Who says soccer players aren't tough?
In the middle of a rainfall warning, 麻豆社国产FC and the Ladner Rangers battled to a 1-1 draw on Saturday (Feb. 12) in conditions that Squamish's Chris Rayner bluntly put best.
"It was wet and cold," he said, drenched from the hours-long downpour. "But I think it was our best performance of 2011. It was a great team effort and it was good to get a tie out of this one."
麻豆社国产has been on a losing slide in the final stretch of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League's (VMSL) Division 2A season. Back in November, the team was in first place in the division, sporting a record of eight wins and two losses, but a recent rough stretch saw the team lose four straight games and fall to third place.
"It's been a lack of commitment and some injuries that caused the drop in our play," Rayner said. "But after this, I think we're feeling good and back on the right track for the playoffs."
The draw was particularly impressive for Squamish, who were playing one man down the entire game, as they only had 10 players in total show up. Rayner said it was a completely new defensive backline and that he was pleased with the way the team worked together in the face of adversity.
Early in the game, Ladner was buzzing around the 麻豆社国产goal, with Rangers striker Curt Appleby blasting a shot off the crossbar. 麻豆社国产goalkeeper Jeremy Galley was solid between the pipes, stopping several glorious chances early on for the Rangers. Galley's hard work was rewarded when Squamish's Rich Collins was taken down in the penalty box in the middle portion of the first half. Collins converted on his penalty kick to give 麻豆社国产a 1-0 lead. The first half concluded with 麻豆社国产clinging to a 1-0 lead.
The Rangers answered in the second half, when Nick Loney booted home the game's tying goal off of a corner kick. The teams continued to trade chances but both keepers managed to keep the game at one goal apiece. After 90-plus minutes of wind and rain from all directions, the rain-soaked teams remained deadlocked in a draw and both squads seemed relieved to get out of the monsoon-like conditions at Quest University Field.
"I thought we were a little lucky to get out of this game with a tie," said Ladner's Appleby. "The conditions were pretty rough but nothing I haven't played in before. For us, it's good to get a tie and move on. We're planning on making a deep run in the playoffs this year."
The draw left 麻豆社国产FC one spot above the Rangers in the Division 2A standings, with a record of 10 wins, seven losses and one draw. The game was also the final regular-season match for both teams, as the VMSL will head to the postseason in the coming weeks. Playoff dates and match-ups are still to be determined but they will be posted on the league's website, www.vmslsoccer.com.
