Canucks4Ever
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Around the Grounds - Men's Provincial A Cup First Round
Friday; Newton Athletic Park - Pegasus 1-0 Port Moody FT (AET)
The light, intermittent rain and slightly chillier temperatures thinned the crowd for a Friday night kickoff in the first match of the Men's A Cup. There were still a small but hearty group of Pegasus supports and a full bench to make some noise as preparations for Surrey's Vaisakhi were in full swing up and down 128th Street in the background. The smattering of spectators were not given much to cheer about, but the game was entertaining. Essentially it boiled down to the Port Moody goalkeeper keeping the Fraser Valley boys in it while their offensive players wasted decent chances behind a strangely porous Pegasus back line. As the minutes wore on it started to become very clear that the first goal was likely to be the winner in this one and the Gunners certainly had good looks to find it. They were having plenty of joy attacking, but they were squandering their good possession and build up with poor finishing. Their night was likely best summed up by the two corner kicks they put directly out of play when they were tilting the field towards the Pegasus end. Peg were seemingly content to trade chances with Port Moody who were struggling to contain former Whitecaps Residency man, Sahil Sandu, down the right flank. His crosses and cut backs, however, continued to evade his Pegasus teammates and so too did the free kicks and corners that the Surrey boys were whipping into the area. The attempts they were able to get on net were turned away by the Port Moody goalkeeper including the one time Javid Kahn was able to latch onto a cutback from Sahil and turned it on goal from six yards out. It was a bang-bang play, but man in the sticks made himself big and had his angles covered well.
At the other end, as we drew closer to the 90 minute mark, Port Moody missed a pair of chances to win that game that are likely haunting them. First their winger beat the offside trap and got in one on one with the Peg keeper. He took a touch around the onrushing goalie, but at full tilt his touch was slightly heavy and took him wider than he no doubt would have liked. With Pegasus defenders desperately sprinting back perhaps he rushed his shot slightly as he could only find the side netting on what seemed sure to be a goal. Port Moody would also ring one flush off the post as full time neared and the rebound sat for an attacker to simply tap in, but he put it right at the Pegasus keeper, though he was flagged for offside so had he scored it would not have counted, still, the finishing left much to be desired.
Off to extra time where the teams continued their pattern of trading chances. However, if the field had been slanted towards the Pegasus end in the second half of regular time, the home side was begging to swing the pendulum back, as they were carrying more of the play now that we were beyond 90 minutes. Sahil continued to dominate down the right and fire in the crosses, one of which seemed destined to break the deadlock when the hard charging attacker connected and sent a shot low to the far post, only to see the Port Moody keeper cement his Man of the Match status with a full stretch diving save to pull the ball off the line. Port Moody had one more great chance off the second phase of a corner that was recycled into the box and found the Pegasus defenders at sixes and sevens. The Valley Boys finally made good contact, but the Pegasus keeper showed that he could make saves of his own when called upon. The second half of extra time saw Sahil get in one on one with Port Moody's keeper but again the man wearing the green shirt had the answer with yet another spectacular save, this time staring down one of the VMSL best players. It seemed like we were heading for penalties but, six minutes from time, Sahil's umpteenth cross found a Pegasus attacker who had just been brought on. The big man had the answer to all of the riddles as he thumped a shot on goal from inside ten yards. The Port Moody defenders and goalkeeper desperately threw themselves at it and it looked to get a piece of something on the way through, but the shot was too powerful to be denied. Ironically, after playing hero, the big man was immediately subbed off; his four minute cameo having made all the difference on this night!
