Storm Clearing

For most of us, we started this journey a couple of years back with August kick-arounds at Lochside Park. We started the season off with victory at the Labour Day Tourney on the Turf where we battled against Lakehill, but I suppose our first official game as the Storm was a 1-1 draw against Gorge at Bullen Park.

I remember getting to the park late from Erin's game to find out we were already down 1-0 to the bad guys. Soon enough Olivia evened the scoring with a free kick and our first points were won. That season we enjoyed more success on the field than I imagined we would, but in hindsight given how well we've played this year I suppose it shouldn't have been a surprise after all. We had some ups and downs but we earned a reputation as a team who could pass the ball and was tough to beat.

This season was also a huge success, despite results not going our way the way we would have liked. There wasn't a single game in which we were comprehensively outplayed by the opposition. In fact some of the games we lost (JDF 0-2, PSC 2-3, Bays 0-1) I think it's fair to say we were the better team. Luck just didnt seem to smile on us this season. In between we finally got one over on Lakehill (5-0) and Peninsula (3-0), two teams that seemed to have the hex over us. Both were sweet, but I'll probably remember the latter longer because it confirmed that on our day we could beat anyone. Now, if only the crossbars were round instead of square at JDF, we would have got the win against them too :-)

We also had the privilege of playing on the nicest turf field in the city. Spoiled doesn't begin to describe what we've become after practicing and playing games on that since November. Did any parents actually have to wash tehir daughter's jersey? I guess the downside was everyone had puddles of back rubber on their linoleum!

It's been a lot of fun for me coaching and getting to know each of you. I hope you enjoyed yourself and learned something along the way. Some of you will be off to pastures new next season and I wish you the best of luck on your ventures. I'm sure our paths will cross again on the field somewhere soon enough. To Lily and Olivia best of luck on your travels with the Super Y team.

A big thanks to Rob and Willie for all your help and laughs we shared, and to Derek and Josh for running the lines during many of our games. Much appreciated.

Thanks also to parents for their support for me and their child's soccer development. Attendance at practices and games was always excellent and the girls behaviour was good from start to finish.

Take care and enjoy your spring and summer!

Gordon Head Jamboree Wrap-Up

After a bit of confusion Friday as we got to know how each other played, we hit our stride Saturday with two wins and then dominated Vancouver Dunbar on Sunday to win the Recreational "A" Championship at the Gordon Head Jamboree. Unfortunately no trophy to parade, but then I think quite a few players were probably too tired to stand at the end anyway.

Our final was played on a lumpy, bumpy, cow pasture of a field, which made passing the ball difficult and controlling it next to impossible. So it was important that we got to the ball first, and you didnt let yourselves down there. It seemed to me we got to almost every ball first, and if we didn't we got stuck-in and didn't let them turn with the ball. Our midfielders did a great job in the trenches (Maddie, Marissa, Olivia and Emma in particular) and our defenders (Lily, Margaret, Annabel, Katherine) dealt with everything they threw at us. Didn't matter if it was in the air or on the ground, you beat them like rented mules!

It was zeroes at half, but that's only because Olivia kept hitting the blasted crossbar! Ping! Ping! Their keeper was probably tone def after twenty minutes! We also had a couple of other efforts fizz just wide from Bri and Marissa, and there was a couple of times their keeper spilled our cross but no one could get position on the ball to shoot.

Pretty much the same story in the second half as the field tilted towards their goal. Chloe seemed to get more space and service out wide and we won several corners which came to nothing. And then out of nothing Emma connects with the ball from twenty yards and it nestles into the bottom-right corner. Shortly after Maddie wins the ball in midfield, passes wide to Chloe who then finds Kyra streaking in on goal. Kyra slips the ball under their keeper with a calm finish and it's game over. We even had time to enjoy a third after Emma connected with an up and under which their defender and goalie combined to deflect into their goal. Then it's officially game over.

To be fair to our opponents I guess I should add that Dunbar did have a scoring opportunity when it was one-bagel, but the girl rang it off the upright. Anyway, Cassie had it covered ;-)

Some highlights from earlier games include Annabel's goal and Cassie's phenomonal saves (including a penalty shot)to get us a share of the points against a determined Gordon Head; Olivia's deft flick past the keeper from Annabel's cross and then Sydney's top corner shot in our win against Kerrisdale; and Bri then getting the final touch to a cross from Sydney/Marissa (???) to dispatch Dunbar on Lochside Turf.

