Home field wasn’t much of an advantage for the Kondors this week as the local lads of AA senior boys soccer almost had their wings clipped down at Qualicum Beach Rec Fields.
In action and hosts of the AA boys North Island finals and looking for a top four finish and berth in the Island championships, Kwalikum Secondary School lost their opener 1-0 to the Carihi Tyees Tuesday. They bounced back that afternoon with a 7-1 rout of the John Barsby Bulldogs of Nanaimo.
It was a listless KSS side that lost 6-nil Wednesday morning to a fast and tenacious Highland Raiders’ team, “but they upped their game when it counted,” pointed out one fan, to close out the tourney with a 3-nil win and secure a spot in the wildcard game.
In the morning game, the Raiders, ranked No. 1 from the North, came out flying and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, and when KSS suffered an unfortunate own-goal to go down 3-nil you could see their shoulders drop.
Down but not out and needing a win against a surly squad of Shawnigan Lake Stags that afternoon to keep their season alive, the Kondors came through, 3-0.
Will Beckingham staked KSS to a 1-nil lead in the opening minutes which is how it stood at the break. Ben Robson upped it to 2-0 early in the second half when he steamed in with a defender on his back and beat the charging keeper, and Connal Spencer nailed down the win with time winding down.
The Kondors travel to Victoria today (Friday) for a wildcard game against the Esquimalt Dockers with the winner securing the final berth in the eight-team Island finals slated for Nov. 8-9 at St. Michaels University School in Victoria.
“It didn’t got according to plan, but we’re still alive ... that’s the optimistic way of looking at things,” KSS coach Butch Gayton said Thursday.
Gayton and the KSS junior boys soccer team are in Campbell River Thursday and Friday for the eight-team Island championships.