A Cinderella story came to an end Sunday, as Port Alberni of the VISL was defeated by Guildford of the VMSL 3-0.
It was a very tough match for the guys – the Guildford team was very talented and strong. Port Alberni had the game tied at 0-0 for the first half. They defended very well with their Keeper and Center back being very busy. They chose carefully when to counter, and just missed when they did.
After taking a yellow card in the first half, Daniel Klint (whom was the very busy center back) was in the running for game MVP. He also suffered a broken hand and insisted on continuing to play after the medics took care of him at halftime. Unfortunately, he took a second yellow card early in the second half and that left Port Alberni with 10 players.
Guildford was too strong and they popped 2 goals shortly afterwards. They added another later in the match for the win.
Much to the credit of Port Alberni, they worked very hard for the remainder of the game. They stuck tackles and did all the extra running. While the game was obviously in hand by Guildford, it was quite obvious that the Mainland spectators were hoping that they would at least break the shutout and be rewarded with a goal. It was not to be. Gary Spencer Smith was a work horse and along with Andre Andrews – narrowly missed getting the squad on the board.
An excellent effort by the squad, they travelled well and will cherish the experience of getting to a BC Provincial Cup Final.
Full marks to Guildford as they well a very nice team to watch.
Vince Greco
VISL President