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Monday, October 13, 2008
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Soccer provincials slideshow |
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Written by Citizen Staff
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Tuesday, 08 July 2008 |
Prince George Kodiak Kieran Missellbrook gets a head-rub when his team celebrates his goal Saturday. (Citizen photo by David Mah)
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LOWER MAINLAND
The two Under-15 boys teams met in Sunday's bronze medal game at the B.C. Soccer Association 'A' Cup provincial championship tournament. On the grass at Rotary Fields, Richmond rolled to a 4-0 win.
"We have a combination of a fast pace with good technical skills," said Richmond head coach Clive Clarke. "When we play against other teams we try to unbalance them that way. We felt we did that. We knocked the ball around well. When we were able to find spaces we put the ball through and we have some quick guys up front who were able to take advantage of those."
Richmond led 2-0 at halftime on goals by Caleb Clarke and Depinder Gill. In the second half, Ethan Senger and Gill closed out the scoring.
The goal by Senger was an example of the high level of skill in the Richmond lineup. The Richmond defence worked the ball up to Senger, who turned and sent it out wide. He then found open space, accepted a return pass, and ripped a left-footed shot past Prince George goalkeeper Colin Horning.
During round-robin play, Richmond defeated Prince George by the same 4-0 score. The Kodiaks, however, did put up a better fight in the medal game.
"We played way better," said striker Ethan Bhangu. "This time, there were some mistakes but we limited them and our backline did a good job of stepping up and pulling them offside. We used other tactics because they would always put balls in gaps and try to have an attacker running onto them.
"At this level, any mistake you make, the ball's in the back of the net," Bhangu added. "If you're playing (at the) B (level), then there could be some breaks. But here you can't take any breaks. You have to be on."
The Kodiaks, who were making their first-ever appearance at the 'A' provincials, finished the tournament with a 0-4 record. They scored one goal -- in a 2-1 Saturday setback to Vancouver -- and gave up eight. Kieran Missellbrook was the lone Prince George marksman.
Kodiaks head coach Orlando Mauro made sure his players were holding their heads high at the conclusion of the four-team event.
"We're a work in progress," he said. "Today's game, I'm very proud of the way they competed, I'm very proud of the fact that they tried to play football the way it's supposed to be played. And we get a bit of reinforcement from the other coaches who come up and say, 'You know what? You guys aren't far off.' We are going in the right direction."
Clive Clarke, the Richmond coach, gave the Kodiaks a positive review.
"We played them twice and they're a very hard-working team," he said. "They didn't give up at all, which is good for the game and good for them. Some teams, you score a couple goals and they just fall apart. But they fought all the way through and they did create some chances.
"The only difference between them and the teams we see down (in the Lower Mainland), they're just maybe not used to playing at the (faster) pace. Quite a few teams that are decent teams, we play at that pace most of the time. I think if (the Kodiaks) came down and played in our league, played at that pace all the time, they would definitely be a team to be reckoned with."
In Sunday's gold medal final, the Guildford Rangers downed the Vancouver Selects 3-0.
The Prince George Youth Soccer Association also hosted provincials in four other divisions. See page 12 for complete standings and weekend results.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
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