Rovers Host Unity; Deuces Were Wild

An ultra-special edition of the Match recap, as we’re splitting it up between 2 of the more, um, “relaxed” Pirates. Your humble web admin Adam takes on the early action with James arriving in time from work for the late game in this weeks Stadler and Waldorf edition.

Once again, I admit I’m probably the worst person to recap the ins-and-outs an actual football match. So let’s talk food.

This season, we’ve had food trucks at Rovers home matches at Swangard. There’s also been an increased emphasis on game day atmosphere, with the “cornhole activation,” and the Parallel 49 beer tent (which they moved to the south end!). Friday nights also mean that a lot of our academy players can come out and cheer on the teams and see what they might aspire to one day. I had to fill in for our game-day DJ, Bruce, for the home opener, and run the scoreboard, so I really didn’t get to partake in the festivities for the first game. So Friday in the return matches vs Unity was my first taste – literally – of the new vibes.

(PSA: the Baja fries from Dos Amigos food truck – probably the best stadium food I’ve had in my life. Unreal.)

There was a buzz in the air. Energy was high. Youngsters kicking a ball behind us in the south end. The weather was pretty close to ideal for a guy who doesn’t like standing in the sun. It felt like a proper event. A purist might grumble that a football game doesn’t need those distractions like a band, or a DJ, or even cornhole. But make an event, and people want to attend. Then we smack them in the face with talented athletes playing great football while they’re there, and make them want to come back. And give them some simple options for something to eat, and drink.

Quick rant about the various game-day experiences around the league. For starters, I appreciate that running a League 1 team isn’t easy (or cheap). From my understanding, that recently got worse. But if you’re gonna charge people admission to an event, at least put in a little effort.

So, I’ll start out with a huge shout-out to the folks at Altitude FC. Other than the fact we drank them dry last year on Fathers Day, a game-day in North Van was a great time. They had entertainment for the youth, an honest attempt at generating atmosphere in the crowd (although some take issue with the “corporate flag,” I’ll argue a corporate one is still better than none at this stage.) The team is preparing a documentary that looks really well done. If you’ve read our reports on last weeks action at Burnaby Lake, we were a little less high on some of the experience there – food options, a lack of a working scoreboard. Issues that can be improved!

Which leads me to the League 1 BC team that has an affiliation with a rather large football club in the region. You travel all the way to UBC, pay your admission, and that’s it. You can’t buy a bottle of water, a bag of popcorn, or even a shitty hotdog. Bring your own food, or trudge across campus and find something. It sucks. You would think a pro sports team with 50 years of history might have an idea about some of these things, but here we are. Previous years at the old venue were equally embarrassing.

The real shame is, their women’s team is an absolute powerhouse full of talented players who will likely end up playing in the new NSL. This team should have a larger support base than “parents of the players” and whichever members of the men’s team show up early. They’re running through the league, are the current Canadian champions, and will be playing in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup. They deserve to be playing in front of larger crowds, but nobody seems to care about increasing attendance at their games. Rant over. On to the action.

Our women’s team, fresh off a heartbreaker last week against the Burnabeagles, faced a stiff test from the Unity side that gave us a bit of a thumping, 5-1 three weeks ago in Cloverdale. The Rovers have definitely seen their play improve recently, so we were hopeful that we’d see that form carry forward. It only took 18 minutes for Unity to strike first. Oh.

But then you know what happened? The Rovers took it to Unity for the next hour. The pressure on Unity ramped up. Special note that one of our U-18s, Kaitlan Cerney checked in at 36′ and was not out of place at all. That’s not quite a Katie, but it’s close enough. In the second half, Maddy Mah intercepted a pass and gave Jenna Baxter room to send a perfect pass through to Vanessa Tome, who made no mistake. 20 minutes later, another Unity giveaway under pressure from our front meant Jenna Baxter had room again, and this time she thumped one with her right foot from the top of the penalty area, off the keeper’s fingers and in. A rocket! 2-1 for the girls in red! 5 minutes plus “discretionary time” away from all 3 points.

Look, if there’s a bright side to the fact that Unity equalised 2 minutes later, it would be that it wasn’t in stoppage time. As the sun slowly disappeared, the final whistle ended an entertaining affair. Another great effort from the Rovers, one that should have been rewarded with more than a single point. We’ll take it in our quest for a top 4 spot.

