Provincial Cup Dream Over, But Summer Soccer Awaits

Posted on 2013-04-19 by derrick

Rino’s supporters were treated to 240 minutes of non-stop action this past Sunday as the fighting spirit of both Rino’s Fury and U-21 squads produced a pair of thrilling extra time affairs in the BCSA Provincial Cup.

The U-21’s kicked things off in the early match vs. Estrella de Chile. Rino’s boys controlled the tempo in the first half, but seemed to lack the cutting edge in the final third of the pitch. As luck would have it, Chile opened the scoring early in the 2nd half as a counter attack down the right flank lead to their player sliding the ball under the onrushing keeper. Rino’s were quick to reply as Grayson Allen latched onto a ball in the Chile penalty area and calmly deposited it in the net. Despite some good chances for both teams, neither could convert and the match went to extra time.

Chile struck first in the extra time period as their speedy substitute raced in on a breakaway and beat Rino’s goalkeeper Justin Roets. At this point the match went end-to-end with both teams taking turns attacking. Shortly thereafter, the same player repeated the feat, giving Chile a 3-1 lead. At this point the game really opened up and both teams took turns going on the attack. Into the second period of extra time, Rino’s mounted a great deal of pressure, which finally paid off in the form of a second goal for Grayson Allen, assisted by Konstantin Vasic who had pushed up from his centre back position. Rino’s kept pushing to the end, but couldn’t manage to draw level, and fell as the hard luck losers by a 3-2 scoreline.

The second match featured Rino’s Fury against VMSL Division 2A winners, Sarajevo FC. The Fury had a poor start to the match, conceding 2 goals in the first 30 minutes as the direct attacking soccer played by Sarajevo caused problems for their backline. After the halftime break, the Fury emerged like a new team, controlling the play with incisive passing and looking likely to score. The goals came courtesy of Cory Matheson, who was twice setup by Vinny Martin to draw the game level at 2-2. The pace of the game started to slow down, as both teams began committing unnecessary fouls, and a number of bookings were made by the referee. Then out of nowhere with just minutes left, Sarajevo’s #9 wriggled free of his marker and slotted Sarajevo into the lead. A defender was sacrificed for an extra forward as Rino’s Fury pushed for yet another equalizer. Ian Solven won a corner and all 11 Rino’s players pushed into the attacking half. As Vinny Martin’s corner kick swung into the box Ryan Arceneaux rose majestically above everyone and powered a header off the underside of the crossbar and into the net, knotting the score at 3-3!

As the teams returned to half, an altercation occurred, and each team had a player dismissed. When the kickoff took place, the fulltime whistle sounded and extra time beckoned. In the extra time period, Rino’s fitness appeared to be an advantage as high pressure lead to the Sarajevo keeper misplaying the ball near the top of the penalty area. The miscue lead to a great opportunity for striker Ian Solven, but he overhit his shot and sailed over the unguarded net. Sarajevo had their own chance to take the lead as a long free kick deflected off the fist of Nathan Verbeek and crashed off the left goalpost. With no one able to finish, the match went to the dread penalty shootout. Sarajevo shot first, and it was their keeper who blazed over with the first shot. He did however make amends with a smart save to his right on the Rino’s first shot. Both 2nd shooters scored, and it looked to be a tight battle. However, it was not to be as consecutive misses by Rino’s and successful penalties by Sarajevo eliminated them from the competition. It should be noted that folks from AFTN Canada were on hand, and compiled a first round wrap-up which includes a detailed report of this match.

The club now looks forward to participating in the 33rd edition of the Richmond Regional Soccer League. Matches kickoff next week with our Div 1 entry playing Ajyal Tigers on Thursday April 25, and Div 2 squad facing Richmond All Blacks on Tuesday April 23. Both of which are teams still alive in Provincial Cup Competition!

Two Rino’s Squads Set for Provincial Cup Kickoff This Sunday

Posted on 2013-04-10 by derrick

Rino’s U-21 team have known for months that they would have a spot in this year’s BC Soccer Provincial Cup tournament. The early acknowledgment came as a result of a diminished FVSL division which fielded only 4 teams for the 2012/13 season, opening up extra spots for the competitive VMSL teams. Meanwhile, the VMSL Div 2 Rino’s Fury find themselves in a totally contrasting situation. Having feasted upon a little too much Christmas Turkey, the team posted a poor 1-2 record in January and slipped from the top of the table into a 3-way tie for second, missing out on promotion to Division 1. That poor league form was followed up by a first round cup exit, and the boys were waxing their skis/snowboards ready to hit the slopes for what was left of the winter.

Those plans changed abruptly when the league informed Rino’s that they were to contest a single match playoff against arch-nemesis Dasmesh FC for a spot in the Keith Millar Provincial B Cup. The playoff was deemed necessary due to irregularities found in the transfer market by Gastown FC, who were summarily barred from Provincial competition. The case has now been forwarded to FIFA to see if a transfer ban will be imposed on them during the summer window.

The playoff match was held at Andy Livingstone on Saturday March 16 and young veteran, Vincent Martin, turned back the clock with a lively performance that saw him pop up in the right spot to net 2 goals in a 2-1 victory over Dasmesh. The BCSA Senior Mens Provincial Cup Draw was then held on April 2 in Victoria, and saw both Rino’s squad draw familiar VMSL opposition. The Fury were drawn against Sarajevo FC, who they’ve met many times in seasons past. Meanwhile the U-21’s drew Estrella de Chile, with whom they split the season series with one win apiece.

The matches will take place on Sunday April 14 at Andy Livingstone. The U-21’s kickoff at 12:30pm, followed by the Fury at 3:00pm. Both teams are hoping for a solid turnout from the home supporters.

Rino’s Vancouver SC Undefeated to Start the Season

Posted on 2012-09-09 by Shawn

Rino’s Vancouver SC opened the winter season in impressive style with their 5 teams winning 4 matches and tying 1, meaning the club remains undefeated after the first round of matches in the 2012/2013 VMSL season.

The Twin Arrows got things started off at noon on Saturday with a 5-1 demolition of TSA Royals “B” in CAT A division action. Stewart Prince and Stuart Macdonald set the pitch at Andy Livingstone ablaze, as both were multiple goal scorers in leading the line for the Twin Arrows. Rino’s Div 1 and U-21 teams then played simultaneously at 4pm. The Div 1’s prevailed in their home opener at Point Grey Secondary, where Cyrus Greenall scored the decisive goal in a 1-nil blanking of AC Campobasso (see highlight video after the jump). Meanwhile, the U-21’s enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 road victory over the Richmond TSS Olympics at Minoru Oval. Goals for the U-21’s were provided by Paul Kook, Kyle Reed, and Taylor Dickau.

The Bulldogs kicked their season of Sunday morning at Trillium with a 2-nil victory over GFC C-Men United. Team captain Brian Deo opened the scoring early in the first half, while Rino’s Fury gaffer Derrick Freedman sealed the game with a second half strike in his first competitive match in 10 months. Finally, the Fury dominated possession and created numerous chances in their afternoon game at Point Grey, but only Francarlos Leon could find the back of the net as they stumbled to a 1-1 draw with a hard-working West Van Royals side.

All 5 teams are back in action next weekend, starting with the U-21 home opener on Friday night.

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