Archbishop Carney Secondary to host annual tournament
By Alistair Burns
Special to The B.C. Catholic

The best of B.C. will be crowned this weekend at Archbishop Carney Regional High School when Catholic high school soccer teams from B.C. gather for the Senior Girls' Catholic Cup.

A championship cup and bragging rights are at stake for the eight Catholic teams participating April 25-27 in Port Coquitlam.

St. Thomas More, last year's champions, will be defending their title against host Archbishop Carney as well as Holy Cross, Immaculata, Little Flower Academy, Notre Dame, St. Patrick, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

For the Archbishop Carney senior girls, victory has been elusive. In the past three years the Carney Stars have advanced to the final three times only to be foiled.

Jerome Francis, a tournament co-chair, said the eight teams are divided into two pools of four. After round-robin play, only four squads advance to the playoff round: a semifinal elimination bracket.

"The quality of play is very high," said Francis, who encouraged sports enthusiasts to attend. "Many of these teams make it to the provincials."

The tournament will host a team social April 26 at which an 11-member all-star squad will be announced.

Round-robin games will begin April 25 at 9 a.m. at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam (260 Pinetree Way). The final will kick off at 1 p.m. April 27 at Archbishop Carney (1335 Dominion Ave., Port Coquitlam). More information is available from Francis, 604-942-7465.