Saturday; South Surrey Athletic Park - Coastal 3-1 Croatia FT
A sunny Saturday brought a good atmosphere to South Surrey as Croatia, who are always well supported, were joined by a boisterous home crowd, eager to cheer on a team that was returning to the Province's top competition. Coastal, the Fraser Valley League and League Cup Champions, did not instill much confidence in those supporters early, as they were on the back foot from the opening kickoff. Croatia were rampant and, perhaps because they were nervous or feeling the pressure of expectations to be contenders in the competition, Coastal looked over matched. Croatia saw an early bad angle attempt catch the post before the VMSL side forced a top drawer save from the Coastal keeper off of a flicked header from a very pacey free kick. Vancouver Metro Soccer League top scorer David Malamura was seemingly everywhere up front and not giving the Coastal back line a moments respite. In truth the home side's defenders and goal keeper seemed out of sorts and clearances were botched and simple tasks made difficult. Croatia missed a free header from six yards to open the scoring, but would finally get their goal on 20 minutes when a cut back found a forward thinking midfielder. It was 1-0 and it had definitely been coming. Croatia continued to find joy attacking down the wings with the Coastal fullbacks unable to dealing with Vancouver boys wingers at all and, while it looked like Croatia might be out of sight before long, they were unable to extend their lead, for which they would ultimately be made to pay. The game began to change when, within ten minutes of scoring the opener, Croatia's midfielder was forced off with what looked to be a hamstring issue. He had been working along side a very veteran Johnny Sulentic at the heart of the Croatia midfield, but his replacement did not have the same pace and range which allowed Coastal to begin to tilt the battle for the middle of the park. A few minutes later, Coast manager Corrado Lenzi made a shrewd tactical decision given that whatever the original game plan for the home side was, it was not getting much joy. He brought on a new central striker and moved Coastal's talisman, Jake Starheim, who had been playing centrally and being smothered by the Croatian centrebacks, out to the wing. Starheim instantly had more space to operate and was able to get the ball into he feet and run at the Croatia back line. These two changes, one for either side, would prove crucial, as, just before half time, Starheim would start a move out on the wing before drifting centrally. No one from the Croatia midfield tracked him and when the VMSL side could only half clear the Coastal cross, it bounced kindly for Jake who nearly ripped the back of the net out with a howitzer of a finish to level things, really out of nothing.
The home side returned from the break with a purpose and immediately took control of the game. It was again the man they call "Big Cat" who created the chance as Starheim was pinged the ball out wide left. He shirked a pair of defenders who seemingly bounced off him and then he cut into the box. As soon as the Croatian centreback committed to coming to deal with him Jake had the simple task of standing up a cross which Issac Kyei was on hand to nod in for a 2-1 lead. The Fraser Valley side had their tails up now and finally looked like a side who were champions of their league. Gone was the Croatian attack that looked so unstoppable for the first half hour and now Coastal were having all the opportunites. As the Vancouver boys drifted farther up the field in search of a way back into the match, Coastal were having chances in transition and Kyei's pace was causing real problems for Croatia on the counter. He likely should have extended the lead, but a heavy touch and a rash shot left the score line unaltered. His replacement, Dalton San, also had pace to burn and he too likely should have made it 3-1 but, again, a heavy touch allowed the Croatian keeper to smother. One had to wonder if Coastal would be made to rue their wasted chances the way their opponents had, but Croatia were short of ideas going forward. Sulentic had drifted into a more attacking role and this had forced Malmura to do more covering in the midfield, leaving the Coastal defenders much more time to play. With 15 minutes to go, the Croatian player/coach decided that he perhaps did not have the pace needed for a late comeback push and subbed himself out. It did little to change things, though Malmura did show his quality letting go with a low, powerful, swerving, long range attempt from outside of the area that forced a very smart save from the Coastal keeper, diving down at full stretch to his right to parry it away. That was really as close as Croatia would come however, and tempers were begining to flare as frustration levels rose all over the park. As the clock struck 90 minutes it was Starheim again with the dagger. The big man was shielding the ball away in the corner to kill time after four minutes of stoppage time had been announced before he cut in towards the net along the goal line. After powering past a couple of defenders, he cut the ball back where it struck the calves of a Croatia defender and ricocheted through the goalkeepers legs at the near post. Jake's celebrations told the story as he, his teammates and the supporters went into ecstasy. A late twist in the tale saw Malamura draw a stoppage time penalty and potentially a lifeline for the unlikeliest of comebacks. His finish basically summed up Croatia on the day, however, as he struck it well only to have it clang off the post; alas, what could have been. Instead it was just one more chance for the home fans to erupt into cheers.
