VANCOUVER — How do we know when its been a vintage opening day each year at the B.C.senior girls AAA soccer championships?
The truest measure is to determine how much, after that swath of 16 contested games among the 16-team field is complete, has actually been determined in terms of simplifying the plotlines heading into Friday’s pool-game finales. And in this scribe’s eyes, the more confusing, the better.
Those four pool winners, of course, are plugged directly into Friday’s mid-afternoon Final Four semifinals at UBC’s Warren Field.
So how did the 2018 opening round play itself out Wednesday?
Well, there’s still plenty to be decided, however three teams can clinch semifinal berths with victories Friday morning.
Argyle plays South Delta in a Pool B clash of unbeatens with the winner moving on to the Final Four.
As well, it appears Victoria’s Reynolds Roadrunners can win Pool D with a victory over the Panorama Ridge Thunder.
Beyond that, the bottom half of the draw featured three scoreless draws, including two by the same team (Sardis).
Day 2? It looks to be as unpredictable as ever. And that’s a good thing.
POOL A
TODAY’S SCORES — Fleetwood Park 3 Kitsilano 0, Fleetwood Park 1 Dr. Charles Best 0, Dr. Charles Best 1 Nanaimo District 0, Nanaimo District 1 Kitsilano 0
STANDINGS — Fleetwood Park 2-0, Dr. Charles Best 1-1, Nanaimo District 1-1, Kitsilano 0-2
THURSDAY’S FINAL POOL GAMES —Kitsilano vs. Dr. Charles Best (10:45 a.m., Jericho), Fleetwood Park vs. Nanaimo District (10:45 a.m., University Hill)
THE SKINNY — It’s Fleetwood Park’s pool to win. The 2017 silver medalists can accomplish just that with a win over the Nanaimo District Islanders. However a Best win over Kitsilano, coupled with a Nanaimo District win over Fleetwood Park creates a three-way tie for first place at 2-1.
POOL B
TODAY’S SCORES — Argyle 2 Riverside 0, Argyle 2 Mt. Boucherie 0, South Delta 3 Mt. Boucherie 1, South Delta 2 Riverside 1
STANDINGS — Argyle 2-0, South Delta 2-0, Mt. Boucherie 0-2, Riverside 0-2
THURSDAY’S FINAL POOL GAMES — Argyle vs. South Delta (10:45 a.m., Warren field), Mt. Boucherie vs. Riverside (10:45 a.m., Ken Woods turf)
THE SKINNY —What this tourney is all about. Two provincial powerhouses close out pool play with the winner advancing to the semifinals. A draw would push things to a PK session with the winner facing the Pool A winner in a 2:15 p.m. semifinal at Ken Woods field.
POOL C
TODAY’S SCORES — Centennial 5 North Peace 1, McMath 3 New Westminster 1, McMath 0 Centennial 0, North Peace 3 New Westminster 2
STANDINGS — Centennial 1-0-1, McMath 1-0-1, North Peace 1-1, New Westminster 0-2
THURSDAY’S FINAL POOL GAMES — Centennial vs. New Westminster (9 a.m., Jericho), McMath vs. North Peace (9 a.m., University Hill)
THE SKINNY — A pair of heavyweights went undefeated on Day 1, their 0-0 draw against each other meaning each must win their Friday matches. If both win, it’s tiebreaker time for a berth to the semifinal against the Pool D winner, 12:30 p.m. at Ken Woods field.
POOL D
TODAY’S SCORES — Reynolds 4 Lord Byng 1, Reynolds 0 Sardis 0, Lord Byng 2 Panorama Ridge 1, Panorama Ridge 0 Sardis 0
STANDINGS — Reynolds 1-0-1, Lord Byng 1-1, Sardis 0-0-2, Panorama Ridge 0-1-1.
THURSDAY’S FINAL POOL GAMES — Reynolds vs. Panorama Ridge (9 a.m., Warren field), Lord Byng vs. Sardis (9 a.m., Ken Woods turf)
THE SKINNY — The most unpredictable pool of the four. The only thing guaranteed, it appears, is that Reynolds advances on the championship side of the draw if it can defeat defending B.C. champion Panorama Ridge.
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