Women's Premier 2009/10

[Fat Bastard]

They will be tough to play against, but I firmly believe that experience in big games is a huge advantage, no matter the opponent. I am not sure the Whitecaps Prospects have the experience to pull it off. But they will be tough. And as the PCSL team, they won't be seeded so they could end up anywhere in the draw. Could be a first round match up for our League winner. Gotta love soccer in this province.

On a side note, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that we all sat here and bitched that the Whitecaps were allowed into Provincials but we're all lining up to play them in exhibitions. That benefits them more than it does us. If we boycotted the Prospects they wouldn't get a single solid game in before Provincials. Our coach wants to play them to, so I lump myself into the hippocrit category.

It's petty, I know. But I am sick and tired of them getting what they want all the time, with no regard for the rest of the soccer community. It should be noted that since the Whitecaps annointed themselves the saviours of women's soccer in Canada, the national team has continued to drop in performance year over year. The U20's recently failed to qualify for the U20 World Cup. I would point out that Canada finished second on the first world cup, with a roster comprised entirely of players who were developed by the grassroots club system. Hey, but they're the experts, what do we know?

 

[Gooner21]

Knaacks, I just know that we try to play a quick game and have had mild success so far with it....but I've seen the Caps u18s a few times and they are the quickest ball moving team I have seen so far, they can run all day, and they don't know any better so won't feel any pressure playing against woman! They also train 4 times a week so I'd expect them to be the fittest and most committed team to their style of play....that alone is enough to beat 5 or 6 teams from the mwsl.
As for my team, my goals for a new team this year were to finish top 4 in the league, give somewhere for Burnaby based girls to play, and to be mildly competitive at cup time. I had no illusions about winning anything that requires shining.
I'll stand by my prediction for the provincial final!
Give us a report on your Thursday exhibition match Knaacks....I'm interested to hear the game review.

 

[Gooner21]

On a side note, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that we all sat here and bitched that the Whitecaps were allowed into Provincials but we're all lining up to play them in exhibitions. That benefits them more than it does us. If we boycotted the Prospects they wouldn't get a single solid game in before Provincials. Our coach wants to play them to, so I lump myself into the hippocrit category.

Don't count me in the group that bitched about them in cup play as I believe if you're female and you have earned a spot then you have the right to challenge for any cup within the rules. I just had problems with the logistics of letting a league winner from the summer of 2009 into the 2010 provincials (9 months between competitions)...such as: we have two girls now on our team that won the PCSL with them last summer (our keeper and a striker). So does that mean they can be called back to the Caps for provincial cup or are they 100% mine as they are signed on this year's regi forms with us? And if we draw each other, we could be shooting on our own keeper. It's crazy really when you think about it.
But I like playing them, have done so a few times in the last 6 months to get a good weeknight match in, and feel if they legitimately earned a spot by BCSA rules then they are more than welcome into cup play. May the best wo-MAN win. If mwsl coaches are pissed they are in, then they need to address the overall structure of cup competitions to the competitions committe or at the BCSA agm.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

They will be tough to play against, but I firmly believe that experience in big games is a huge advantage, no matter the opponent. I am not sure the Whitecaps Prospects have the experience to pull it off. But they will be tough. And as the PCSL team, they won't be seeded so they could end up anywhere in the draw. Could be a first round match up for our League winner. Gotta love soccer in this province.

On a side note, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed that we all sat here and bitched that the Whitecaps were allowed into Provincials but we're all lining up to play them in exhibitions. That benefits them more than it does us. If we boycotted the Prospects they wouldn't get a single solid game in before Provincials. Our coach wants to play them to, so I lump myself into the hippocrit category.

It's petty, I know. But I am sick and tired of them getting what they want all the time, with no regard for the rest of the soccer community. It should be noted that since the Whitecaps annointed themselves the saviours of women's soccer in Canada, the national team has continued to drop in performance year over year. The U20's recently failed to qualify for the U20 World Cup. I would point out that Canada finished second on the first world cup, with a roster comprised entirely of players who were developed by the grassroots club system. Hey, but they're the experts, what do we know?

Totally agree, FB......it's the same group who also refuse to let their players play for their school teams in high school soccer.....Why?

We haven't played them this year......and probably won't for what it's worth.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Something to think about....if they (Whitecaps) won Provincials, they wouldn't be able to field a team for Nationals........as most will be going to universities/colleges in the states or locally......

 

[Fat Bastard]

...such as: we have two girls now on our team that won the PCSL with them last summer (our keeper and a striker). So does that mean they can be called back to the Caps for provincial cup or are they 100% mine as they are signed on this year's regi forms with us? And if we draw each other, we could be shooting on our own keeper. It's crazy really when you think about it.

