It was a nice change for Powell River Villa to not have to win a game to improve its standing or avoid relegation, a luck change too as it lost 2-0 to Salt Spring.
For that reason a young but eager lineup travelled to Salt Spring Island for its last game of the 2011-2012 season.
Going into the match Salt Spring was tied with Castaway FC for first place but the outcome would not affect Villa’s third-place position.
The first half was very evenly played but five minutes into the game Jake Kenmuir left with an ankle injury which meant the one sub on the sideline, Todd Phillips, had to come in.
Phillips had himself quite a first half with a couple of good chances, his best a hard shot from 28 yards that went off the crossbar and back onto the pitch. He got to the ball and had another kick at it but put his shot wide of the target.
Scoreless at the half Villa learned during the break that Kye Taylor couldn’t continue due to a rib injury.
His withdrawal meant that Villa had to compete with 10 men against a team that, with a win or tie, was chomping at the bit to play the last 45 minutes.
Salt Spring took the lead on a beautiful goal from its leading scorer Gord Akerman who took a shot from the top of the 18 that hit the crossbar.
The rebound came right back to him and he put the ball in with a diving header 20 minutes into the second half.
Fifteen minutes after that there was a mad scramble in Villa’s box and in the mayhem the ball was poked by keeper Matt Liknes.
“We did have one or two more players available,” said coach Jamie Zroback, “but we wanted to give our kids a chance to compete. That and we are known for our commitment to the league—we never postpone or cancel.”
Generally, the feeling among team members this year is one of accomplishment what with the combination of growing pains and home pitch problems.
“Obviously we had a very slow start,” said Zroback, “but we were encouraged by the way that we turned it around and that showed a lot of character and a lot of heart.”
He also pointed to improvement in areas that are the mark of a good team. “I remember back when I first started with Villa,” he said, “and the thing about our team is that we didn’t get scored on. Our goaltending this year was great and defence as a team steadily improved throughout the season,” complimenting his team which allowed only 22 goals in 18 games. If “you don’t get scored on, you don’t lose.”
Looking ahead, the future looks quite a bit brighter as Villa moves back into Timberlane Park.
“It’s been a big weight on our shoulders,” Zroback said of the executive, “and we’re extremely excited to get back on our home pitch. Saturday nights obviously didn’t work out and it will be good to get back to our Sunday afternoon times again.”
The two-year absence has been tough on the players, the fans and sponsors who Zroback also wanted to thank for hanging in there.
“We’re really appreciative of the sponsors,” he said, “because without them this season would have been impossible.”
