The Langley FC U18 Mustangs were unable to repeat as Coastal Cup champions, falling to Cliff Avenue Synergy in the cup final this past weekend.
Cliff Avenue were able to build a three goal lead and then hang on for a 3-2 victory in what was a physical game in which officiating was a factor.
The Mustangs fell behind 2-0 after the first half. Cliff Avenue was able to play a tough defensive game and were aided by whistle happy officiating which slowed the game down. The Synergy were able to capitalize on their scoring chances while holding the Mustangs to few opportunities. The Mustangs best opportunity to score came in the 34th minute when Keenya Pierre broke in on a breakaway but lobbed the ball off the Synergy cross bar.
The second half didn’t start any better for the Mustangs when Cliff Avenue was awarded and converted a penalty kick making the score 3-0. The Mustangs got a much needed boost in the 29th minute when Shelby Beck was able to beat two Synergy defenders and side foot a beautiful shot for the team’s first goal.
The Mustangs pressed from that point on, and appeared to score their second in the 40th minute following a goal mouth scramble, only to have the referee call it back. The official had prematurely blown the whistle to award a penalty kick to the Mustangs. However, the resultant spot kick went wide and the Mustangs remained unjustly two goals behind.
The Mustangs never gave up and pressured for the rest of the game but were never able finish off any chances. Their last goal came from Alex Stasiuk on a “make up call’ penalty shot, the third penalty shot of the game at the end of a ten minute extra time session.
“I’m really proud of our response after the halftime break. It was one of those games that everything that could go wrong went wrong in the first half. It was a different story in the second half as Cliff Ave really just hung on. These kids are amazing as they never gave up. It was a great effort and we just came up a bit short. ”
This game was the end of the Mustangs in youth rep soccer. In the team’s six years of existence it collected two Provincial and three Coastal Cup titles, one runner up to the Provincial Cup, two runners up to the Coastal Cup, and one third place Provincial final finish. The teams accomplishments also gained them entry into such prestigious tournaments as the Las Vegas College Showcase and College Surf Cup in San Diego.
Many members of the team also played for Surrey WFC at the Super Y North American Finals in Tampa where the finished third.
The 1993 Langley Mustangs are:
Nimmie Banipal, Natallie Olszewski, Tessa Loewen, Nikki Stanley, Jessica Janower, Shelby Beck, Paige Friesen, Kathleen Ehman, Rachel Neufeld, Taylor Venuti, Calli Rouse, Keenya Pierre, Alanna Haynes, Ashley Radomski, Shelby Burstein, Dayle Jeras, Dakota Reid and Alex Stasiuk.
Bob Rouse coached the team from U13 –U15 and provided assistance for U16 – U18. LFC Technical Director Shaun Mason assisted over the early years, and assumed coaching responsibilities for U16 – U18.