Saturday; Cloverdale Athletic Park - Rovers Tiger 2-1 Vic West FT (AET)
Displaced from their usual Friday night kick off at Newton due to hosting a team from the Island, Rovers took their show to Cloverdale. The sun was still shining, though CAP was more exposed that SSAP had been earlier so there was a decent breeze blowing across the pitch that brought with it a bit of a chill. This did little to dampen a lively travelling crowd as well as plenty of locals, making for another good atmosphere. A break right off the hop for the visitors from the Vancouver Island Soccer League as one of Tigers big attacking threats, Ryan Dhillon, was no where to be found for the men in orange. The game started comfortably enough with the home side carrying the play, but an early run from Vic West winger Victor Blasco Llorens would serve as a warning shot that the away side certainly carried a threat on the counter. Just past the 20 minute mark, Llorens pick up the ball around midfield and proceed to run rather comfortably through most of the Rovers defenders before putting his shot wide. Ten minutes later it was the same story, with Llorens latching onto a ball in transition and skating through the opposition. This time his attempt was on target and forced a save from the Rovers keeper, the rebound fell to another Vic West attacker and he really should have done better but instead he wasted the chance, blasting wide from close range. The Surrey boys did not head the warnings they had been given and within minutes the pacy and dangerous Vic West winger wearing number seven cut through the team again and this time, on his third attempt, he made no mistake and sent the visitors to a shock 1-0 lead over the VMSL Champions.
That lead held to the break and, in the second half, Vic West bunkered down and soaked up the Tigers attack. The Surrey boys had loads of possession, but no guilt edged chances to speak of as the Vicotia side's defending was resolute. The visitors remained dangerous through Blasco Llorens though and he was wracking up the yellows for the Tigers defenders as he looked to put things out of reach. He did seem to spend an inordinate amount of time writhing on the ground after challenges, but he was taking plenty of hacks so perhaps he was full value for the extra recovery time. Rovers pressure finally earned them a clear chance when the second phase from a free kick was bouncing in the area, but they manage to fire it over the net from six yards out. The game changed just after the hour mark when Llorens, after another dangerous counter attack, tumbled off the pitch and looked to twist his ankle. He was forced off and, if you thought it was one way traffic before the injury, now it was truly a training ground exercise for Rovers. Vic West were undeterred and with eleven men behind the ball their defending was to be admired. With no outlet though, the Rovers Tigers attacks simply came in waves. VMSL second leading goal scorer and form Toronto FC man, Nick Soolsma, had been bossing the right flank for much of the match and he continued to put in good services. On 65 minutes Rovers looked to have finally got their equalizer when Soolsma cut back a pacey ball for Pavi Dhillon to finish only to see the Vic West keeper produce a sparkling save. The home side would be made to wait a further ten minutes to level things when Cam Hundal burst forward from midfield and work with way to the goal line before cutting back the ball for Pavi to finish at the near post. After hanging on so valiantly for so long, it seemed now only a matter of when, not if, the travelling side would concede the winner, especially with their biggest attacking threat watching on from the sidelines. The winner almost came within the 90 minutes when five minutes from time there was a moment of complete madness between the back line and Vic West keeper who had gone walkabout as they conspired to turn the ball over with an unguarded net. The Victoria side did enough to delay Rovers from shooting long enough to have a defender on the line to clear away the attempt. The keeper would redeem himself though with good saves off of Soolsma and Pavi before the referee blew for full time.
