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high over the net—converts, unfortunately, don’t count in soccer.

10) Canada vs. France (June 1, 1986)

Final Score: Canada 0 France 1

Well, | couldn't go away without mentioning our country’s only appearance at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986. Canada opened the

the

squad. And Canada almost opened the scor- ing early into the contest, when lan Bridge’s — header bounced off the goalpost. Throughout | the game, Canada held their own against the French, playing them even until Jean- Pierre Papin headed in France’s only goal— beating Canadian goalkeeper Paul Dolan in

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first round against the powerful French the 78th minute.

Adanacs On the Attack

WLA recap for June

Salmonbellies battle the Adanacs

Patrick Witwicki Sports Editor

Well, it had to be expected. Defending Mann Cup champions couldn't hover at the .500 mark forever, could they? Of course not. Coquitlam’s month of June went as most fans expected: A seven game unbeaten streak, as the Adanacs work on chasing Victoria for first place in the WLA. After a rough start to the season where Coquitlam could only manage a .500 record in May, the Adanacs went seven straight games without a loss, before suffering a minor setback against the stingy Burnaby Lakers 9-7. The Lakers continue to surprise, winning their games with defense, as opposed to the usual storyline for success in lacrosse: a potent offense.

But Burnaby’s stronghold on third place is probably more due to the usual inconsistency by the New Westminster Salmonbellies, who continue to baffle all sports reporters with their play. One night, they look like world-beaters, like when they beat Victoria 16-14. Then again, sometimes they look like they can’t beat anyone, like when they lost to the cellar-dwellers from North Shore, 12-11. And Matt Disher, Salmonbellies’ goaltender, who was probably the player of the month of May, watched his goals against balloon in the month of June. Now, the best goals against average belongs to Burnaby, with Coquitlam nearby in second place.

Meanwhile, Victoria continues to lead the league, despite already having doubled their loss total from last season. However, Victoria is more worried about what they'll do once the playoffs arrive, when the expected Coquitlam— Victoria final rematch will take place, with the Shamrocks hoping to avenge last year’s upset.

New Westminster Notes:

The Salmonbellies struggled at times during June. The month started off with a disappointing 15-15 tie against Maple Ridge, who they will probably have to hold-off for that final playoff spot. They followed this with an expected victory against the North Shore Indians, and were hoping to build on that success as they prepared for a match against Coquitlam.

During the June 15 match against Coquitlam, both teams looked lethargic early on. Unbelievably, the score was only 1-0 for the Adanacs after one period of play, and the score was only 2—1 halfway through the second period, before Coquitlam hammered in four goals in less than two minutes to blow the game wide open. Salmonbellies Matt Giles tried his best to keep his team in the game, scoring three of his team’s goals, but they eventually lost 11-6. Both Dan Stroup and John Grant Jr. had hatricks to guide the Adanacs to the easy victory.

New Westminster might have still been reeling from that game, and ended up losing to North Shore 12-11. But just when Bellies’ fans were expecting the worst, their team shocked the league by knocking off Victoria 16-14. It was the first time any team besides Coquitlam had beaten Victoria in over two seasons. But could New Westminster maintain their momentum? No, of course not. Once again, sparkling with inconsistency, New Westminster was clobbered in their next outing by Coquitlam, 19-8.

As for which players are providing impact for the ‘Bellies, Peter Morgan and - Craig Stevenson continue to lead the way. Morgan has compiled 22 goals and 26 assists, good enough for 48 points, and eighth overall in scoring. Stevenson is right behind him in ninth, with 25 goals and 21 assists. Despite Disher’s struggling goals against, his save percentage remains quite good, as he continues to face well over 40 shots per contest. If New Westminster can shore up their defense, they should be able to hang on for the final playoff spot.

Coquitlam Comments:

After the first month, Coquitlam was worried about their goaltending. Since then, starting goalie Ken Montour has improved his play, and the Adanacs now have the second best goals against average in the league, behind only Burnaby. And of course, they have no trouble scoring goals, with Dan Stroup and John Grant Jr. leading the way. Stroup leads the league in goals with 34, and is fourth overall in scoring with 54 points. Grant isn’t far behind, currently in seventh.

Coquitlam enjoyed an excellent record in June, winning 6 games, and only losing 1. As mentioned, they were enjoying a seven game unbeaten streak, before falling to Burnaby on June 22. During that streak, the Adanacs hammered both North Shore and New Westminster. However, the highlight of the streak had to be their overtime victory in Victoria, as Kevin Holland scored the 12-11 winner, silencing the Shamrocks’ supporters. Currently, Coquitlam trails Victoria by 4 points in the standings, but with two head-to-head matches still to come between the two powerhouses, expect the battle for first place to go down to the wire.