Written by JASON PETERS
Citizen staff
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Sunday, 29 June 2008 |
The most important games of their lives are just days away. But, when the Prince George Under-15 Kodiaks begin play at the B.C. Soccer Association ‘A’ Cup provincial championship Thursday on home soil, they won’t have Scott Smith in their lineup.
Smith, a 15-year-old forward, will be sidelined for the entire tournament as he continues to recover from a concussion he sustained during a qualifying game June 15 in Prince George.
“It’s not anger, it’s just disappointment,” Smith said. “This has been our goal since we were 12 years old. And then (to be injured) the month before, it’s just disappointing.”
In the qualifying game, Prince George was minutes away from defeating the Kamloops Blaze. With his Kodiaks ahead 2-0, Smith was chasing down a loose ball just inside the Kamloops 18-yard box. At the same time, Blaze goalkeeper Zac Tjader was coming out of his net. Instead of trying to make a play on the ball, Tjader appeared to lower his shoulder in preparation for a collision. He then plowed into Smith, who went down immediately. Smith lost consciousness and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. During the trip, he stopped breathing on several occasions.
Tjader was tossed from the game and has been suspended by the BCSA, which plans to investigate the incident.
Fortunately, Smith said he is feeling better.
“(I have) no headaches, no nausea, no symptoms at all,” he said.
But, his doctors have advised him against playing.
“They just said take it easy four to six weeks and then just ease back in after that,” he said. “I can start jogging and stuff the week after provincials, just gradually get active again.”
Smith’s father, Tom, called the hit “the most violent” he had ever seen. Tom Smith was considering taking legal action against Tjader. But, Scott Smith said that likely won’t happen.
“I don’t think it is going to go anywhere,” Scott Smith said. “We’re just going to leave it be.”
The Kodiaks are appearing in the ‘A’ provincials for the first time. During the four-day tournament at Rotary Fields, they will face the Vancouver Selects, Richmond Madrid and Guildford United. Prince George head coach Orlando Mauro has no doubts that keeping Smith out of provincials is the right thing to do.
“We wouldn’t be doing the appropriate thing by trying to rush him into this thing,” Mauro said. “He’s got a great future in school, he’s very witty, has a great personality -- all that sort of stuff. We don’t want to put anything like that at risk so he’s going to have to go through the protocol in order to be 100 per cent.”
Mauro described Smith as “an impact player” for the Kodiaks. The coach would not be surprised to see the rest of his players use Smith’s absence as extra motivation during provincials.
“I think the boys are probably going to rally around the whole situation,” Mauro said. “I don’t think they’re upset, they’re just hurt, along with him, that he’s not going to be able to play.”
The BCSA has allowed the Kodiaks to add Kelowna’s Juliano Aguiar to their roster to offset the loss of Smith.
“We’re hoping that will maintain us at the same level that we were with Scott,” Mauro said.
“(Aguiar) is a mirror image of what we had with Scott in the fact that he’s a forward with lethal finishing.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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