Another half hour to play then, though the pattern continued the same with Rovers in possession and their attacks coming one after the other. The Vic West keeper was forced into a save within minutes of the restart before Pavi was sprung on a breakaway as the clock hit 100 minutes. Rovers second leading scorer was unable to measure his lob over the onrushing keeper though and the ball bounced wide of the goal. Soolsma was still looking lively as well and would force another save before the teams switched ends. Off the restart though the ball was sent wide right before being crossed all the way to the back post where Soolsma was afforded time to bring it down and take a touch before firing a very composed finish into the back of the net to give the Surrey side a deserved lead. Victoria were obviously forced to try and attack now, but were generally settling for ambitious long range attempts. They perhaps should have had an unlikely equalizer though when Rovers got the marking all wrong on a free kick with roughly ten minutes remaining. The Vic West man rose unmarked but glanced his free header wide. Right at the death, a last ditch free Victoria corner was only half cleared at the first attempt and it fell to one of the visitors just inside the box. He made good contact only to see multiple orange shirts throw themselves at it and block it away, putting their bodies on the line to ensure they advanced to the next round.
Sunday; Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West - Rino's Tigers 6-0 Aldergrove
A warm and sunny Sunday seemed the perfect day for a football match, though it was a small smattering of fans taking in this one at BBLW. Most of the noise came via the freeway in the back ground and the cheers from adjacent youth girls games. Nevertheless this one looked to be a potential classic with last year's finalists, Aldergrove, taking on an upstart Rino's side making their debut in the competition. Each side had won their domestic cup, Aldergrove the Pakenham Cup in the FVSL while Rino's won the VMSL's Imperial Cup. However, this was in no way a match to remember for Aldergrove as they showed the form that had seen them drop from FVSL Champions last year to a distant sixth place this season and not the level of performances that had seen them come within a game of being crowned Provincial Champions. Things looked to be going in the Valley side's direction before kickoff as Rino's leading scorer Connor MacMillan was nowhere to be seen, along with UBC Thunderbirds striker Kristian Yli-Hietanen who had seven goals on the season. Rino's did however have their SFU contingent in the side, most importantly Matteo Polisi in midfield. Rino's controlled the early proceedings, but did not carve out any clear chances. Aldergrove could, at best, be described at feeling their way into the game as they had nothing to speak of really in attack. That being said, a rare foray into the Rino's end earned them a free kick, centre of the goal, from just outside the area. Aldergrove's talisman, the indomitable Connor Hildebrant stepped up and sent a curling shot towards the top corner. The Rino's keeper flew through the air at full stretch to catch it, though, and that was essentially the sum total of Aldy's attacking on the day. As the half wore on Polisi was really bossing the middle of the park and just as we were closing in on the break he hit one from 20 yards out. It was a low, powerful shot that the Aldergrove keeper could only parry into the side of his own net, 1-0 Rino's. It was a good strike to be sure, but, when he got that big a piece, you thought the keeper would be able to do better with it; certainly if Aldergrove were to have any chance to progress, they would need saves like that.
Within minutes of the restart the Rino's winger cut it relatively unchallenged from the left and had an easy finish to double the lead. Even with this much time left to play, you felt that this would likely be too tall of a task for Aldergrove. The Valley side worked hard for another ten minutes or so until Alberto Cirac-Perez found space to drive through the middle of the park and make it 3-0. It was a sad display from Aldergrove who seemed to lack the belief and passion they showed last season right from the opening whistle in this one. Once the third goal went in, whatever minimal spirit and intensity there had been was drained from the FVSL side and five minutes later it was 4-0. The chances continued to pile up as Aldy left their keeper out to dry. He staved off the onslaught for a time, gamely making three great saves. Aldergrove would not be spared embarrassment however, as, five minutes from time, Polisi rocketed home a screamer from distance to make it 5-0. To round out the afternoon's scoring Rino's would add one final tally right on 90 minutes to make the final a whopping 6-0. The scoreline completely reflected the game as Aldergrove were second rate on the day.
