The 麻豆社国产U15 and U17 girls select teams each racked up a necessary win in Coastal Cup action on Sunday.
The games even finished with the same score line. Beyond that, they couldn鈥檛 have been more different.
The U15s typically press opponents, but Sunday afternoon, as they hosted a physical Port Moody side at Brennan Park, they found themselves playing on the back foot for much of the first half, as the visitors were winning the individual battles, beating 麻豆社国产to loose balls, especially at midfield.
The local defenders were forced to clear the ball off to the side several times to reduce pressure, while keeper Tanreet Sekhon was kept busy redirecting shots and catching long ball after long ball, which Port Moody drifted in towards goal.
Through the first half the defence held. Port Moody came out in the second half and kept up the pressure, but as the half wore on, 麻豆社国产was able to press back and move the ball upfield on the counter.
The local side was able to win a corner kick, and on the play, Jericho Monaghan fired in a long ball to the far side of the box to a waiting Mary-Beth White-Bothe, who leapt up to knock in a driving header past the Port Moody keeper.
Moments later, Port Moody tied things up with a long ball that glanced off the fingertips of the otherwise sure-handed Sekhon.
In the waning minutes, the game became more physical, even testy, and with time running down 麻豆社国产was given a penalty kick after an infraction in the box.
Conni Ward was able convert with a strong shot to the upper right hand corner of the net, which proved to be the decisive goal.
Coach Nicole Hoskin said later the team needed a bit of pep talk at halftime, one with a simple message.
鈥淚t was an ultimatum. You have only 40 minutes,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to go into a penalty shootout.鈥�
The U15s will host their next Coastal Cup game, though the opponent will be determined during the week. The game will be at Brennan Park on Sunday at 2:15 p.m.
麻豆社国产hopes to keep paying in the Coastal Cup series, with an eye toward making the provincial B cup series in Penticton in July.
鈥淲e鈥檝e never really gone on a trip with this team,鈥� Hoskin said.
The U17 girls followed up their younger colleagues鈥� win with a match on the turf against visiting Richmond. However, in this affair, 麻豆社国产was the aggressor.
Again, unlike the earlier game, in which all the scoring came in the second half, the goals in the U17 matchup all came in the first frame.
麻豆社国产tallied the first marker when Lauren Petryshen played a long ball and fired one low past the crouching Richmond keeper.
The locals continued to keep up the pressure in the visitors鈥� end for the early part of the match and won several corners. On one, Kyley Rosser converted a truly strange shot into the net by bending the ball just enough to put it past the Richmond defender playing the near post.
Richmond would not be denied though, as the visitors caught the 麻豆社国产defence exposed and tapped one of their own into the open net.
麻豆社国产led at the half, and throughout the second, despite a little more pressure from the visitors, the 2-1 score line held.
While the U17 game was not as physical as the U15 one, a couple of 麻豆社国产players were worse for wear following collisions with the Richmond keeper.
Coach Brent Williston said each team came in with no experience of the other.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know the opponent鈥� and they didn鈥檛 know us,鈥� he said.
He was pleased with his team鈥檚 effort though and how the players set the tone for the game.
鈥淭his team always plays really hard,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e managed to stay in games.鈥�
The U17s will also play next Sunday, though the opponent and the site of the game still had to be determined by press time.聽
