It wasn't easy but the Howe Sound Sounders continued their winning ways Saturday (Oct. 2), defeating the Moscrop Secondary Panthers 28-14 in Burnaby.
The Sounders won by scoring two fourth quarter defensive touchdowns to break a deadlocked game.
"It was a really close and tough battle," said Sounders head coach Rob Ryan. "We weren't really able to move the ball that well on offence and their defensive speed was a factor."
The two teams were tied 6-6 after the first half, with running back Cory Constantin again leading the charge, scoring the team's only touchdown of the first half. Constantin put together an impressive day on the ground, picking up 132 yards and two touchdowns.
The third quarter saw Constantin add another rushing touchdown but Moscrop kept pace with the Sounders and the game remained tied after three quarters at 14-14.
The fourth quarter was where the wheels fell off for Moscrop, as the Sounders took advantage of two turnovers and converted them into touchdowns.
With six minutes left in the game, Constantin recovered a Panthers fumble and carried it all the way to the end zone to take the lead back for the Sounders.
During the next series, Anthony Wuster picked off a pass attempt and ran it all the way home to add a little insurance and secure the victory. Wuster had a strong game offensively as well, averaging over six yards a carry running the ball.
Despite the win, Ryan still thinks the team has a lot to work on.
"We just couldn't put offensive drives together against Moscrop," he said. "We need to get the offence going and work better on our blocking assignments."
Their passing game struggled against Moscrop, putting together only two completions on the day. But Ryan said he was pleased with how the defence has looked in the early stages of this season.
"I think overall we're playing really good defence," he said.
Constantin, Wuster and Nolan Prevost have been effective at stopping the opposing offence, he said.
"We like the way that Cory, Nolan and Anthony have been playing on D, but we want to make sure we're not overplaying them on both sides of the ball."
The defence put together a strong effort, creating five turnovers that helped swing the game in the Sounders' favour. Linebacker Jordan Gusteli led the team with eight tackles and also picked up two sacks.
The win puts the Sounders at 2-0 on the season and keeps them entrenched in first place in the Tier 2 Western Conference.
Next up for the team is a trip to Vancouver Island to take on Belmont Secondary in an exhibition game on Friday (Oct. 8). According to Ryan, the week off from league play comes at a good time.
"It's quite fortunate for us because it gives us two weeks to try and improve things on the offensive side," he said. "We've got a real tough test against Frank Hurt in two weeks and it gives us time to prepare for them."
The next home game for the Sounders will be when Frank Hurt comes to town on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m.
