The Marine Harvest Riptide U18 boys defeated the U17 Juan De Fuca boys team on the Thanksgiving weekend.
“It was a great performance after a solid classroom session at the CRYSA clubhouse,” head coach Stephen Hall said, noting the boys are juggling high school soccer with VIPL (Vancouver Island Premier League) play. “We were much better with our patience and switching the point of attack. We did in spells get away from having depth in our attack but that is hard to avoid when the goals start coming as fast as they did. Again, proof that finishing and scoring comes from great team play in the build-up and work rate off of the ball.”
•The U-18 Riptide girls are undefeated after completing their first round of play with four other teams in the league. The team consists of players from Powell River, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Port Hardy and Nanaimo. Coaches Darrin McLeod and Scott Harris are encouraged after the first month. It’s difficult to get players all in one place to train and gel as a team but this group is dedicated, and the extra effort by players, parents and staff has led to the success of the team thus far. Last weekend, the girls beat Sannich Fusion 3-0 in Victoria with a strong performance and some precision finishing. The next game is Oct. 16 in Campbell River.
•The U14 boys lost 1-0 to the “Mighty Storm.” The boys played well but gave away one scoring chance late in the game. The squad was sound defensively, tough to beat in the midfield, and aggressive and organized as a team. There was a noticeable sigh of relief from the opponent at the end of the game as they walked off the field with the late victory.
“The U14 boys have been showing steady improvement in both their play and team chemistry, which leads me to believe this team can and will improve with each performance,” Riptide technical director Shel Brodsgaard said. “With each game they develop a better understanding for one another, as well as the team tactics employed.”