Friday; Newton Athletic Park - Pegasus 1-0 Port Moody FT (AET)
The light, intermittent rain and slightly chillier temperatures thinned the crowd for a Friday night kickoff in the first match of the Men's A Cup. There were still a small but hearty group of Pegasus supports and a full bench to make some noise as preparations for Surrey's Vaisakhi were in full swing up and down 128th Street in the background. The smattering of spectators were not given much to cheer about, but the game was entertaining. Essentially it boiled down to the Port Moody goalkeeper keeping the Fraser Valley boys in it while their offensive players wasted decent chances behind a strangely porous Pegasus back line. As the minutes wore on it started to become very clear that the first goal was likely to be the winner in this one and the Gunners certainly had good looks to find it. They were having plenty of joy attacking, but they were squandering their good possession and build up with poor finishing. Their night was likely best summed up by the two corner kicks they put directly out of play when they were tilting the field towards the Pegasus end. Peg were seemingly content to trade chances with Port Moody who were struggling to contain former Whitecaps Residency man, Sahil Sandu, down the right flank. His crosses and cut backs, however, continued to evade his Pegasus teammates and so too did the free kicks and corners that the Surrey boys were whipping into the area. The attempts they were able to get on net were turned away by the Port Moody goalkeeper including the one time Javid Kahn was able to latch onto a cutback from Sahil and turned it on goal from six yards out. It was a bang-bang play, but man in the sticks made himself big and had his angles covered well.
At the other end, as we drew closer to the 90 minute mark, Port Moody missed a pair of chances to win that game that are likely haunting them. First their winger beat the offside trap and got in one on one with the Peg keeper. He took a touch around the onrushing goalie, but at full tilt his touch was slightly heavy and took him wider than he no doubt would have liked. With Pegasus defenders desperately sprinting back perhaps he rushed his shot slightly as he could only find the side netting on what seemed sure to be a goal. Port Moody would also ring one flush off the post as full time neared and the rebound sat for an attacker to simply tap in, but he put it right at the Pegasus keeper, though he was flagged for offside so had he scored it would not have counted, still, the finishing left much to be desired.
Off to extra time where the teams continued their pattern of trading chances. However, if the field had been slanted towards the Pegasus end in the second half of regular time, the home side was begging to swing the pendulum back, as they were carrying more of the play now that we were beyond 90 minutes. Sahil continued to dominate down the right and fire in the crosses, one of which seemed destined to break the deadlock when the hard charging attacker connected and sent a shot low to the far post, only to see the Port Moody keeper cement his Man of the Match status with a full stretch diving save to pull the ball off the line. Port Moody had one more great chance off the second phase of a corner that was recycled into the box and found the Pegasus defenders at sixes and sevens. The Valley Boys finally made good contact, but the Pegasus keeper showed that he could make saves of his own when called upon. The second half of extra time saw Sahil get in one on one with Port Moody's keeper but again the man wearing the green shirt had the answer with yet another spectacular save, this time staring down one of the VMSL best players. It seemed like we were heading for penalties but, six minutes from time, Sahil's umpteenth cross found a Pegasus attacker who had just been brought on. The big man had the answer to all of the riddles as he thumped a shot on goal from inside ten yards. The Port Moody defenders and goalkeeper desperately threw themselves at it and it looked to get a piece of something on the way through, but the shot was too powerful to be denied. Ironically, after playing hero, the big man was immediately subbed off; his four minute cameo having made all the difference on this night!
