After winning every game in league and playoff competition, a seventh place finish at the provincial championships would be considered as a disappointment by the Sands Scorpions.
But that’s all the Senior AA boys high school soccer team had to play for Wednesday afternoon in Burnaby, the team defeating the D.W. Poppy Redhawks 1-0 to place seventh at the three-day, 16-team competition.
The Scorpions won three of five games, starting with a pair of victories Monday. A 1-0 loss to Cariboo Hill of Burnaby in their final round robin contest Tuesday morning dropped them to second place in their pool, and out of championship contention.
They then lost their first playoff game, 2-0 to Samuel Robertson of Maple Ridge Tuesday afternoon, before topping Poppy Wednesday.
“We should have won our group, but we were unlucky yesterday (Tuesday) and lost,” said Sands coach Kevin Gaull. “We should have won that game. And in the afternoon game, they were just gutted. We came into the tournament with such high hopes.”
The Scorpions were the class of the Fraser Valley zone, winning eight league games and three Fraser Valley playoff contests, conceding just three goals while scoring 47.
Alex Tivy scored the Scorpions goal on Wednesday, with Trevor Dierks earning the shutout. After the disappointment of two losses Tuesday, Gaull was pleased to see the team’s dedication to winning on Wednesday.
“It was the last game in a Sands uniform for our Grade 12s,” he noted. “They wanted to finish in the proper way, with a victory.”
n The Senior AAA boys high school tournament began this morning and runs through to Saturday afternoon.
The Fraser Valley champion Enver Creek Cougars, third place Panorama Ridge Thunder and fourth place North Surrey Spartans are the three Surrey schools to qualify.