Kickoff: 4pm Sunday, February 5, 2011 at Point Grey Turf (report by French Ben)

Revenge. that is what the Rinos needed today against the Westside FC B team…and they got it with a spectacular 3-0 win.

It could have been even better if the Westside FC B had managed to bring more than 12 players for what is usually a challenging derby. We’ll blame it on the fact that Westside has already won the CAT league and maybe doesn’t feel like wasting too much time and energy on the Rino’s before the beginning of the cup: a genuine thank you to the FC players who showed up today and showed us that we still matter.

They showed up with a young team led by a couple experienced players: speed and skills of course, but could it be enough to match determination and experience?

The first half started well for the Rino’s with quite a bit of pace, short passes, good runs, nice through balls and crosses followed by many good opportunities successively for Tim Pritchard, Yuda Shih, and Greg Crompton hoping to add another goal to his recent scoring streak.

Westside resisted well and even managed to become a little dangerous on two corner kicks, but the bar and later a super inspired flying Jeff Thom – saving a nice long range shot – managed to keep the score nil-nil until half time.

A very good half for the Rinos with special mentions to Corey who stepped up to the left full back tough task with brio (really well done without punching anyone…or being punched) and to Stefan who forced Westside to spare their only sub before the break with a virile – but still on the ball – tackle on their coach.

Having a good bench is key in many sports; it is the case with soccer too (having good supporters too: thanks for coming John, Brent and Andrew, nice to see you). Westside FC wasn`t prepared for a tough second half with some players already tired and frustrated by the impeccable Rinos’ defence line.

The Westside players were not ready either to meet again with Dave Hawkins, imperial as a central defender and as a Hanni-tormentor, or to welcome Greg Pears as a left fullback. Welcome Greg, amazing job on the left side.

Not ready either to see so many white-shirted players running their asses off to put pressure on their new defence line (hmmm? The goal keeper is now playing left fullback? Interesting?). Thanks to incessant hassling from Corby O’Genski, Adam Crowe, Shawn Wilhelm, Declan Hill, Ben Cougny…and Vinnie Martin (who always looks like he’s just stepped on the field), the Westside defenders could only watch from behind Declan sprinting to slide tackle a beautiful through pass under the belly of the goalkeeper. 1-0.

Speed. Something else that was actually more on the side of Rino’s today. After a couple more crosses, a few weak attempts from Westside FC

to recover, Adam decided to show everybody again what real speed is about. A great play coming from Greg Pears, left back, nice transition in the middle, then Adam delivered a rocket sprint concluded by a right foot missile in the top right corner. 2-0 after 20 minutes in the second half.

Everything became easier then. The Rino’s could have scored many more with a little bit of extra luck…or precision. Corby, Shawn….and Vinnie again came pretty close to punish the Westside FC for its lack of application. Very close. The third goal will come 10 minutes before the end of the game with a ball lost in the box by Westside’s central defender focusing on stopping Corby instead of focusing on Ben running in his back to steal the ball (stolen from Corby too?). Pointu as French people say (look this one up folks): 3-0.

The last 10 minutes could have brought more goals, but it became also a lot about holding and controlling the ball, showing the Westside FC that the upcoming cup games won’t be easy rides. We’ll be ready.

Good job everybody, great win. Special mention to all of us. Have a good week. BC

Kickoff: 2pm Sunday January 30, 2011 at Cloverdale Athletic

Rino’s returned to Cloverdale riding a

3-game win streak. Goalkeeper Paulo Henrique was a late scratch as he was feeling the ill-effects of the previous night’s hotdog, meaning that player-coach Derrick Freedman was forced into action, and special guest coach Haydn “Tinkerman” Pritchard would run the sideline just as he had previously done in a 4-1 victory over Tsawwassen earlier in the month.

