Cliff Ave Cobra 1 - 2 YFC

Another gorgeous day Saturday afternoon saw Yaletown FC face off against Cliff Ave. Cobra at the turf fields at Burnaby Lake Park in VMSL Div 2A action. More players were making their YFC debuts in this match including Martin Sosa and Matt Crocker, with a good YFC supporter contingent making the trek out to Burnaby to see the boys make good once again. Right from the opening whistle, YFC made their presence felt by pressuring the Cobra defense and making several probing attacks into the Cobra penalty area. After 15 minutes, Jackson Castellanos headed home a Joao Antonio Rabelo corner kick to break the ice on the scoresheet. About 10 minutes later, Jackson found himself again with the ball inside the Cobra area and slotted a low shot past the Cobra keeper to make it 2-0. YFC continued to buzz around the Cobra net, but were unable to convert several top-notch chances to widen the scoreline. The YFC back line, when rarely called upon during the first 45 minutes, stopped any cobra attempts at attacking before it they even started. At the end of 45 minutes, the cobra players looked exhausted and YFC seemed in control of the match. Count not ye chickens before they have hatched!

The halftime whistle brought needed relief and hydration given the field temperature that was likely hovering around 25C. However, it was the cobra in the second half who increased their workrate, winning 50/50 balls and controlling significant stretches of play although not looking dangerous in attack. YFC chances at goal were not as frequent as in the first half, although Jackson Castellanos was deprived of his hat trick goal by mere centimetres as a 22-yard shot rattled the woodwork and shot across the face of goal only to emerge back onto the field of play. 15 minutes from time, the cobra manage to pull one back after a set-piece cross found the head of a Cobra attacker 8 yards out, who powered it home to make the game 2-1. In the final 15 minutes with the Cobra pressing the YFC defense (anchored by sweeper and man of the match Allyn Fong) stopped all serious attempts at goal while part-time keeper Jason Moore cleaned up the few attempts made it through to goal. When the final whistle blew, YFC had emerged the better team today, if not by a wide margin. The squad will have some work to do to improve their play in preparation for next week’s match against Sikh Temple, but 3 points on an away pitch is always a good result.