Eagles. Knights try again
Forfeits, rain and a soggy victory
The Cambridge boys volleyball teams forfeited to Christian Learning, the girls varsity contest was postponed because of rain, and the junior varsity played a rain-shortened game that Cambridge won 2-0.
And so it went at Christian Learning Tuesday afternoon as the two schools tried again to play a set of games that had been postponed twice before, once because of a power outage and once because of a conflict with a swim meet.
Enough rain came out of the sky to stage another swim meet on the Christian Learning field, forcing a third postponement of the varsity girls soccer game. The two teams will try yet again Thursday afternoon at the same time as the junior varsity volleyball championships at International.
Before the rain Cambridge had arrived without its volleyball teams. Coaches reported that the school could not line up six players for the junior varsity game, and under league rules if a school cannot field a junior varsity team, then the varsity cannot play either.
The varsity and junior varsity forfeits represent the fourth and fifth time Cambridge teams have forfeited this year, a league record. No other teams have forfeited.
In terms of the league races the forfeits' only effect is to cement the hold of Christian Learning's
varsity boys on first place. Christian Learning, International and Co-operative all have identical 4-2 records, meaning that sets won, sets lost, and scoring are used as tie breakers.
The forfeit, which is recorded as a straight sets, 25-0, 25-0 win, served to further validate the Eagles possession of the number spot in the draw for the playoffs. In the semi-finals they will face Cambridge, which has not been a factor this year. Both Cambridge boys teams finish the season with 0-6 records.
The junior varsity girls played about half of a half before the downpour forced everyone -- players, officials, spectators -- to run for cover. The junior Knights had forged a 2-0 lead at that point on goals by Vitania Pulis and Natalia Johnson. Christian Learning could only have replaced Cambridge in Friday's junior varsity championship game by winning with a two-goal margin.
The pattern of the game was somewhat unusual considering the outcome. The Eaglettes had actually kept the ball in the Cambridge end of the field for much of the game, though without giving the Cambridge goalie a real scare.
But periodically the Knights would break loose on raids into the Eagles' end. Pulis and Johnson each scored on one of those forays.
The teams tried once to resume play, but three bolts of lightning in rapid succession forced a final retreat.
This story was written from reports by coaches and by SungChan Jang of Christian Learning.
