Kathleen Nicholls graduated from Ladysmith Secondary during the year of the greatest triumph in 49ers athletic history — the 1995 triple-A boys’ B.C. basketball championship. A 49ers soccer and basketball player at the time, Nicholls saw what that kind of moment does for a school, and she would like her current 49ers soccer players to experience those emotions.
They just might.
The North Island top-ranked 49ers, coached by Nicholls, got off to a 2-0 start in Pool A at the Island girls’ double-A championship Monday with a 3-2 victory over Brooks of Powell River and 1-0 win over Brentwood College.
Most of the 49ers have come up through the Mid-Isle Premier club soccer program coached by Nicholls. That familiarity has bred success, on the pitch and off. Two of the 49er Grade 12s — Karen Battie and Hannah Stannard — are headed to the next level in the fall and have been recruited to play for the Vancouver Island University Mariners.
Nicholls said her talented club sides didn’t feel they reached their potential this season, falling short of provincials, and have now channelled everything into the school season.
“We want to make an impact provincially,” she said.
Undefeated this season, the 49ers recipe isn’t complicated.
“We play, simple, ball-possession soccer,” said Nicholls.
“Our philosophy is that when you have the ball, the other team can’t do anything with it.”
That approach is leading to a direct collision between Ladysmith and host St. Michaels University School in today’s Island final. The Lower Island top-ranked Blue Jags were also 2-0 after the opening day with 5-0 and 3-0 victories over Parkland and Carihi of Campbell River, respectively, in Group B.
In other games, Brentwood College blanked Royal Bay 2-0, Brooks defeated Royal Bay 4-2, and Mark Isfeld of Courtenay defeated Parkland 7-3 and tied Carihi 2-2.
The pool round continues this morning at 9:30 with Ladysmith taking on Royal Bay and Brentwood College playing Brooks. That is followed at 11:30 by a telling matchup between SMUS and Mark Isfeld, while Parkland plays Carihi.
The Pool A and Pool B winners advance to the Island championship game this afternoon, while the pool runners-up meet in the consolation final, both at 3:30 p.m. The top three teams advance to provincials.
At the Island triple-A tournament at Dover Bay in Nanaimo, Reynolds opened with a 3-0 win over Claremont, while Stelly’s beat Cowichan 3-0. The top two teams advance to provincials.
The single-A Island tournament was held in Port McNeill last weekend with Glenlyon Norfolk School coming out on top.
The B.C. championships are hosted by Fort St. James (in Prince George) for single-A, at Carihi in Campbell River for double-A and in South Delta for triple-A, all from June 2-4.