On behalf of the Storm, my thanks to Bri, Cassie, Katherine, Kyra, Maddie, Marissa and Sydney for joining our team for this tournament. It was a pleasure coaching each of you this weekend and I hope you enjoyed wearing the Maroon and Black. Despite what Coach Jay said, I think it suited you!

Best of luck to the Super Y girls on their travels this spring. I look forward to hearing from Lily and Olivia about all of your hotel pillow fights and bus adventures. And my best wishes to Kyra and Katherine - hopefully I see you both playing Bays Gold come this September.

For the rest of the Storm, hopefully we see you at player assessments over the next couple of weeks.

PS Sorry about the blurry picture. I'm a soccer coach not a photographer.

Jamboree Finals

Our game tomorrow is 12:15pm at Lambrick Park Field Hockey Field.

Please be there a half-hour early.

Updated Player Assessment Schedule

A third player assessment for U14 (1996) girls has been added to the schedule. The extra assessment is next Thursday (April 9), 7-8pm at Lochside Park Turf.

Welcome to the Storm!

A couple of our recruits for the weekend jamboree may be at practice Tuesday. So please remember to give Katherine and Kyra a warm welcome when you see them. Katherine and Kyra play with the Bays Silver team that defeated Gordon Head in the District Cup and subsequently gave Juan de Fuca a hard game in the semi-finals.

Speaking of Juan de Fuca, a couple of the Warriors will be joining us for the tourney as well. We've had excellent battles against JDF this season, so it will be nice to have Bri, Cassie, Jessica, Maddie and Marissa on our side for a change! They have their District Cup Final in Sooke early Saturday afternoon, so hopefully they can make the other three tournament games.

We're also being joined by Sydney from Gorge. Sydney is an all-action player who always impressed me when she played against us. Sydney also goes to Royal Oak and attends DDC so she shouldn't need much introduction to several Storm players.

A warm welcome and thanks to all our recruits - I hope you enjoy your weekend of soccer with us!

More Changes to Jamboree Schedule

Here is our new game schedule:

Friday - Gordon Head @ UVic, 7:35pm
Saturday - Coquitlam @ Torquay School, 11am
Saturday - Dunbar @ Lochside, 5:15pm
Sunday - TBA @ 12:15pm, either Lambrick Park or Reynolds Field

Reminder to everyone to bring their $25 to practice tomorrow or to our game on Friday night.

What a game!

I think everyone would agree today's game against Bays United just about sums up our season. Once again we out-play our opposition, dominate possession, do everything but score, but end up losing to a single goal. And in this case, it sounds like the goal should have been called back. Marissa apparently had both hands on the ball but the Bays player kicked it in anyway. When I asked the ref at the end of the game what he saw he said he didn't see anything. Funnily enough, that was the answer I was expecting!

As Rob said to me after the game, why would we expect anything to change now? We've had so little luck this season it's not even funny.

Bays didn't know what hit them in the first half. Right from the kick-off we swarmed all over them and they never got into their stride. What I really liked was how high up the field we played. As a result we won many second balls and intercepted many of Bays defensive clearances. We had some good looks at goal but their goalie gobbled everything up when she had to.

In the second-half we were doing fine until their goal. The wheels fell-off for a while as we struggled with positional play, but we found our rythym again and had some pretty good chances late on. I know Olivia would probably like a do-over for that free kick, but we had chances after that we just couldn't squeeze-in. At the final whistle you were still running and competing hard. You left absolutely everything on the field today and that's all any coach can ask. So if one can be happy with a loss, then that's how I feel right now.

Next up is the Gordon Head Jamboree with a game against Lakehill on Friday at UVic. But first a practice Tuesday at Lochside at 6pm.

Bays United Game Location

Our game this weekend is at Glenlyon-Norfolk Turf Field, 12:30pm. We have received very specific instructions as to where we can park:

All parking, drop-off and pick-up must take place at the schools Maddison Street parking lot as shown on the attached sketch map. DO NOT use the following neighborhood streets - Somenos, Bank, Maddison and Laurentian to parking, drop-off or pick-up.

I will send out an email with an illustration of where we can park.

Hope to see everyone there around Noon. We will be wearing our maroon uniforms.

