Powell River Villa made the trip down to Victoria last weekend looking to avenge a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hellas FC back in September. A full squad boarded the bus but only nine finished the game after a couple of red cards were issued in the second half. Consequently, Hellas was able to hold on to the lead throughout and, despite a late surge, edged Villa 3-2. Both sides were well aware of the importance of the game but Villa had more jump in the early minutes and took it to the host. Rob Devlin had a great chance early on that narrowly missed the target and careened off the crossbar. Hellas, however, is an experienced team full of veterans who know how to capitalize on another team’s mistakes. Set pieces are a big part of that and on a Villa foul at 20 minutes Hellas’s free kick from 18 yards out curled into the top corner. Villa responded 10 minutes later when the Hellas keeper made a save on Curtis McMillan’s shot but Brody Harry buried the rebound on a low drive. Tied 1-1 heading into the break, coach Chris McDonough urged his team to stay the course. “We wanted to keep up the pressure especially on the defence,” he said. “They are a ‘sit back and counter-attack’ kind of team. Once we gave the ball up I really wanted them to focus on getting it back by chasing down the defender. Pressuring them all over the field was the tactic I wanted us to use.” McDonough added, that fitness is one of Villa’s strengths, having younger players. A couple of yellow cards were issued in the first half but the colour red was flashed early in the second. “It was a little intense,” said McDonough, “but not chippy by any means. In the end there were about eight cards issued to both sides but it was a bit of a puzzle as to why.” The next foul, a red card to Dean Thorsell for dragging down a player on a breakaway, gave Hellas a free kick which went under the wall and into the corner at 70 minutes. Down 2-1, Villa lost yet another player when Rob Oele picked up his second yellow and left the game with 15 minutes remaining. That call came in Villa’s box and the resulting kick was a good one which put Hellas up 3-1. Undaunted, Villa threw caution to the wind and, even shorthanded, began to pressure Hellas. “We made a few changes and went full out attack,” said McDonough. “We actually played really well down two men.” Villa managed to get one of the goals back when a player sent in a long 35-yard free kick that went off Ben Elliot’s head and into a scramble. Devlin was in the middle of it, fought off a few defenders and put the ball in with 10 minutes to go. Unfortunately, even after a gutsy effort, Villa wasn’t able to complete the comeback and suffered a one-goal loss. “I was hoping he’d kind of let us play a little more,” said McDonough of the referee and the importance of the game. “I think he could have managed it a little better without influencing the decision. That’s the way it goes sometimes, but we showed some character and played very well in the end.” From one big game right into another, Villa hosts the top team in the division this weekend. The game against FC Sagres 3A, a team Villa beat earlier 3-1, begins at 1:30 pm on Sunday, December 8 at Timberlane Park. Team Standings Rank Team GP W L T GF GA Diff Pts 1 FC Sagres 3A 11 8 1 2 22 9 13 26 2 Hellas FC 3A 12 8 3 1 30 15 15 25 3 Castaways FC 3A 12 7 3 2 28 10 18 23 4 Powell River Villa 3A 11 7 3 1 29 14 15 22 5 SFFC Active Earth Eng. 3A 12 5 2 5 21 18 3 20 6 Westcastle SSFC 3A 11 5 3 3 24 15 9 18 7 Lakehill Danger Police 3A 11 5 4 2 27 21 6 17 8 Penelakut United 3A 10 2 7 1 16 35 -19 7 9 Juan de Fuca 3A 12 0 10 2 8 38 -30 2 10 Peninsula Stachers 3A 12 0 11 1 10 40 -30 1