Saturday; South Surrey Athletic Park - Coastal 3-1 Croatia FT
A sunny Saturday brought a good atmosphere to South Surrey as Croatia, who are always well supported, were joined by a boisterous home crowd, eager to cheer on a team that was returning to the Province's top competition. Coastal, the Fraser Valley League and League Cup Champions, did not instill much confidence in those supporters early, as they were on the back foot from the opening kickoff. Croatia were rampant and, perhaps because they were nervous or feeling the pressure of expectations to be contenders in the competition, Coastal looked over matched. Croatia saw an early bad angle attempt catch the post before the VMSL side forced a top drawer save from the Coastal keeper off of a flicked header from a very pacey free kick. Vancouver Metro Soccer League top scorer David Malamura was seemingly everywhere up front and not giving the Coastal back line a moments respite. In truth the home side's defenders and goal keeper seemed out of sorts and clearances were botched and simple tasks made difficult. Croatia missed a free header from six yards to open the scoring, but would finally get their goal on 20 minutes when a cut back found a forward thinking midfielder. It was 1-0 and it had definitely been coming. Croatia continued to find joy attacking down the wings with the Coastal fullbacks unable to dealing with Vancouver boys wingers at all and, while it looked like Croatia might be out of sight before long, they were unable to extend their lead, for which they would ultimately be made to pay. The game began to change when, within ten minutes of scoring the opener, Croatia's midfielder was forced off with what looked to be a hamstring issue. He had been working along side a very veteran Johnny Sulentic at the heart of the Croatia midfield, but his replacement did not have the same pace and range which allowed Coastal to begin to tilt the battle for the middle of the park. A few minutes later, Coast manager Corrado Lenzi made a shrewd tactical decision given that whatever the original game plan for the home side was, it was not getting much joy. He brought on a new central striker and moved Coastal's talisman, Jake Starheim, who had been playing centrally and being smothered by the Croatian centrebacks, out to the wing. Starheim instantly had more space to operate and was able to get the ball into he feet and run at the Croatia back line. These two changes, one for either side, would prove crucial, as, just before half time, Starheim would start a move out on the wing before drifting centrally. No one from the Croatia midfield tracked him and when the VMSL side could only half clear the Coastal cross, it bounced kindly for Jake who nearly ripped the back of the net out with a howitzer of a finish to level things, really out of nothing.
The home side returned from the break with a purpose and immediately took control of the game. It was again the man they call "Big Cat" who created the chance as Starheim was pinged the ball out wide left. He shirked a pair of defenders who seemingly bounced off him and then he cut into the box. As soon as the Croatian centreback committed to coming to deal with him Jake had the simple task of standing up a cross which Issac Kyei was on hand to nod in for a 2-1 lead. The Fraser Valley side had their tails up now and finally looked like a side who were champions of their league. Gone was the Croatian attack that looked so unstoppable for the first half hour and now Coastal were having all the opportunites. As the Vancouver boys drifted farther up the field in search of a way back into the match, Coastal were having chances in transition and Kyei's pace was causing real problems for Croatia on the counter. He likely should have extended the lead, but a heavy touch and a rash shot left the score line unaltered. His replacement, Dalton San, also had pace to burn and he too likely should have made it 3-1 but, again, a heavy touch allowed the Croatian keeper to smother. One had to wonder if Coastal would be made to rue their wasted chances the way their opponents had, but Croatia were short of ideas going forward. Sulentic had drifted into a more attacking role and this had forced Malmura to do more covering in the midfield, leaving the Coastal defenders much more time to play. With 15 minutes to go, the Croatian player/coach decided that he perhaps did not have the pace needed for a late comeback push and subbed himself out. It did little to change things, though Malmura did show his quality letting go with a low, powerful, swerving, long range attempt from outside of the area that forced a very smart save from the Coastal keeper, diving down at full stretch to his right to parry it away. That was really as close as Croatia would come however, and tempers were begining to flare as frustration levels rose all over the park. As the clock struck 90 minutes it was Starheim again with the dagger. The big man was shielding the ball away in the corner to kill time after four minutes of stoppage time had been announced before he cut in towards the net along the goal line. After powering past a couple of defenders, he cut the ball back where it struck the calves of a Croatia defender and ricocheted through the goalkeepers legs at the near post. Jake's celebrations told the story as he, his teammates and the supporters went into ecstasy. A late twist in the tale saw Malamura draw a stoppage time penalty and potentially a lifeline for the unlikeliest of comebacks. His finish basically summed up Croatia on the day, however, as he struck it well only to have it clang off the post; alas, what could have been. Instead it was just one more chance for the home fans to erupt into cheers.