World Cups Festival Reminder

Reminder of the World Cups Festival Apirl 10-11-12 at Lochside Park. Online registration is available here http://worldcups.cordovabaysoccer.org/index.php?fuseaction=league.form&league=World%20Cups

2009-10 Player Assessments Schedule

Listed below are the dates for 1996 (U14) and 1997 (U13) player assessments in preparation for the 2009-10 season and playing under the name of the newly-formed Saanich East Soccer Club. Existing players from both Cordova Bay and Gordon Head soccer clubs are invited to attend these assessments.

Players must register prior to attending registrations. I will post a link to online registration once registration is open (hopefully late this month or early April).

Girls U14 (1996) - April 15 @ Tyndall Turf, 6-7pm and April 20 @ Lochside Turf, 6-7pm
Girls U13 (1997) - April 6 @ Tyndall Turf, 6-7pm and April 8 @ Lochside Turf, 6-7pm

Let me know if you have any questions.

Gordon Head Jamboree Game Schedule

Here is our game schedule for the Jamboree April 3-4-5.

April 3 - 7:35pm vs. Lakehill @ UVic Turf 2A
April 4 - 9:45am vs. Gordon Head @ Lambrick Park High School
April 4 - 1:30pm vs. Dunbar Tigers @ Upper Lambrick
April 5 - 8:30am vs. Coquitlam NCUS @ Lochside Park

Cost is $25 per player.

No Game Saturday

Our game against Peninsula set for this Saturday has been cancelled.

I hope everyone enjoys their Spring Break and we'll see you back on the turf March 24.

District Cup Draw

We received the first round bye so our first game will be March 28 away at the winner of the Gorge vs. Bays United game.

The other side of the draw sees Lakehill host Juan de Fuca and Gordon Head host Bays Utd K-os (the latter are the Silver Division Champions). The Lakehill vs. Juan de Fuca game appears the pick of the first round games, especially as both teams have ended the league season on winning runs. Should be a good battle at Beckwith Park.

Tuesday Practice Cancelled

Tonight's practice is cancelled due to cold - both of them.

It's expected to get as cold as -6 this evening and, combined with several players feeling a bit under the weather, I think it's wise if we cancel.

Hopefully it warms-up and everyone is feeling better on Thursday.

A Day at The Beach

I was very pleased with your performance today. Once again, you did everything but score. You battled well, passed the ball well (that is when we could get control of the ball on that potato patch of a field), shot well (nice 40 yarder Lily) and we threatened their goal on numerous occasions (by the way, how is that stomach of your's Kristina?). Everyone competed well.

Unfortunately we ran into a goalkeeper that made saves when she needed to and dealt with all of our crosses very well. I felt she was the difference in the game, as she was in our previous 1-0 loss at Claremont. Obviously they took their chance and we missed on ours, that's also a good reason we lost! No complaints from me. However it would have been nice to have played Juan de Fuca this season on a better playing surface, one that suited our passing game such as turf, but such was not our fortune.

We've had very little luck in our last two games, perhaps it will return in our district cup game. I will find out Tuesday afternoon who/when/where we play. What I do know is several Storm (Marissa, Holly, Annabel - am I missing anyone?) will be off on Spring Break holidays, so hopefully we have enough to field a team.

Makes no sense to me why they didn't schedule cup game before Spring Break. After all, today was a meaningless exhibition game. No, that would make too much sense. Far better to play cup games when most everyone is off on holiday. Rant over.

Have a great weekend everyone. Wax your cross-country skis (if you've got 'em)!

Juan de Fuca Reminders

Please remember to check the club website for field updates. They are calling for snow overnight so there is a small chance our game might be cancelled.

Also, please bring both the maroon and white jerseys to the game. We will decide which jersey we're wearing just before game time.

2009-10 Player Assessments Update

As some of you are aware, from next season Cordova Bay and Gordon Head U13-U18 players will be merging to play under a new banner. Names and colours have yet to be confirmed, but whatever they are the plan is for there to be no individual GHSA or CBSC full field teams from next season. Both clubs minis (U5-U12) will run autonomously and both clubs will retain their adult men's and women's programs.

The intent and hope is that current Cordova Bay and Gordon Head players will wish to stay within this new, larger club. However I appreciate some Storm players have eyes for Metro while others have already signalled their intent to move to a new club once this season is over.

