May 24 Game Report: 4 Points!

Elise Coates
May 27
3 min read

What a success! It was the teams’ biggest weekend yet, scoring a combined 4 points! With a track meet, a swim meet, a lacrosse tournament and our games going on, Q’unq’inuqwstuxw was a bustling sports hub and our squads made the most of the energy!

Marko Ilich after his masterful penalty kick save.

WOMEN’S GAME

Coming in hot! The ladies started the game with a bang and made Unity’s defense work. The first 30 minutes were action packed - Ruby Nicholas and Jade Dillabough had numerous chances on net and Jensa Napier-Ganley was a corner kick machine. Jade capitalized on one of Jensa’s corners, putting the ladies in the lead. Bronte Fitzsimmons went on an attacking spree in the 50th minute and made some threatening attacks near the box.

In the 59th minute, Unity’s left winger made a great run down the line and crossed it to an incoming teammate. The clean play and resulting goal tied up the match. Our gals weren’t done yet though. A few minutes later, coach Bobbie Taylor swapped out the entire front line and unleashed 17-year-olds RJ Barfoot and Victoria Cronkhite on Unity’s defense. The duo’s fresh legs combined with their fierce physicality and speed brought the game’s energy back up, and fellow sub Alex Paul was more than ready for the action. In the 85th minute, Cronkhite picked up the ball centre-field and slotted it to Paul, who expertly split through Unity’s defense to create a 1v1 situation with the keeper. The composure! A small, well-placed touch was all that was needed and the ball hit the back of the net. 2-1 for Nanaimo!

RUN IT BACK - PLAYS OF THE GAME

Check out Jensa’s sweet corner and the resulting goal thanks to Jade’s ability to find space in the box:

Alex Paul split Unity’s defense with her rocket of a run in the 85th minute to secure Nanaimo’s win. Check out the full play:

PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS

Keeper Milena Ramirez was the player of the game. Despite arriving at the game feeling ill and worried she was feverish, she rallied and put on quite the performance. Her teammates awarded her the player of the game title thanks to her toughness and gutsy saves that kept them in the game. The modest goalie’s only comment was that it was “a big team effort.” We love to hear it!

Both Jade Dillabough and Alex Paul scored their first goals of the season on Saturday. “Unity was pretty gritty,” noted Dillabough. “They were always getting on the ball, but we capitalized our chances and they didn’t.” But when Unity finally did capitalize, Nanaimo’s ladies continued their streak of fighting hard until the end and coming back. “I felt so relieved,” said Alex Paul when asked about her goal in the final 5 minutes of the game.

MEN’S GAME

It was a big game for the lads! The match was full of positives and incredible plays. Both Unity and Nanaimo stayed locked in and engaged the whole game. Like the women’s game, the men’s game was loaded with goal-scoring opportunities. Less than 4 minutes in, Niklas Hallam, a University of Toronto rookie, tore down the wing and launched a menacing shot that narrowly missed the net. Hometown legend Declan Brown lined up multiple opportunities throughout the game, and Charlie Purcell stressed Unity’s defence in his usual speedy manner. Despite conceding a goal in the 29th minute, Nanaimo kept their energy up and continued to battle hard until the perfect play was lined up in the 80th minute. The glory came from a corner kick - the ball was sent in to an unmarked Brian Bland at the top of the box. He lobbed it in over the masses and Alex Dedame took flight and got above the defender attempting to block him to head the ball into the right corner. GOAL!!!

Matt Coburn and Alex Dedame celebrating after Dedame's header.

Moments later, the ball was back in their end and a slide tackle in the box led to a penalty kick for Unity. It is impossible to describe goalkeeper Marko Ilich’s wizardry - thanks to his incredible save, the tie was maintained and the men secured an important point. A great result at home!

A note from Alex Dedame:

It’s too bad to not take all 3 points - I felt that we had the momentum with us for most of the game. I was happy to score of course - a result is all the hope we need to go and win the next one.