Travelling to the far reaches of the Lower Mainland soccer world in South Surrey beside White Rock to meet the Coastal FC this past weekend, our Sunshine Coast U14 boys Storm FC were ready to take on the top team from that division.
The Storm FC had a very tough war of sorts two weeks ago losing 0-1 to a team they have traditionally beaten; this was a chance to refresh the record.
The rain kept both teams refreshed during practice but stopped perfectly for the whistle and it looked like the energy level was on point from both sides – excitement for all.
With the Storm boys on fire from the start, they worked their magic and found a brief opening in the Coastal FC defensive line, bringing the ball up the line, across to an open player, who one-timed it in for the first goal of the game, 1-0 Storm.
With plenty of chances coming and going for both sides, each team was looking for glory. Incredible goal keeping and defensive prowess from the Storm with wonderful coordinated attacks led to a sweet rocket shot from the top of the box into the lower left corner of the net and a brace for Kaishan Nonacowie, 2-0 Storm at the half.
The second half turned into a great display of two teams wanting it more than the other, working hard and giving their all. The Coastal FC fought every step of the way and with 20 minutes to go slid one in to bring the score to 2-1.
The Storm had a glimpse of a one-goal lead, which can be a tie very easily if the momentum isn’t maintained. In the last five minutes of the game, Max Joe decided to give his legs a run and made a dash for goal through several defenders. He looked poised to finish the job when a Coastal player slid through and took him down along with the Coastal keeper. Max quickly got up from the pile and continued his possession to find the back of the open net, securing the 3-1 win for the Storm. He gave his dad a great birthday gift on the day, and the crowd went wild, to say the least.
With the Storm in this newly shuffled gold division starting in the new year, the boys are 1-1 and ready to play some serious team soccer, continue to break the city’s best and give everything they have representing the Coast. The team has a week off this weekend but travels to Coquitlam the week after to face the new division’s current top team, another challenge that will clearly be met by this group of warriors.
– By Patrick Fitzsimons
