You know what’s nice? A beautiful Friday night at Swangard watching some Rovers action. Taking points is nicer. We welcome another new entry in League 1 BC, Langley United, who brought along some names that once sprung from the Swanguardians lips in songs of support.
The women kick things off under a perfect sky, with the sun beginning to tuck behind the trees on the west side of the stadium. With a number of absences, we’ve got some familiar faces in unfamiliar places, as our back line is made up of not-usually-in-the-back-line-players for this one. “Look intimidating” I told them beforehand.
Standing in the technical area for Langley was none other than our former women’s coach, Chelsey Hannesson. I guess some old habits die hard, as she parked in the small lot that our players and staff usually occupy. I mean, welcome back. We hope you leave disappointed, pal.
Not much happened early. It was almost a half an hour before one of the keepers needed to do some work. Not long after the Rovers go their first shot, former Rover Shanya Dhindsa cleaned up a mess made by a ball into the box, and with 38 minutes gone, we find ourselves on the sad end of a 1-0 score.
Only a few minutes later, it was our turn to celebrate. Delana Friesen hammered one on the Langley keeper, and Claire Ye pounced on the loose ball and we’re all square. Cue smoke. Shortly after that, Claire had another chance on a free kick from a good distance. Keeper – beaten. Crossbar? Not so much. F**king crossbars. We head to the break squared at 1.
At the break, another familiar face stopped by for a visit. Our 2024 women’s player of the year, super keeper, (more importantly) PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER for Vancouver Rise, Kirstin Tynan, stopped by for a visit. We are incredibly proud of her taking the next step in her career, and we’re thrilled that she’s local, so we can continue to support. The Rise will also be calling Swangard home, so it really is her grass, we’re just trampling it a little behind the south goal.
Things stayed that way until 78, when our keeper, Talia Gagnon, making her first appearance for the team, got caught in between a long cross, that found it’s way in. It was 2-1. That’s how we finish.
At least Chelsey is happy.
On to the men, who are coming off a big outing against the Whitecaps Academy team.
Michael Hennessy needed only 9 minutes to get the party started. Goal scoring machine Michael Hennessy. That’s some top-shelf stuff, and we’re away.
Well….
Only a few minutes later, the visitors squared things up. Cal Weir (put some respect on his name) was beaten low from a good way out by a great shot. Why is it that visiting players only want to come by and talk shit to us after they score? (This will be a recurring question for the next 30 minutes.
After the goal, Langley got a little pep in their collective step. Our back line was put under constant pressure, but that wasn’t how Langley took the lead. A back pass put our keeper under a lot of pressure. Rushing out to make a clearance, Weir fired the ball directly into the oncoming Langley attacker, and geometry wasn’t on our side. The ball went the wrong way, directly in to our goal. Courage, Rovers! A tough bounce has us behind. More shit-talking from the Langley lads after a goal.
They weren’t done there, though. A few close calls (Shaya Zarjampour saved our skins momentarily), and then more disaster. A header from Joel Badger (his second of the game) eludes the outstretched hand of Weir, and it’s 3-1. More nonsense from the goal scorer as he runs past our group behind the goal. All we can do is smile politely, and mutter ‘fuck that guy’ under our breath. We go into half with a big hill to climb.
The second half was mostly uneventful. In the late stages, the Rovers starting getting some chances. A few near-misses. A couple of great saves from the Paul’s new friend Matheus De Souza while being pestered from behind. And that’s how it ends. A tough night ends with Matheus turning around and talking more shit. If I were a visiting player after a win, I’d probably talk shit to us too. So good for them. As we cleaned up our gear and assisted with post-match cleanup and storage, the visitors could be heard loudly celebrating their first ever win. Well earned, even. Here’s hoping that
Visits from keepers was a theme for the night. Cal Weir, who was once a friendly nemesis, now just a friend, and Jake stopped by for a chat. They’re keepers, alright.
A tough night for the gang in red (and orange). A rare zero point night, and we leave, disappointed but not discouraged. Unity FC awaits next. Saturday, April 26 at 4:30 (women) and 7:00 (men) at the Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey.
