Smiles were in order last weekend as Coast rep soccer teams had a load of success on the pitch.
Saturday saw Glen Coady's U12 boys' Storm win their first game 2-0.
The Storm played with confidence and it resulted in Avery Payne taking a through ball and cracking an 18-yard shot for the first goal. Then Kelsey Dixon showed poise as he spotted the opposition's goalie off the line and calmly lobbed the ball over his head for the second goal. A couple of aggressive saves by the Storm's goalkeeper Colton Davies took care of the shutout.
On Sunday, Jeff Schupp's U12 girls' Stingrays matched the Storm's performance by winning their first game 3-0.
Maya Schutz and Sarren McDonald shared goaltending duties to shut down the Squamish team. Katrina Nanson showed that she had inherited her dad's goal scoring skills (Dave plays for Gibsons Pigs in the Men's Over-30 League) by starting the scoring. Selina Byer met a perfect cross from Sydney McAllister (daughter of Pigs' Brian and Carol) for the second goal. Sydney then finished a fine game netting number three. The boys and girls now know how sweet it is to come away on the right side of the score. Work hard and more wins will come.
The U14 Scorpion girls rode a nice shot by Noah Mithrush to a 1-0 win over the visiting Cliff Avenue.
The Scorpions showed how coach Dave Hargreaves' insistence on hard work can bring results when your game is not at the top of your form. Gurveen Clair's sound goaltending saved the day and the shutout.
The Scorpions' forwards were not too hungry for the ball or the score might have been higher. I'll bet the coaching staff will have some pretty tough sprinting drills going at your next practice girls.
The S.C. United U14 boys were shocked as Kerrisdale Cobras netted four fast breaks to hand the locals a 6-2 loss.
United had the most possession, but the Cobras had the finish. Sam Vantschip at left back had a sound game and provided some great overlap runs down the wing to fire the United attack. United's goals came from Kerry Patrick Hlatky and Andrew Krauss.
Brendan Darwin's goal gave the U14 Celtic boys a 1-0 lead, but the experienced opposition were better finishers and the local lads were on the wrong end of a 3-1 score.
Coach Owen Parry was happy with the team's improvement in this game. The boys gave a better effort for most of the game and played physically stronger against older opponents. Player of the game was Brendan, who wears the coveted Celtic shirt this week.
The U16 boys' Strikers had a spirited game with Richmond Renegades.
Brandon Elsdon hit a beautiful shot for the game's first goal. Richmond came back to lead 2-1 at the half. The Renegades upped the score to 3-1, and this woke the locals from their defensive mode to produce two very nice goals and tie the score at 3-3.
Brandon headed a fine cross from Josh Lagace for his second, then Josh gave Jeremy Izad a good cross that Jeremy put in the net. The Renegades had the last say as they bundled in a goal in a goalmouth scramble for a 4-3 score.
Strikers received outstanding goalkeeping from Jonas Heitland and Liam Wong regardless of what the score indicates. The boys made 27 saves, not counting the shots that went wide. You need that strong goalkeeper performance if you are to be winners. The youth house leagues were in full swing on Sept. 25 with lots of great action on a fine September weekend.
As a coach it is always nice to see and meet the parents (and grandparents) of players you coach. I encourage you to get out and meet the coach and support the team. But always remember, the coach runs the team. Encourage the players and let the coach work with the players to overcome any weaknesses an individual player may have. Always be positive.
Parents and players: please check to see if you have any soccer shirts that were not turned in to the coach in previous years.
There are lots of white with black and red striped (red reversible) shirts missing and to replace them is very expensive - 100 shirts cost over $3,000 and that affects the amount you pay in enrollment fees. Please check and phone me at 604-885-9719. I will make sure the shirts are collected.
