Barça Win With Tough Defense

The Coqutilam Metro-Ford Barça '96 Select boys team won their second game this season through hard work, excellent ball movement and tough defense in their game versus North Shore Selects '95. The 1-0 scoreline didn't do justice to the Barça chances that were generated but when the game got close in the second half, it was tough defense that came through.

Led from the back by captain Trevor Hallam, the back line held strong and again gave up very little in the way of chances. Goalkeeper Jake Sundar, defenders James Lynn, Anthony Martin, Anthony McKave, Matteo Gallaccio, Paul Serres, and Hallam have been a impenetrable wall in recent games and has only allowed 5 goals against this season - best goals against in the league made up of teams a year older than our boys.

Barça owned the first half and had many good goal scoring chances as Krsto Lulic, Rashaun Rivers, Ryan Mobilio and Kyle Jones all came close to opening the scoring. If not for the North Shore goalie, the game could have been over in the first half.

The second half started off the same with Lulic coming close again but things turned as the Barça boys struggled to control their passing and North Shore poured the pressure on. North Shore came close a few times - hitting the crossbar, but the defense never cracked and Barça was soon rewarded for their weeks of hard work with a well taken goal.

After a short throw-in between Marcello Polisi and Lulic, Polisi struck a peach of a cross that found the head of Rivers who rose above a defender and the goalie to delicately direct the ball into the corner of the net.

Again through strangling defense, Barça went forward in search for more but found their chances just going wide.

Barça had to settle for a 1-0 victory and improve to 2-2-3 for the season, moving on to take on a tough Richmond Selects team next week.

Good Effort Through Two Games Only Nets Barça Single Point

Two very gutsy performances against teams a year older provided proof that the Barça boys are up to the challenge. The downside - they only see a point for their effort.

Barça played the Chilliwack Impact two weeks ago, a team that finished in the top 3 in the U13 Gold A division last year, and came away with an undeserving 1-0 loss. Some would argue that Barça deserved at least a draw in the game and through their tough defending and incredible work ethic only really gave up the one chance.

The Impact came out blistering and scored a minute and a half into the game catching the Barça boys a little sleepy from the long drive out to Chilliwack. Rashaun Rivers came inches from tying the score soon after on a header but the Impact goalie was up to the challenge and parried the ball out for a corner. There wasn't too many chances after as Chilliwack owned the first half while Barça did more than hold their own in the second. Final result; Impact 1 Barça 0.

Barça went on to face another top, older team in the Ladner Celtics and again showed very well. In fact, Barça had the better scoring opportunities with Marcello Polisi missing from 6 yards out and Kyle Jones forcing the goalie to push the ball off the crossbar and over the net from a 25 yard bomb. Ladner came close with a free kick that keeper Jake Sundar was called upon to parry over the bar. Both teams battled in the midfield as Barça struggled with injuries to a few of it's players and the transfer of Anthony De Luca to the Kilarney Panthers of the 4 District U13 league. Final result; Celtics 0 Barça 0.

Both results were high on effort and will put the Barça boys in snarly moods come this weekend versus North Shore Selects.