Div 1 Match 3 2013/14 – Akal FC

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Rino’s took on former Div 1 power house Akal Friday night in what turned out to be a very (read that with emphasis, hence bold, but still, add some more, because I mean we fucking slaughtered them) one sided affair.

The game got off to a great start, with Haydn’s simple directions being followed to the letter. “Score early David”, “Yes Haydn.” and it was 1-0. A deep corner was artfully cushioned down by Billingham (who was to go on to have a monumental performance) and Moore was on hand to blast in from close range. The first of many goals to come for Rino’s, and hopefully the first of many, many goals to come from Moore (although not in this game, just the one).

Rino’s continued to push in the first half, but Akal, unaware of the futility of scoring just once, were having their fair share of attacking play, and tied the game late in the half. A clearance from the back falling to an Akal striker, who let loose with a great strike just inside the post, Thom with no chance.

That late goal meant the two teams went in at half with very different perspectives, but again Pritchard was to inspire the troops. “Score 6 more”, “Ok Haydn”, “Sure”, “Yeah, no problem”, “Consider it done”, “Happy to oblige”.

Some changes at half time, with English and Atleo introduced, seemed to give the team more attacking impetus, and right from the whistle Rino’s were breaking down the Akal back line at will. The game winning goal came off a corner, delivered deep to the box, and met by O’ Genski with a looping header that deceived everyone and dipped under the bar for 2-1.

The goal celebrations were barely over when Rino’s were 3-1 up. Again a corner, this time a scramble in front of goal, and Billingham stuck the boot in to drive it home. Akal left reeling after a quick fire double.

The next few minutes saw Rino’s waste some golden opportunities, but any fear that they would end up paying for them were put to bed when English skinned the Akal full back, not for the first or last time, and whipped in a ball across the face of goal, to be met by the diving head of O’Sullivan.

4 quickly became 5 when English cut inside the full back yet again and unleashed a strike to the far post. (That may have been the 6th or 7th goal either, I can’t remember the order any more)

More chances went begging, with the Akal keeper having a great performance despite the cricket scoreline that was forming, saving from close range a number of times to deny English and Moore. The 6th came from a fortuitous bounce after Moore broke through the middle and cracked a shot off the post, but the ball fell kindly to O’Sullivan to tap in for his 2nd of the game.

Not content with only terrorising Akal’s left back, Kook got in on the action dazzling their right back and pulling down his pants before whipping a low cross to Greenall, who took a touch to settle the ball, and hammered it to the keepers right.

That goal finished off the 7-1 rout, in a game that could easily have seen double figures for Rino’s. We go on to face GN Sporting at home Saturday, while Akal go on to another tough test against, you’ve guessed it, Vancouver Olympics.

Man of the Match was a unanimous verdict for Chris English, who had a huge impact when he came in, scoring one, setting up at least 2 or 3 more, and just in general making fools of Akal’s ‘defenders’.

Team: Thom, Petersen, Southern, Bligh, O’Genski, Billingham, Stoakes, Norton, Greenall, O’Sullivan, Moore
Subs: Hayward, English, Atleo, Kook

Div 1 Match 2 2013/14 – Serbian White Eagles

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Rino’s desire to mimic last season exactly took another step in the right direction after a 0-0 tie with Serbia.

Rino’s started brightly, holding possession well, and created an inviting chance for Norton in the 10th minute after some sexy build up play through the right, but the shot was too close to the spry ‘young’ Serbian keeper.

What happened next was nothing short of shitting the bed, and for the remainder of the half Rino’s lived a charmed life, with Serbia’s inability to field good strikers the only thing that kept the score 0-0.

A more even 2nd half ensued, but neither side created any clear-cut chances. A quick shot on the turn from O’Sullivan rattled the Serbian bar, and a beautiful delivery from O’Genski was met by Bligh to yet again head the ball just past the post, but that was all that Rino’s produced (or all that I can remember 6 days later) in a frustrating 90mins. A sense of inevitability set in with 20 mins to go, that for the third meeting in a row the two tams would share the spoils.

Serbia look a much improved side from last year, with their tactic of sitting more Serbians on the bench, and non nationals on the field seemingly a wise decision.

