Senior and junior boys soccer clinched first place, the U13 boys placed fourth at CAIS nationals and four runners earned cross-country ribbons.
Senior Boys Soccer
The SMUS senior boys soccer team wrapped up top spot in the Lower Island AA regular-season standings last week with a pair of victories that moved the Blue Jags to a perfect 4-0 in league play.
SMUS clinched first place with a key 2-1 road win over Stelly's on Thursday at Centennial Park. Andrei Marti and Hendrik Dietrich scored for the Blue Jags.
On Tuesday, SMUS beat visiting Lambrick Park 5-0. Manu Achuthan scored twice to lead the Jags while Josh Hobbs, Vlad Gaidelis and Dietrich added singles.
The senior boys will conclude their regular season by hosting second-place Glenlyon Norfolk School this Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. The Blue Jags can't be caught by the Gryphons, as SMUS has 12 points on four wins while GNS is at eight points on two wins and two ties.
The Jags will now be the top Lower Island seed when SMUS hosts the Island AA Championship tournament, Nov. 9 and 10.
The SMUS seniors will also compete in the annual Colonist Cup playoffs — involving the top Lower Island teams regardless of classification — beginning Oct. 27.
Junior A Boys Soccer
The SMUS junior boys also clinched first place in their Lower Island Tier 1 soccer pool standings with a scoreless road draw last Wednesday at Oak Bay.
Santiago Rankin and Rylan Gareau were the players of the game for SMUS and keeper Tristan Lobb recorded the shutout. It was a back-and-forth contest with only a few chances created. Jerome Chan of SMUS had an excellent first-half opportunity but the Bays goalie managed to get a toe on his shot, and Oak Bay attackers hit the post twice.
The result left the Junior Jags with two wins and a tie and atop their four-team pool with seven points. Oak Bay also finished with seven points, but SMUS took first place on goal differential.
The Blue Jags hosted Belmont, which went 0-3 and finished fourth in the other pool, in a Lower Island quarterfinal playoff game on Monday. Semifinals go Wednesday, with the championship and third-place games on Oct. 26.
Junior B Boys Soccer
The junior B boys soccer team also enjoyed a successful week, earning its first point of the Tier 2 season with a 2-2 home draw against unbeaten St. Andrew's.
Kevin Hernandez Chavez and Luke Donnelly scored goals for the Jags while SMUS keeper Daniel Kim made several late second-half stops that helped preserve the tie.
The junior B team hosted Victor Brodeur on Monday and will wrap up its regular season at home against Oak Bay B on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
Middle School Boys Soccer
The SMUS U13 boys finished in fourth place in their tier as the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) national soccer tournament wrapped up in Burnaby.
The Blue Jags recorded three wins and two losses in the 50th edition of the tournament, which was hosted by Collingwood. SMUS played in the 10-team Tier 2 division of the competition.
SMUS beat Ashbury College of Ottawa 3-2 and also defeated both Collingwood B and Toronto's Sterling Hall School by identical 5-0 margins. The Blue Jags were edged 3-2 by Hillfield Strathallan College of Hamilton and also fell 5-0 to Toronto's Royal St. George's College.
The SMUS squad included eight Grade 6s and eight Grade 7s. It was coached by Jackie Cunningham, Graeme Hyde-Lay and Mike Danskin. Both Hyde-Lay and Danskin played in the CAIS tournament when they were SMUS students.
Competitive Field Hockey
Anna Beaudry scored both goals to lead the SMUS competitive field hockey team to a 2-1 Lower Island league win over Oak Bay last Wednesday.
The Blue Jags trailed early, but Beaudry equalized on a penalty corner in the third quarter and added the winner in free play shortly after.
"Lauren Arndt and Reese Trumpy brought work ethic that lifted the team's energy while Elspeth Rodger and Anna really controlled the middle," said SMUS head coach Ali Baggott.
SMUS and Oak Bay will meet again this Wednesday at UVic in their final Lower Island regular-season game, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Development Field Hockey
The SMUS development team played its final game of the Lower Island season last Wednesday, a hard-fought 1-0 loss to GNS-2 at UVic.
