Powell River Villa opens season with tie at home

Villa Soccer Club opened the 2019/2020 season with a 1-1 tie against Juan de Fuca All Flows in a match held Saturday, September 14, at Timberlane Park.

“It was a decent start to the season,” said Villa coach Chris McDonough. “We had moments where we played well and other moments where we lost our way, so we’ll take the tie and work on improving as the season continues.”

Both Villa and All Flows are newcomers to the Vancouver Island Soccer League’s Division I, having been promoted from Division II at the end of last season.

Kye Taylor scored the goal for Villa, while Andrew Fitzpatrick scored for All Flows. Both goals came in the first half of the game.

“Taylor was very productive up front, in addition to scoring the goal; he created a lot of chances and made it difficult for the other team,” said McDonough. “Our goaltender, Scott McKenzie, also played very well. He plays on an under-18 team, and Saturday was his first game in this league as a youth-permitted player. He did an excellent job in net for us, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of him in the future.”

Weather was a factor in the game, as steady rain with occasional torrential downpours contributed to sloppy conditions on the field.

“The rain made for a lot of loose balls and tackles, but both teams dealt with it well,” said McDonough. “We were lucky last year, as it was sunny for all our home games, so that was a bit of a reversal for the start of this year.”

Prior to the game, Villa players and staff took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new covered stands for spectators at Timberlane Field. The stands were built as part of a grant from Powell River Community Forest.

“We were really happy to have this phase of the project completed and ready for the first game of the season, and given the weather, it was perfect timing to help keep our fans mostly dry,” said McDonough. “We’re looking forward to the next phase, which will be covered player benches on the other side of the field. When both those pieces are complete, Timberlane Park will be one of the top facilities in British Columbia for amateur soccer. We’re excited to be part of creating this space for athletes, and we really want to thank community forest for providing the funding to help us do that.”

Villa will play Vic West FC in Victoria in an evening game on Saturday, September 21, and return home on Saturday, September 28, for a game against Lakehill FC at Timberlane Park. Kickoff for the home game will be 1:30 pm, with tickets available at the gate.