Bears aim to defend B.C. title on home turf
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Updated: November 04, 2009 4:43 PM
Whether home field advantage will be a major factor in the Single A senior boys soccer championships, Ted Brennan can't say for sure.
But the St. John Brebeuf Bears head coach sure hopes it will be. Brennan's Bears, after all, are hosting the Single A provincial tournament in Abbotsford this week.
"All of our round-robin games are going to be played at our school," noted Brennan, whose Bears are seeded fourth in the 16-team draw. "That's the field where we've done our training, so we should know the bounces.
"And two of our feeder elementary schools are bringing their students over, so I think it's going to be special for the kids – they haven't played in front of a few hundred people before."
This season was supposed to be a rebuilding campaign for the Bears, who graduated eight starters from their 2008 provincial title team. But Brennan has watched younger players step to the forefront as the Bears finished first during Fraser Valley South league play and second at the Valley championships.
"I didn't think we'd be as successful as we have been," Brennan said. "But the young players have really stepped up to fill the void. It's been nice to see."
Striker Adam Wolfe has carried the load offensively for the Bears. He won the Fraser Valley's Golden Boot award, emblematic of the top goal-scorer in the region, after booting home nine goals in nine regular season games. Other SJB standouts include defenders Nick Cree and Matt Anctil, and midfielders Dave Anctil and Steve Humphrey.
The provincial tourney is occupying three fields at Exhibition Park, plus one at SJB, from Thursday through Saturday. Games run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with the final slated for 11 a.m. on Saturday at Ex Park.
For a full schedule, visit stjohnbrebeuf.ca.
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