March 22, 2019
From the Media Desk of the Fraser Valley Soccer League…
After an impressive midweek win over Umbro Premier League side Temple Vancouver United, Division 1 PoCo FC Royals were disappointingly unable to field a team for their quarter final date in Chilliwack. That means Chilliwack get advanced to the semis and they certainly will not be complaining about that as they look to shock the FVSL by winning the Pakenham Cup and the accompanying Provincial Cup spot. As for the rest of the field, there were two remaining Division 1 teams, however, the clock struck midnight for both, while our one all UPL match up of the round served up an instant classic.
Here’s a recap of all of this round’s action:
PAKENHAM CUP – QUARTER FINALS
Langley United A 2-0 Coastal FC B – Friday 8:30pm; Yorkson Turf
The Brett Wiens comeback special continued out in Langley as the big man made it three games in a row with a goal, netting his fourth tally since returning from a long injury layoff. Wiens had several other chances and was at the heart of the attack for Langley as they advanced past Terry Oujla and a Division 1 Coastal B side that gave a good account of themselves on the day. The game certainly had feeling though with several heavy tackles keeping the officials on their toes. Manveer Dhillon had the other goal for Langley and there would be no solving Colton Keam on the day as he kept a clean sheet to see Langley safely into the semi-finals. It has been three straight wins over Div. 1 sides for Langley who will now finally face a UPL side as Chilliwack await in the final four.
Port Moody Gunners 2-3 Coastal FC A – Saturday 4pm; Trasolini Turf
Sadly, for Port Moody, the dream of the “quad” died in this one. Fair play to Coastal A though who shook off their Trasolini jinx to beat the team that has stolen away their UPL crown. Even without all the bounces going their way, Louis Genty accidently finished into his own net to hinder the visitor’s cause, Coastal was able to band together and preserver for the win. Shawn Parkes was the driving force for Coastal in this one and brother Cameron Parkes chipped in with a goal. Of course talisman Jake Starheim was not far from the action and he scored in this game as well with Taylor Richardson rounding out the offense. A frustrating night for Port Moody though as after a month of seemingly not being able to put a foot wrong, they were unable to find a way in this one. Cole Almond had a great performance and Jordan Marini was able to pot a goal but it was not enough on the night. So while there will not be four trophies for Port Moody this season, they will now turn their attention to winning the SC Cup and taking a shot at the biggest prize of all, the Provincial Cup. Coastal will have the same lofty ambitions of picking up the two previously mentioned trophies, though they will want to add the Pakenham Cup also as they are off to the semi-finals.
Abbotsford United 4-0 SAFC Red Bulls – Saturday 6pm; Mouat Turf #3
It was one-way traffic in this one with UPL Abbotsford too much to handle for Division 1 SAFC. Reece Branion put Abby up from the spot just before the half hour mark and United never looked back. To their credit, the Red Bulls showed some decent stuff and had a few good spells, particularly while the game was still close at 1-0. Brandon Nair played well for SAFC, but, ultimately, the quality that we have come to see from Abbotsford this season shone through. Abbotsford began to pull out of reach on the hour mark when Tyson Hunter went to his bag of tricks and pulled off a perfectly timed pirouette at full speed right at the top of the box which gave him the yard of space he needed to cannon one in off the post and double United’s lead. The ever-versatile Colton O’Neill, who proved just how much of a Swiss Army knife he is going from centre back to centre striker at half time, would extend the lead further when he finished off an inch perfect pass from Hunter following another slick dribbling display by the Abby midfielder. At 3-0 up Abbotsford admittedly began to get a bit complacent, so it fell to stalwart goalkeeper Mike Haladin to make the necessary saves in order to preserve his shutout. Back at the other end, Hunter continued to prove unplayable for the SAFC defense as he danced into the box only to be felled for a second Abbotsford penalty on the day. This time is was Parman Minhas who converted from twelve yards out and capped off the scoring on the day. Notwithstanding the score line, Abbotsford manager Alan Alderson knew this game was no walk in the park for his side as he gave SAFC credit saying “it took quite a while for us to solve a well-organized team that was also quick and skillful in transition, and in particular their two central defenders were very solid.” However, Alderson was also quick to praise his players and one in particular stood out: “Tyson Hunter was magical on the evening, scoring a beauty, a beautiful set up and assist on another and getting taken down in the box for a PK. He was our player of the game.” Alderson will be hoping that Hunter and his teammates can keep this sort of form up moving forward as they will face Coastal in a pair of semi finals over the next two weeks.
