Men's Soccer Recap

The 2021 PACWEST soccer season opened this past weekend in wet conditions, but the players didn’t seem to care because they were FINALLY back on the pitch. The past weekend marked the first PACWEST sport to return to action since the pandemic began.

SATURDAY

Langara Falcons 2
Douglas Royals 1

The Falcons celebrated their first ever home game at Swangard Stadium with a 2-1 win over the defending PACWEST champions on Saturday.
Rafael Jorge opened the scoring for the Falcons in the 66th minute. Then Athos Michellepis de Siqueira tallied his first of the season in the 87th minute which would hold up as the game winner.

In extra time the Royals cut the lead in half when Ryosuke Sudo scored, but ultimately it was too little, too late.

Falcons’ keeper Aleks Kalajdzic made five saves in the win.

SUNDAY

VIU Mariners 2
Langara Falcons 1

The Mariners hosted the Falcons for their home opener on Sunday as both teams had to deal with the wet weather.

The Falcons who won on Saturday came out of the gate quickly nearly scoring a goal in the opening few minutes as the ball just hugged the goal line and stayed out. In the 36th minute the Falcons did indeed open the scoring when Tagnour Bashahareh tallied on a penalty kick.

The Mariners would get the equalizer during extra time in the first half when Matthew Coburn scored just before halftime. Then in the 64th minute Grayson Chalifoux scored the game winner as the Mariners held on. Keeper Ben Chamberlin collects the win making two saves.

Capilano Blues 4
Douglas Royals 3

It was a wild game on Sunday between the Blues and Royals as each team battled through chilli, wet conditions.

The Blues opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Eric Swanson found the back of the net. Newcomer Nima Moazenizaden then went to work scoring back-to-back goals in the 47th and 55th minutes giving the Blues a three goal lead. Jeremy Monn-Djasngar then made it a four goal lead in the 57th minute and it looked like the Blues were in line for an easy victory…but wait.

The Royals suddenly exploded during the extra time session after the clock hit the 90th minute. Anell Athwal, Yianni Siafakas and Scott Seress each scored in extra time stunning the Blues and the fans that had gathered for the game. The hopeful comeback however was cut short when time finally did expire.