Nope. They're yours. They would have had to transfer to Whitecaps prior to January 15. It's convoluted, but basically, the PCSL awards the berth to a 'club' not the roster. I believe the PCSL mandates that the 'club' must submit their provincial cup roster prior to Jan 15. I would also suggest that had the Whitecaps approached your players, they would have been guilty of poaching, under BCSA bylaws.

I'd like to go off on a rant on the Hubcaps right now, but I just don't have the time. Having been involved in women's soccer since 1997, it's frustrating that so many people can stand by and let the 'Caps run roughshod through women's soccer, with little regard for what they are going to leave behind when they grow bored of it.

 

[Fat Bastard]

Totally agree, FB......it's the same group who also refuse to let their players play for their school teams in high school soccer.....Why?

Frankly, not a huge fan of HS soccer, although I used to coach it. They just hold it at the wrong time of year - middle of Coastal Cup. But we don't stop our players from playing. We just hold our breath alot.

Whitecaps don't let them play because they might get hurt I guess. Hurt for what I don't know. How many games do the Whitecaps Prospects play? Exhibitions against Gooner and the NTC appear to be it.

When the Provincial teams and Whitecaps lay down that edict about HS soccer, I always like to remind people that, if I am not mistaken, when Christine Sinclair was in Grade 12, Even Pellerud released her from WNT camp (might have been ahead of U19 WC to be honest) to go to HS Provincials.

Keep in mind that this is the same Whitecaps (when they were the Reserves in the PCSL) that did not allow players to attend their grad events. I know one girl that did and she was essentially told not to come to practice for two weeks.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

FB,

I'm a BIG fan of high school soccer for two reasons.....the kids get to play in an environment with kids they go to school with and are generally people they can hang out with on a regular basis. The social part of it is huge. I've coached at South Delta for 13 years now and it is what I look forward to coaching the most every year. When grade 8s - grade 12s are on one team, it is an experience that they won't get elsewhere. Players on metro teams/provincial teams/whatever teams....can play a completely different role on their school team.

Caitlin Davie is a perfect example of that. She started for us in grade 9, 10, 11, and 12 while she was on the U-17 National panel and was at the NTC. She decided to play with the school team over the other situation IF it was something like the Fraser Valleys/Provincials. She was our teams leading scorer in grade 9, 10, and 11.......but in grade 12, she had to play sweeper for us. We scored 96 goals that year and Caitlin must have set up at least a third of them. My point being, it can be a great experience to play school soccer......I remember my two years of high school soccer more than any other teams I played with.....seriously.

It is a joke what the Whitecaps do to the players at times.....Elgin Park had a legitimate chance last year to compete at Provincials having won the Fraser Valleys. Unfortunately, their two best players, two Prospects players, were told if they played they would be 'punished'.....they didn't play and finished way out of the top part of the tournament. The two girls are back again this year in grade 12 and who knows what thye are planning on doing. They did play for most of the season last year except provincials......We did manage to hold Jenna Richardson to NO goals in the 2 games by having a Provincial basketball player 'man-marking' her. Fun stuff.

Did I tell you love coaching high school soccer?

 

[Gooner21]

Sorry Captain, can't disagree more from my perspective as I coached high school soccer for a few years and hated every minute of it....grade 11 or 12 metro players alongside grade 9 and 10 silver players is not my idea of a quality experience for the kid at either level. More often than not the metro kids end up getting punted all over the park with late toe pokes by silver and gold level players who follow the sequence of "kick, miss ball, make shin contact with opponent, repeat again on next ball".....it's an absolute nightmare. When I coached at North Delta, we had a few grade 12 senior kids that I also coached on a metro team at the time....they were so much better than every other kid on the team and conveniently one was a defender, one was a midfielder, and one was a striker....so guess how the ball got moved up the park (not planned by the way) and guess which 3 of our players won the ball off opponents? It was ugly soccer at best. And I saw the same thing with every team we played....the team with the most metro kids usually won most of the games, and if you played against a team with no metro kids and only silver talent it was a 10-0 match.
And don't get me started on one of my players back then (she was grade 11 at the time) who also played BC team for me....she did her knee on a reckless tackle in a high school game by a very untalented opponent (a real athlete/player wouldn't have tackled the way this kid did but she'd probably never played before in her life)...surgery kept her out of the BC program that summer and she was never the same after that and ended up injuring the same knee again at UBC a couple years later, no doubt weakened from the first surgery. I haven't seen one positive from high school soccer....if it's "school spirit" or "social aspect", then have a dance instead where everyone's on an even competitive footing.
I remember at ND we played a provincial semifinal against Sinclair's high school team and it was a bunch of silver/gold level kids on her team trying to kick the ball as hard as they could in her direction....and then she would beat 5 or 6 players until she came up against our metro level defender that might be able to hold her up a bit. Pure ugly-ness.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Sorry Captain, can't disagree more from my perspective as I coached high school soccer for a few years and hated every minute of it....grade 11 or 12 metro players alongside grade 9 and 10 silver players is not my idea of a quality experience for the kid at either level. More often than not the metro kids end up getting punted all over the park with late toe pokes by silver and gold level players who follow the sequence of "kick, miss ball, make shin contact with opponent, repeat again on next ball".....it's an absolute nightmare. When I coached at North Delta, we had a few grade 12 senior kids that I also coached on a metro team at the time....they were so much better than every other kid on the team and conveniently one was a defender, one was a midfielder, and one was a striker....so guess how the ball got moved up the park (not planned by the way) and guess which 3 of our players won the ball off opponents? It was ugly soccer at best. And I saw the same thing with every team we played....the team with the most metro kids usually won most of the games, and if you played against a team with no metro kids and only silver talent it was a 10-0 match.
And don't get me started on one of my players back then (she was grade 11 at the time) who also played BC team for me....she did her knee on a reckless tackle in a high school game by a very untalented opponent (a real athlete/player wouldn't have tackled the way this kid did but she'd probably never played before in her life)...surgery kept her out of the BC program that summer and she was never the same after that and ended up injuring the same knee again at UBC a couple years later, no doubt weakened from the first surgery. I haven't seen one positive from high school soccer....if it's "school spirit" or "social aspect", then have a dance instead where everyone's on an even competitive footing.
I remember at ND we played a provincial semifinal against Sinclair's high school team and it was a bunch of silver/gold level kids on her team trying to kick the ball as hard as they could in her direction....and then she would beat 5 or 6 players until she came up against our metro level defender that might be able to hold her up a bit. Pure ugly-ness.