What’s Coming Next…
SOCCER CITY PREMIER LEAGUE CUP – SEMI FINAL SCHEDULE:
Fri 03/22/2019 8:45PM Surrey United vs. Port Moody Gunners Cloverdale Ath. Turf #2
Sat 03/23/2019 6:00PM Abbotsford United vs. Coastal FC A Mouat Turf #3
PAKENHAM CUP – SEMI FINAL SCHEDULE:
Fri 03/29/2019 8:00PM Chilliwack FC vs. Langley United A Tzeachten Turf #1
Sat 03/30/2019 6:00PM Abbotsford United vs. Coastal FC A Mouat Turf #3
The draw has served us up a bit of a quirk with Abbotsford and Coastal meeting each other out at Mouat in the semi finals of both the Soccer City and Pakenham cups. Coastal are the current holders of the SC cup and after having the UPL title pried away from them by Port Moody they will be keen to retain this at least one piece of silverware this year. As fate would have it, their path to keeping the SC Cup in South Surrey might well serve up another showdown with the Gunners, assuming Port Moody beat Surrey United. Those two sides have split their season series with a win a piece and a further UPL match to come after their cup clash this weekend. Ironically, despite having just had Coastal exact a modicum of revenge over them in the Pakenham Cup, the Gunners might well be hoping that if they do manage to each the final that it is Coastal who will await them. Abbotsford have been somewhat of a bogey team for Port Moody this season after United handed them their first loss of the season and followed it up with a tenacious draw. True, Port Moody did just clinch the UPL title with a win over Abby, so perhaps that tide is turning. However, the Gunners fell behind early in that match and needed a pair of second half goals to rescue the points and assure themselves the title against an Abbotsford side that simply refused to quit at any point.
Regardless of what happens between them this week, Coastal will trek back out to Abbotsford next weekend for the Pakenham Cup semi-final. It is often difficult to beat a team in back to back matches and to make things even trickier for Coastal, Abby will have home field for both fixtures. The home team won all three meetings between the sides this season, shutting out their opponent each time. Abbotsford will certainly be hoping that trend continues, though Coastal will be confident of overcoming any intangibles after breaking their Trasolini hoodoo against Port Moody to reach this stage. The compelling fixture of the round though has underdogs and sentimental favourites Chilliwack squaring off against powerhouse Langley United. Langley were given an extra match to play in this competition, having been drawn into the Preliminary Round fixture, but they have only had to face Division 1 sides through until this stage of the tournament. With a win Chilliwack would have the chance to play for the Pakenham Cup title and a surprising berth in the Provincial Cup, but it will be anything but easy. Langley have won both matches the two teams have played against each other this season, including a 7-0 trouncing back in October. The rematch on home soil for Chilliwack a Tzeachten was a more respectable 2-1 loss, but, in yet another fun scheduling quirk, the teams will clash once more this Friday in league play. Making the task potentially even more daunting is the new weapon United have welcomed thanks to the return to the pitch of Brett Wiens. Wiens is red hot with four goals through his first three matches with Langley. So there you have it four semi-finals, each with their own compelling story line; it should make for some cracking action as these two competitions reach a climax!
Send NEWS to media@fraservalleysoccer.com
And for more information on the FVSL go to fraservalleysoccer.com
March 22, 2019
From the Media Desk of the Fraser Valley Soccer League…
The weather was still wreaking some minor havoc throughout the FVSL last week, which meant a few cup matches were pushed back. In the end, although perhaps a couple of days later than anticipated, the Pakenham Cup quarter finals were determined and the Soccer City Premier League Cup got underway with quarter finals of their own. Which teams will be left standing come Cup Final Day on April 6 at Cloverdale Athletic Park? Only time will tell, but it is now down to just twelve possible teams!