Man of the Match went to David Moore for tirelessly working up top trying to force the breakthrough off broken supply.

Rino’s go on to face Akal on Friday night, while Serbia, as with

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Campobasso last week, go on to face Vancouver Olympics, which will in fact be the team most teams face after playing Rino’s due to some lazy scheduling by the VMSL.

Team: Thom, Stoakes, Southern, Bligh, O’Genski, Billingham, Norton, Greenall, Duff, O’Sullivan, Moore
Subs: Atleo, Carr, Hauk, Dodich

Div 2 Match 2 2013/14 – Caspian FC

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Rino’s Fury 1 – 0 Caspian FC

In the second match of the season, Rino’s Fury faced Div 2 debutantes Caspian FC, who’s staunch defending proved a tough nut to crack.  Eventually a fine bit of service from Rino’s new-boy Diego Marchi was spectacularly finished by Ian Solven to give Rino’s the all important 3 points.

The match began with the Fury boys dominating possession.  Caspian it seemed were content to play with 11 men behind the ball, waiting for an opportunity on the counter.  The centre back pairing of O’Carroll and Hanson were again dominant in the air, limiting the Caspian forays forward which were often based on a long ball to chase.  In fact the only chance Caspian had in the first half came from an errant goal kick by goalkeeper Verbeek who was clearly put off by the paparazzi filming his every move.  Fortunately for him the Caspian forward spared his blushes by missing the net with his strike that was a good 10 feet wide.  Rino’s most notable chance came on a well worked move up the left side of the pitch.  The ball was pulled back towards the top of the penalty area and a low drive from Wilhelm was smartly saved by the Caspian keeper.  Despite the dominance in possession which was roughly 70-30 in favour of the home side, they lacked the cutting edge and came off the pitch at half time with the scores knotted at 0-0.

A shift in formation saw Rino’s return to the pitch for the second half in a 4-4-2 and instructions from the manager to focus on wing play and a focus on attacking the far post.  Substitutions saw the introduction of Diego Marchi and Emmanuel Orech, both who would play key roles in the remainder of the match.  In fact, it took less than 15 minutes for Marchi to make his impact as he whipped a cross towards the far post that striker Ian Solven powered into the net beyond the bewildered Caspian keeper.  With the deadlock finally broken, Caspian began to throw men forward and space began to open up on the field.  A fine throughball found Orech in behind the Caspian defence, but in rounding the keeper his touch was heavy and it was all he could do to keep the ball from crossing the endline, nevermind getting a sight of the gaping net.  A Caspain free kick from 35 yards was driven towards the top corner, and Verbeek did well to catch and hold it.  The teams traded chances again as a Caspian corner kick was headed at the near post, deflected by Verbeek, and cleared off the line by Orech.  Shortly after that a Rino’s counter attack saw substitute Crowe running at the Caspian defence and taken down by their last man just outside the penalty area.  The referee however only opted to issue a caution to the Caspian defender and Rino’s attempt at the free kick was wasted.  Rino’s then held firm for the remaining minutes and celebrated their first victory and clean sheet of the season.

Man of the Match: Keith O’Carroll

Team:  Verbeek, Gazin, Hanson, O’Carroll, Hawkins (Marchi), Wilhelm, Sanders (Arceneaux), Cougny (Crowe), Pace (Orech), Bradbury, Solven (Packham)

Goals: Ian Solven

Assists: Diego Marchi

Div 2 – Match 1 – 2013/14 – NK Hrvat

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Rino’s Fury 1 – NK Hrvat -1

The much anticipated 2013/14 season kicked off Saturday with an afternoon fixture away to NK Hrvat at Memorial Turf. The newly demoted Div 1 side would prove to be a good first test for the Fury. With a tough pre-season camp and a few new international DP additions to the squad (Keith O’Carroll, Guy Packham and Diego Marchi), the team looked to improve on last years season and challenge for promotion once again . First teamer, Brent Hanson also joined the squad after long-term injury struggles held him out of action last season, no doubt bolstering the Fury back line this year. A couple of missing players this year were stand out winger, Francois Clark, defender Evan Jones and last years captain, Vincent Martin, definitely leaving a hole to fill for this years squad.