Rino’s started extremely brightly with the midfield combination of Vinny Martin, Ryan Arceneaux, Declan Hill, and Chris Thompson thoroughly controlling possession of the ball. The defensive unit, anchored by Cooper and Hawk was playing so well that fullbacks Oscar Simey and Ashkan Khosrovi were granted license to roam up the wings. After a number of close calls the breakthrough finally came through on a corner kick. After 3 successive headers in the goalmouth, Cooper rose majestically above all others and headed the ball into the back of the net. Shortly thereafter, the lead was doubled when a Vinny Martin cross was met by Tim Pritchard who steered the ball past the bewildered keeper. Rino’s kept up the pressure and were rewarded late in the half as Ashkan made a penetrating run into the Surrey penalty area and squared the ball to Vinny who had no problem finishing it off to give Rino’s a 3-nil lead heading into the break.

Half time brought a number of changes including the introductions of Corby O’Genski, Robin Davies, Shawn Wilhelm, and the two Ben’s — Motum and Cougny — the fortunes of whom would be varied. The 4th goal was born on the boot of Cougny who drifted wide to the right and received the ball. A couple of quick steps gave him the space to whip in a cross that was well battled for by Wilhelm. His lay off was met by Vinny Martin who’s driven shot was deflected by a Surrey defender into the bottom corner of the net. Meanwhile, Motum received the first caution of the game as he was adjuged to have impeded a Surrey winger on the left flank. Not content with the 4-goal lead Rino’s continued to push forward, and while coach Pritchard continued to juggle the lineup holes began to appear in the defense. A breakaway was thwarted by Freedman as he rushed from his line and spread himself large enough that the onrushing forward was forced to skew his shot wide of the net. This should have been a warning sign, but it went unheeded. Surrey’s left wing managed to get inside of Khosrovi and his point blank shot was saved by Freedman while Ash scrambled back to the goalline to clear the rebound. What earlier looked like a sure clean sheet hung in the balance now as Surrey pressure continued to mount. With just 2 minutes remaining a Surrey forward who may or may not have started in an offside position came tearing up the centre of the pitch. Motum did his best to keep up with him, and while any number of tugs or pulls could have be construed by the referee as a foul, it was not until the player reached the penalty area and lost control of the ball that the whistle blew. A penalty shot was awarded, and Mr. Motum was sent off. From 12 yards out, one crack of the boot put an end to 178 minutes of scoreless netminding, but the 4-1 victory was comprehensive enough. One would hope that if nothing else it would be a lesson learned on defending a lead.

After coming off a dominating performance last weekend, the Rino’s CAT team took to the pitch full of confidence against an 11-1-2 Richmond FC Olympics “B” squad. With the return of Goalkeeper Paulo Henrique de Sousa who had been on loan in the Brazilian leagues, it was going to be quite a task putting anything in the back of the net for the 1st place CAT B team. After the first 10 minutes and the game settling down a much improved possession game was visible from the previous week as Rino’s showed the class and swagger of a team in great form. A strong back line consisting of surprise starter Jordan Atkinson at right back, held the Olympics to minimal threats in the early goings. Going forward, the men in red always looked dangerous. Some great touch passing led to an early chance with Corey Ford having a go from 30 yards, only for it to be tipped onto the cross bar from a out-stretched Olympics keeper. With the keeper exposed and the ball falling nicely to a johnny on the spot Yuda Shih, it seemed all that was necessary was an easy header to put Rino’s up 1-0. Unfortunately, the header

sailed just over the bar sending the Rino’s faithful into cries. They had another chance soon after when Tommy Nolan played a square ball to an open Ford 10 yards from goal only to have the Olympics defender get a touch to see it safely away. They hoped it wouldn’t be another game of close chances and poor finishing.

The home side knew though that it was their day to put their mark on the league in the final stretch of games in the season and it wasn’t long before man-in-form Greg Crompton who, coming of a brace in last weeks match, put Rino’s up by 1 in the 20th minute. A great pass from Nolan, sliding the ball through to Crompton at the top of the 18-yard box between two of the Olympics defenders and an even better first touch, brought him 1 on 1 with the keeper. A well placed inside-footed shot into the bottom right, sent the crowd into roars and the home side up by one. The rest of the first half continued with strong performances in the middle by Ryan Arceneaux and Corby O’Genski out on the wing who were always frustrating the away-side with their quick touches twisting turny style of play. The possession continued with some more chances limited to long-range attempts by Nolan and Arceneaux. It wasn’t until the final minutes of the first half when O’Genski received a ball at the top of the box from Shih and with a great piece of individual brilliance made the Olympics defender look like pylon then fired a shot from 16 yards. The keeper dove to stop it but saw it slip under himself reminiscent of the Robert Green gaff in the World Cup.