Saturday; Cloverdale Athletic Park - Rovers Tiger 2-1 Vic West FT (AET)
Displaced from their usual Friday night kick off at Newton due to hosting a team from the Island, Rovers took their show to Cloverdale. The sun was still shining, though CAP was more exposed that SSAP had been earlier so there was a decent breeze blowing across the pitch that brought with it a bit of a chill. This did little to dampen a lively travelling crowd as well as plenty of locals, making for another good atmosphere. A break right off the hop for the visitors from the Vancouver Island Soccer League as one of Tigers big attacking threats, Ryan Dhillon, was no where to be found for the men in orange. The game started comfortably enough with the home side carrying the play, but an early run from Vic West winger Victor Blasco Llorens would serve as a warning shot that the away side certainly carried a threat on the counter. Just past the 20 minute mark, Llorens pick up the ball around midfield and proceed to run rather comfortably through most of the Rovers defenders before putting his shot wide. Ten minutes later it was the same story, with Llorens latching onto a ball in transition and skating through the opposition. This time his attempt was on target and forced a save from the Rovers keeper, the rebound fell to another Vic West attacker and he really should have done better but instead he wasted the chance, blasting wide from close range. The Surrey boys did not head the warnings they had been given and within minutes the pacy and dangerous Vic West winger wearing number seven cut through the team again and this time, on his third attempt, he made no mistake and sent the visitors to a shock 1-0 lead over the VMSL Champions.
That lead held to the break and, in the second half, Vic West bunkered down and soaked up the Tigers attack. The Surrey boys had loads of possession, but no guilt edged chances to speak of as the Vicotia side's defending was resolute. The visitors remained dangerous through Blasco Llorens though and he was wracking up the yellows for the Tigers defenders as he looked to put things out of reach. He did seem to spend an inordinate amount of time writhing on the ground after challenges, but he was taking plenty of hacks so perhaps he was full value for the extra recovery time. Rovers pressure finally earned them a clear chance when the second phase from a free kick was bouncing in the area, but they manage to fire it over the net from six yards out. The game changed just after the hour mark when Llorens, after another dangerous counter attack, tumbled off the pitch and looked to twist his ankle. He was forced off and, if you thought it was one way traffic before the injury, now it was truly a training ground exercise for Rovers. Vic West were undeterred and with eleven men behind the ball their defending was to be admired. With no outlet though, the Rovers Tigers attacks simply came in waves. VMSL second leading goal scorer and form Toronto FC man, Nick Soolsma, had been bossing the right flank for much of the match and he continued to put in good services. On 65 minutes Rovers looked to have finally got their equalizer when Soolsma cut back a pacey ball for Pavi Dhillon to finish only to see the Vic West keeper produce a sparkling save. The home side would be made to wait a further ten minutes to level things when Cam Hundal burst forward from midfield and work with way to the goal line before cutting back the ball for Pavi to finish at the near post. After hanging on so valiantly for so long, it seemed now only a matter of when, not if, the travelling side would concede the winner, especially with their biggest attacking threat watching on from the sidelines. The winner almost came within the 90 minutes when five minutes from time there was a moment of complete madness between the back line and Vic West keeper who had gone walkabout as they conspired to turn the ball over with an unguarded net. The Victoria side did enough to delay Rovers from shooting long enough to have a defender on the line to clear away the attempt. The keeper would redeem himself though with good saves off of Soolsma and Pavi before the referee blew for full time.