Time for the recap relay handoff, as it were. I, James, rolled up to Swangard just as the mens teams were taking the field. Another nice thing about Rovers’ gameday set up, as compared to BFC, is that all of the fencing surrounding 3/4 of the field is not covered, therefore allowing any curious passers by the opportunity to sample our product. It also allows late-arriving regulars the chance to have a smoke off stadium property without missing any action. Though away at a safe distance, I could still catch the opening minutes, and get a sense of the overall vibe on the day. The food trucks were back, as Adam mentioned, though now much better situated near the support. I also saw kids kicking a ball around, friends mingling and supporting. What a welcoming, warm atmosphere beneath the lights on a Friday night; had I not intended to join in, I surely would have been tempted based on this sneak preview. BFC, on the other hand, puts a black covering over their fencing, preventing anyone from gathering any idea of what sort of exciting things might be going on behind it. It’s probably because they play on a regular, little public pitch without much stadium infrastructure. They want to make it look as “official” as possible, while also justifying charging $20 for two matches with very little in the way of gameday activities and amenities. Just saying.

My aim is less about shaming BFC and more about celebrating Swangard and our own matchday offering. We’ve got it good. A historic stadium with a grass pitch and a mountain view. Ownership that cares. After a consuming, highly-active work week, it felt like a slice of heaven to be with my Swanguardian pals on a warm June night watching Rovers. I was dead tired physically, but once I waltzed down to field level and stepped onto the vibrant green grass behind the the southern net, my hardships faded away. I usually arrive nice and early on matchdays to ensure time for set-up and “tailgating,” but it’s also fun to roll in when everyone’s already there; the gang gave me a little holler and I went around saying hi each of my pals spread out along the flag-covered railings separating supporters from the pitch. I kind of felt like the mayor of Roverville.

With a coffee in hand to rouse myself, I didn’t expect to do much but just stand there and watch this time. But, as per usual, the signature Swanguardian rhythms and rhymes lassoed my spirit, pulling me back into the fold. I grabbed some drumsticks and started singin’ ‘n’ chirpin’. Natural, self-fulfilling energy.

Unity had the hot start, however. The menacing Joel Badger scored only 5 minutes into the match before sliding dramatically on his knees in celebration. Then, just under 30 minutes later, a goalazo occurred. We have mixed feelings about it. No, it never feels great to watch the opposition score a bicycle-kick stunner right in your face to go up 2-0 on your club in your barn. But, on a human-to-human basis, it was an amazing, deserving moment. A well-executed bicycle-kick goal is a rare, magical thing in football, especially as righteous payback. The goal scorer, Victory Shumbusho, had unfortunately been the victim of some vile, racist hate speech in the YouTube chat of a recent Unity match, so, to then see him score such a wonderful goal in his first appearance since was simultaneously very uplifting. We expressed our love and support for Victory pre-game, and we stand by that. Some things are bigger than football.

Still, we couldn’t ignore the scoreline, Rovers were down two. Our undefeated, “invincible” season was at risk. Mounting a comeback wasn’t an impossible proposition given the scoring options we possess, but grabbing one before the half felt important for morale. Fortunately, the dashing Devin O’Hea did just that, once again serving as the catalyst for our signature red smoke. He’s been on fire to start the season. Our confidence returned with his tally… Devin’s on attack, Justyn’s in the back, Rovers are going to win the league!

Another major turning point occurred when the wee Badger boy confused the pitch for a pool right at the 45th minute. He went for a dive in Rovers’ box and thankfully the ref was on it (for once). Yellow card for simulation! You best believe we badgered Badger with good verbal shellacking after that. My co-author Adam kindly informed Badger that the Central Park Outdoor Pool, which happened to feature in the Twilight series, was a mere five minute walk away. Badger must have become confused. Badger must dive at pool, not pitch. Bad Badger.

The second half saw our boys in red attacking towards us, and we willed them to score with shouts and song. Someone must have ordered bottle service, as a big swig of cognac hit us collectively in the 72nd minute – Michael Hennessy scored of a short rebound in close, emphatically slamming the ball into the net. Rovers had tied it up, which had us drunk in love. At 2-2 with 20+ minutes to play, we had a great chance of stealing the comeback win.

Rovers, clearly invigorated by the more-promising scoreline, gave it all they had, but ultimately couldn’t break the deadlock. The neon-yellow ref called time while we were setting up for one last attack, the opposite of what usually happens when the opposition is in the same position. We’d have to settle for a point and the preservation of our undefeated start to the season. Draws can be underwhelming, but the greater the risk of a loss is, the more a tie can feel like a win. The point also set us a point above the second-place Caps, and had us remain the only men’s team in League1 BC without a loss. Goals for, 14, goals against, only 3. We’ll definitely take it. As the saying goes, winning the league is a marathon, not a sprint. Time to rest up over the coming bye week and come out guns-a-blazin’ against Harbourside.

No matter the opposition or the score, it’s a comfort to know that our club is still the benchmark against which all other League1 BC operations are measured. Rovers lead the way on and off the pitch. As much as we’d like every gameday experience to match our own, it’s ultimately a credit to our tireless passion and commitment to the cause. When you have a supporter-owned club, the overall investment level – whether financially or emotionally – is elevated. The rest of the league will get there, but until then, we’ll continue to show how it’s done. We are Rovers, that’s just what we do.