Rovers League1 BC Matchweek 4 – Trading Blows and Scorelines with Langley’s Unity FC

The Rovers gamedays continue to come hot and heavy, as does that sunshine. It was another steamy, summer-like May Saturday at Swangard, and there are few better places to take in the majesty of a fine Lower Mainland afternoon. Part of the stadium, the southwest side, which includes its entrance, is nestled away in the friendly confines of Burnaby’s beautiful, tree-filled Central Park; the other half opens up to the north, the low ground of Burnaby allowing view of the stunning North Shore mountains. The Swangard pitch, surrounded by an earth-toned track, feels like the centre of this universe. When it all comes together on a balmy day beneath a crisp blue sky, it’s a little bit of magic. The Rovers men’s team had already found some magic of their own this season, making a run to the Voyageur’s Cup quarterfinals, and now looked to continue rounding into form in the league. The women’s side, on the other hand, came into this matchweek still searching for that initial spark to ignite their season. It seemed as good a day as any, given the temperature, and thus this merry band of pirates prepared to defend their cove. 

For the Swanguardians, there are the usual set-up procedures; haul over the fencing and bleachers for the supporters section, put out the banners, flags, and drums. But today there was some special pirate-themed features to bring to life… An inflatable kiddy-pool ship complete with a Jolly Roger, which was understandably commandeered for drink-chilling purposes. A palm tree, to provide those desert island vibes, and a parrot, dubbed Wee Willie in honour of Rovers’ own club legend Will Cromack, co-founder, owner, coach, and GM. It was he that coined the “pirates” nickname for us supporters, a nod to Rovers’ daring journey into the uncharted waters of fan ownership, local player development, and a supporter-first mindset. The Swanguardians have run with the nickname, establishing a culture of daring innovation. History tells of another nautical connection; Central Park, before becoming a pristine piece of parkland, was at one time used for the production of masts and spars for ships of the Royal Navy. Perhaps some pirate ancestors of yesteryear once plucked a couple of masts for there own rogue vessels? We’ll never know, but it’s certainly enough to paint a beautiful picture, one that adds deeper meaning to our regular singing of Willie’s Privateers, a Swanguardian version of Stan Rogers’ sea shanty, “Barrett’s Privateers.” Back in the time of ocean warfare, the British ruling power worried that their so-called privateers – royal subjects granted a limited and temporary license to shoot and pillage – might become swayed by the brute but exciting lifestyle and then turn to pirating full time. One can dream, then, of newly-minted pirates roaming the woods of what is now Central Park, looking for a key part of their new seafaring life. We certainly carry on this (likely made-up) legacy, championing an independent, DIY spirit each matchday. It’s a pirate’s life for we!

This week’s double-header came against the newly formed Unity FC, a two-year-old club based in Langley. They’re affiliated with the CPL’s newest addition, Vancouver FC, who deceptively play in Langley as well. Unity are also connected to Trinity Western University, a Christian school based in said suburb, established in 1957 when the Evangelical Free Church of America decided the Pacific North West was a desired spot for their endeavours. Given Rovers’ avid and highly-visible support of LGBTQ+ causes, there was the potential for not only a clash of football teams, but ideologies. No matter the opposition, the Swanguardians support proudly behind an array of Pride flags each matchweek, a clear declaration of what we stand for. Let it be known that ours space is a safe open to all. (This is also a good moment to remind folks to pledge towards this year’s Prideraiser campaign, which is led by a coalition of independent soccer supporters to raise money for local LGBTQ+ charities every June!) Football, as ever, is bigger than sport; rest assured you will be reminded of this each and every Rovers match. 

