Senior Boys Soccer
The SMUS Senior Boys Soccer team advanced to the semi-final round of the Colonist Cup last week before falling 3-0 Thursday to Oak Bay on the Bays’ home field.
The first half of the semi-final featured great intensity from both sides. The majority of the possession belonged to Oak Bay, however, the Blue Jags had some chances that they weren’t able to finish. In the second half, the Bays took advantage of SMUS losing its shape as well as a key injury in the Blue Jags’ mid-field to score three times, including a goal in the final minute.
SMUS qualified for the semi-final by blanking Royal Bay 1-0 on the road in a Tuesday quarter-final that Head Coach Evan Fryer described as “one of our best games of the season.” Cole Michel scored the winner for SMUS with just under 10 minutes remaining, running ahead of the Royal Bay defenders and finishing a perfect cross from Kian Colgate.
“This was a big win since Royal Bay was seeded No. 1 in AAA in the city,” Fryer said.
“We played defensively very well and [goalkeeper] Fynn Brueck was able to keep the clean sheet all match with lots of important saves."
Some great defensive work from Saba Shariaty and Dash Nelson as outside backs helped ensure that SMUS held on to the tight victory.
Next up for the Blue Jags is the Island AA tournament, Nov. 6 to 7 in Courtenay.
Junior Boys Soccer
The SMUS Junior Boys’ Soccer season came to an end on Wednesday with a 1-0 road loss to Oak Bay in the Lower Island third-place game. The loss kept the Junior Jags out of the Island tournament.
Field Hockey
Last week, SMUS grad Rebecca Stone ‘23 picked up some hardware as the Canada West University Athletics Association handed out its field hockey awards. Stone earned Canada West Rooke of the Year honours for her play as a first-year midfielder with the UVic Vikes.
In her Grade 12 year at SMUS, Stone was a member of B.C. championship teams in both field hockey and soccer. Here’s what Canada West wrote about Stone:
“It's not easy to make an immediate impact as a first-year player on a team that has enjoyed a remarkable run of success, but Stone stepped in and did just that. The first-year student-athlete made a seamless transition to the university game, providing dependable play in the Vikes midfield. Her incredible rookie year was capped off in a special way during the final weekend of the regular season, as she helped the Vikes claim the 2023 Canada West championship with a pair of wins over UBC.”
Meanwhile, last Monday, this year’s SMUS Senior Girls Field Hockey team beat Oak Bay 3-1 to retain the May Tully Shield. The Blue Jags scored goals from Kendyll Adams, Wynn Brown, and Mia Muller in the victory.
The team is busy preparing to defend its B.C. AA title at the provincial tournament Nov. 6 to 8 in West Vancouver.
Last Tuesday, the SMUS Junior Development Field Hockey team lost 2-0 to Lambrick Park in the opening round of the Island Tier 2 championship playoff.
Grade 9 Rugby
The SMUS Grade 9 Boys Rugby team came tantalizingly close to pulling off a miracle in a home match against Collingwood on Friday. In what turned out to be an extremely entertaining affair, the visitors from Vancouver raced out to a 30-10 lead at the half.
While it seemed that all hope was lost for the Blue Jags, the home side battled back. Thanks to some inspired play from Kieran MacKay, Pablo Ostos Arena, Rodrigo De Leon Junco, and Alfie Smith, SMUS managed to get back on even footing–with the teams tied at eight tries apiece in the dying seconds. However, it was not to be for the Blue Jags, as Collingwood stole the ball at the breakdown and raced down the field for the winning tally on the final play.
“SMUS should be proud of an immense comeback,” said Blue Jags Coach Wonjin Kim. The team will look to end its fall season on a high note when it visits Brentwood tomorrow (Tues., Oct. 31) for a final league match.
Senior Girls Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Girls Volleyball team captured its first medal of the season on the weekend, taking bronze in the Belmont Secondary tournament with a victory over Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Secondary, in the third-place match. The Blue Jags had an exhausting start to the event as all three of their pool-play games (against Stelly’s, Royal Bay and Wellington) went to three sets, with no victories to show for it. However, the opening day served as a valuable learning experience, teaching the SMUS side how to handle high-pressure games that go the distance.
The Blue Jags made rest their priority after the challenging opening day. That strategy paid off when they met Ballenas Secondary in their 8:30 a.m. crossover game on Saturday. SMUS won that contest in two sets to put itself in a position to compete for gold. The Blue Jags next met Lambrick Park and, despite initially struggling to find their groove at the end of each set, they managed to pull together and secure the win.