For those of you interested in sticking around, the new club will be running joint player assessments in early April. Here are the tentative dates:

1996 (next years U14) scheduled for April 6 and 8
1997 (next years U13) scheduled for April 7 and 9

I expect that the location for these sessions will alternate between Lochside and Tyndall turfs. I will confirm locations within the next week or so.

If you have any question about these assessments or the plans for the new soccer club please feel free to call, email or speak with me at an upcoming practice.

No Game :-(

I never did hear back from Bays United, so there will be no game on Saturday.

Hope everyone has a nice, warm weekend and we'll see you next Tuesday on Turf.

Thursday Practice

We will practice tomorrow at 7pm as usual, but we will be on Field 2 (grass) instead of turf. So wear your multi-studs and not your turf shoes (for those of you with both).

Please check the blog or club website for field conditions before you leave for practice tomorrow afternoon. They're predicting some white stuff tomorrow so the grass field might be closed if field conditions worsen.

Update!

I just received the game schedule for this weekend and I can confirm we don't have a league game.

BUT I have contacted a GU14 team from Bays United about a possible exhibition match 12:30pm Saturday at Lochside Park. Hopefully they want to play so stay tuned!

I can also confirm that we've been bumped from the Turf for our Thursday practice. We can still practice at 7pm on Field 2 (the grass field) so send me an email to let me know if you want to have a practice.

Game this weekend?

I should know for sure tomorrow, but odds are we do not have a league game this weekend.

I'm basing this on the fact that Gorge and Juan de Fuca are playing their outstanding league game and both Gordon Head and Lakehill have had a bye in the past two weeks. So it makes some sense that if an exhibition game is scheduled, it won't involve the Storm.

Stay tuned!

PS. I should also know tomorrow if our turf time has been pre-empted this Thursday.

Good Experience

From the post-match chatter it was clear not everyone enjoyed our game against the U13 Boys, but I believe it was good experience for you all. I also think it might just make a difference in an upcoming game where we're first to the ball and stronger in the tackle.

Good points first. Our first 10-15 minutes was good and we had good energy. We kept our shape and competed very well for the ball. There were some crunching tackles and good, measured aggression. We even managed to foul them a couple of times, which was what I hoped might happen :-) We tried to play the way we were facing and tried to keep it simple, but this was made much harder by a team that was overall quicker in their anticipation of the ball and their decisions when they had it.

After their first goal was when some of our bad habits started making a re-appearance. We made some poor decisions - passing when we had time to dribble, turning with the ball when we needed a knock-down - and many of their goals came from an inability to clear the ball or anticipate the shot or rebound. None of their goals were very special and on most they came as a direct result of us losing possession too easily, then failing to defend properly. I expected them to score goals, just not quite in the manner they did. Late on in the game we resorted to boot-ball, which was never going to work against a faster, bigger team, but this was understandable given your desire not to give-up any more goals. One final thing was our communication - or lack of it. Did you notice how much they talked too each other?

I hope the boys don't give you much ribbing at school. A rematch is not entirely out of the question, and if we do play I think one of our strategies should be to keep a low profile and learn from our mistakes. So don't whine or make excuses, just focus on what you need to do as an individual to complete with them for 60-minutes, not just here or there.

Remember, the scoreline is irrelevant. Instead, what's important is what you learned about yourself and how you apply that in your next game.

Soccer This Week

Here is our practice and game schedule this week:

Monday - 5pm vs U13 Boys Gold
Tuesday - NO PRACTICE
Thursday - There is a possibility our practice may be pre-empted by a cup game. I should know for sure late Monday.
Saturday - still unsure whether we have a game. Again, I should know for sure Tuesday.

Bays 1 Storm 0

An improved second half saw us threaten to score, but in the end Bays ran out deserved 1-0 victors and the rights to play Peninsula in a one-game, winner-take-all final next week. The winner goes to the Island Championships.

On balance I think Bays is the stronger of the two teams. They certainly play to their strengths and utilize strong kicks from their central defender and very aggressive play from their midfielders. I think they ended up as leading scorers in the league and allowed the fewest goals, but I don't rate their strikers or keeper very highly. So for me it's toss up whether they beat Peninsula. The two teams play very similar styles (moving the ball quickly up field with long kicks) so it might come down to who can grind out a goal or who capitalizes on the others mistake.

