Everything was perfect at Cranberry Field Sunday afternoon.
On a pristine pitch under warm brilliant sunshine number one seed Powell River Villa hosted Alberni Valley Athletics in the second round of the BC Provincial Men’s B Cup.
A large crowd gathered with high expectations but unfortunately left disappointed after the Athletics scratched out a 1-0 upset over the home boys.
Alberni finished middle of the pack in Vancouver Island Soccer League’s division three but its results, as with most of the league teams, were based mainly on which players did and didn’t make the match on game day.
In the first round of the competition it hosted and routed the PMO Titans out of the Fraser Valley Soccer League 4-0 and came to Powell River riding a bit of a high from that victory.
For this match it appeared that all hands were on deck for the Athletics with a full 16-member squad making the trip to Powell River for the important game. Keys to success included Villa’s speed versus shutting down the league’s leading scorer Andre Andrews who topped all divisions with 17 goals.
A moment of silence was observed for the sudden passing of Tony Marciniak. As sport and volunteerism touch nearly every family in Powell River, Marciniak will be remembered as a driving force, good friend and busy volunteer involved with a multitude of sports and other organizations.
Both teams started with a fast pace but Villa’s youthful energy was curtailed by the experience of an older and bigger Alberni side.
Goal scorers have a knack of being in the right place at the right time and when a loose ball came through to Andrews at the 18-yard line he made no mistake with a low strike to the right-hand corner. Alberni’s sniper narrowly missed the mark on a couple of chances but his teammates capably protected his early goal for a full 80 minutes.
Villa had a number of players who also gave it everything but the team suffered a setback early in the match when captain Kye Taylor hobbled briefly and subsequently came off the field just 25 minutes in.
He returned in a limited capacity later but despite a flurry of pressure by him and his teammates late in the game the equalizer could not be found.
Despite the disappointment of the loss, coach Chris McDonough said, “it was a really good day for Powell River soccer. Dean [Thorsell] did a pretty good job on [Andrews] today with some big tackles, but he’s a difference maker and he got his one chance and got a nice goal. We pressed but we just couldn’t finish our chances and that always comes back to haunt you in soccer.”
McDonough offered praise to Villa’s opponents. “Hats off to Alberni,” he said, “they’re a good team and they played well today. They had a few chances and they buried their one good one and that was it.”
Taking a positive view, he added, “We were back in the Provincial Cup and we had a great crowd. Hats off to all our fans that showed up today, which was great.”
It was a tough way to end a very successful year but McDonough had a list of people to thank for a great day. The parks, recreation and culture department of the city “did a double mow on Friday and brought the stands around for the fans.” He acknowledged the large crowd, and appreciated all of the team’s sponsors for their support during the full season.
Next year, Villa climbs into division two. “I’ll be back next year with most of the guys and a few other things we’re looking into,” said McDonough. “Camber College should present us with an opportunity for a couple of foreign players and we also like some youth players who are coming up.
“The future looks very good for Villa.”
