GNS — THE GIANT KILLER

The Glenlyon Norfolk School Gryphons are the winners of the 2009 Colonist Cup for Greater Victoria boys’ high school soccer supremacy, and Victoria’s oldest high school athletics tournament.

The Gryphons defeated the Parkland Panthers 2-0 in the cup final Monday at the UVic Centennial Stadium on second-half goals by Gabe Mullen and Matias Wieland.

The Victoria Times-Colonist said the 2009 final provided the most unusual matchup in the history of the Cup, “but both sides were worthy finalists.”

GNS, the little private school in Oak Bay, also won the B.C. Single-A title Saturday in Abbotsford and finished 25-2 on the season with 99 goals for and just 18 against.

“We are the smallest school ever to win the Colonist Cup final,” said GNS head coach Hugh Williams, an English teacher at the school. “This was a team of destiny.”

The victory was much sweeter because one of the Gryphons’ two losses on the season was to Parkland. The other was to St. George’s of Vancouver.

The Panthers defeated defending Colonist Cup champion and Triple-A power Oak Bay last week in the semifinals.

The Gryphons edged the triple-A Stelly’s Stingers 1-0 in the semifinals last week. Alex Mahrt scored the lone goal.

Earlier, GNS defeated another powerhouse, AAA Mt. Doug, to return to the semifinals, with two goals in the first 15 minutes.

With swift and incisive counter-attacking play, Matias Wieland and Fergus Hall scored within four minutes of one another to give the Gryphons a shock lead, said Williams.

In the second half, Mt. Doug responded with tactical changes that put the GNS boys on their heels.

“And, sure enough, halfway through the half, they were rewarded with a goal to put them back in the game,” Williams said. “But after that, our boys used possession and impeccable defense from Jordan Fletcher-Byrna and Alex Mahrt, in particular, to close out a memorable victory.