We came out very flat today and Bays took full advantage of our early inability to a) get to the ball b) clear the ball or c) find our check. It wasn't pretty to watch and we had some world-class mis-kicks out there. After about twenty-five minutes we found something of our passing game, but overall Bays was the hungrier team and did a better job of doing the things we couldn't (or wouldn't).

The second half, particularly the first fifteen minutes, was much improved. Your showed a lot of character standing up to Bays and we dictated the play for long stretches. We did this because we started winning the ball higher up the field. And when you won the ball your passing got better. And we had scoring chances. And their parents and coaches got nervous.

We also gave their defenders far less time on the ball and caused them to lose possession just by hustling and closing them down. We might even have snuck a tying goal as twice Emma was denied from close-in and then Paige had a chance with virtually the final kick of the game. Bays seemed relieves at the end of the game, which is testimony to hwo well you battled in the second half. As I have said to you time and time again, if you can match other teams for desire, then you possess the skill to beat them.

Our trouble today was we only did this for 35 minutes.

Have a good weekend ladies and rest up for the BOYS!

White Jerseys Tomorrow

A gentle reminder that we're wearing our white jerseys tomorrow against Bays Utd.

Parking at Henderson Park

Bays United has asked that I pass on a message to Storm parents that they should park at either Henderson Park Recreation Centre or Uplands School and not on the side streets around Henderson Park.

Apparently area residents purchased their houses in the summer when no one was playing on the fields so they get a tad upset when someone actually uses it.

Hope to see you all there around Noon.

District Cup Game on March 14

I have received information regarding the U13 Gold Girls District Cup. Our first round game is March 14, opponent and location TBA.

As this is the first weekend of Spring Break (for public schools anyway) I need to get an idea as to whether we will have enough players. We cannot use Silver or underage players in the cup so we will need to win it with the thirteen we have! The semi-finals are on March 28 and the final is April 4 in Sooke.

Please complete the poll on the blog ASAP.

Also, I am hearing that LISA has scheduled exhibition games for us the weeks of February 28 and March 7. I suspect Juan de Fuca and Gorge will be our opponents. I will confirm this as soon as possible.

Boys U13 Game Confirmed

When: Monday February 23, 5-6pm
Where: Lochside Park
What to Wear: White "Storm" Jerseys
What to Bring: Attitude

Anyone not able to play should let me know ASAP. This is meant to be a fun run-around, but we should view this as a good warm-up for our upcoming cup games.

Storm 3 Gordon Head 0

My correspondent at the game tells me it was a very solid effort from the Storm in a 3-0 victory against Gordon Head. This was confirmed by several GHSA parents I spoke with this evening who assure me it wasn't all one-way traffic and that our defenders and goalkeepers had strong games and played a big roll in the victory.

I was also pleased to hear (through mostly crackly cellular waves - Salt Spring might as well be near Pluto!) that Kristina joined the list of 2008-09 goalscorers with a good finish from close-in. Equally, I understand Brooke' s was a howitzer from twelve yards that threatend to tear the net off the goal posts and that Chloe's was a boomer from all of 80 yards! Excellent stuff, just what we practiced on Thursday night ;-)

So it sounds like we put that loss against Lakehill behind us. Congratulations to Coach Rob! Now we need to finish the league season on a high with a win against Bays. It's a huge game for Bays as they are tied with Peninsula for first place going into the last weekend of the season. Should be interesting.

Hope to see you all at practice Tuesday.

U13 Boy's Exhibition Game

Not quite sure how a team with thirteen players can cast eighteen votes, but the majority appears to want a game against the Boys U13 Gold. I will speak with their coach this week but my guess is we're probably looking at two Monday's from now - February 23rd. I will provide an update next week.

Tuesday Practrice Cancelled

Check the blog for updates on Thursday's practice.

World Cups 2009 Registration Open

Registration for this year's World Cups Festival is now open. This year's event runs from Friday April 10 through Sunday April 12th.

Link to online registration is here http://worldcups.cordovabaysoccer.org/index.php?fuseaction=league.form&league=World%20Cups

Lakehill Reminders

Game time is 11am at Braefoot #2 and we are wearing our maroon jerseys. Get a good rest Friday night and please be at the park for 10:30am.

