MOWI Riptide teams were back in full-swing after the Thanksgiving weekend. The U14 and U16 girls played away games Saturday against Victoria South. The U15 boys had a bye on Sunday, while the U18 girls played the U18 Gorge girls at Hampton Park in Victoria, the U18 boys played the U18 Bays Boys at home and the U16 boys played Victoria South at home.
The U14 girls tied 1-1 in a hard-fought game in which the team started slow, playing a lacklustre first half. However, the team was able to turn it around for the second half and apply the information provided during the halftime break by head coach Shawn Fiddick. Outstanding play from Remi Bidewell in the midfield enabled her to hold off three defenders, keep possession of the ball, and a little drop pass to Bellarose Ternes at the top of the 18-yard box, who found the back of the net with a great shoot. Ella Vinzenz helped her team out by playing goal the entire game, keeping it tied with some amazing saves, and great communication with her defenders.
The U16 girls lost 2-1 in a game in which they had to play down a player in the second half and finish the game with 10 players on the field. Head coach Paul Nimmon was ecstatic with the determination, resiliency and fight in the team playing down a player to keep pressing the opposition.
The U16 boys were up 2-0 at halftime and gave away two early goals at the start of the second half. The game was evenly played after that and ended 2-2 which was a fair result for the two teams. The U18 boys played an excellent game against Bays, whichh ended 2-2.
The U18 girls created eight chances to score and gave away none. The final score was 3-0, but the Riptide played a strong tactical game that gave away few if any chances. Having seen the U18 girls play together two weeks ago, Riptide technical director Shel Brodsgaard had this to say:
“The U18 Riptide girls are a very solid, hard-working and unified team. The coaching staff consists of Scott Harris, Darrin McLeod and Mike Oldale, and they have done a remarkable job preparing the girls on and off the field. The team plays with purpose in their attack and remains quite strong defensively. It will be exciting to continue to monitor the progress of the U18 girls team leading into the Starfire Showcase in late November which always presents stiff competition.”
Harris and Brodsgaard were in Port Angeles on the weekend to watch the Peninsula College Pirates play against Whatcom Community College. The Pirates play in the Northwest Athletic Conference and feature three Riptide alumni: Toni Powsey, Tommylea Dunbar and Madison Stevens. Toni is in her second and final year, while Tommylea and Maddie are freshmen.
“The girls looked comfortable playing at the NWAC level and have the opportunity to seek higher level of play in the U.S. following two years at the community college level,” ‘Brodsgaard said.
The U18 Riptide Girls will play against the Pirates in February, and Pirates head coach Kanyon Anderson has confirmed his participation at the inaugural showcase the Riptide has planned for the spring of 2020.
