By Rob Fontaine
The Campbell River Youth Soccer Association U15 Boys Rep Team played one of their best games of the season on Sunday against a Nanaimo-based select team drawing players from throughout the Central Island.
Our local kids performed to their potential in a close fought game, eventually losing 2 – 1 through a late goal. River City F.C. opened the scoring in the first half on a long range second effort shot by Denver Flood. His first attempt was blocked so he altered his shot high enough to go over the keeper and under the crossbar.
The remainder of the first half was intense with the Nanaimo squad playing a possession game and River City looking to quickly counter when they gained possession. Nanaimo was mostly held out of the danger areas by a full team defensive effort. Any of the long range shots were confidently handled by our keeper – William Bates.
The Nanaimo team carried the balance of play early in the second half and were rewarded with a goal on a firm, low shot that found the corner of the net. This set up a tense and hard fought final 30 minutes.
As the teams battled for a winning goal, River City experienced their second injury loss after a brave defensive play from Patrick Wilson. This required some shuffling of defensive assignments. Unfortunately, during a corner kick, the Nanaimo Club was able to catch River City off guard as they adjusted to their new assignments, creating a dangerous possession in the six-yard box that resulted in a scramble and eventual goal.
Undeterred, our boys focussed and pushed forward in possession. They were relentless in their pursuit of the ball and created a couple of scoring opportunities that were not rewarded with a goal. It was a tough loss in a game that could have gone either way.
The U15 Boys Rep team is looking to bounce back at home against the Oceanside U15 Rep Team this coming Sunday, Jan 29 at noon on the Cermaq Community Turf. They would welcome some added home support and while a win is not guaranteed – they are certain to give it their all and play a compelling game of team-first soccer.