SMUS was battling fatigue and couldn’t find its rhythm as it faced Pacific Christian School in the semi-final. However, setter/right side Yanyu Zhang managed an extraordinary 10-point serving run, and exceptional defence from Emily Wu, Madeleine Albert, and the rest of the SMUS team, helped to hold PCS at 24 points, giving the Pacers a run for their money before PCS eventually pulled out a 25-23 win.
The team and the crowd were proud of [the Blue Jags’] spirited comeback,” said Head Coach Melanie Bendfeld.
Battling a couple of injuries in the starting lineup, every member of the SMUS team stepped up in the bronze medal game. SMUS seamlessly took the first set from Dover, but the second set presented challenges.
A number of critical points from middle-blocker Monika Jurkovcova and outside-hitter Joss Olcen ignited the Blue Jags’ spirit, and they sailed to victory. Senior Setter and Team Captain Ava Gillespie was an outstanding example of true grit, selflessness, and all-out effort as she led the Blue Jags to their first medal of the season.
“It was a testament to the tremendous effort and teamwork of every single player on the SMUS team,” noted Bendfeld.
Also last week, the Blue Jags were victorious in Lower Island 3A playoffs, beating Vic High 2-0 (25-16; 25-22) and Esquimalt 2-0 (25-11; 25-11). Next up for SMUS: a home series against Edward Milne and Stelly’s tomorrow night (Tues., Oct 31) in the SMUS Double Gym, starting at 6 p.m. The Lower Island 3A finals are set for Nov. 7, at Stelly’s.
Junior Girls Volleyball
The Junior Girls A team finished its Lower Island regular season last Monday, beating Edward Milne in straight sets and splitting with both PCS and Belmont B. The Blue Jags finished eighth in the league and qualified for the Gold Division playoffs. SMUS travels to Claremont for its playoff opener today (Mon., Oct 30).
“Playoffs continue on Wednesday for the top-six in the city and we hope to be one of those teams,” said Head Coach Joanne Ross. The top-five Lower Island teams qualify for Islands.
Meanwhile, the SMUS Junior Girls Development team had a great week, going 6-0 in its final Lower Island League action, last Monday. The host Blue Jags swept sets from visiting Victor Brodeur, Stelly’s, and Edward Milne. The results kept them in second place, behind rival Claremont, heading into the playoffs this week.
Over the weekend, SMUS entered the Bumpkin Pumpkin tournament, where they finished third in the Green Goblin bracket. To move up to the latter bracket, the Blue Jags had to defeat Claremont, which they managed to do with hard work and determination. After a tough loss to Reynolds, the team rebounded to beat the Vic High A team, clinching third.
Senior Boys Volleyball
Last Wednesday, the Senior Boys Volleyball team saw action facing off against the No. 1 and No. 2 Lower Island seeds, respectively, in Vic High and Esquimalt–two powerhouse teams whose starting lineups all play club volleyball. Against Vic High, which is ranked No. 1 on the Island and among the top 10 AA teams in B.C., the Blue Jags dropped the first set before coming close in the second (23-25). SMUS then beat Esquimalt 25-17 before falling 25-15 in the second set.
“The boys played well but obviously need to be more consistent,” said Head Coach Brady Doland.
SMUS played five matches in what was a whirlwind of a tournament on Saturday at Mount Douglas. The Blue Jags lost a close match against AAA Reynolds, fell to AA rival Lambrick Park, and then won easily against Parkland to finish third in their pool.
After a long day, the Blue Jags came out firing on all cylinders and played with their best energy of the year, winning a thrilling playoff opener 25-18 over AAA Royal Bay. Royal Bay won the second set to force a third and deciding set. Of the Blue Jags’ third-set loss to Royal Bay, Coach Doland added: “The boys played great but couldn't pull through."
Connor Kipling of SMUS earned a tournament All-Star team award for his play.
Junior Boys Volleyball
The Junior Boys Volleyball team wrapped up its season last week, with final league matches at home against Claremont and Reynolds. The Blue Jags dropped both sets to No. 2 Lower Island seed Claremont, but put up an excellent fight, including a late push in the second set, where they just fell short (21-25).
SMUS then faced rival Reynolds, needing a sweep in order to make the Lower Island playoffs. The Blue Jags took care of business in the first set thanks to strong hitting from Tommy Hong, and blocking from Eric Thompson. However, a series of communication and service errors by SMUS resulted in Reynolds taking the second set. The split meant the Blue Jags fell one spot short of a playoff berth.