SMUS coach Olivia Hawkshaw said the Blue Jags showed "lots of improvement and resilience" in the game and during the season.
Cross Country
Four SMUS runners earned ribbons at the fourth and final meet of the Lower Island cross-country season, held last Thursday at UVic.
Reese Trumpy finished fourth in the junior girls four-kilometre race while Natalie DiFelice-Oinonen placed 10th. Rhys Beare of SMUS took sixth in the junior boys four-kilometre race and Michael Carpiano placed 14th in the senior boys five-kilometre race.
SMUS runners will take part in the Island Championships, Oct. 28 at Arbutus Meadows.
Senior Boys Volleyball
The SMUS senior boys made it a clean sweep in Lower Island volleyball league action last Wednesday at Brookes Westshore. The Blue Jags beat Parkland 25-9, 25-10 and also defeated the host school 25-22, 25-10.
The senior boys will be back on the court this Wednesday at home, when they will take on Esquimalt and Stelly's. Action begins at 6 p.m.
The Blue Jags will also travel to Comox for a tournament at Highland Secondary this Friday and Saturday.
Junior Boys Volleyball
The junior boys volleyball team swept its Lower Island league games last Thursday at Parkland. The Junior Jags beat Mount Douglas 25-22, 29-27, and then downed the host Panthers 25-20, 25-19.
Over the weekend, the junior boys competed in their first tournament of the season at Spectrum. The Blue Jags placed third in pool play, and then finished second in the Tier 3 playoffs as the tournament ended Saturday.
"Highlights included James Locke's dominant blocking, Austen Watts' unstoppable serving, and Ryan Liao's relentless defence," said SMUS coach James Rees.
The Junior Jags will see league action this Thursday at Stelly's, facing St. Andrew's, Spectrum and the host team. Play starts at 4 p.m. The team will also play in a Vic High tournament this Friday and Saturday.
Senior Girls Volleyball
The SMUS senior girls volleyball team finished 16th in last weekend's Brentwood College Invitational tournament, losing a close contest to Wellington of Nanaimo in its final match on Saturday.
"The team faced a number of tough opponents from up-Island and finished with two exciting matches against Barsby and Wellington," said SMUS coach Melanie Bendfeld.
The Blue Jags also travelled to Claremont for Lower Island action on Tuesday night. SMUS fell to Esquimalt (6-25, 17-25) and Claremont (11-25, 9-25).
The senior girls will be at Lambrick Park for league play this Tuesday, meeting both Parkland and the host school. Play begins at 6 p.m.
The Blue Jags will also travel to Vancouver for the Independent Schools Athletic Association (ISAA) tournament this Friday and Saturday at Crofton House.
Junior A Girls Volleyball
The SMUS junior A girls volleyball team finished 17th in a tournament that wrapped up Saturday at Belmont Secondary. The Blue Jags prevailed over Gulf Islands Secondary in a close three-set match in their final action of the tournament, winning the third set 16-14. Ava Allard finished that set on a three-point serving run, including an ace to clinch it.
In home league action last Thursday, the Junior Jags lost two sets to Belmont. Elizabeth Walker and Iben Hamilton both played well for SMUS in that match.
Kate Turnbull joined the team for both league and tournament play last week after missing the first half of the season with a sprained ankle, and brought stability to the Blue Jags' passing and attacking.
The junior A girls will host Lower Island Division 1 action this Thursday with teams visiting from Vic High, Reynolds and Claremont. Play begins at 4 p.m.
The team will also compete in the ISAA tournament this Friday and Saturday at Crofton House.
Junior B Girls Volleyball
The SMUS junior B girls split their Lower Island league games last week, but still have a hold on first place. The Blue Jags earned two wins against Parkland and lost twice to host St. Andrew's on Wednesday.
"The girls then had a tough start in the [weekend] Belmont tournament, but finished it with a strong win over Brentwood College," said SMUS coach Samantha Butler. "Tournament highlights were Miffy Tang blasting in a dozen serves, and Beth King setting for the first time and doing an excellent job."
The junior B girls hosted teams from Brookes Westshore and St. Margaret's on Monday.
The team will also play in the annual Bumpkin Pumpkin Tournament this Friday and Saturday at Oak Bay.
