Powell River Villa lost 2-0 against Comox Valley United as the home team celebrated 50 years in the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) on Saturday, September 9, exactly half a century from when the club played its first game in the league.
“It was disappointing to lose our 50th anniversary home opener, especially with the president of the league there cheering us on,” said Tony Leach, Villa’s coach. “Overall, we were too far away from each other and didn’t move the ball around well. There were times we did, but not as many as I saw in our preseason games two weeks ago, where we played better than I’ve seen in several years.
“Still, there were some positives to take away, and we’ll be able to build on that for the rest of the season.”
The first half of the game was scoreless, with Villa and Comox battling it out in the bright sunshine at Timberlane Park.
“We came out of the gate stronger than previous years, and we played good soccer, especially in the first half, but weren’t able to hold the momentum for the second half,” said Chris McDonough, Villa’s manager. “Comox was hungry for the rematch, especially after we beat them in the preseason, and they played hard, especially after they scored.”
Comox’s first goal came on a Villa defensive lapse at 60 minutes in the second half that allowed one of their forwards a breakaway. Their second goal was a ball that bounced off the crossbar directly onto keeper Scott McKenzie’s back and into the net at 83 minutes to end the game at 2-0 for the visitors.
“It’s not a fun feeling to lose, but I really appreciate how the guys stuck together and finished the game out,” said Joel Harry, who was named Villa’s captain this season. “We’ve had some troubles staying positive, but we lost as a team today, and I’m happy with how we reacted and the character we showed on the field.”
McDonough had praise for McKenzie, who made many great saves to keep the game close.
“Grant Hooper, who is new to the team this year, also played extremely well,” he said. “He moved to Powell River on Thursday, so Saturday’s game was the first time he’d played or practiced with the team, and he made his mark on the field for the whole game. Niko Cristante and Jacob Duyvesteyn were also dangerous in the midfield.”
Other special events took place to celebrate Villa’s 50th anniversary in the VISL, and the whole weekend went well according to Leach and McDonough.
“There were a lot of months of planning that went into this weekend, and it showed in how smoothly everything went,” said Leach. “There were about 50 people at the Friday night social, the alumni game Saturday morning was fun for everyone, and the Saturday evening dinner was sold out, with lots of familiar faces and six executives from the VISL.
“Mark Cristante, a Powell River-raised, high-level soccer player who was named the 2011 BC Soccer Adult Player of the Year, was there, and he said that there’s nowhere else he’s been that has the camaraderie of Powell River players, and you see that in how many people came from away to help us celebrate.”
The alumni game, which preceded the home opener, had players from their mid-20s through late-60s donning red or white retro Villa jerseys and taking the field for a friendly game at 10:30 am. The final score was 3-2 for the red jerseys.
Villa is on the road this weekend in Victoria, where they face Bays United FC for an evening game on Saturday, September 16. Bays lost 1-0 to Nanaimo FC on the opening weekend.
“It won’t be an easy game, but we know we have the skills and experience to get right back at it,” said McDonough. “We need a result this weekend, and we’re going to do our best to achieve it.”
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