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Oak Bay wins Ryan Cup to claim Lower Island girls' high school soccer title

The Oak Bay Breakers shook the pandemic dust off the Ryan Cup, emblematic of Lower Island girls’ high school soccer supremacy. The first Ryan Cup celebration in two years took place Thursday evening at Starlight Stadium.
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Oak Bay Breakers’ Davin Fisher, left, fights for the ball with Claremont Spartans’ Sophie Cooper during the first half of the Ryan Cup soccer final on Thursday at Starlight Stadium. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST

The Oak Bay Breakers shook the pandemic dust off the Ryan Cup, emblematic of Lower Island girls’ high school soccer supremacy.

The first Ryan Cup celebration in two years took place Thursday evening at Starlight Stadium. The Breakers, who had just beaten the Claremont Spartans 4-0 in the final, gleefully posed with the cup in team ­pictures in front of the grandstand behind the West goal.

Both the Breakers and ­Spartans advanced to the Island Triple-A high school championship tournament beginning Monday in Nanaimo and featuring the five top teams from the South Island and top three from the North Island.

Oak Bay pressed in the Ryan Cup final but the game was scoreless at half time.

“It took us a while. We told the players it has to come. It just takes patience,” said Katie Baker, Oak Bay co-coach with Rich Fast.

The floodgates opened in the second half, keyed by Davin Fisher’s two goals, and her crackling play in the middle of the field.

“[Fisher] is our glue and she brings the tempo and tone up for us,” said Baker, the former U Sports national champion with the University of Victoria Vikes.

The Breakers had beaten the Reynolds Roadrunners and the Spartans the St. Michaels ­University School Jags in the Ryan Cup semifinals with both of those games decided on ­penalty kicks.

Along with the Island Triple-A championship at Nanaimo District Secondary School fields, the Island Double-A championship is Monday and Tuesday at St. Michaels University School.

The B.C. championships run June 2-4 with the Triple-A in ­Surrey, Double-A in Burnaby and Single-A in Langley.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com