Gorge Aims to Break Island Drought

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Gorge aims to break Island drought

Cleve Dheensaw Times Colonist

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Gorge FC, the dominant Island men's soccer power of this decade and the B.C. champion, will attempt to end an Island drought of nearly three decades when the lads from Hampton Park open play today against the Quebec champions at the 2008 Challenge Cup national championships in St. John's, Nfld.

Despite the considerable success of Island soccer in the 1980s -- including three players on Team Canada for the 1986 World Cup -- you have to go back even further than the Boy George era to find the last Island club to win the Challenge Cup. Try the disco era, when Vic West won the final of its four consecutive national crowns in 1979.

Although Gorge has come up short in two previous trips to the nationals after winning B.C. crowns in 2000 and 2001, several of the players have come through the UVic- Gorge pipeline and have national-championship-winning experience from playing on Bruce Wilson's CIS-championship Vikes teams in 1996 and 2004.

Gorge, however, is suddenly problematic between the posts with starting goalkeeper Conor Quinn out due to an injury sustained while training. The job of backstopping the run for a potential national title has fallen to backup keeper Joel Galbraith. Backing up Galbraith will be Chris Davies, picked up from the Gorge Third Division side. It also doesn't help to have Zeke Cabell, one of the best midfielders in the Island league, out due to injury and starting sweeper Mark Cristante game-to-game.

"We always play well defensively [six of Gorge's last seven games have been shutouts] but are going to have to be even better at the nationals and limit the number of shots," said Gorge GM Brian Williams.

"Regardless, we have great faith in Joel [Galbraith]."

Since B.C. is the only province which plays a winter soccer schedule, there is annually a five-month gap between winning the provincial title in May and competing in the national championships in October.

Rob Veenhof and Liam Girard were two Gorge standouts during last spring's drive to the B.C. title but are currently living out of town and are not on this season's 2008-09 Gorge club. Those two key players, however, are eligible for the national Challenge Cup tournament because they were members of the 2007-08 provincial championship Gorge club.

Girard, a Belmont grad who played in the NCAA at the University of Denver, has flown up from Colorado for the Challenge Cup. Veenhof, a terrific defender good enough to have been considered for pro trials in England, has come from Toronto and will again don the arm band for Gorge as captain.

Gorge follows up today's Quebec game with a fixture against the Newfoundland second seed tomorrow, the Newfoundland first seed Friday and the Ontario champion on Saturday. The winner from this pool meets the winner from the other pool in the national championship game on Monday.

Friday's Gorge game against Newfoundland No. 1, and the championship game, will be played at King George V Stadium -- a park which needs no introduction to Canadian http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=f8b450aa-cc04-4020-809e-372b73737785&spon... 11/10/2008 Print Story - canada.com network Page 2 of 2

soccer fans. That is where Team Canada -- including George Pakos of Athletics, Jamie Lowery of Vic West, Ian Bridge out of Lakehill and Wilson -- won the decisive CONCACAF qualifying game against Honduras to make it to the 1986 World Cup for the first and only time in history.

The top-ranked and defending champion Calgary Callies and second-seed Gorge are favoured to top the two pools and meet for the Challenge Cup at King George V.

Gorge is taking nothing for granted despite having lost only twice in 13 months and boasting a loaded roster which includes Veenhof, Girard, Kevin Mennie, Brent Garraway, Paul Vandenboomen, Patrick Gawrys, Kellen Holden, Will Moore and Dave Gustar.

"This is the national tournament and you have to defend well and score on your chances when you get them," said Gorge head coach Julius Karpati.

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