Chilliwack FC’s U-21 women blanked visiting West Van FC on Sunday, picking up three valuable points in the Pacific Coast Soccer League standings.
Trying to get back in the win column for the first time since May 15, the locals scored all their goals in the second half en-route to a 3-0 win.
Chilliwack came into the game short-handed, with several players still coming back from AAA high school provincials in Kamloops. With only one sub available, coach Glenn Wilson wondered how his team would cope on a hot afternoon at Townsend Park.
“We were a bit worried, but it actually seemed to affect our opponents more than it did us,” Wilson observed.
The teams battled through a scoreless first half.
“But it was very evident that it was a game we should win, and at halftime we all agreed this was a game were we should come away with nothing less than three points,” Wilson said. “Our opponents really weren’t threatening us much at all. Our defence was coping with them comfortably and their defence looked vulnerable.
Chilliwack hit another gear in the second half, moving bodies forward to press the advantage.
Aileen Atkins opened the scoring, camping on the goal-mouth to finish a cross from Kirsten Wilson.
Nicole Verdonk notched the second goal from the edge of the penalty box, booting a bouncing ball into the top corner of the West Vancouver net.
“Atkins got the third goal, and it was pretty much a carbon copy of Nicole’s strike,” Wilson said. “A ball bouncing at the edge of the penalty area and a kick into the top of the net.”
The last goal came 15 minutes before the end of the game, and West Van lacked the will to battle back.
“We started to tire a little bit, but our focus was on keeping the ball and letting our opponents do all the running,” Wilson said. “West Van ran out of steam and pretty much gave up in the last 10 minutes.”
Needing a top four finish to qualify for PCSL playoffs, Chilliwack needed a win over West Van to keep pace with the likes of Kamloops, the TSS Academy and the North Shore Stars.
The locals still trail a front running group that also includes the Fraser Valley Action, but Chilliwack has games in hand on most of the teams they are chasing.
“It’s important when you play against teams you should be beating that you beat them,” Wilson said of the West Van win. “We’ve got Kelowna coming up this weekend, and that’s another game we should look to get three points out of. We finished third last year and we’re right in there this year. The goal is always to improve on what we did the previous year.”
See www.pcsl.org for more info.