The second half started just as strong with substitutes, Tim Pritchard and Ben Cougny coming on up-front and Shawn Wilhelm, Adam Crowe and newly returning Robin Davies making appearances in the middle. Rino’s controlled the majority of the play and created chances from all different areas. Paulo continued to show no signs of his absence from VMSL league play confidently collecting balls when called upon and looking for a shutout in his first game back. The other returner Davies, showed no signs of coming off an injury with crunching tackles all over the pitch. Wilhelm, Arceneaux and Thompson showed off the ever increasing Rino’s chemistry with lots of intricate passing and skilled footwork which continued to frustrate the away-side. In the air, the backline was equally as dominant never giving the opposing team a chance to create anything and winning all aerial battles. In the 60th minute, the speedy Pritchard was too much to handle and was brought down in the box with a reckless challenge. The striker took matters into his own hands when he slotted it home confidently making it 3 with 30 to go. The home-side won many corners throughout the second half and the Olympics were finally put away with a dangerous ball whipped in from Wilhelm in the 80th minute. The shear curve and velocity of the cross baffled the nervous Olympics defenders who couldn’t deal with it and sent it painfully into the back of their own net, ending any chance of a comeback and putting the game to rest.

A post match interview with the classy as always Shawn Wilhelm had much to say about the great performance. “The lads played hard and we showed today why we are one of the dominating forces in the league.” When asked about the defenders blunder near the end of the game he said “I would love to of claimed that goal as my own but I know the dubious goal panel will surely rob me of my first of the season. The 3 points are enough for me.” Managers and fans alike were impressed with today’s performance and are looking forward to the remaining games in the Rino’s schedule. An upcoming game vs. the 1st place Westside FC “B” will be regarded as the most anticipated game of the season where the players will be looking for revenge after a early season loss and know it is an absolute must win. Next week is away at Surrey at 2pm.

Kickoff: 2pm Sunday December 19, 2010 at Andy Livingstone (report by Yuda Shih)

A thin Rino’s CAT team took to the pitch against a disorganized ten-manned Club Punjab on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Following a delay, Rino’s started off the game attacking and were all over the home side right from the kickoff, constantly on the attack, generating chance after chance, with Corey Ford and Tim Pritchard both coming close. However, it was the skipper Vince Martin who opened the scoring with a screamer from 30 yards out that blew by the helpless keeper into the top right corner. The goal is a worthy candidate for goal of the year. Rino’s continued to press but were unable to get the insurance marker with Yuda Shih missing twice from close range. The Rino defense was very effective in limiting any Club Punjab attack, and the only scare came on a breakaway but the home side was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Rino’s persistence on offense was finally rewarded when Corey Ford’s cross along the ground was met by Declan Hill who coolly re-directed the cross into the empty net. The visiting side entered the break with a 2-0 lead.

The men in red picked up where they left off and had the now weary home side on their heels. Rino’s enjoyed the majority of the possession and 10 minutes following the restart, half-time substitute Lishan Sharples played a well placed cross between the two central defenders at the top of the penalty area. The cross was brought down by Yuda Shih who then slotted the ball past the sliding keeper to give the visiting side a 3-0 advantage. The home team’s frustrations soon began to show as an altercation between Ryan and the opposing side’s “big softie/ Adriano look-alike” resulted in a challenge to a post-match date on the streets. However, nothing came of it. Rino’s continued to dish out the punishment as Tim Pritchard netted his third of the season after the keeper gave up a juicy rebound off of Shih’s attempt to make it 4-0. This one sided affair was beginning to turn into a blow out. Rino’s continued to work the ball around efficiently the park and after a series of passes was strung together inside the penalty area, the ball was played back toward the penalty spot where it was met by Hill who made no mistake scoring his second of the day. The visiting side did not look like they were finished adding tallies as Corey Ford was eager to find his scoring touch. Pritchard provided Ford with an opportunity just outside the six-yard box, but Ford blasted his chance wide from close range. It