The women’s teams took the field in opposing shades, all black uniforms for Rovers, all white for Unity. The visitors started on the attack, driving towards the home net in front of the supporters section, but Rovers’ defence held strong with a couple of headed clearances. One sent the ball out behind, and a Unity player was left to retrieve it for the corner. This clearly pleased the Swanguardians, who shouted, “Yeah, get your own ball!” As the words drifted up into the sky, a big, yellow butterfly floated by, a welcomed guest from the woods in behind us. After pointing our fluttering friend out, one supporter commented on Rovers’ defensive structure, arguing it looked “a lot more organised today.” “Yeah,” said another, “they just need to get used to each other.” The Rovers’ roster has continued to evolve with more players returning from their school teams, and, understandably, they’ve needed time to click. Play was stuck at half for a period, as Rovers tried to push into the final third to no avail. Unity had a close chance in the 11th, charging into the box; Rovers, caught out, were left to scramble, but the shot fortunately smacked the left post. Close call. Unity were awarded a free kick 20 yards out as the 20 minute mark struck. The resulting shot left them inches away from the game’s first tally, but, luckily for Rovers, the ball smoked the crossbar this time, flopping harmlessly out of play. “That’s what it’s there for!” Another good chance came for the opposition, a slicing ball on the ground that looked like trouble. It was blocked by a well-timed Rover foot, which lead to break-out rush by Nikki Virk, but the Unity goalie, dressed entirely in lavender, got her contrasting toxic-waste-green gloves on the ball. Rovers defender Molly Quarry made a number of strong tackles at different points, and even gave the Swanguardians a wry smile as she got up after one and went to jog back up the field. One of these “fuck yeah” tackles lead to a good chance for Rovers’ number 9, Aislin Streicek, who had some room to move forward and get a shot off outside the box, but only to find the hands of the keeper, now dubbed “faded Barney.” Unity were the ones to score first, in the 28th minute. The Rovers’ D broke down, leaving the ball open in the box to be quickly shoved in by Unity’s Brianna Buttar. Virk made another nice push forward just after the restart, flying down the left wing, but ran out of room. Unity maintained their pressure as we moved into the 35th minute; Rovers regained possession at points but were unable to press past half and apply some pressure of their own. Quarry, who’s “made out of stone,” crashed in expertly for another major tackle, which freed Virk to go forth yet again, creating a Rovers corner. Unity quickly shut down the home support’s chants of “Here we go,” however, flipping it to “There we went.” Then, with just three minutes left in the half, they doubled their lead with a soft, half cross from the right that our keep Kirsten Tynan got a paw on, seemingly saving the day, but the ball ended up having just enough juice to pop up, over, and into the net. The half ended with Unity pressing further, fitting given the first 45. 

I missed a few minutes of the second half grabbing some much-needed shade, and as I waded back into the palpable heat, I was informed that Aislin had been subbed off at half, a surprising move. The chances kept coming for Unity; a poor pass back to Tynan in Rovers’ box led to an excellent, point-blank save, but Unity’s Alana Bekkering gathered the loose ball, turned, and shot, rippling the net for their third goal. Yes, a three goal deficit is difficult to come back from, and while the Rovers weren’t scoring, some joy was not long off – another “fuck yeah” tackle soon occurred, and the Swanguardians erupted in hearty cheers. “Oh Molly Quarry, she’s made out of stone!” Rovers then had a chance to rile the Swanguardians up further, winning a free kick outside the box. The attempt went wide, as did a couple others soon after, but the home side seemed to be gaining momentum. It was then that I heard about some unexpected beef; apparently the Unity keeper was giving the nearby ball girl a hard time, and now this poor kid was visibly upset. The referee, as if in response, hollered at said keeper, instructing her to unroll the one lavender sleeve she had cuffed. Rovers obtained another free kick in a similar spot, and at this point the Swanguardians were really going at the lavender lady; she would instruct her wall to shift left, and the supporters would yell, “No, right, go right!” This might have disrupted her had the shot been on target, but instead it floated harmlessly over the net. Nikki Virk continued to attack down the wing with some venom, creating a chance in the box. The keeper won the battle and screamed out while doing so… She was intent on yelling at everyone about everything, apparently. “We are the ones you were warned about,” taunted the Swanguardians in response. Rovers were finally able to hold their position in the Unity half but still couldn’t quite muster a quality chance on net. Unity, quickly punishing Rovers for their lack of finish, got back to their old ways and pushed forward. “Oh fuck, did they score again?” No, the shot fizzed over the bar. Molly was unsurprisingly involved in another crunching tackle as the 80th grew near, and sadly she got the worst of it this time, needing help to get off the pitch. The men’s team began to warm up behind us as play restarted, and Unity were shortly awarded a penalty shot. Kirsten was actually able to stop it, guessing right, but the ball still made its way into the net. Typical. The 4-0 scoreline seemed a bit unfair, Rovers worked hard and did control the ball for stints, but could not find their reward. The supporters still cried out for a goal with the game out of reach, hoping for a reason to unleash the day’s first smoke. The 90th drew near but drum and song rang out as heartily as ever. It’s ok, we love you, Rovers, we do. With full time called, the Rovers came over for high fives, as they do every match, win or lose. The injured but unbowed Molly Quarry, her ankle wrapped in ice, piggy-backed on a teammate and celebrated with the support like the victor. They’re all winners in our eyes. 