Another half hour to play then, though the pattern continued the same with Rovers in possession and their attacks coming one after the other. The Vic West keeper was forced into a save within minutes of the restart before Pavi was sprung on a breakaway as the clock hit 100 minutes. Rovers second leading scorer was unable to measure his lob over the onrushing keeper though and the ball bounced wide of the goal. Soolsma was still looking lively as well and would force another save before the teams switched ends. Off the restart though the ball was sent wide right before being crossed all the way to the back post where Soolsma was afforded time to bring it down and take a touch before firing a very composed finish into the back of the net to give the Surrey side a deserved lead. Victoria were obviously forced to try and attack now, but were generally settling for ambitious long range attempts. They perhaps should have had an unlikely equalizer though when Rovers got the marking all wrong on a free kick with roughly ten minutes remaining. The Vic West man rose unmarked but glanced his free header wide. Right at the death, a last ditch free Victoria corner was only half cleared at the first attempt and it fell to one of the visitors just inside the box. He made good contact only to see multiple orange shirts throw themselves at it and block it away, putting their bodies on the line to ensure they advanced to the next round.
Sunday; Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West - Rino's Tigers 6-0 Aldergrove
A warm and sunny Sunday seemed the perfect day for a football match, though it was a small smattering of fans taking in this one at BBLW. Most of the noise came via the freeway in the back ground and the cheers from adjacent youth girls games. Nevertheless this one looked to be a potential classic with last year's finalists, Aldergrove, taking on an upstart Rino's side making their debut in the competition. Each side had won their domestic cup, Aldergrove the Pakenham Cup in the FVSL while Rino's won the VMSL's Imperial Cup. However, this was in no way a match to remember for Aldergrove as they showed the form that had seen them drop from FVSL Champions last year to a distant sixth place this season and not the level of performances that had seen them come within a game of being crowned Provincial Champions. Things looked to be going in the Valley side's direction before kickoff as Rino's leading scorer Connor MacMillan was nowhere to be seen, along with UBC Thunderbirds striker Kristian Yli-Hietanen who had seven goals on the season. Rino's did however have their SFU contingent in the side, most importantly Matteo Polisi in midfield. Rino's controlled the early proceedings, but did not carve out any clear chances. Aldergrove could, at best, be described at feeling their way into the game as they had nothing to speak of really in attack. That being said, a rare foray into the Rino's end earned them a free kick, centre of the goal, from just outside the area. Aldergrove's talisman, the indomitable Connor Hildebrant stepped up and sent a curling shot towards the top corner. The Rino's keeper flew through the air at full stretch to catch it, though, and that was essentially the sum total of Aldy's attacking on the day. As the half wore on Polisi was really bossing the middle of the park and just as we were closing in on the break he hit one from 20 yards out. It was a low, powerful shot that the Aldergrove keeper could only parry into the side of his own net, 1-0 Rino's. It was a good strike to be sure, but, when he got that big a piece, you thought the keeper would be able to do better with it; certainly if Aldergrove were to have any chance to progress, they would need saves like that.
Within minutes of the restart the Rino's winger cut it relatively unchallenged from the left and had an easy finish to double the lead. Even with this much time left to play, you felt that this would likely be too tall of a task for Aldergrove. The Valley side worked hard for another ten minutes or so until Alberto Cirac-Perez found space to drive through the middle of the park and make it 3-0. It was a sad display from Aldergrove who seemed to lack the belief and passion they showed last season right from the opening whistle in this one. Once the third goal went in, whatever minimal spirit and intensity there had been was drained from the FVSL side and five minutes later it was 4-0. The chances continued to pile up as Aldy left their keeper out to dry. He staved off the onslaught for a time, gamely making three great saves. Aldergrove would not be spared embarrassment however, as, five minutes from time, Polisi rocketed home a screamer from distance to make it 5-0. To round out the afternoon's scoring Rino's would add one final tally right on 90 minutes to make the final a whopping 6-0. The scoreline completely reflected the game as Aldergrove were second rate on the day.