Here’s a recap of all of this round’s action:
PAKENHAM CUP – ROUND OF 16
North Delta SC 0-3 Langley United A – Sunday 6pm; Mackie Turf
Langley continued to cruise past lower league opposition. After handily seeing of TWU Spartans in the preliminary match, they followed up by beating arguably the other top team from Division 1, North Delta SC. Last season North Delta played the royal of giant killers, knocking off a pair of Premier teams in cup play, but this season that was not to be. Colin Jones had a standout performance with a brace from the visitors while Brett Wiens continued his strong form in the cup adding another goal this week to go with the pair he had in the prelim match. Surely he must be thrilled to be back on the pitch scoring goals after being hampered by injury for most of the season. Andrew Hicks turned in yet another top effort in goal, which we have come to expect from the FVSL All-Star keeper, as he earned the clean sheet in this one. For North Delta, Ivan Bortolussi played well but was unable to add to the eight goals that he has scored so far this season in league play.
PoCo FC Royals 3-3 (5-4) Temple Vancouver United – Wednesday 9pm; Gates Turf #1
It took quite awhile to get played, but when it finally went ahead PoCo against Temple produced an early candidate for match of the tournament. The game began with a frenetic first half that saw the teams exchange goals inside the opening ten minutes. David Morin for PoCo and Jaxon Bain for Temple each tallied before Bain went from hero to goat as he finished into his own net for an own goal. Kade McGregor would also score for the Royals, making it 3-1 for the Division 1 side before the half hour mark. Temple would not be going quietly into that good night however as Jakr Othman popped up with a goal to half the deficit before the break. In the second period both teams began by chasing further goals, however, perhaps naturally, PoCo began to drop deeper to try and protect what they had and, predictably, this allowed Temple to take the game over. As the match reached the hour mark Othman struck again to deservedly level things back up. From there the visitors pushed on for the winner and looked to have found it only for the Royals goalkeeper to come up with a remarkable breakaway save. In the end the two sides could not be separated and this one had to be settle with kicks from the spot. PoCo were clinical going five for five and, unfortunately for Temple and Othman, there would be no storybook ending to their comeback as the two-goal hero for the Surrey side would be the only shooter to miss his penalty. PoCo advance to make it three Division 1 sides in the quarterfinals and a tip of the hat must go to the performance of Justin Hughes who was immense for the lower division side. It may have taken awhile to get played, but this match was certainly worth the wait for PoCo. Meanwhile a frustrating inaugural season for Temple continues as their search for a first FVSL win goes on.
SOCCER CITY PREMIER LEAGUE CUP – QUARTER FINALS
Chilliwack FC 0-6 Abbotsford United – Friday 8pm; Tzeachten Turf #1
Maybe Chilliwack were distracted dreaming of the possibilities that may lie ahead in their Pakenham Cup quest when they arrived for this match, but, whatever the case, further performances like this one will not make for much success, regardless of the competition. This match was one-way traffic with Parman Minhas tapped in a Brady Weir freekick three minutes in. Three minutes after that Minhas turned provider to help double Abbotsford’s lead. United’s Swiss Army knife, Colton O’Neill, ranged forward from his left back position on the night and slotted home from a Minhas layoff. Chilliwack finally woke up at this point and earned a few set piece chance to try and find a way back into the game. However, as usual, UPL Golden Gloves leader Mike Haladin was sharp and would more or less cruise to yet another clean sheet. Back on offense, it was Weir’s turn to get in on the action with Reece Branion supplying the assist. With the team playing champagne football at this point, it was likely only a matter of time before the fantastic skill of Roshan Gosal created an opening and, sure enough, before the half hour mark he did the hard individual work before putting a cut back on a platter for Koby Byrne to make it 4-0. In the second half there was to be no miraculous comeback for Chilliwack, irrespective of the always robust play of talisman Tyler Epp. Instead Minhas and Weir continued to dominate and that combination resulted in the former setting up the latter for his second of the night to further extend Abby’s lead. Weir would round out his hattrick by converting a late penalty. United manager Alan Alderson was predictably glowing after the way his side played, noting “I always like it when we come out sharp, focused and ready to play!” He was full of praise for his players on the night as well, saying “Brady Weir has been outstanding in our last couple matches, so we were all really pleased for him to get an assist and a hat trick on the night as a reward for how well he has been playing. Now that Parman is fit and healthy it was also great to have him get a goal and a couple of assists and I was also excited at the pride we displayed with our team work rate and defending and excited for Mike Haladin as he earned his eighth shutout of the season.”
