Senior Boys Soccer
The SMUS Senior Boys Soccer team got its season off to a solid start last weekend by hosting the nine-team Independent Schools Association (ISA) tournament and advancing all the way to the championship game before losing a tight contest to Mulgrave.
The Blue Jags recorded three wins and a tie in the group stage of the tournament. SMUS opened with a 2-1 win over Shawnigan Lake School, thanks to goals by Sam Bruninx and Cole Michel. In their second game, the Jags battled hard against West Point Grey Academy in an intense contest but were unable to parlay a 1-0 lead into a victory as West Point Grey scored the equalizer and then ultimately won on penalty kicks.
The Blue Jags needed a win over Collingwood in order to advance to the final—and they delivered, beating the Vancouver school 5-1 in what was described as one of the best SMUS performances in recent seasons. The Jags demonstrated great skills and possession of the ball over the course of the game, with two beautiful assists from captain Rayane Hmidi and great finishes from his co-captain Bruninx. SMUS also beat St. George’s B 5-0 in a preliminary-round exhibition that did not count in the standings.
The ISA championship game against Mulgrave was a very intense game throughout, with all players pushing hard. Mulgrave earned the gold with a 1-0 win, leading SMUS to capture the silver.
Senior Girls Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Girls team “played a lot of volleyball” this past weekend in six three-set matches that were part of the Dover Bay Exhibition Tournament in Nanaimo.
The Blue Jags started off the tournament facing powerhouse 4A Nanaimo District Secondary School, with SMUS getting strong showings from Grade 12 setter Ava Gillespie and second-year senior player Charlie Anderson. SMUS also matched up against Brooks and Royal Bay in Friday action.
On Saturday, the Blue Jags faced John Barsby, Gulf Islands, and AAA rival Ballenas. SMUS Athletes worked through several positions demonstrating their focus on communication and adaptability, with middles Izzy LeRoy and Kate Fraser providing some key blocking.
New members to the Senior program improved terrifically over the course of the weekend, said Assistant Coach Allison Higinbotham. SMUS also got valuable defensive contributions from Joss Olcen, who is new to the squad.
The team is off to a high-level tournament at Douglas College this weekend (Sept. 29 and 30).
Senior Boys Volleyball
The SMUS Senior Boys Volleyball team split a pair of Lower Island league matches last week, losing to Lambrick Park twice, by 25-15 scores, and beating Pacific Christian School by 25-10 and 25-18 scores, respectively.
The Blue Jags still did not have any of their Grade 11 players in the lineup due to outtrips, but, according to Head Coach Brady Doland, “the juniors we pulled up were fantastic.”
SMUS continues its season this weekend playing in the Spectrum tournament.
Cross-Country
The SMUS cross-country team began its season under sunny skies last week at Lambrick Park—with both the girls and boys finishing third overall in team scoring, in the first meet. Seventeen SMUS athletes took part in the meet, many of them competing at the Senior level. SMUS’s Nella Meinecke placed second overall in Senior Girls, while Beatrice Sharpe finished seventh overall.
In the Senior Boys division, Owen Sandquist-Sherman ran to a second-place overall finish.
“It was a solid start to the season from everyone,” said SMUS Head Coach Jeff Hunt. “Athletes will use this result as a baseline from which to improve in the weeks of training that lie ahead.”
Squash
Six SMUS athletes travelled to the Vancouver Squash Academy over the weekend to compete in the first B.C. Junior Gold event of the year.
Among the notable SMUS finishes in the event were Kieran MacKay, who was first in Boys Division 3; Roshan Pathak, second in Boys Division 1; Mila Lampa, fourth in Girls Division 2; Bella Mattenley, fourth in Girls Division 3; and Amya Naimi, seventh in Girls Division 2.
Next weekend, SMUS athletes Anderson Brown and Lucas Quon will compete in Ontario Junior Gold, a national team selection event. The rest of the SMUS squash team will compete at the Shawnigan Lake Silver event on Sept. 30.
Grade 9 Boys Rugby
The Grade 9 Boys Rugby team began its season with wins over visiting Brentwood College and Shawnigan Lake School in a jamboree hosted by the Blue Jags last week.
SMUS managed six tries against Brentwood while holding the visitors to two tries. Against Shawnigan, the Blue Jags scored seven tries while allowing just one.
Emilio Vasquez, Alfie Smith, Rodrigo De Leon, and Nolan Wharton each turned in outstanding performances for SMUS in the jamboree.
The Blue Jags will travel to Vancouver for a game at St. George’s on Oct. 3. SMUS will also compete in a sevens tournament at Shawnigan on Oct. 12. Other scheduled matches include home dates vs. Shawnigan (Oct.19), and Collingwood (Oct. 27), and a road game at Brentwood (Oct. 11).
