The Upper Island Riptides U14 soccer team ended a six-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory over Gorge/Lakehill at the Vanier turf field in Courtenay on Sunday. Strong play from the forwards, the defence, and some timely goalkeeping sealed the deal for Riptides.
The Riptides got things rolling early on in the first half. After just five minutes of play, Fergus Hall let go a blazer from 25 yards out that grazed the good side of the post and put the Riptides up 1-0.
Minutes later, Hall nearly made it 2-0 with a similar type of shot from about the same distance out; this time however, the ball grazed the outside of the post and deflected wide of the net.
The Riptides were rewarded for their efforts though, when Joe Dirom did some digging in a dirty area and found a way to hit a wide open Nathan Chow who then deposited the ball into a wide open net from five yards out, making the score 2-0.
Gorge’s best chance of the half came a few minutes later when a forward came barreling down the right side and hammered a low shot that Alex Weinstein dove to save and prevented any type of rebound for the onrushing Gorge players.
The Riptides started the second half in a similar fashion to the first – buzzing all over the Gorge’s end of the field. A hit goal post and crossbar prevented this game from being a blowout early on. Gorge were opportunists though, and took full advantage of a poor clearance in the box, making the score 2-1.
The Riptides response was swift, as Cameron Bell capitalized on a scramble in front of the net, making the score 3-1. From there, the Riptides made smart tactical plays the rest of the game to preserve the lead and get the win.
– Riptides U14 Boys