This week will be a wild one in the North Shore senior boys AA soccer league as three teams will be battling for a coveted first-place finish to end a wide-open shootout of a season.
The most drastic swing team is the Sutherland Sabres who currently sit in third place behind the Windsor Dukes and Bodwell Bruins. The Sabres will play both of those teams this week and would vault right to top spot if they beat them both. Two losses, however, could mean the end of the road for Sutherland as they are in danger of dropping into fourth place behind the fourth-place Seycove Seyhawks. Only the top three teams advance to the zone playoffs against the Burnaby/New West district. Sutherland head coach Bill Mahon said his Sabres are more concerned about what’s coming up behind them than they are about claiming top spot.
“We’re fighting for a playoff spot,” he said. “We could technically go as high as first, we could also go as low as fourth. It depends who shows up for my guys. … If we play up to par, I think we have a chance.”
Bodwell, currently in second place, also controls their own destiny: wins in their final two games – against Sutherland and St. Thomas Aquinas – would give them first place and the easier playoff draw that comes with claiming top spot on the North Shore. Head coach Doug Graham admits he has been closely inspecting the standings, playing out the various scenarios.
“I’ve looked at everything,” he said with a laugh. “All that stuff goes through your head. It comes down to game day. If the boys are mentally ready and they come out and play their best – then if they win, they win, and if they don’t, that’s alright.”
The international boarding school boasts its usual eclectic roster, with players from around the globe – including Mexico, Japan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Korea and Brazil – coming together to complete the Bodwell roster.
“It’ll be quite exciting. It could go either way,” Graham said about next week’s showdowns. “Even if you do get first, second or third, there’s no guarantee you’ll make it to provincials. I think all three teams are very good, so even if you come third you still could beat the first-place team. … I love the sportsmanship out there, win or lose. It’s always fun to win but you do your best – if the best team prevails, then so be it. I do hope we win though.”
The Windsor Dukes, currently in first place, may be in the wackiest position of all. They’ve played one more game than Bodwell and Sutherland, so even if they knock off the Sabres they could still lose the battle for top spot if Bodwell runs the table. The Dukes, however, have won six straight games since losing their regular season opener in an overtime shootout against the Bruins.
“Each game we’ve improved,” said head coach Mat Goodsmith, adding that his team is focused on their final regular season game against Sutherland.
“They’re usually pretty strong,” he said of the Sabres. “We’ve been building up getting ready for that game, so it should be good.”
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Here’s how the schedule breaks down for the final week:
- Tuesday (all games start at 4 p.m.): Seycove at Mulgrave; St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Bodwell at Boulevard Park; Windsor at Sutherland.
- Thursday (4 p.m.): St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Seycove at Myrtle Park; Bodwell at Sutherland.