Hard Luck

Once again we leave Blue Heron Park with a narrow loss to show for a battling performance. I can't help but be frustrated when we lose the way we did and to their only shot of the game. But that's why they're in first place - they take their chances. We worked hard today, but we didn't work very smart. I also thought our passing and movement was the perhaps worst it's been all season. I'll put that down to the awful playing surface (concrete) and the fact we just couldn't control the ball quick enough before a Peninsula player was in our face.

Rob and Willie will be taking the reigns for the next couple of games and hopefully Brett or Steph will be available to help out with practices. See you all in February!

White Jerseys

A friendly reminder that we're wearing our white "Storm" jerseys tomorrow against Peninsula.

Battling Victory for the Storm

Well, that was a bruiser! All the better that we won then because anything less would have made the nicks and bruises we suffered hurt just that little bit more. It was nice to finally score a goal on Gorge because we had a stinker the first time we played them and the last match at Hampton Park was frustrating after dominating possession. That was a hard-fought win ladies, a real battle from start to finish.

Positives first. We played with a lot of intensity and energy and more than matched Gorge's commitment to winning the ball. We scored two very different goals, but both came as a result of winning the ball and making quick, smart decisions after gaining possession. Our defence was excellent, particularly Lily and Holly, and our fullbacks (Margaret, Marissa, Mia and Annabel) supported the forwards with nice through balls and good defensive positioning. I also liked how our attacking midfielders (Emma especially) got forward to get some shots on goal. Our goals were excellent, especially Chloe's well executed left-foot shot from Paige's fast low centreing pass. Not sure who got the final touch to the second but either Olivia or Brooke would be deserving after strong outings. And, not to be missed, Mia made a great face-save in the first-half after we gifted Gorge possession in our eighteen. Guts. Mara showed what a tough cookie she is after taking a high-tackle to the knee.

Areas needing improvement. Our free kicks didnt have the loft or distance to get past the first defender and we gave possession away as a result. Communication. Too often we had two players converging on the ball and getting in each others way. Remember, one player must always take command of the situation. Usually this is the player closest to the ball or, when players are equally close, the player who is moving toward the opposition goal, not going back toward's ours. Heading. Our defensive headers were good, attacking headers not so good. If our forwards can learn to use their heads we will score more goals. Simple as that.

So now we recuperate and prepare for what will be a very tough match against Peninsula. We will definately need to have a full compliment of players and be fully fit to take on the league leaders. As a result so you can expect a different sort of practice Tuesday :-)

Enjoy your weekend!

Gordon Head Jamboree April 3-4-5

Looks like a very competitive group of teams that have registered for this year's Gordon Head Jamboree. The Jamboree is scheduled for April 3-5 and some games may be played at Lochside Park.

So far there our competition comes from Vancouver (Dunbar Tigers and Dunbar Jabbawockies), Coquitlam Tornado, Comox Valley Salsa, West Vancouver Xtreme, Port Coquitlam Strikers and our local rivals Lakehill Reds. Not sure how many teams they're accepting but I noticed the Girls U13 Recreational Division "A" filled up faster than any other.

I'm assuming everyone is available to play that weekend (Spring Break for public schools is Mar 16-20) but if you're not then let me know as soon as possible.

Excellent Effort Today!

You should be very pleased with your performance today. I thought everyone worked exceptionally hard today and kept a high tempo for almost 70 minutes.

We controlled much of the possession and certainly had the ball in their end more often than they did in ours. But the one thing you can never control is luck, and we definitely didn't have any of that in the second half. First Marissa's shot cannoned off the underside of the crossbar and down and then Brooke G's quick turn and shot was cleared off the goal line. In between we had the ball in their penalty area 4-5 times without getting a good look at goal or a decent shot, but there was plenty of pressure. They say luck even's itself out over the course of the season, so let's hope we get a deposit next weekend against Gorge.

I was really pleased with our defensive play where we were first to the ball quicker than we've have done in recent games. More of that again next week please!

Practice is Tuesday as usual and we will continue to work on explosive and reactive foot speed.

Frank Leversedge

It is with extreme sadness that I note the passing of Frank Leversedge. Frank collapsed at Lochside Park Saturday morning doing what he did on thousands of ocassions - giving his time, energy and expertise for the "little soccer club that could". I offer my sincere condolences to Peggy, Fraser, Renton and their families on their loss.