seemed as if Pritchard would head into the Christmas break with the scoring lead; however, Ford was provided another opportunity by Pritchard inside the penalty area, and this time Ford was not to be denied as he made a nifty touch to get around his defender before tucking the ball away into the bottom right corner, putting him into tie for the scoring lead. Pritchard was in the holiday giving spirit as Rino’s completed the touchdown. Half-time substitute Marian Gabas was finally rewarded for all his attempts on goal after Pritchard played a square ball to Gabas inside the penalty area. Gabas took his chance very well, ripping it into the corner giving him his first taste of glory with his new club.

Keeper Derrick Freedman was up to the task when tested and helped the CAT team attain its fifth clean sheet of the season. Rino’s seem to have found their scoring touch after struggling to find the back of the net during their recent fixtures. The team heads into the Christmas break sitting third place in the standings trailing Surrey United and Westside FC.

Team: Freedman, McArthur, Thompson, Crompton, Hill, Arceneaux, Crowe (Sharples 45), Martin (Gabas 45) Shih (Wilhelm 70), Ford, Pritchard

Kickoff: 8:30pm Wednesday, December 1st at Andy Livingstone Turf

After 3 straight cancellations Rino’s “B” team finally got on the field in a mid-week match up against the Stars of Chile.  A full squad was out for Rino’s, who were buoyed by the sideline presence of the legendary Hawk.  They were well prepared at kickoff time, only to find that their opposition were employing some stall tactics and the referee seemed powerless to deal with them.  The match kicked off a full 15 minutes late, and it didn’t take long for the Chilean antics to begin.  Their screams could be heard from Chinatown to Coal Harbour, and the referee was being conned.  Dive, scream, whistle.  And repeat.  The peak of their trickery involved their 6″ centre back doing a pirouette, swan dive combination after the diminutive Tim Pritchard ran full steam face first into his raised forearm.  The referee, who’s eyes had f0llowed the ball bought this shocking performance and a produced a yellow card for young Pritchard!

In between the acts of the ballet there was some football being played.  Rino’s forwards managed to get themselves into good shooting positions, but then generally misfired either into the keepers arms or off target.  A good through ball was met strongly by Chile’s keeper and winger Shawn Wilhelm, resulting in the latter doing a much less elegant flip and burning his face on the turf.  At the other end Chile created some chances of their own, the closest of which rung off the goalpost.

In the 2nd half the referee seemed to finally catch on and allow the play to continue even when the Chileans protested for alleged fouls.  Quality chances arose at both ends of the pitch, and Jeff Thom was frequently called into action in Rino’s net.  In particular he made a spectacular save on Chile’s forward who after receiving the ball in what appeared to be an offside position fired a great shot towards the goal.  Jeff dove to his right and got a good piece of the ball which then bounced off the post, allowing him to scramble and retrieve it.  Rino’s pushed hard to the end and continue to buzz around the Chile penalty area.  Dangerous crosses were being delivered, and someone just needed to get a foot on the ball.  Winger Yuda Shih was rugby-tackled in the box, but play continued on.   The ball was cleared just to the top of the area where a streaking Ryan Arceneaux met it, and smashed it well over the net.  There was no go-ahead goal.  There was no winner.  The only stars on this day were the goalkeepers.

Team:  Thom, Khosrovi(Thompson 45), Caulfield, McArthur(Simey 45), Chow(Kaplan 65), Crompton(Atkinson 45), Wilhelm(Shih 45), Hill(Arceneaux 45), Martin(Nolan 60), Pritchard(Ford 45), Cougny(Crowe 45, Martin 85)

Final Score: Rino’s 0 – Chile 0