The game got underway with a strong start by the Fury, showing early signs of composure, hustle and a team-first mentality, putting NK Hrvat on the backheel. A few decent chances were created, but the Fury were unable to capitalize on them. Strong defensive play, left Hrvat with little, opportunity to create anything dangerous going forward. In the 30th minute, Fury midfielder Francarlos Leon was given a (questionable) straight red after a coming together in the Hrvat 6 yard box. A man down with an hour to go would be a tough test to start the season for any team, but this only seemed to spark the Fury into action. A physical game continued into half time with a 0-0 scoreline.

NK Hrvat came out strong in the 2nd half, starting to show signs of being a man up. 5 minutes in, a nice passing play by the opposition ended with a cross into the box that bounced around and was unable to be cleared, only to fall to a Hrvat midfielder at the top of the box who smashed it through several bodies and made it through goalkeeper Nathan Verbeeks legs, barely seeing it.

The game shifted a bit as Hrvat seemed content with holding onto the dangerous 1-0 lead. The Fury pressed for an equalizer but came up short on a few occasions. A scrappy game continued with a few more yellows being handed out. On a 70th minute corner, the big defensive pairing of Hanson and O’Carroll combined for the Fury’s first goal of the 21013/14 season. A beautifully whipped in corner by Wilhelm to the far post was headed back across goal by O’Carroll, where a waiting Hanson was there to pounce on it and blasted a well placed shot into the right side of the net. The Rino’s men continued to push for 3 points, seemingly unsatisfied with a tie, finding weaknesses in the Hrvat defense. Strong play by second half sub, Packham, earning his first cap, impressed with composure and provided several quality balls up to strikers and wingers creating chances to take the lead. In the 85th minute, 3

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points were surely locked up as a shot by striker Cougny was parried to Shih who missed from close range, unable to complete the comeback.

The fans were pleased as the final whistle blew. A quality performance by the Rino’s Fury to build on as the season progresses.

Man of the Match: Keith O’Carroll

Team: Verbeek, Atkinson (Packham), Hanson, O’Carroll, Hawkins, Cougny, Sanders (Arceneaux), Leon, Wilhelm (Sanders), Pace, Solven (Shih)

Goals: Brent Hanson

Assists: Keith O’Carroll

 

The next match against Caspian FC will be played Sunday September 15th @ 4pm, Point Grey Turf.

Div 1 Match 1 2013/14 – AC Campobasso

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The 2013/14 season kicked off in identical fashion to the previous campaign, with a 1-0 defeat of AC Campobasso.

The new pre-game handshake and photo-op added a sense of professionalism to the occasion, however Campo’s first few touches quickly dispelled any delusions of grandeur.

Campo, having lost the jewel in their crown (last years MVP Paraic Phelan) to Div 1 rivals Ajyal Tigers for an undisclosed fee, were flattered by the 1-0 scoreline. They produced no shots on target during the contest, whereas Rino’s were guilty of missing some gilt edged chances.

The Rino’s side had a familiar look to it, but as with the start of every Rino’s season opener, there were a handful of debutantes on display. David Moore, Jamie O’Sullivan, and Aussie keeper Patrick Hayward, donned the Rino’s Blue for their first competitive match, while Summer League signings Mark Norton and Ash Southern (who take our English contingent far too high) took their VMSL bow for Rino’s. All 5 are great additions to the squad, and provide us strength in every position.

The game got off to a great start, with Rino’s holding the ball for decent spells, and 10 minutes in produced what proved to be the only goal of the affair, from the unlikely source of Ali Pickett. Some possession atop the Campo box was broken up, but a poor clearance fell to Pickett who made space for a shot from 25yards. The strike squeaked through, and despite the keeper getting hands to it, crept into the corner of the net. Pickett looked as surprised as anyone that he was celebrating a goal at this level.

Rino’s looked dangerous down the wings after that, with Hauk, Duff, and later O’Sullivan and Kook getting in behind the Campo full backs, but were unable to find anyone in the middle to double the lead. To Campo’s credit they defended well in the final third and Rino’s were left with few clear-cut opportunities by half.

