In a 2-2 tie with Terry Fox on Tuesday, Riverside’s Senior Boys soccer team made history by being the first team to make it to Fraser Valley’s in almost a decade.
With a team of twenty students, the Rapids Senior Boys team is expecting a successful year. Coach Kenny Jamieson had initially set the goal to make it to the Fraser Valley play-offs, and it turned out to be a realistic goal.
“Riverside hasn’t made it to Fraser Valley’s in 8-10 years, but our team this year is really strong overall, compared to previous years,” said Jamieson. “There’s not really any student that particularly stands out – everyone is really hardworking and there’s a really evident high level of play. It’s a really well-balanced team.”
Co-captain of the team, Henry Hodaly agrees. “We have very talented players this year. I think it’s the most talented team Riverside has had in many years.”
However, it’s a bit of a surprise to see how well the team works together. The team had never officially played together until their first game.
“Because it’s so difficult to find a time to practice outside of games, the team didn’t have a lot of time to get to know each other and their playing styles before their first game. But in a short time, they really started to gel,” said Jamieson.
With two games a week, the team’s schedule may seem quite strenuous, but the players don’t have to worry about practice. Students just “show up to the games and play”, and while a little difficult at first, the team has established a sort of camaraderie.
“A lot of the players have been playing together since we were really little. We’ve been playing together for years – a lot of us played on teams together back in elementary school,” said Hodaly.
At the beginning of November, Riverside will play teams from all over the Fraser Valley as part of the top four teams in SD43. If they make the top two, they will go to Provincials.”
“We’re really happy we accomplished our goal,” said Jamieson. “Now, how they play at their games really matters.”
