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Time is of the essence for P.G. U-15s |
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Written by JASON PETERS
Citizen staff
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
The Prince George Under-15 Kodiaks want to be predators instead of prey.
To accomplish that goal during the B.C. Soccer Association 'A' Cup provincial championship tournament, they'll have to stay alert at all times and pounce on their scoring opportunities.
The male Kodiaks begin the four-team event today at Rotary Fields. And, this will mark the first time they have competed in provincials at the 'A' level.
"Everything happens a lot faster," said Kodiaks head coach Orlando Mauro. "The decision-making has to be a lot earlier. And, above all, any mistakes that are made -- if you don't make a good decision -- odds are you're going to get punished. So you can't be turned off (mentally). These kids have to be mentally ready from the start of the game until the end of the game, because the other teams play at this level in Vancouver every weekend. This is certainly a step up for us."
The other teams in provincials are Richmond Madrid, the Guildford Rangers and the Vancouver Selects. The Kodiaks play Richmond today at 10 a.m. and also have round-robin games Friday against Guildford (noon) and Saturday against Vancouver (10 a.m.). The top two teams will clash for the gold medal Sunday at noon. The other two clubs will square off for bronze Sunday at 10 a.m.
"It's a great opportunity for these guys to get a chance to play against some really high-calibre squads," Mauro said. "We're not sure how we're going to do -- we're hoping we're going to be respectable. But overall, they're going to be better for the experience.
"There are multiple players that play on our provincial team that are scattered throughout the three (Lower Mainland) teams. Fans and other parents are going to get exposed to some really good, high-end soccer. I'm really excited for these boys. They are really going to see what we aspire to and what we've worked hard for the last four years."
The Kodiaks will be missing one of their top scorers, Scott Smith, during the tournament. He suffered a concussion in a June 15 qualifying game against Kamloops and is not yet fit to play.
"I'm really sad about that because he's one of my good friends," said Michael Norgren, a 14-year-old right midfielder for the Kodiaks. "It just hurts when one of our good players can't play in provincials. This is the biggest tournament of the year. I was hoping he could play, but I guess he can't."
Norgren said the Kodiaks will use Smith's absence as extra motivation.
"We're probably going to do most of it for him," Norgren said.
With Smith not able to suit up, the Kodiaks have added highly-skilled forward Juliano Aguiar to their lineup for provincials. Aguiar is from Kelowna.
Other members of the Kodiaks are Daniel Delong, Austin Derksen, Harjas Grewal, Colin Horning, Matthew Jubinville, Nikola Knezevic, Nicholas Mauro, Robby McDougall, Logan Phenuff, Ryan Sharpe, Bjorn van Noort, Scott Warkentin, Jonathan Richards, Kieran Missellbrook and Ethan Bhangu. Lyle Eggen is the assistant coach and Paula Van Horlick is the manager.
When the Kodiaks are at their best, they move the ball well and capitalize on their scoring chances.
"We open it up, (create) lots of space and get our first touches on," Norgren said. "And when we actually hit the net, most of the time it goes in. That's good. That's what we need. Once we get a build-up to the strikers, they do their job."
n The Prince George Youth Soccer Association is also hosting the 'A' provincials in the boys Under-13 division and the girls Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 categories. The Under-13 group on the girls side features the PGYSA Kodiaks (see other story).
In total, 20 teams will be competing for B.C. titles. All gold-medal games are scheduled for Sunday at noon.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 July 2008 )
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