The Mowi Riptide U14 and U16 girls, and the U16 boys soccer team, played road games Saturday.
The U14 girls beat Victoria North 2-0. Head coach Shawn Fiddick is pleased with the weekly progress of the team, which has won two of three games. The girls are gelling well, combing players from the Comox Valley and the Parksville/Qualicum area.
The U16 girls lost 4-0 to Victoria North. For the second game in a row, the team conceded a batch of goals in the second half. The girls have been competing for the first 40 minutes of the last two games, working towards a season-long goal of remaining competitive for the duration of an 80-minute game while in the midst of rebuilding the team from last season.
The U16 boys lost 4-1 Saturday against Victoria South. With several injuries, the team used three players from the U15 boys’ team, Griffin Leach, Logan Pierce and Adam Hopper. Kalem Lindstrom scored on penalty kick for the Riptide.
On Sunday, the U16 and U15 boys played at home, while the U18 girls and U18 boys were on the road.
The U16 boys lost 1-0 to Victoria North at the Vanier turf. Riptide goalkeeper Devon Cleghorn made an excellent save in a one-on-one situation early in the half, and on the stroke of halftime Sascha Deschanes hit the post from a direct free-kick 20 metres from the right-hand side of the goal. In the second half, the two teams exchanged chances until the visitors scored the lone goal of the game from a wide free-kick.
For the first time in two seasons, the U15 boys beat the Storm. Sunday in Campbell River, the Riptide recorded a 5-3 victory. Down 2-1 at the half, Riptide coaches Tony Leach and Gokan Avicil were able to motivate the team to battle back to win the second half. The game was tied 2-2, the Storm regained the lead, but then it was complete domination by the Riptide who evened the game at 3-3 and continued rolling with two more goals.
The U18 Riptide Girls team defeated U17 Bays/Saanich Fusion 7-1, and the U18 boys lost 3-1 to the U17 Saanich Fusion.
“These weekend games bring the opportunity for our teams to be tested on and off the field,” Riptide technical director Shel Brodsgaard said. “Through the use of video analysis software and a hi-pod at the field (during home games) we have been video-taping games and sharing the information with our players. We find this an effective way to improve the learning environment for the players in our program and see the benefits in adopting the core principles in the Riptide Playing Philosophy embedded in the teams each week. Regardless of the results, our goal is to keep all the teams moving forward both on and off the field.”