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Kodiaks winless in Burnaby |
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Written by JASON PETERS
Citizen staff
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Sunday, 06 July 2008 |
As first-timers at the B.C. Soccer Association 'A' Cup provincial championship tournament, the Under-18 Kodiaks suspected they'd be in for a challenging weekend.
They were right.
The local girls all-star team finished the four-team event in Burnaby with a 0-4 record. The final loss for the Kodiaks came in Sunday's bronze medal game, a 3-0 setback at the hands of the Surrey United Rage.
"The three teams we played, they're all stacked with provincial (team) players," said Kodiaks coach Frank Rossi. "We were up against a wall, we knew that at the very beginning of it. It was a great experience for the girls and they showed really well this weekend. I was really proud of them, proud of the effort. The effort was definitely there -- just a little bit short in manpower."
In their round-robin games, the Kodiaks lost 4-0 to Burnaby, 3-1 to Surrey and 2-1 to Coquitlam. Melissa Scobie scored the goal against Surrey, while Katie Rutherford connected against Coquitlam.
In the bronze medal match, the Kodiaks and Rage were in a 0-0 tie in the first half when Megan Christenson of the Kodiaks was hauled down in the 18-yard box. She was awarded a penalty kick but came up empty against the Surrey goalkeeper.
"The goalie made a great save," Rossi said. "(Christenson) struck it well.
"(She shot) low left-hand corner. (The goalie) guessed right, dove and made a great save. All credit to her. We were carrying the play at that time and (a goal there) might have given us a little bit of a lift we needed."
The Rage scored a short time later to take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break. With the Kodiaks pushing to get on even terms in the second half, Surrey took advantage of some openings and extended its advantage.
Prince George striker Jessica Brand missed Sunday's game because of a knee injury she suffered Saturday against Coquitlam. Brand went knee-on-knee with a Coquitlam player and did ligament damage.
"Hopefully everything turns out okay," Rossi said.
"That hurt us (Sunday), not having her."
In the gold medal game, Burnaby beat Coquitlam 1-0.
Prince George's Under-18 boys team was also in Burnaby for the 'A' provincials. In a four-team division, the Kodiaks played for bronze on Sunday and lost 3-0 to the Vancouver B Selects. The Kodiaks ended the tournament with a 0-3-1 record. During round-robin, they managed a 2-2 draw against Vancouver B. They also lost 6-3 to Surrey and 3-0 to Vancouver A.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 July 2008 )
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