Surrey United Firefighters 6-0 Temple Vancouver United – Friday 8:45pm; Cloverdale Athletic #3
Despite their league standing in the UPL, Temple have cause nothing but headaches for local rivals Surrey United so far this season. Once again Surrey came out guns blazing and generated plenty of chances but a combination of poor finishing and Temple’s unique, torrid defensive style had them frustrated. Fortunately for Firefighters, David Adams connected with a terrific header to open the scoring off a corner kick, however it was still just 1-0 at half time. Come the second 45 minute though, things eventually opened up for Surrey. Youth call up Malachi Emerrson and the ever-pesky Josh Miles were able to hound Temple into submission combining for three goals between them with Miles bagging a brace and the youngster, Emerrson, scoring one of his own. As the floodgates opened, Ryan Donald, who had run miles up and the wing all night, was rewarded with a goal of his own, while Sean Einarsson continued to play well in his return from UBC, scoring his third goal in two games. The relief with the result was palpable for assistant manager Dave Hleuka who observed that “finally we scored the goals to reflect how we play against Temple.” Yimar Palacio did his best to turn the tide for the visitors on this night, but neither he nor any of his compatriots were able to solve Nuno Jesus in the Firefighters goal as the former Aldergrove man recorded the shutout.
Coastal FC 5-0 Burnaby Firefighters – Tuesday 9pm; South Surrey Athletic #10
Notwithstanding the eventual full-time score, this match was a closely contested affair. James Pistrin was a constant threat for Burnaby, but he could not find a way past Toscanny Pansu-Oseman which would prove costly for Firefighters. In the end, Coastal simply wore down their opponents as, having failed to defend their UPL crown, they look to retain the other trophy they won last season by repeating as SC Cup champions. Sean Northcote continued his recent run of top performances and scored as well for the fourth game running. There was also a goal for Isaac Kyei who, by his standards, is having a quiet season as this was only his second marker of the campaign in all competitions. Amardeep Mander and Cameron Parkes too got themselves on the scoresheet while Tyler Richardson rounded out the scoring in this one.
Port Moody Gunners 2-1 Langley United – Wednesday 9:15pm; Trasolini Turf
Due to the busy schedule, the last SC Cup semi-finalist had to wait until midweek to be determined. After three lopsided score lines in the other quarterfinals, this match was nip and tuck. A tight contest was perhaps always likely between these two sides though, given that they challenged each other all throughout the UPL season for the title, until, ultimately, Port Moody pulled away. The Gunners were crowned champions in large part thanks to the result in their final league meeting with Langley. After a pair of draws in their first two games, Graeme Meers put in arguably the performance of the season, scoring all four goals in a 4-1 win. Meers would again be the difference in this match as he would score a brace and put in a man of the match effort for the home side. Moosha Ashrafi had the reply for United and Scott Barling made his presence in midfield know throughout the 90 minutes. Just as in the league though, Port Moody had just that little bit extra in the crucial moments and that sees the Tri-Cities club, and UPL champions, maintain their chance as sweeping all the FVSL silverware this season!
What’s Coming Next…
PAKENHAM CUP – QUARTER FINAL SCHEDULE:
Fri 03/15/2019 8:00PM Chilliwack FC vs. PoCo FC Royals Tzeachten Turf #1
Fri 03/15/2019 8:30PM Langley United A vs. Coastal FC B Yorkson Turf
Sat 03/16/2019 4:00PM Port Moody Gunners A vs. Coastal FC A Trasolini Turf
Sat 03/16/2019 6:00PM Abbotsford United vs. SAFC Red Bulls Mouat Turf #3
The fixture that immediately jumps off the page for this round is recently dethroned UPL title winners Coastal A travelling to play newly crowned UPL champions Port Moody Gunners A. Trasolini has become a house of horrors for Coastal after their two visits there already this year to play the Gunners have seen them lose by a combined 10-0 margin. All indications are that the games were not as one sided as the score lines suggest, but Port Moody clearly had last years champions in their crosshairs from day one this season and they have certainly had their number on home turf. Can Coastal reverse the trend? They definitely have the potential given an All-Star laden line up and this match may well come down to which of the UPL’s two leading scorers, first place Graeme Meers from Port Moody or current Golden Boot runner-up, Coastal’s Jake Starheim, can make the difference. Last time the sides met is was well and truly the Meers show as he potted four goals en route to a 6-0 Port Moody win.
