The Comox Valley Evolution U18 girls rep soccer team travelled to Vancouver on Sunday, April 17 to play their 台湾MM裸聊室 Cup semifinal against Dunbar鈥檚 U18 team. The sun was shining down on the turf field and the many fans from both teams got to watch a fast-paced, entertaining game.
Dunbar came out strong and ready to play as a win would earn them a berth to the Provincials in July as well as clinching them a spot in the 台湾MM裸聊室 Cup finals on May 1. For the Evolution (who had already earned a Provincial berth by winning the Vancouver Island playdowns) it meant a trip to the 台湾MM裸聊室 Cup finals and the opportunity to play another Lower Mainland team.
Dunbar put on a lot of offensive pressure in the first half but thanks to the strong team effort of the Evolution (sponsored by Chatters Hair Salon) and many great saves by keeper Jen Dyer, no goals were scored until the 40-minute mark.
After their first goal, Dunbar netted a quick second one. Just before the half-time whistle the Evolution closed the gap when Brittany Tilley made a beautiful crossover to Natalie deLange whose shot from the right wing sailed into the lower corner of the net.
The second half was full of end-to-end action from start to finish with both teams having several good scoring opportunities and both keepers playing solidly. The Evolution made it 2-2 20 minutes into the play when deLange made a sweet pass to Rebecca Williams who knocked the ball down and quickly fired it home.
Minutes later Dunbar regained the lead after some corner kick action, but the Evolution equalized just seconds before the final whistle when Maddy Bams made a timely pass back to Anneliese McNaughton who scored off a long, high shot from well outside the 18-yard box.
Overtime began with more intense, full-field action. Just minutes in, Dunbar had a scoring opportunity when one of their players dribbled into the Evolution鈥檚 18-yard box. At just the right moment, Breanna Franks got her foot on the ball and knocked it out of bounds. The Dunbar striker went down as well and this resulted in a corner kick.
"The Dunbar fans were quite vocal to the referee, suggesting that a foul had occurred and that Dunbar should have been awarded a penalty shot," an Evolution spokesperson said. The corner kick was taken and the referee, still feeling the heat from the Dunbar fans, made a 鈥減hantom鈥� call against a Comox Valley defender inside the box, thus giving Dunbar a penalty shot.
This ended up being the winning goal and was a tough way to lose a game that had been so well-played by both teams up to that point. "Congratulations to the Evolution for the great teamwork they displayed on the field and to keeper Jen Dyer for having such an awesome game in net," the spokesperson said.
The Evolution鈥檚 next action will be in Victoria on May 8 for the Island Cup final.
鈥� Evolution soccer
