The Magee Lions made history Thursday afternoon, winning the city championships on a two-goal effort from J.B. McEown.
Beating Point Grey 3-1 for the Tier I senior boys high school trophy, the Lions were the first soccer team is school history to win and then defend the city champion title in back to back years.
Magee beat Kitsilano last year in a remarkable shoot out win before advancing to the provincial tournament where they finished ninth. The previous year, Kitsilano defeated Magee for the honours.
This year's win was meaningful for head coach Fred Gault, who has coached 21 boys and 18 girls soccer teams in 23 years as an English teacher at Magee.
"They just set history," he said. "We've had great players and this is the first to win back to back. It's historical."
Magee opened scoring early, with their talented attacking midfield line combining for the point. Kwang Choi positioned near the net to pop a header past Point Grey goaltender Jack Ferris. Ferris stopped nine shots.
Magee struck again 10 minutes later when McEown, named his team's man of the match by Gault, took a deft pass from Boris Nikic and placed the ball in the far corner on a left-footed crack from about 16 yards out.
The Lions showed remarkable cohesion for a team playing only its second game at full strength. Gault said injuries kept numerous players sidelined.
McEown said the roster, which includes four High Performance League athletes, is highly complimentary.
"We all work together really well, especially in the midfield. For some reason I just always ended up on the right end and in front of the net. We all kind of fit each other's missing pieces."
Point Grey maintained constant offensive pressure and Andrew Mavety made the game interesting when his cross from the baseline ricocheted through a crowd and past Magee goaltender Jacob Cantor for a 2-1 game.
"It got stuck in the goalie's legs and snuck through," said Point Grey head coach Pete Biron. "It's debatable whether another guy got a touch on it.
"I spend a lot of time talking to the guys that those goals are ours, doesn't matter who puts it in, it counts one for us."
Mavety's speed created opportunities for Point Grey in the second half. Dano Chase powered smaller Magee defenders off the ball to more than once send a soaring volley ahead for Mavety.
The Greyhounds came close to finding the back of the net, but Magee's Cantor made few errors in net and at one point made a sliding challenge at the edge of the box to punch the ball wide and deter a determined Mavety.
"We had some good pressure," said Biron. "We had some chances today."
Ferris's netminding kept the game close for Point Grey but McEown silenced the home side fans watching from the bleachers at the West Side school when he scored a second time at the 60 minute mark to give Magee a 3-1 advantage.
The chemistry between McEown, Nikic, Choi and Boris Si was fun to watch. For their third goal, Choi maneuvered down the left wing and threaded a pass across the pitch at ground level to reach McEown. The centre midfielder took one touch and scored.
"After a really great individual effort from our winger, Kwang, I just made a cutting run into the six yard box and found the ball in front of the net," said McEown.
Magee enters the regional tournament with home field advantage. Five Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»teams will compete, including Point Grey, as will one Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»private school and two Richmond schools.
Box Score:
3-1 Magee over Point Grey
Magee: Kwang Choi, 10
Magee: J.B. McEown, 20
Point Grey: Andrew Mavety, 25
Magee: J.B. McEown, 60
Twitter: @MHStewart