Elsewhere there is plenty to play for between Chilliwack and PoCo, with Chilliwack having to like their chances at home against a team from the bottom half of the Division 1 table. The winner of that one will all but surely play Langley United A, who have managed to avoid any slip ups despite having to play a preliminary match and drawing the two leading contenders for the Division 1 title season. This week it is another Division 1 side for Langley in Coastal FC B, but they sit mid-table and will be massive underdogs. If Chilliwack can manage to avoid PoCo pulling off a pair of upsets within three days, then they will be one win away from playing for not only the Pakenham Cup itself, but also the Provincial Cup berth that accompanies it!
Send NEWS to media@fraservalleysoccer.com
And for more information on the FVSL go to fraservalleysoccer.com
March 22, 2019
From the Media Desk of the Fraser Valley Soccer League…
Well the snow certainly through a wrench into things just as the Umbro Premier League season was building to a climax. However, with the winter weather finally letting up, the UPL has crowned a champion for the 2018/2019 season! There are still eight fixtures remaining in the league schedule to determine the final standings and those will be played as teams are eliminated from cup competition. There is still plenty to play for, including Provincial Cup berths, so it should be a great finish!
Here’s a recap of all the latest action:
Coastal FC 4-0 Abbotsford United – Saturday (Feb. 9) 4pm; South Surrey Athletic Park #10
After a season of arguably overachieving for a young team out in Abbotsford, United were arguably handed a reality check by defending UPL champions Coastal. The home side were desperate to keep the pressure on at the top of the table and, while Abbotsford played some decent football, Coastal were clinical in the final third, showing the pedigree of a team that knows how to get the job done when it matters most. Abbotsford manager Alan Alderson described it as their opponents having “showed more bite, more grit, more intensity, more edge, more hunger, more sharpness and better communication on the parts of the field where it matters the most.” The result was goals from Taylor Richardson and Jeff Crawford to go along with markers from the “Seans” (Sean Northcote and Sean Kamensek). Despite not getting on the score sheet directly, Coastal talisman Jake Starheim was in the thick of the action, putting in his usual top-class performance, while David Hicks chalked up the clean sheet in goal. The ever-reliable Tyson Hunter put in a solid shift for Abby in the loss while Tammer Byrne turned in a good effort anchoring a youthful backline. “We worked pretty hard and despite a bit of understandable frustration at the numbers on the scoreboard,” said Alderson post game as he tried to maintain a positive outlook, “our guys worked hard until the final whistle.”
Temple Vancouver United 1-8 Port Moody Gunners – Saturday (Feb. 23) 4pm; Newton Athletic Park #2
This one ended up be a “Stats Day” game for Port Moody as they blazed past Temple and slapped one hand firmly on the UPL title. It was one-way traffic from start to finish with the Gunners appearing highly motived, no doubt able to see the championship at the end of the tunnel now. Graeme Meers showed no ill-effects from the weeks off thanks to the snow, notching his third hattrick in as many games. However, he was not alone as Cole Almond also scored three in this match! Jardan Marini and Mony Dharjang rounded out the scoring on this occasion while Mark Talisuna was busy pulling the strings in yet another dominant midfield outing. Jakr Othman was the lone bright spot for Temple, notching the home side’s only reply, on an otherwise dismal evening. The win confirmed a last place finish for United but, for Port Moody, they moved within three points of the UPL title.
Chilliwack FC 0-3 Coastal FC – Tuesday (Mar. 5) 8pm; Tzeachten Turf #1
After another snow delay, it was a must win game for Coastal in this mid-week encounter out in the Eastern most part of the FVSL. The defending champions would need a win and some help from Abbotsford against Port Moody in a concurrent fixture in order to have any chance of retaining their crown. Coastal did their part and, unsurprisingly, they were led by leading scoring Jake Starheim who scored a brace in this one. Sean Northcote had the other marker for the visitors while Coastal’s seemingly ever-rotating cavalcade of goalkeepers produced a shutout for Andrew Nemeth. It was a full team effort as Mark Baldisimo was a difference maker in the midfield to help earn the win. On the other side of the ball the always classy Tyler Epp turned in yet another top-level performance for Chilliwack, despite the loss.