Over the course of thirty years Frank nurtured and sustained Cordova Bay Soccer Club and it is not an overstatement to say the club would not exist without him as his contributions to the club are legendary. They include serving on almost every position on the Board at one time or another, including President; overseeing the expansion of the park by three acres to also include softball and converted the soccer fields to a sand-based operation, developed a partnership with the Community Badminton Hall so that youth soccer players could practice indoors in the winter season and for mini-tournaments; founding and nurturing the World Cups Festival, and most recently, the vision, planning and construction of our new turf field. Truly, a staggering legacy that is surely unparralled in local soccer circles.

Frank spoke often about the affection he felt for the "jewel" that is Cordova Bay Soccer Club. It is a measure of the man that he never once asked for any credit, despite the fact he largely made the club what it is today.

I consider it a privilege to have known and worked alongside Frank and hope and trust his legacy is never forgotten. He truly was one-of-a-kind and I am humbled by his grace, humour and passion for life and the goodwill of others.

Storm 4 Gordon Head 0

Some pictures of our game courtesy of Lakehill's Chief Scout! Judging by the subjects of the pictures I'm pretty sure Lakehill will be receiving a dossier full of intelligence reports about Paige's two goals, Chloe's set-up play and Olivia's fine finishing! We won't be seeing Lakehill again until February but I'm sure they'll be ready for us!

Overall we had a strong game from several different players. Once again we were very solid at the back only suffering a couple moments of panic and one strange penalty decision which gratefully went high and wide! In the first half when the score was tight I thought our defence - lead by Lily and Holly - did a great job handling the threat of Dallas and Bri. Both are very good players who can cause any team trouble. On a slick pitch a goalie's handling becomes critical and I thought Marissa's goalkeeping in the first half was excellent. Mia was less-tested in the second-half but her kicking was superb.

We played with a couple of different midfield combinations and with the exception of a ten-minute period in the first-half, I thought we got to grips pretty well. Our midfield seemed a little confused about our checking assignments when we didnt have the ball, but we got forward as a group better than some previous games. On our first goal it was a midfielder (Emma) who got to Olivia's cross first and caused the confusion which allowed Paige to slot home from close range. In the second half Lily, Chloe and Olivia all saw plenty of possession and contributed some good passes and support. Brooke E also had one great burst into the penalty area, only to be thwarted at the last moment.

When you score four goals it's pretty clear your forwards had a good-day at the office. Our second and third goals were the result of sustained pressure in the GH penalty area. Brooke G's shot had the good fortune of a wicked deflection before it crossed the goal line, but it was deserved given all of her hard work on the left side. Paige's second came from a poorly cleared ball from the GH defence, but the finish was top-notch - giving their keeper no chance with a shot high to the goalie's right. Olivia's was a highlight reel goal - good movement across the field from left-to-right, with Kristina's final killer pass allowing Olivia to blast home from a slight-angle. Perhaps we should have scored a couple more, but we scored the goals needed to win and that's what you aim for.

Next up is Juan de Fuca. Both contests earlier in the season were close affairs and I dont expect much difference this weekend. I expect I'll know game location by practice time Thursday.

Bottle Drive on Saturday

The club is holding a bottle drive this Saturday to raise funds for the Turf. Very few of you are likely aware because someone forgot to let everyone know in December. Looks bad on the Club President that his team(s) aren't involved, but there you go!

Anyway, Storm players can still participate by dropping off any bottles and cans they may have hanging around the house at the field before our game Saturday. Your parents may even have some full bottles they might consider emptying before Saturday ;-).

The bottle drop will be located in the parking lot at Lochside Park from around 10am onwards.

Tuesday Practice Cancelled

The field is far too wet from the melted snow and current downpour.

Hope to see everyone on Thursday at 7pm.

Bring It Indoors Champions!

Congratulations to Chloe, Olivia, Paige, Lily, Emma and Monique on their dominating performance this weekend at the Bays Indoor Tournament. The girls went undefeated, winning all five games including the final in a rough and tumble contest against Gorge.

Thanks to Bob Hegland for entering a team and asking me to coach - it was a pleasure coaching the girls this weekend.

And final thanks to Rob Kobenter for the team photos (in case you're interested Rob the Storm has an opening for team phgotographer :-). I'm sure we'll see some other photos soon.

Exhibition Game Cancelled

Unfortunately Peninsula U14 has advised that they cannot field a team for tomorrow so the game is off. Hopefully we'll get another opportunity to play them later in the season.

We will practice at 6pm instead.