The break between the two games meant only one thing: more time in the shade. I stepped out with a Swanguardian shipmate to share some well-deserved local herb beneath the drooping branches of a Central Park tree, where I would soon forget about that frustrating 90 minutes and the sun’s scorching glare. It was a nice rest, but the time passed quickly, and soon enough we shuffled back in. The temperature was perfect in the shade, but as we braved the direct sunlight once more, I was struck by how powerfully hot it really felt on my black Rovers t-shirt, which by now was already marked with white sweat lines. The first half of the men’s game was an absolute blur, in the best of ways. Our boys in black traded blows with Unity, again dressed in all white. Play went back and forth in a flowing manner, with Rovers exhibiting some of the “silky” passing they’ve showcased previously this season, inspiring the Swanguardians to declare, “It just like watching Brazil!” During all this I was engaged in long chat about life with a new football friend, while also attempting to get a bit of food in me, while also needing to book a last-minute work trip on my phone at the request of my boss. There was a lot going on. And that was before the goals came flooding in for Rovers, two in as many minutes! Smoke and sirens for the star man Ivan Meija, who quickly bagged a brace! The first was the result of beautiful arial cross from the right by Massud Habibullah, which met Ivan’s head perfectly. The seasoned striker made no mistake, easily directing the ball into the open net. He then immediately ran over to the sideline, grabbing a white shirt with an important, hand-written message for the cameras: “Love you Dev Stay Strong.” It was for fellow Rovers forward Devin O’Hea, who is mourning the sudden death of his mother. The Rovers’ thoughts were clearly with their teammate, and it was heartwarming to see their show of support. Play soon started again and Rovers picked up where they left off, pressing Unity hard in their zone. The press worked, leading to a turnover; from there it was one quick pass to Ivan in the box, who dangled a couple defenders and poked one past the keeper. The Swanguardians’ Sire of Smoke, Jay, who wears a sling full of canisters on gameday, let loose. Red smoke enveloped the south end. With this goal-fuelled jubilation occurring, the half came in a flash. The sprinklers then started up, so the Swanguardians had to grab their things and flock to safety in the stands. “We are young, we are free” pulsed from the stadium speakers as we ran for cover, the chorus of the joyful anthem “Alright” by UK band Supergrass. It was an exciting, flowing, blurry, stoney, busy, fun, moving, darn-hot, and a little bit wet first half.

Unity started the second half with purpose, dictating play, but it wasn’t not long before things started to come to life for Rovers again. Number 17, Danylo Smychenko, won the ball in the Rovers end, leaving a Unity man on his knees crying for a call that wouldn’t come; Smychenko streaked forward with the ball, located Erik Edwardson on the right, who in turn found the free man. There would be no chance for the keeper, as Erik’s incisive pass left an easy tap in for Habibullah, who opened his account with the club. More red smoke pumped out, our signal of success. Don’t like it? Play better defence! We were ahead at the Swanny. Another quick strike by Rovers demanded a diving save by Unity’s lavender lad in net. A clever short corner lead to a nice cross, which Erik put on net, but much too high. Oh well, no matter, one more quick attack lead to a beautiful, driven pass into the box by Kyle Jones, and it was another simple tap in for Habibullah. Ring the alarm! Two rapid-fire braces and Rovers had flipped the women’s scoreline before the 70th minute. They didn’t let up, either; some more clean passes and tidy runs came towards the Swanguardians, riling up the supporters further. At one point a Unity man was caught out of position and Erik got by him, but couldn’t make the pass back to an open teammate for a shot on an open goal. Yet another good chance came for Rovers in the 76th minute, a lead pass gave Ivan a chance at a hat trick, which would have been the second in as many games for Rovers, but he ran out of room and smacked a shot off the post. At this point, it wasn’t a matter of if, but by how much. The game ended in a bit of a lull, with Rovers stuck defending in their end. Four eagles flew high overhead as full time approached, a salute to each Rover goal. The final whistle eventually came, and Rovers had successful avenged the day’s earlier defeat. The players came over to celebrate, but this time the high fives turned into a big team photo, the supporters included up on the stands. This was good enough reason for some more smoke! Why not?! Afterward, as the supporters started to pack up and move the stanchions, some of the players did the same, a true showing of the club’s all-hands-on-deck nature.

The boys played with “confidence and joy,” and that comes from preparation, said Brendan Quarry, TSS co-owner and coach. As a couple of supporters chatted by the exit, Ivan came by and shook our hands to thank us for supporting, and we thanked him in return for his brace. His diamond-stud earrings shone, which matched his shiny white smile. Matteo then came out with a cheeky grin of his own, a yoga ball and rolling suitcase in tow. Classic. Another lad passed by, Massud; he also gave us props for our support, and spoke to playing with freedom and self-belief, especially now that the first goal was out of the way. 

It seems like the difference between Rovers’ men’s and women’s sides right now is how the latter hasn’t had time to gel together as a unit, while the men have; the Voyageurs Cup run was undoubtedly added fodder for bonding in the face of adversity. Challenges bring us closer together. It’s just a matter of time, then, for the women’s side. They’ll get there. Rest assured the Swanguardians are fully behind manager Chelsey Hannesson’s team in the meantime, who she says has “so much more to give.” As do the Swanguardians, who quickly began planning their support for next weekend’s away day. Bring on the next mountain to climb – this little family of a club, strengthened by unity, is ready for anything.

Photography taken by/property of @residualimage/@aftn and @jamesesiddall