As the second half got underway though cracks bean to appear, and the humidity seemed to get the better of Campo, with only the post, some rusty finishing, and last ditch defending keeping the game alive. A delicate chip to the back post found Billingham alone for a free header, but the tight angle left a difficult finish, and the shot came back off the post, with Campo quickest to react and get the ball clear. A corner shortly after produced another header at goal, this time from Bligh, which flashed (slowly) just past the post.

Some strong wing play was now paying dividends, and a couple of balls found Greenall and Norton in the box, but the former was unable to keep a zippy ball down, and the latter unable to make the space for a shot before being closed down.

As chance after chance went begging Campo were buoyed by the slim margin holding firm, and indeed nearly stole a point late on when a deflected free kick wrong footed Thom in goal, but sailed just over the bar. Some late pressure from Campo resulted in consecutive corners, but nothing was to come of them, and Rino’s walked away with all 3 points.

Man of the Match went to Brent Petersen for his role in limiting the Campo attack to just a few speculative shots.

Rino’s move on to Serbia next, for their home opener, while Campobasso have another tough tie away to newly relegated Vancouver Olympics.

Team: Thom, Atleo, Petersen, Bligh, O’Genski(Southern), Billingham, Hauk(Kook), Norton, Pickett(Carr), Duff(O’Sullivan), Moore(Greenall)

Soccer Resort Vancouver Cup Champions

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Congratulations are in order for Brent Hanson, John Bligh and the rest of the championship team they assembled to conquer the men’s open division of this year’s Soccer Resort Vancouver Cup.  Another successful tournament has earned this group of Rino’s lads an invitation to Vegas to compete in another Soccer Resort competition.

Team Members:  Brent Hanson, John Bligh, Dylan Maxwell, Brent Petersen, Eoin Brady, Jordan Atkinson, Ali Pickett, Charlie Carrick, Daragh Fitzgerald, Barry Houlihan, and Greg Brown

Provincial Cup Dream Over, But Summer Soccer Awaits

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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!

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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

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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 Fury 2012/13 Season Re-cap

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The Rino’s Fury ended their season on Saturday in a 0-1 Cup loss to the Richmond Olympics. This normally would of sent them off to the golf courses with their usual long cup runs going well into March, but it seems they will be sent to the slopes with the ski season still in full flight.

It was a lackluster end to a year full of promise. Pundits predicting a successful promotion campaign, put pressure on the Rino’s Fury to live up to this expectation. With the team still finding their feet to start the league, a few hiccups early on against easier opponents, which had also been the case in years past, prompted another hole to be dug out of. From there the real season began with better team performances and standout individual play, starting an undefeated streak of 14 games to land the Fury in 1st place.  A number of ties limited the potential point tally, but it looked optimistic going in the final third of league play.

As the season progressed, a few notable injuries and departures to the Rinos squad took it’s toll and required re-enforcements to be brought in. Perhaps this led to inconsistent performances, with players struggling to build chemistry beside new faces required changes to the structure of the team down the final stretch .  At times, the Fury were unstoppable, controlling the game and playing composed soccer worthy of moving up a division. Other times they looked out of sorts, finding it difficult to create anything going forward.

With 3 teams fighting for the single promotion spot, it was only right that the last two games of league play were against these teams, both on home soil. With the season on the line, a Sunday fixture against Gastown FC brought nerves and excitement to a game that would decide which team would be playing in  Division 1 and the increased TV revenues that go along with it next fall (actually the addition of linesmen in this league is way better than money). Unfortunately, it was a game to be forgotten.  A 0-3 deserved loss brought the the Fury’s hopes crashing down. It would be another season in Div 2.

The Point Greysiders supporters club commented on the season. “We are proud of the mighty Fury, showing class through long stretches and the club record 14-game unbeaten streak. It was a devastating end to a bright looking season. We will always continue to support the team and look forward to a strong showing in the Summer league and for the boys to come out fighting in  2013/14”.

A team full of talent and potential, expected to move up will likely see big money transfers into higher divisions. The nature of this business.

Rino’s Vancouver SC Undefeated to Start the Season

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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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