July 12 Game Report: 3 Points, Onto the Next

Let’s get right into it - 3 points, 3 goals, 2 weeks left.

WOMEN’S GAME

The ladies are on fire! There was no livestream, but we didn’t need one - texts were flying in about how brilliantly they were playing. Their 2-0 win against Evolution FC solidified their confidence in the hard work they’ve put in over the season and left them feeling cool and collected, despite the heat. “Everyone showed up and really worked together as a unit,” commented midfielder Alex Paul, “and everyone was super supportive especially with the heat. It was definitely a special but well deserved win after all the hard work we’ve been putting in, in training and trying to keep finding success in our game.”

Goalkeeper Kaiden Thorpe

Paul was the first to score on Saturday. “The goal felt great,” she said, “and was a great ball sent in by Ava, one of many amazing link ups our team had, and it felt so good to score and kind of relieve a bit of pressure off of us.” Ava Alexander initiated the first goal but also scored a goal of her own early in the second half, solidifying the win.

University of Victoria co-captain and Nanaimo United midfielder Ruby Nicholas let us in on her post-game thoughts and what’s up next weekend:

I thought we put together a really solid performance yesterday. We moved the ball and exploited the space quite well while also staying composed. I thought that we did a great job of choosing our moments in terms of scoring which was something we talked about before as a team. Looking forward to carrying that momentum into next week when we face TSS at home!

The ladies preparing to head onto the field the other weekend in Langley.

MEN’S GAME

Coquitlam snagged all 3 points in the men’s game, but our men made sure to get themselves on the scoreboard. Second half substitute Michael Hepelle scored the final goal of the game and the first for Nanaimo, resulting in a final score of 3-1 for Coquitlam.

Coach Kevin Lindo said it was a “solid effort from the lads. Overall our possession and build up was very good but we lacked focus in the transition and were punished by some nice finishing from Evolution. We rallied in the second half but a little too late. Looking forward to our final home game!”

Defender Tristan Cornwell is back! During the first game of the season, he tweaked an old hamstring injury and has spent the last two and a half months rehabbing it.

It’s been great to be back for the past few games. I think we’ve continued to improve as a team and everyone’s been determined to put in some good performances despite the rough season. For recovery I have been seen by the Vikes [University of Victoria] physio and have been getting rehab exercises from them and some sprint training from my UVic S&C [strength and conditioning] coach. The team vibe has been friendly but competitive at training which has been really nice to come back to.

Left: Michael Hepelle

NEXT UP

The squads are back in Nanaimo next weekend! Come on out and celebrate the end of the season with us by cheering on the lads and ladies during their final home battle against TSS. We’ve got our favourite hot dog guy in town, Unleashed Dogs, coming to fuel the crowd as well as Wolf Brewing. We can’t wait to see you at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw on July 19 at 1 PM.

United!