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Tuesday, October 7, 2008 |
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Kodiaks closing the gap, still winless |
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Written by JASON PETERS
Citizen staff
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Friday, 04 July 2008 |
Kieran Missellbrook of the Prince George Kodiaks uses his body position to strip the ball away from Amandeep Hans of the Guildford Rangers during Friday’s provincial A Cup under-15 boys championship tournament at Rotary Field. The Rangers went on to win 2-0. (Citizen photo by David Mah)
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Anchored by their goalkeeper, they did an admirable job of containing the Rangers. But, the Kodiaks still settled for a 2-0 loss at the B.C. Soccer Association ‘A’ Cup provincial championship tournament Friday afternoon at Rotary Fields.
In the Under-15 boys division, the Rangers stayed a step ahead of the Kodiaks, especially in the first half. They scored both their goals in the opening half and maintained their advantage in the second. If not for the play of Prince George goalie Jonathan Richards, the score could have been much more lopsided.
“He played outstanding,” Kodiaks assistant coach Lyle Eggen said of Richards. “We’re blessed to have two outstanding goalkeepers. Colin (Horning) had a great day (Thursday in a 4-0 loss to Richmond Madrid). The coaches from Richmond were complimenting his play. And Jonathan? Unbelievable. That kid has cat-like reflexes.”
During the game, Richards stopped several Guildford shooters from close range. His best save came against striker Jason Deo, who ran onto a through-ball for a breakaway part way through the first half. Deo carried the ball down the right side of the field and cut in for a shot, which was labeled for the top near corner. But, Richards flashed a hand up to deflect the ball away.
A short time later, the Rangers came up with a brilliant play to finally beat Richards for a 1-0 lead. Guildford sent a corner kick to the front of the Prince George net, where Hans Amandeep played a header back across to Deo, who headed the ball home. The goal was worthy of any highlight reel.
“It happens,” Deo said with a smile. “The ball was just there and I saw it, took the chance and scored.”
Guildford produced its other goal just before halftime. This time, Ryan Dhillon took a pass from Rajan Kooner and was busting for the Prince George goal when he was taken down from behind by Prince George’s Harjas Grewal. Kooner was awarded a penalty kick and converted.
The Kodiaks, meanwhile, had a tough time generating scoring chances. When they did start to build an attack, it would typically get stalled by the Guildford defenders. The home side was at its best in the final 10 minutes but still couldn’t get anything past Rangers goalie Marc Mincieli.
“I thought we did pretty well,” Richards said. “They were really fast and their last man (on defence) was really good.
“The crosses, I didn’t really get to. They were really good at crossing and getting it in front of the net. And their through-balls scared me a lot, especially with (Deo) going after them.”
The Kodiaks can take some pride in the knowledge that Guildford beat the Vancouver Selects 4-1 on Thursday, the first day of provincials.
“I’m extremely proud of how we played,” Eggen said. “I think every game that we’ve played, we seem to be gaining a little bit of confidence, which is nice.
“We came in at halftime (Friday) and the boys kind of recognized the type of effort that they needed (to have) to compete. I think that they realized they could run with these guys.”
The Rangers bumped their record to 2-0 and guaranteed themselves a berth in Sunday’s game for gold, which will be on the pitch at noon. In the four-team tournament, the Kodiaks (0-2) look destined to play for bronze at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Both teams close out their round-robin schedules today, Guildford against Richmond at noon and Prince George against Vancouver at 10 a.m.
“They’re a good squad,” Eggen said of Vancouver. “We just hope to continue to play well. They’ve got some fantastic players that we’re going to really have to pay attention to.”
In Friday’s other U-15 boys game, Vancouver beat Richmond 2-0.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
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