MATCH REPORT

Weekly Roundup - March 8th & 9th

By Marion F Dent
Press Associates

	Player of the Week Jordan Langelaar VMSL Under 21 VMSL Premier 1-1 Sporting Club March 8, Cloverdale Athletic Park Click here for multi-photo slideshow Photos by Richard Howes - BCFPB

Week number 23 saw only three of our 7 teams play largely due to the snowfall on Saturday evening. And we enjoyed some mixed fortunes with a win, a tie and a loss.

In men’s Metro premier action on Saturday the Surrey United premier team, who had already clinched their provincial spot through league play, were missing seven key players who were either suspended, injured or rested for the league game against Sporting. It gave opportunities for a number of different players including four teenagers to step up and stake a claim for a premier team spot. The game got off to a poor start for United who found themselves a goal down after only three minutes when former player Steve Dormer fired home from the penalty spot after he had been upended. Surrey bounced back and thought they had tied up the game when Shawn Blakeway had the ball in the net only to see it called back for an apparent offside infraction after the referee had initially signalled the goal. The pattern of the game saw United ‘s young team dominate territorially with Sporting forced back on the defensive and reduced to sporadic counter-attacks. League leading scorer Blakeway was unlucky once again when his full-blooded volley hit the cross-bar and rebounded to safety with Sporting keeper Alex Marques beaten on the play. United keeper Jason Mackenzie denied Sporting an insurance marker and ultimately a chance to clinch outright the Premier “B” Division, with a brave save diving at the feet of Dormer. Surrey continued to pile on the pressure and after several near misses they grabbed a richly deserved equaliser with three minutes remaining when young substitute 16year old Reshad Etminan deflected home a well taken free-kick by midfielder Todd Stauber to tie the game up at it’s final 1-1 score-line.

In the ensuing division one match up between the same two teams United who had already clinched the divisional championship fielded a weakened team due to the premier call-ups and a desire to rest most of the Under 21 players for the following days important semi-cup final. Not surprisingly, the home side lost a close game 2-1. After going behind 2-0 the young United lads battled back hard. Lee Grant fired home for United to make the final twenty minutes an exciting finish but a great save by the Sporting keeper from a Kyle Krois 20 yard rocket and a series of near misses denied United the tying goal on this occasion.

On Sunday, with most scheduled games cancelled due to the snow Surrey United and Westside Under 21’s served up a great game for the larger than usual crowd at Hillcrest in Vancouver. Westside almost scored in the first minute of the game but United keeper Jordan Fode came up big with a great save to keep the score-line blank Surrey bounced back with some spirited play and won four successive corners which caused mayhem in the Westside goalmouth. United had one shot deflected onto the bar and centre-back Jordan Langelaar and forward Kyle Krois both missed glorious opportunities somehow missing the gaping goal with the keeper beaten on the play. Westside took the lead from a free-kick when their midfielder volleyed home the kick from twelve yards out. Westside added a second early in the second half when another midfield player ran through the United defence and hammered a cracker from twenty five yards into the top corner of the net most people thought the game was all over. That is apart from the Surrey United players who showed some “true grit” and dug down deep. In the sixty-eight minute United reduced the deficit when following a goalmouth scramble when Kyle Krois beat the Westside keeper to the loose ball to force it over the line. The goal gave United the momentum as they surged forward in search of the equaliser and were rewarded in the 85th minute when midfield player Brendan Wilkinson clipped home a right wing cross. In the dying minutes, United striker Jordan Gibbs almost notched the winner when he outpaced the Westside backline and as the keeper advanced Gibbs placed his shot narrowly wide of the target.

In the first period of overtime, Surrey completely dominated the first ten minutes and hit the bar, the post, had two shots blocked on the line and fired two great chances wide of the target. Westside somehow weathered the storm and then had a great chance of their own on a breakaway but were foiled by Surrey keeper Fode who conceded a corner in the process. From the resulting corner-kick Westside hit the upright and Surrey cleared away the rebound to send the game into it’s second period of overtime. Surrey won a corner in the opening minutes and from the resulting kick the Westside keeper failed to handle the cross cleanly and United centre-back Jordan Langelaar forced the ball over the line to notch the coveted golden goal and send Surrey United into the final against Metro-Ford Wolves. It was a dramatic goal that was good enough along with his great individual defensive performance to win Jordan this week’s Player of the Week Award. (This selection qualifies Jordan with an automatic entry for the chance to win a trip for two to Mexico!!!!!).