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Springbank Phoenix topple Cobras from RVS soccer pedestal, while Bert Church claims bronze

"I think it was just a little more special for these girls to play against a team and school they know really well. Some of them play club with [Cobras players], so for them to beat them in this way was special, and kind of historic, in a way.”

Given the season that was, the final result was hardly ever in doubt. 

The Springbank Phoenix high-school girls' soccer team coasted to their first Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) championship in six years on Oct. 20, shutting out the Cochrane Cobras 6-0 at Airdrie's Monklands Park. 

The one-sided win means the Phoenix ended a four-year winning streak the Cobras had enjoyed in the RVSA since 2018. Springbank had finished runners-up in three of those four seasons.

“It feels really good. All throughout high school, we’ve always wanted this,” said Eleni Georgacacos, a Grade 12 midfielder for the Phoenix. “This year, we had a really good team and came out really confident. It felt really good to finally put some goals in the net against them and get the win. It’s cool.”

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The Cobras and Phoenix have been rivals for the RVSA's girls' soccer banner for decades, and the two teams typically challenge each other for the division title every fall. 

But that rivalry has skewed in Cochrane's favour for the most part. According to RVSA archives, the Cobras had won 14 of the last 16 league titles up until this year, while the Phoenix won the other two.

“I think the girls, this year they really wanted it,” said Springbank Community High School teacher Danielle Hughes, who co-coached the Phoenix this year alongside fellow Springbank teacher Shaylynn Tell.

“You want to win every year, but this year in particular... I don’t think we’d beaten Cochrane at divisionals since 2016. I think it was just a little more special for these girls to play against a team and school they know really well. Some of them play club with [Cobras players], so for them to beat them in this way was special, and kind of historic, in a way.”

The Phoenix dominated the championship game from the opening minute. With an efficient high-press and fast break, they built up an early lead over the Cobras and didn't look back. 

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Grade 9 player Ally Tannas had a particularly great game, notching a hat-trick for the Phoenix. 

“I think we did really well keeping the ball on the ground, keeping possession and not forcing it,” Georgacacos said. “Our team has a lot of skilled players and we took advantage of that.

“[We have good] combination play, passing through the middle and breaking lines with quick passing and decision making.”

According to Georgacacos, the Phoenix's supremacy this season was a result of their pre-existing chemistry with each other and the high number of talented players on the team who also play competitive club soccer outside of school. 

“We have a lot of club players and a lot of us have played together before, so we have that chemistry between us,” she said. “That also really helped us this season.”

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To say the Phoenix were good in 2022 would be an understatement. Springbank went unbeaten in both the RVSA and the South Central Zones tournament – in which they also beat Cochrane in the final, 3-1.

Showcasing their dominance, Springbank scored 60 goals in the regular season and only conceded once (in a 6-1 win over the Cobras). The team averaged more than 10 goals per game in league play.

After their dominant regular season, they coasted into the RVSA title match after beating Bow Valley 14-0 in the semi-finals.

“They’re super talented, and today I think they just came out super focused,” Tell said. “They knew Cochrane was going to bring it, and they were just focused from the get-go, which is sometimes hard to get from a bunch of girls.

“But today was their day, for sure.”

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Chargers finish third

On the adjacent field at Monklands Park on Oct. 20, the Bert Church Chargers shut out the Bow Valley Bobcats 3-0 in the RVSA's bronze-medal game. 

“The girls were very good at making plays, looking for each other, controlling the ball,” said Chargers head coach Andy Kirk. “They worked really well in trying to accomplish what we were asking them as coaches. It culminated nicely for us.”

The Chargers rallied back from two bruising defeats at the start of the campaign against Springbank and Cochrane to finish the regular season with a four-game win streak. From there, they advanced to the semi-finals by beating the George McDougall Mustangs 4-2 in the quarterfinals. 

While Bert Church was put aside 7-0 by the Cobras in the semi-finals on Oct. 18, the team rebounded with a strong showing against the Bobcats. In finishing third, Bert Church is also Airdrie's highest-placing team in the RVSA this year.

“It was a good year from the perspective of growth,” Kirk said . “The powers that be [Springbank and Cochrane] remain the powers that be. We went from having a really tough first game to settling in and seeing some improvement throughout the year, and we ended up with the bronze, which is very nice.”

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Bailee Selent scored two of the Chargers' three goals in the bronze medal game. The attacking midfielder said the strong end to the season showcased the team's development.

“You could definitely see the growth our team has made, even throughout the short amount of time we’ve been together,” the Grade 11 student-athlete said. “In our very first game, we lost 17-0 or something, but to pull out a win [today] built up our team.”

Selent touted the Chargers' communication skills and overall determination to help Bert Church secure the bronze on Thursday.

“Even though we were winning, [we didn’t] let them back in and kept our lead,” she said.

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