one loss, and Smithers finished in third with one tie and one loss.
“When we first started we were under quite a bit of pressure,” said Denomme. “Smithers did hit a couple of crossbars, but I reiterated to the boys that the score wasn’t 0 – 0, that it was 3 – 0 for us. It made them a little more comfortable and relaxed to play, knowing that they had a hypothetical 3-0 lead.”
And Caledonia’s Steven Schuss played a big role in the win – scoring four out of the five Terrace goals.
“The overall team was great, but he really stood out,” said Denomme. “He was pretty much the anchor.”
Terrace is now planning to attend provincial championships in Burnaby in November, with fundraising efforts for the trip currently being organized.
With files from Shaun Thomas, Prince Rupert Northern View
