Kanata Glens

Kanata Glens were the opposition this week. The match last year was close until one particular Kanata player talked his way into a red card, leaving them short for the bulk of the game. The Royals rolled over them with little difficulty from that point on. This one started much the same way last year’s ended; the Kanata side with only ten men on the pitch - one of whom was obviously injured and playing through necessity. The Royals countered with ten of their own. And, Riccardo Brun del Re.

As the case this time of year, both teams were hit hard with vacationing players. Even so, the OT4 Royals were able to provide Doug Green and newly signed Konah Raynes to the OT3 as emergency call ups to fill out their roster. Skipper Harry VanDyk had carefully planned out the game lineup to ensure that Ken Slemko and Richard Gravel were on hand to relieve the starters during the heat of this evening’s game and the large pitch which was sure to tire them out. But alas, Harry neglected to heed Slemko’s own vacation plans and Gravel was unexpectedly called back to work, leaving both teams without substitutes in a soccer version of the Survivor show. Which team would be up to the challenge? Before the game, a huddle of several Royals defenders and midfield agreed that this game would not be decided in the first five minutes, but would require the full ninety. As it turned out, this pre-game prophecy was entirely correct.

The Royals started quickly and almost scored right from the opening kickoff, with coach Harry VanDyk just miss-firing from in close. He was to make amends for his miss only minutes later with the first goal of the game. With the short handed Kanata team pinned into their own end, the Royals spoiled several more golden chances to score. One particular shot on goal was parried by the keeper to his right. The defender on that side picked up the rebound and was moving unchallenged towards the edge of the penalty box, the Royals strikers content to stand and watch. Impatient that nobody up front was willing to give chase, Mario Arnone moved up from his left midfield position to confront the defender at the five yard line. Sensing himself being cutoff, the defender reversed his direction and one timed a clearing pass off Arnone’s rear end. The ball lay unclaimed at the penalty spot for several moments until VanDyk rumbled into the play and neatly deposited it into the open net for the initial goal of the game, which was less than five minutes old. Full credit to the big Italian for putting the “ass” back into assist.

The next while featured more Royals domination that was spoiled by poor finishing and a string of offside calls from the referee, who was more intent on keeping his hair pretty than actually calling the game. The back four of Nigel Parker, Michel Fournier, Jeff McNamee and Paul Dickins cut off all the Kanata clearing attempts and distributed the ball forward to the waiting midfield or the over-eager striker combination of VanDyk, Andy Steele and Matthew Blackwell (also known as The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight). Graham Cathcart and Riccardo Brun del Re ran miles out on the pitch, creating chances and foiling any potential Kanata build up. The Kanata team did mount some semblance of an attack about fifteen minutes into the game with a couple of dangerous chances against keeper Brian Harcombe, playing in place of the vacationing Larry Everett. Harcombe handled his few tests perfectly, although one shot came precariously close to hitting the post that may have been given up for wide a little prematurely. At the other end, the litany of missed chances continued. Parker, until asked to tone down the “helpful” rhetoric, kept an informal count as they unfolded: “That’s two, Harry. That’s three, Harry. That’s four, Harry”, proving that his hours watching Sesame Street as a youth was not wasted by Parker. The skipper’s sixth miss of the half was the most excruciating to witness. With perfect positioning on the keeper, he took the cross from the right side, off his forehead - out jumping the Kanata keeper. The keeper turned and moved forward in the opposite direction of the ball. VanDyk waited for the ball to settle, and on the second bounce, from four yards out, volleyed the ball skywards over the bar. Perhaps his teammates could have informed him that the play was now unchallenged and the result would have been different. After thirty-five minutes, the 11th Kanata player appeared, equalling the manpower situation on the field. This player certainly looked to be fit and proved to be exceptionally quick. The Royals, to a man, were hoping that they would not be penalized for all their missed opportunities to bury the Kanata side. The Kanata team still looked a bit disorganized and the Royals pressed ever harder for the second goal, but it was not to happen in the remaining minutes of the first half.