Abbotsford United 1-2 Port Moody Gunners – Tuesday (Mar. 5) 8pm; Mouat Turf #3
With a win in this match, only Langley would be able to match Port Moody’s point total, with the Gunners still having one more match to play. However, because Port Moody won the season series against Langley, two ties and a win, this match presented the Gunners with a chance to become UPL champions, with one game left to spare. In order to be awarded the trophy though, the Tri-Cities team would need to beat an opponent who has caused them problems this season. Abbotsford United had a win and a draw against the Gunners in their two league meetings earlier this season and got on the front foot straight away when the dangerous Roshal Gosal was brought down for a free kick. Tyson Hunter whipped in a delicious ball that Atle Koellmel nodded home to open the scoring. After falling behind PoMo nearly pulled level when they hit one off the post within minutes of conceding, however, they were lucky not to be two behind when Brady Weir struck a sumptuous volley that somehow did not end up in the back of the net. As you would expect in a top game, the top players on both sides brought their best. Hunter and Port Moody’s Mark Talisuna were locked in a titanic midfield battle that included Hunter nearly dancing through an array of defenders only for Talisuna to pop up and get in a tackle to prevent a chance from inside the area. Golden Gloves leader Mike Haladin was showing just exactly how hard he is to beat in the Abbotsford goal as he made a pair of top-drawer saves either side of half time to preserve the narrow lead. There was nothing Haladin could do though to keep out a Cole Almond header just past the hour mark as the Gunners pulled level. The winner would come from an unlikely source as youth call-up Aaron Colbourne would smash an absolute peach of a strike with just over 15 minutes left to play to flip the script and put Port Moody in front. A late chance for Colton O’Neill nearly spoiled the celebrations, but in the end the Gunners would get the victory and raise the UPL trophy. While disappointed, Abbotsford manager Alan Alderson was quick to recognize the occasion and put the game in perspective saying “we knew we were going to be up against an incredibly hungry group and Port Moody did not disappoint. I had asked our guys to show a lot of pride in our defending and we did just that. We also were a handful for them and created some very nice opportunities of our own and had our moments.” Indeed, it was a fantastic showpiece fixture and a game worth of winning a title. Congratulations to Port Moody Gunners who take home the 2018/2019 UPL title along with the $5000 cash prize that accompanies it!
Here’s how the table looks after the above matches:
BROWNS SOCIAL HOUSE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
This week’s Brown’s Social House Player of the week is Mark Talisuna from Port Moody Gunners. Mark was named MVP in both of the Gunners matches over the disjointed mid-season snow hiatus including in what was their title clinching outing against Abbotsford. This makes it ten times this season that he has been named the best player from his side on the day and he looks to be the favourite now to win the UPL’s overall MVP award at the conclusion of the campaign. Congratulations Mark, you have won a $25 gift card courtesy of Brown’s Social House!
REMAINING UPL SCHEDULE:
(To be played as teams are eliminated from Cup competition)
Langley United v Chilliwack FC Surrey United v Burnaby Firefighters
Burnaby Firefighters vs. Temple VAN United Temple VAN United v Langley United
Port Moody Gunners vs. Surrey United Chilliwack v Abbotsford United
Burnaby Firefighters v Coastal FC Surrey United v Langley United
With the title now decided, as only Langley could catch Port Moody and the Gunners hold the tie breaker after winning the season series between the two teams, attention now turns to Provincial Cup qualification. The league has five berths, so the top five sides can rest comfortable in knowing that they cannot be caught by the teams behind them. However, if either the Pakenham or SC Cup champions come from outside of the top five, they will supersede the side with the lowest points total, making it advantageous to try and finish as high up the table as possible. Additionally, Burnaby have three matches remaining to try and catch Chilliwack and avoid any threat of having to play in a relegation playoff. The matches are set to come thick and fast with the two cup competitions and remaining league games making for a crowded schedule. For the neutral observer, however, it is a veritable buffet of top FVSL action. So eat your heart out as we come down the final stretch!
Send NEWS to media@fraservalleysoccer.com
And for more information on the FVSL go to fraservalleysoccer.com