The only team to take a point away from league champion Burnaby Central will get another chance in the BurWest banner boys’ soccer final today (Wednesday).
The Cariboo Hill Chargers upset league runner-up Moscrop Panthers 3-1 at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex-West Monday to advance to the district final.
Central kept its unbeaten streak intact, easily disposing of upstart Burnaby Mountain 5-0 in the other semifinal.
The Chargers showed good structure in the midfield to start the game but needed the sound goalkeeping of Mankirat Grewal to ensure them the final result.
Cariboo was rewarded with a 1-0 first-half lead after a scrambly first of two goals by Filip Janicijevic.
Moscrop’s Jakub Vincalek tied the score in the second half with a one-time volley off a free kick.
Janicijevic later tallied the game-winner on a similar scramble that began with a corner and ended with a rebound goal off a shot at goal by captain Kirk Menezes.
Manraj Sidhu clanged a shot off the Moscrop crossbar to open the second half.
James Szabo got a late insurance marker, chipping a ball over Moscrop keeper Luke Pavlovic following a two-man break with Italian international student Alberto Pincelli.
“We were happy because we won against a good team,” said Pincelli. “We were more aggressive. We wanted to win, that’s it.”
The win avenged an earlier 1-0 loss to the Panthers in the final week of the regular season.
Earlier in the month, Cariboo played Central to a 1-1 draw, handing the Wildcats the only blemish to its 4-0-1 record.
The two teams meet at Burnaby Lake-West today at 3 p.m.
Mountain, upset 2-1 winners over Burnaby South in the quarter-finals last week, were no match for the Wildcats.
Parker Ellis scored back-to-back goals to give Central a 2-0 lead midway through the first half of play.Ellis also drew an assist on teammate Vuk Erbez’s deflection on an Ellis shot at goal later in the half.
In the second half, Erbez got credit for a second counter off a Mountain own goal.
Luka Zorica scored Central’s fourth goal of the contest.
Trevor Hughes recorded the shutout for the Wildcats, but was tested twice late in the game, including a tough stop on a Mountain free kick from right in front that he handled easily.
“We’ve been together on the junior team. We’re looking to take the banner and the provincials this year,” said Ellis.
The victory ensured Central the No. 1 BNW seed into the upcoming AAA zone playoffs with the best from the North Shore regardless of the outcome of today’s banner final.
“(Central) is the best team, but I’m not sure they are going to win. But they are the best team,” said Pincelli. “We’ll see.”
Cariboo Hill has confirmed its presence in the AA zones, leaving an avenue of hope for one of Burnaby’s semifinal losers. That will likely give Moscrop the opportunity to slot in as the No. 2 BNW seed in next week’s zone playoffs.
