Campbell River’s Cermaq City FC hosted Powell River Villa in the quarterfinals of the Pearkes Challenge Cup in the Vancouver Island Soccer League last Saturday.
Coming into the game, both teams sat atop their respective Division 3 groups (Div 3A and 3B). The game was played in front of a great supporting crowd at Willow Point Park.
Powell River Villa was the dominant team in the early stages, as the Cermaq squad seemed to suffer from a case of the jitters. Cermaq was unable to convert any of its early chances and would pay the price about 20 minutes in, when Villa was able to beat the Cermaq goalkeeper, taking a 1-0 lead.
However, Cermaq would continue to press forward. About 35 minutes into the half, forward Shane Dumanoir received the ball just across the halfway line. He made a sweeping run across the pitch, evaded three defenders and finished with a sharp shot in the bottom corner, equalizing the score.
As the half was coming to a close, Cermaq midfielder Eric Roberts made a nifty turn, leaving the Villa defender behind. Roberts sent a dangerous cross into the box that resulted in a handball by Villa. Dumanoir would step up and convert the penalty shot, giving Cermaq the lead heading into half time. In the second half, Cermaq carried much of the play.
The sustained pressure resulted in another corner kick for the home squad about mid way through the half.
Forward Edgar Cranmer delivered a hard cross into the box and Dumanoir was able to head it in for the hat trick, leading to the final score of 3-1.
Cermaq will travel to Saltspring for the semi-final match on March 14. This should prove to be another exciting match as Cermaq’s only loss this season was conceded at Saltspring back in September.