June 14 Game Report: Burnaby Battles

Goals, goals, goals! A total of 12 goals were scored during Nanaimo’s two games this weekend! Talk about action. The squads gave us the inside scoop:

WOMEN’S GAME

4 goals were scored in the first 29 minutes of the women’s game. Wow! High school superstar Victoria Cronkhite scored the first goal of the match 16 minutes in - an epic breakaway thanks to a lovely pass from Ruby Nicholas - and UBC crusher Ava Alexander put the ball in the back of the net soon after. Check out the replays below! 

Jade Dillabough (right) and Victoria Cronkhite (left) causing Burnaby's defence some grief.

Burnaby scored in the 28th minute, but it only took our ladies until the 29th to score again. After resetting at centre, Ruby Nicholas sent a ball through Burnaby’s defence to Victoria Cronkhite who was on a tear towards the net. Jade Dillabough went with her and got into the perfect position at the top of the box. Victoria shot, and Jade one-timed the keeper’s rebound save into the net. What a play!

Taylor Kinley

“We were really happy with our first half. Starting games on the road can sometimes be hard but that was definitely our best half of the year. Goals have been hard to come by for us so scoring 3 in the first half was a huge confidence boost,” said defender Lauren Grey. Midfielder Ella Ashfield agreed: “We had a great first half, up 3–1 and playing some really good soccer, but the second half slipped away from us. Burnaby came out strong and we had a hard time keeping our rhythm. We struggled to connect passes, lost composure, and Burnaby took advantage of our mistakes.” Lauren noted that:

Even though the second half didn’t go our way, we can still look back at that first half as a guide for how we want to play. Spirits were a little down after the game because of the loss. We all felt we could do more so we will look to build and rewatch the recording to get ready for next weekend - a really big game for the club. We’re really excited to head to Kamloops for the last leg of the Reid Davidson Shield. It’s extra motivation for us - we really want to get a good result for him and his family and friends.

“We’re focused on regrouping and ready to come out stronger in the second leg of the Reid Davidson Shield next weekend!” added Ella. 

RUN IT BACK - PLAYS OF THE GAME

Victoria's breakaway!

Ava with the pounce - Burnaby's goalie had no chance!

Perfect positioning from Jade:

MEN’S GAME:

A breakthrough game for the men! To tie the second ranked team in the league is a great accomplishment at this point in the season. After a few games of trying to find their stride, the lads were able to connect and create some magic on the field this Saturday. “We played really well and had a lot of fun,” commented Saturday’s first goal-scorer Charlie Smith. “We did really well to break them down and get down the field to create chances. The boys really battled and had a desire to win.” 

Charlie Smith getting his body on the ball - the first goal of the game!

Charlie’s goal came from a free kick. Declan Brown expertly stole the ball from Burnaby in NUFC’s end and initiated a rapid attack. He slotted a sweet pass down the line to a speeding Charlie, who cut in towards the box and was taken out by a Burnaby defender. A free kick was awarded to NUFC and Suka Behery stepped up to take it. He launched the ball over the wall - tons of bodies were in the box, all jostling for position, but Charlie managed to get in front of the ball and poked it past the keeper. 

Burnaby picked up their game and scored 2 more goals, but Nanaimo wasn’t done yet. In the 77th minute, Ashton Bryant and Niklas Hallam connected on the wing. Hallam quickly changed direction and was suddenly centre-facing and in a great position to create a play. He spotted Suka Behery making a run on the opposite wing and sent the ball in his direction. Behery got on the ball and continued his trajectory towards Burnby’s net. Two quick touches and a rollover later, Behery had slotted a wicked shot into the right corner to tie up the game. Check out the replay below!

Charlie Smith cheesin' after his goal.

RUN IT BACK - PLAYS OF THE GAME

Charlie Smith's goal off a free kick:

A lovely pass from Niklas Hallam to Suka, then some moves from Suka:

NEXT UP

Next weekend is the weekend of the year - the second leg of the Reid Davidson Shield! Kamloops currently has the lead in the total points home-and-home competition, but Nanaimo is stoked and ready to play some stellar footy. This past weekend was a great example of how far the squads have come and the action to expect for the rest of the season.

Stay tuned for some special RD13 content - we love collaborating with Kamloops FC!

United!