It was like one of those unification bouts in boxing, where the various belt holders within a weight class get together for one winner-decides-all match for all the bragging rights.
The Reynolds Roadrunners, who over the weekend won the first B.C. triple-A championship in the school’s 50-year history, met the B.C. double-A-champion St. Michaels University School Blue Jags in the 2016 Colonist Cup boys’ high school soccer final Tuesday night before a large and loud gallery at UVic’s Centennial Stadium.
The Roadrunners prevailed 4-2, scoring three times in the final 18 minutes, after going down to 10 players because of a red card with 23 minutes remaining.
“There is no quit in our guys,” said Reynolds coach J.J. Atterbury.
It was Reynolds’ first appearance in the Colonist Cup final since 1992 and first Colonist Cup championship since back-to-back titles in 1982 and 1983.
“It feels amazing to win the Colonist Cup for the first time in over 30 years and bring it back to the school,” said Reynolds captain Josh Lamothe, a standout centre back who will return to the Centennial Stadium pitch next year as a University of Victoria Vikes freshman in U Sports.
“Even down to 10 men, we didn’t give up because we knew we had the talent and skill to come back. And we proved it.”
The winning goal, with five minutes remaining, was inspired. Will Adams, on a free kick on the lip of the opposition box, slipped it behind the SMUS wall to Sylvain Taghaoussi, who dribbled in to make it 3-2.
SMUS led 2-1 at the half on goals by Dennis Siegrist, a Grade 12 midfielder from Switzerland and MVP of the B.C. double-A championship.
Kiyoshi Croke responded with two goals for the Roadrunners.
“Credit to Reynolds. They battled back hard,” said former UVic Vikes great and rookie SMUS coach Cam Hundal.
The Colonist Cup has a storied history in local high school lore. Its alumni list includes World Cup players Ian Bridge of Vic High and George Pakos of Esquimalt and other much-capped Canadian internationals such as Brian Robinson from Vic High and Bob Bolitho of Mount View.
Last year, champion Oak Bay was buoyed in its victory over B.C. single-A champion Glenlyon Norfolk School by a pre-game dressing room visit by Oak Bay product and current Canadian national team player Adam Straith.
As colourful as the past has been, rarely have two B.C. championship sides met in the final. For the most part, the Colonist Cup final has been held after the provincial tournaments, which only makes sense. But scheduling constraints of an increasingly hectic school season put this year's Colonist Cup as the last item on the agenda.
That made for a matchup of two provincials champions. Reynolds and SMUS tied 3-3 in their regular-season meeting so there really wasn’t much to choose between them coming into the Colonist Cup final.
“We had depth in all positions,” said Atterbury, who said his team never lost faith even when trailing and down to 10 men.
“SMUS is a great team, too, and we have a lot of respect for them.”
As it should be in any heavyweight reunification bout.
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