Four hometown teams and one provincial title on the line; Victoria’s high school soccer showdown has officially begun.
The 2025 B.C. girls AAA Championship rolled into the University of Victoria on Thursday, as four local teams kicked off their shot at provincial glory.
Oak Bay, Reynolds, Royal Bay and Spectrum each punched their ticket to the 16-team showdown after qualifying through the Island Championship at Spectrum from May 15-16.
The B.C. championship is a three-day sprint to the finish, with 40 matches played across UVic’s fields from May 29-31. The championship final is set for Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Teams are divided into four groups of four, with each team playing three group-stage games before the knockout rounds begin on Friday. Only the top teams from each group will have a shot at Saturday’s final – and the bragging rights that come with it.
Last year’s champions, the Royal Bay Ravens, arrived with a target on their backs – and a mission to repeat. Their opening-day clash with Vancouver’s Argyle was a reminder that no result will come easily.
Down 2-1 late, Royal Bay found a clutch equalizer in the dying moments to secure a draw and earn a point in Pool C. But Argyle had the last word, edging out the Ravens in a penalty shootout – a result that could prove crucial if the group comes down to tiebreakers.
Royal Bay meets South Delta in their second match Thursday afternoon, and closes out group play Friday at 9 a.m. against Lake City Secondary of Williams Lake.
Spectrum, last year’s fourth-place finisher, opened their 2025 run with a 3-1 win over Surrey’s Salish. They wrapped up opening day with a matchup against Burnaby Central, and will face Walnut Grove to close out Pool B play, also at 9 a.m.
Elsewhere, it was a tough start for the other Victoria-area schools.
Oak Bay dropped back-to-back 2-1 decisions to G.W. Graham and Kitsilano. They’ll look to finish strong against McRoberts on Friday at 11 a.m. in Pool A.
Reynolds ran into a buzzsaw in Centennial, falling 5–0 in their opener before suffering a narrow 2-1 loss to Kelowna. They’ll look to close group play on a high note against Earl Marriott in Pool B on Friday at 11 a.m.
For Royal Bay, the defending champs, belief is high. For the rest of the Island squads, there’s everything to play for – and nothing to lose – with the provincial spotlight firmly fixed on Victoria.
