Arceneaux propels Rino’s to victory
Kickoff: 4:00pm Saturday, October 16th at Point Grey Turf
Ryan Arceneaux made amends for his first half gaff that lead to a Chilean goal by putting in a superlative effort in the second half, dominating the midfield, scoring the tying goal, and setting up the match winner.
Rino’s looked destined to rue missed opportunities again until an explosive start to the second half saw them take control of the match as they finally buried their chances. The Chileans must have been celebrating for two days straight after 33 of their comrades were rescued from a mine in their homeland on Thursday. How else could one explain their inability to show up on time for a 4pm kickoff on Saturday afternoon?
After appearing to be in total disarray with only 8 players available 10 minutes before kickoff, a stream of Chilean players arrived and a strong lineup, including former Whitecaps Goalkeeping Prospect, Diego Oliveira, took the field.
From the start of the match both teams got good scoring opportunities. First, a right-wing cross found Tommy Nolan unmarked at the penalty spot, but he flashed his header wide. Then an odd handball call near the top of the Rino’s penalty area gave Chile a freekick from a dangerous position. Fortunately for the home team, the kick grazed the outside of the goalpost. Rino’s were soon on the attack again as Tim Pritchard wriggled free in the Chile penalty area, but managed to skew his right-foot shot just wide of the post. Chile again threatened from a free kick, and this time goalkeeper Tyler Wilman had to dive across to make a spectacular save. Unfortunately however, the resulting corner kick would lead to a Chilean goal. Ryan Arceneaux attempted to clear the low corner, but mistimed the flight of the ball and instead deflected the ball into the centre of the box where a Chilean played deposited it in to Rino’s net. At halftime Rino’s once again found themselves down despite their strong play, purely due to their lack of finishing!
Substitutions were made at half that paid dividends almost immediately. A revitalized Rino’s midfield moved the ball quickly forward and won a corner kick opportunity. Jordan Atkinson’s corner was headed superbly by Corby O’Genski, but he was denied by a miraculous save by the Chilean keeper who tipped the ball on to the crossbar and out of play. A second corner was awarded, and when Atkinson delivered this one in to the box a scramble ensued where Declan Hill was fouled from behind while shielding the ball. O’Genski stepped up to take the penalty, but his well struck shot was saved by the goalkeeper who dove well to his right. Keen to make up for his first half error, Arceneaux pounced on the rebound and smashed it into the opposition net, notching the score at 1-1.
Shortly after the kickoff, while still full of adrenaline, Arceneaux won the ball in the midfield, weaved his way forward and expertly played a precise through ball into the path of Tim Pritchard. With no one but the keeper to beat Pritchard kept his composure and slipped the ball low into the corner of the net giving Rino’s the well-deserved 2-1 lead. Shortly thereafter Pritchard was cautioned for a rash challenge, and subsequently substituted from the game for his polar opposite, Max Kaplan. The onslaught continued with Kaplan getting a semi-breakaway, but finding his shot saved. From this point on the Rino’s backline tookover, and did an excellent job preserving the victory. Chile soon became frustrated and after being ridiculed for allowing Ben Cougny to nutmeg him, one of their players was heard remarking that he would “pop a cap” in Corey Ford’s ass. On the other side of the pitch a horror tackle on Sam Chow lead to a straight red card, and a 10-man Chile finished the game with a whimper.
Team: Wilman, Khosrovi(Thompson 60), Caulfield, Chow, Matheson(Simey 45, McArthur 65), Crompton(O’Genski 45), Crowe(Atkinson 45), Arceneaux, Nolan(Hill 45), Pritchard(Kaplan 55, Wilhelm 75), Ford(Cougny 45)
Final Score: Rino’s 2 – Chile 1