The St. George's Saints slayed the Kitsilano Blue Demons 3-0 Thursday to earn the third berth to the provincial AAA high school boys soccer championships.
Saints captain and talented fullback Bryan Fong opened scoring with a direct kick just outside the 18-yard-box. The rocket of a shot sailed wide of the Demon's defenders and hit its target in the bottom right corner of the net.
Saints netminder Blake Gilley claimed the shutout in the game held at St. George's school.
Saints coach Shawn Lawrence knew the tall Kitsilano attackers can threaten from the air and tried to keep the Demons grounded.
"They were disciplined and determined to stick to the game plan and denying the opposition any opportunity," he said.
The Demons' best chance came moments after St. George's first goal when fleet-footed Acil Amrani gained an advantage down the left flank and sent an arching ball across the face of the goal. A forward missed the header by inches.
After beating rival Magee Tuesday to win their meeting against the Saints, Kitsilano coach Randy Coutts said the Demons played with less than typical verve.
"We played tentative throughout the game," he said. "We didn't come out and get after it. When you come off a huge win, like we did against Magee, our nemesis last year, we didn't play well. There's no excuses. They deserved the win and we didn't."
Calen Falconer-Bayard scored in the second half and Christian Gravel put in a third for insurance.
The Saints and with two Richmond schools, McNair and McMath, represent the Lower Mainland region at the AAA high school boys soccer provincials Nov. 24 to 26 in Burnaby.
