Vancouver Whitecaps
win 3-0 against
Minnesota United.

> Move to top of Western Conference

Katie Czenczek
Staff Writer

 

na decisive match against Minnesota

United on September 13, 2017, the
Vancouver Whitecaps were able to
secure first place in the Western
Conference in the Major Soccer League
(MLS). Although both the Whitecaps
and the Portland Timbers are both tied
for first place at 44 points each, the
Whitecaps have two more league games
to play before playoffs start, thus giving
them more opportunities to remain in
first place.

The match between Minnesota
United and Vancouver Whitecaps
showed what the Whitecaps are truly
capable of. They held onto possession for
the majority of the match, and only gave
Minnesota a decent chance at scoring
once. Defence is what wins games,
which is a concept the Whitecaps
struggled with earlier in the season. In
order for them to keep their position

as first in the west, they will need to
continue to keep their defence unified
and working as one unit.

However, capitalizing on goal
scoring opportunities is just as crucial to
what makes a successful team and what
does not. Though the Whitecaps do not
appear to have an issue with scoring
goals at the moment, they will need
to keep up their form. Scoring three
on Minnesota United, the Whitecaps
demonstrated how easy it is to score a
goal when forwards are set up properly.
Marcel de Jong made a beautiful long
pass from centre up to Yordy Reyna
within the first frve minutes of the
match, setting up the tone of the
entire game. Without both of these
players capitalizing on a goal scoring
opportunity, this goal would have not
been able to happen. I guess that’s why
most soccer teams are named something
“United.”

Be sure to check out more
Whitecaps games as they try to secure
first place position entering the playoffs!

Out of the Blues

> Royals WSOC drop three points in surprise loss

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

erhaps I was a tad overconfident

when I predicted the Royals to take
a smashing result against the Capilano
Blues. After all, this was the team that
nearly ended the Royals’ playoff run early,
taking them to extra time before falling.
However, the Royals are a quality team,
and that was on display early.

Douglas struck early with captain
Sam Kell ripping her third of the season
into the back of the net off an assist from
rookie Martina Pettenon. But it didn’t
take long for the dream start to turn into
a nightmare. Blues midfielder Dominika
Page scored the equalizer just seven
minutes later off a set piece gone awry.
Three minutes later, the Blues struck
again scoring off a blast from Adrianna
Babinski.

The flurry of action caught the Royals
on the flatfoot. After the second goal, the
team took some time to slow the game
down and go back to the basics before
heading into halftime. Now looking for
the equalizer, the Royals struck out in
the second half, playing clean aggressive
football.

The team would tally four shots in
the second half, including a gorgeous
opportunity by Martina Pettenon, but
the Blues’ keeper Nikki Gerbrandt was

impossible to solve. And so it would be
that the early goal from Babinski turned
out to be the winner.

The loss is a surprise for the Royals
given the time they had to prepare for the
game. However, the Blues seemed to have
prepared for the Royals as well, given their
tie result against VIU the next day. In an
interview with the Other Press, Royals
head coach Chris Laxton gave his insight
into his team’s play. “We controlled the
first half for maybe 10 minutes. We scored
and then had a good surge. Unfortunately,
Cap got back into the game and scored
off a second phase of a set piece. We were
really chasing the game for the majority
of it.”

While a loss like this is always a
bitter pill to swallow, it’s the losses that
help build a team. For coach Laxton and
the Royals, it’s about building towards
their results. “We learn from our early
performances, win, draw, or loss, and get
better. It is a steady climb to our peak
and we are nowhere near it. This team
has always dealt well with adversity and
challenges. I don’t expect anything less
this time around.”

The result bumps the Royals into
third place, trailing the tied leaders
Capilano, and VIU by one point. It’s worth
noting that the Mariners have a game in
hand, and will still as they take on the
Royals next week.

 

 

photo by Aaron Lavinsky via Star Tribune

Photo by Sean Velasco