Gorge FC v Gordon Head - B Cup Final Feb 24

Gorge FC 1 - 0 Gordon Head



On a day that had cold temperatures, strong winds and rain, Gorge FC faced Gordon Head in the LISA B Cup Final.

Doug Day field was feeling the effects of the mornings rain with a very soggy pitch. The rain had stopped, but the winds persisted and it was cold.

The teams had previously met in a B Cup Final in U14 with Gordon Head coming out strong from the start and running away with the victory. Gordon Head progressed past the Upper Island B Cup Champion and represented the Island at the Provincials.

For Gorge FC this would be the third year in a row in the LISA B Cup final losing last year in U15 to Cowichan.

Gorge FC started the match with a severely depleted bench. Missing from the lineup was Ryan E (Basketball Provincials), RJ (injured), Kevin (out of town) and Mohin (the only available substitute) feeling the lingering effects of a nasty flu. It would be a long day for the boys on the field.

The opening half had it's fair share of drama with both teams feeling out the oppositions strengths and probing for weakness. Good chances were had by both teams but nothing could get past the keepers.

The break allowed Coach Danny to rally the boys to pick up the effort and start attacking the play. It worked.

The second half was barely 4 minutes old when a solid run by Jordy down the right side, with some fancy footwork to elude his marker not once, but twice, had him deep towards the corner flag. He sent a low cross into the box for the onrushing David to just get a piece of as he and the keeper collided. The ball rolled slowly past the keeper and into the right corner before the last defender could get to it.
Gorge FC 1-0.

Gorge FC had definitely picked up their play and created the majority of the quality chances in the second half. With the teams playing a very similar style, play raced back and forth, using the full width of the field. What seemed like good tackles invariably resulted in free kicks with some being taken from 30 yards out resulting in heart stopping moments as the ball fell into the box.

At the duration, one goal would be all that was scored. The final whistle brought to an end a very entertaining match between two quality teams.

Notes:
Ryan, who had seemed a bit out of step in the first half (poor traction for his fast cuts and starts) put on a dominating performance in the second half. Clayton picked up his play physically and continued with good quality runs and passes. TJ and Mohin, swapping spots on the field controlled their man effectively and stopped the runs down their side. David played a strong game and had a couple of other opportunities to put the ball in the open net.......... Jordy had his jersey pulled as he was splitting two defenders with only a free kick awarded. He made his runs count throughout the game and was the most vocal of his team. Quinn played an outstanding game and although not scoring, ran down the defenders and linked up well with his forwards and mid. Russell was delivering nice corners and had one play where it seemed he was taking on the entire Gordon Head defense down the left side into the box only to finally just tire out. Steven was in the back mopping up any loose ball (or player) that got past his fullbacks. Evan was strong as usual and Tom seemed to be everywhere defending and tackling. Mateusz picked up his second shutout and just plain gets better every time out.

Well done boys.