On October 18, the Riverside Rapids Junior Boys soccer team faced their first defeat at Gates Park against Port Moody Secondary for their last home game of the regular season.  Heavy rain soaked both teams from head to toe before the game even started, making it a challenge for the boys to play against one another, but the Riverside Rapids started the game off strong and energetic. Two grade nine players on the team, Conner Kerr and John Franca continued with high energy and aggressive moves; however, minimal communication from the whole team made for a lack of cohesion and an overall drop in energy towards the end of the game. The boys became more drained as the game went on, ending in their first defeat with a score of three to zero. There is a good chance Riverside will play Port Moody again in the Fraser Valley finals in November for another chance to win, and they intend on doing better.

The Junior Boys soccer team is coached by Mr. Jack Bale, who is a teacher at Riverside, and Nigel Wheeler, who is the father of a player on the team. Bale says he has been working towards the growth of the boys’ mental progress and their ability to work with one another. “The boys are really talented already, and so to support further, I challenge them to set goals towards growing their minds,” said Bale. He shares inspirational quotes to encourage and inspire the team. The first time all the boys played as one whole team was at their first game, so it is quite impressive how well each player works with one another.

In October, the team attended the Kwantlen Park Invitational tournament in Surrey. Scott Helmhold, who is a grade ten on the team, said that “the tournament really brought the team together.” This was a good chance for the team to have more games during the short season and a huge factor in improving the boys’ chemistry and strength as a team.

At the beginning of the season, the team made it a goal to make it to the Fraser Valley Championships. The Riverside Rapids Junior Boys Soccer team will advance to the Fraser Valleys, and continue the path towards the Championships.