When they most needed a win, the Kelowna Owls found a way to dig deep and claim the Okanagan Valley final.
Coach Arnar Bernhardsson hopes his squad will display the same kid of resolve this week at the B.C. high school AAA girls soccer championship in North Vancouver.
The 16-team provincial tournament, hosted by Argyle Secondary, begins on Thursday morning.
The Owls will play in a round-robin pool format against Handsworth, Kitsilano and Panorama Ridge.
“It is a fairly decent draw, if we play up to expectations then it should come down to us and Handsworth to see who finishes first in the pool and a semi final berth on Friday afternoon,” said Bernhardsson. “If we get there we have a good chance of getting a decent opponent and again if we play up to our potential then we should be able to get into the final.
“However,” he added, “anything can happen it is a long tourney and sometimes attrition is the key to getting into the final.”
KSS advanced to provincials thanks a win over Mt. Boucherie in the valley final earlier this month. It was the first time in three tries the Owls had defeated the Bears this season.
The Owls last won the provincial championship in 2006.
The 2013 B.C. final will be played Saturday afternoon.
Mustangs in Rossland…
A sour taste still in their mouths from last year’s provincials, the Immaculata Mustangs hope to make amends this week at the 2013 B.C. high school girls A soccer championship in Rossland.
The Okanagan Valley champs who, despite outplaying their opponents by a wide margin last year’s semifinal, lost 1-0 and eventually settled for the bronze medal.
On Thursday, the Mustangs will begin their pursuit for gold playing in a pool with Selkirk, North lsland and Bulkley Valley.
Based on their season to date and the talent at his disposal, Immaculata coach Paul Friere likes his team’s chances of challenging for gold.
“We feel like if we play to our potential, then we believe we’ll win the tournament,” said Freire. “But we’ll have to do all the things the right way first in order to make that happen.”
Freire expects the toughest challenges at provincials to come from Glenlyon Norfolk and Southridge from Surrey.
The Kelowna Chrisitian Knights will also be competing.
The B.C. final is set for Saturday afternoon.
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