The holiday season proved to be perhaps a little too jolly for Squamish football club (FC), as the soccer club fell 6-1 to Sarajevo FC at Quest University field on Saturday (Jan. 8).
In a battle between the two top teams in Division 2A of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL), Squamish had an opportunity to leapfrog Sarajevo into first but a lack of training over the holidays might be to blame for the lopsided loss.
"We looked a little sluggish out there," admitted Squamish head coach Rod Wilson. "We haven't had any time to train over the holidays due to the poor weather and I think it cost us."
The team had three of its previous five games cancelled because of poor weather, which combined with non-existent practicing led to the team coming out rusty to start the game. Sarajevo got on the board early, scoring off of a nice set-up from a free kick, fooling Squamish goalie Jeremy Galley. However, Galley kept Squamish in the game with several key saves as the game continued.
A missed call midway through the first half cost Squamish as striker Mark Sedgwick attempted to set up Richard Collins with a nice pass, which was tapped over the goal line by a Sarajevo defender. However, instead of a corner kick, the referee gave Sarajevo a goal kick despite the insistence of Collins that he did not touch the ball.
Sarajevo's defence played a sound game, keeping Squamish to the outside and breaking up any chances. They also helped save a goal late in the second half after Sedgwick beat the keeper but not one of Sarajevo's defenders, who booted the ball out of the danger zone. Sarajevo FC added a late goal to go up 2-0 at the end of the first half.
The second half was where the wheels fell off for Squamish FC.
The team allowed two quick goals and after the fourth goal, Galley was booted from the game for attacking a Sarajevo player who kicked a late shot at him. How long Galley will be suspended for the incident isn't yet known. Sarajevo added two more goals but Squamish broke the shutout late when Gary O'Neil potted one after a scramble in front of the net.
Sarajevo FC midfielder Amar Talic, who scored two goals, admitted that it was an easier win than expected for his club.
"We thought it would be a much tougher match because we played a really close game against them earlier this year," he said. "We were surprised to be up 2-0 after the first half but one of their guys told me they hadn't been training much, whereas we have been training every Tuesday and Thursday."
It was an important win for Sarajevo, which now holds a five-point lead over Squamish in the standings.
"This was really a big win for us," Talic said. "To be honest, we went into this game wanting to play for a tie. We changed our formation but I just think we were more ready today than them."
This is the teams' final meeting of the year unless they meet in the postseason. With the loss, Squamish's record stands at nine wins and four losses, which places them in a tie for second place. Sarajevo improved to 10 wins, two losses and one tie.
Next up for Squamish will be a game against Club Punjab 'A', who are in ninth place in the VMSL. The game takes place at Tom Binnie Turf in Surrey on Friday (Jan. 14) at 8:45 p.m.
For more information on the league, visit www.vmslsoccer.com.
