The Douglas College Royals got the result they wanted on the second day of the start of a new PacWest men’s soccer season.
Behind a sharp performance from netminder Felipe Domingos, who turned aside six shots, Douglas blanked the visiting Langara Falcons Sunday for their first win of the season.
It came less than 24 hours after they rallied to earn a 2-2 draw with the same Falcons.
In Sunday’s affair, the Royals took the lead when Joshua Penny produced the opening goal just three minutes into the contest. The lead stayed the same until early in the second half when Yianni Siafakas made it 2-0 for Douglas.
A day earlier, the home squad briefly held a 1-0 advantage off Milan Gandesha’s marker in the 38th minute. Langara responded with two straight tallies, the first by Joey Ratcliffe at 60 minutes off a penalty kick, followed by Amanuel Wondie Tegeg just five minutes later, to stand ahead with 25 minutes left.
Douglas came back with the equalizer, when Abdul Ali buried his shot in the 70th minute. The game would go to overtime, but neither squad could find the back of the net.
Domingos was kept busy, as the Falcons outshot the Royals 7-3.
The Royals venture to North Vancouver on Saturday to face the defending B.C. champion Capilano Blues, and play host to the Vancouver Island Mariners on Sunday, 2:30 p.m. at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park.
This year’s Douglas lineup features a number of local products, with Burnaby’s Rozmehr Aghabaygy, Benjamin Beaulieu, Marco Consiglio, Bronson Hartley and Armando Rodriguez.
The squad is aiming to return to the Canadian Collegiate Athetic Association championships in November, with B.C. being granted a wildcard berth on top of its provincial champion.
ROYALS ROLL WITH AGGRESSIVE ATTACK
You don’t step on Superman’s cape, nor spit into the wind.
You don’t give the Douglas College women’s soccer team an opening that they can take advantage of, either.
The Royals launched the 2019 PacWest soccer season on the weekend with a sweep over the Langara Falcons. Led by five-year veteran Taylor Wettig, the New West-based program emerged with victories of 4-0 and 3-1 to start the season off right.
Wettig cashed in the first goal of the season, just eight minutes into the opening game, off a header. It was followed by first-half tallies from Rachel Kilbrai and Gracie Quesnelle, as the Royals built up a formidable lead.
Ten minutes into the second half, Mikaela Montagano, a St. Thomas More alumna, completed the offence.
Douglas out-shot Langara 10-2, with netminder Tess Venables blocking both shots she faced for the shutout.
In the rematch on Sunday, the Falcons generated a little more offence, posting five shots on goal, but the Royals again struck early, with Quesnelle providing the honours at seven-minutes of play. New West native and first-year Douglas forward Taylor Spong cashed in her first PacWest goal at the 24-minute mark, with Coquitlam’s Alyssa Lum making it 3-0 just two minutes into the second half.
Langara counted its lone goal of the weekend with 20 minutes left in the game, spoiling Elisha Machado's shutout bid.
Wettig, a midfielder, was named the PacWest women’s soccer player of the week for her performance.
Douglas visits Capilano University for a game on Saturday (1 p.m.), and return to Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park for a match against last year’s provincial champion Vancouver Island, at noon on Sunday.
As well as New West alumna Spong, the Royals roster includes fellow freshman Isabella Silva and third-year veterans Ashley Bristow and Martina Pettenon, all of Burnaby.