At half time, the Royals talked about how the half had unfolded and how they may capitalize against the weak Kanata defence in the second. Perhaps the speedy Harcombe could move up from the keeper position and provide some badly needed inspiration up front now that everyone was tiring from the heat. He was certainly under-utilized in that first half; even Larry could have been just as effective back there. After much discussion, the Royals went with the old standby, and made no changes. The Kanata team had regrouped over the break and had dramatically changed their alignment. They took charge early, going for the equalizer. The Royals fended off their attacks and countered with many of their own. A bit of magic between Riccardo and Steele (something about eye contact) resulted in several chances from the right side as they took turns flicking the ball to each other off throw ins and long passes up the wing. Matthew Blackwell ran hard after several hopelessly long passes with enough determination to unsettle the Kanata keeper on a number occasions. But the Royals shutout was about to be spoiled on the most innocent of plays. Michel Fournier intercepted a long clearing pass just inside the Royals half line. Faced with several Kanata players intent on taking the ball away, Michel heard the call from sweeper Paul Dickins on his left. He turned to the voice and passed a hospital ball that Paul had no hope to recover. The Kanata striker who had arrived late in the first half, now showed his true speed and won the fierce challenge Paul put up in desperation. The challenge almost worked, but the ball bounded off the striker’s legs and it was off to the races. Harcombe came charging out to cut off the angle. The striker blasted a shot that Harcombe stopped, but couldn’t control due to its ferocity. The pursuit went right, but the rebound went left. The striker only had to gather the rebound and roll it in to tie the score at one.

The mood turned ugly for the Royals now that the score was even. As Parker’s now silent count reached into the mid teens, Dickins pushed up to force the issue and get the go ahead goal. Cathcart on the left midfield flank, had numerous overlapping runs that resulted in dangerous, but oh so very close misses. He grazed one off the bar and had others just shy of the short side go for harmless goal kicks. The Royals turned the screws a little tighter. Goal kicks were now being headed back into the fray by Cathcart, Arnone, McNamee and Fournier with unchallenged regularity. Corner kicks began to mount from both sides of the net. Arnone put three consecutive corners to the forehead of VanDyk, who was squinting into a blinding sun. VanDyk missed the first, but sent the next two perfectly to the net, only to be foiled on each occasion by either the keeper or the man holding the near post. Cathcart from the opposite side just failed to tuck one in on the short side. Parker’s silent count was ever mounting- he had run out of fingers and toes by now. The pressure was finally rewarded with ten minutes of play remaining. Cathcart took the throw in at the Kanata twenty-yard line. Ignoring the call from Arnone, open at the eighteen-yard box, he threw it back to the equally open Parker on the side line. Parker drew the defence toward him and recalling Arnone’s call to Cathcart, confirmed he was still open with a quick glance. A smart pass forward gathered cleanly by Arnone, a turn, and a right foot inside the left post left no doubt it wasn’t going to be saved, made the score 2-1 for the Royals. The Kanata team was done.

The ensuing Kanata kickoff was intercepted and the Royals full court press continued. After another five minutes, the work of both Steele and Riccardo was rewarded with a hand ball call in the penalty area from an awkward trap attempt by the Kanata defender. Matthew Blackwell out-called Dickins from the back to take the penalty. A game’s worth of frustration was erased from Blackwell’s face when he drove the ball past the keeper for the final 3-1 score. It wasn’t a pretty game, but a victory nevertheless. The Kanata team, undermanned in the hot and trying conditions, put up a valiant effort. The Royals, on their part, could take small consolation that they were generating countless chances under similar conditions. Now they must work on making those chances count against teams that are more apt to make them pay for opportunities lost.

Once again, many kudos to our legion of fans who watched the game without booing, although at times they had every reason to: Laura; Cathi; and Elaine.