Well, Gooner, I see it totally different. It is a great experience for the kids IF the focus is right. I'm not sure how long ago you coached but the quality of the high school game has definitely improved. There are plonkers in most levels and yes, believe it or not, even at the Metro level. I see a good portion of metro players and wonder why is that kid playing metro? Our school very rarely has Metro level players but the challenge of getting those girls/boys ready to compete against the Metro level players is very rewarding. We've have decent success as a program so now we are fortunate enough to have the best athletes trying out for the school team and not necessarily the best soccer players. When we won Provincials two years ago, we had a goalie who didn't play soccer(playing softball at Drexel University now), a Provincial basketball player who didn't play soccer(going to Carleton University for basketball), and a hockey player from our hockey academy(National U-18 player now) who didn't play soccer. Tell these kids that high school soccer sucks.

One area that does hurt the quality of the teams is the fact that a lot of schools don't have the same coaches from year to year. The schools who have continuity tend to be able to compete from year to year and of course, it depends on the style of play which is encouraged by the coach. It is VERY possible for silver/gold level players to play football and not like our National team. YOu mentioned Christine Sinclair and her team just kicking the ball up the field looking for her....eh, have you seen our National team the last 6 years? Some things haven't changed much......

As for injuries, players get injured in training, taking part in P.E. classes, walking down the stairs........can we tell them to stop all those things in order to avoid being injured? The argument by the Whitecaps/Metro coaches is absolutely lame when it comes to saying "We don't want them playing high school soccer because they're just going to get hurt playing against bad players." I don't buy it and think it is a very selfish stance that these metro/provincial coaches take. IT's more about them winning and having THEIR players available all the time and not allowing them other experiences. I suppose it is wrong to play other school sports too because they might get injured?

Go Devils.

 

[Fat Bastard]

Getting back somewhat on topic...

Captain, any luck changing that game time on Feb 14?

 

[Captain Shamrock]

FB, I'll know tomorrow for sure. Does the Saturday at 2:00 work for you?

 

[Fat Bastard]

Beggars can't be choosers. The ladies don't want Sunday night, so they don't have a choice but to take Saturday afternoon. I appreciate the effort on this.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

FB.....I will let you know tonight for sure. If we need to reschedule we will.

 

[Gooner21]

What a match. Cup intensity, good physical battles on the ball, and some great skill on both sides of the pitch. A real treat to be a part of this one. Surrey 0, Burnaby 0....Surrey took bragging rights with the win on their 5th PK shooter. We clearly won the first half and could've had a couple with better execution in the final third, and Surrey battled back to win the second half and if our keeper wasn't punching balls off their heads we could've been down a couple. 3 matches against the defending champs in 8 weeks is tough task for an expansion team....but a 2-0 win, a 2-1 loss, and a 0-0 PK loss gives us a great feeling going down the stretch that we can compete with the big girls!

 

[bergamascho]

...we can compete with the big girls!

Did you just call the Surrey United girls fat???

 

[Fat Bastard]

Did you just call the Surrey United girls fat???

I think he was. Nutmegs... you're not going to take that, are you?

 

[knaacks]

Surrey United 5 White Rock 0 . Nuff said........

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Was it a 5-0 or more, Knaacks?

 

[knaacks]

Could have been more but we sat 7 starters in the first half and we only went to the bench in the 2nd. We didn't need to put up any more, but missed a ton of chances none the less.