Roasted Falcons

By Davie Wong

With two weeks of games left in the PACWEST season before the big playoff push, every game matters even more. None mattered more than this week. This week, both Royals teams had a chance to clinch playoff positions. But the Langara Falcons stood in their way.

On paper, playing against the Falcons was supposed to be an easy win for the men's team. The lowly Falcons had yet to win a game going into their doubleheader with the Royals. However, the Royals have also been in a midseason slump, and as we so often hear, anyone can win in the PACWEST on any given day.

On Musqueam Field, that saying was proven true. In clinical Royals fashion, the team got off to an early lead and started rolling. After two goals greeted the Royals and gave them a cushy lead to sit upon, they did just that. The team sat on the lead, complacent as ever, and the Falcons punished them for it. Three goals in a very short period of time stripped the lead away from the Royals and gave it to Langara instead. Put onto their back foot, it would take most of the game for the Royals to recover. But with five minutes left in the game, that is what they would do. Matteo Serka put away the game tying goal for the Royals as the team fought back from a deficit for the first time in a long time. However, it would be all for naught. Illuminated by their game tying goal, the team seemed to forget the game had not ended yet, and the Falcons managed to get the game winning goal the very next possession. It was a heartbreaker for the team, as that tallied their third loss in as many games.

But the PACWEST schedule leaves no room for heartbreak, and the very next day, both teams found themselves back at it. This time, it would be the Falcons off to a flying start. They would get the first tally of the match off a free kick from outside of the box. The Royals would attempt to tie the game a couple of times in the first, but for the most part were outmuscled by the Falcons. A lack of conversion cost the team big, as they could have easily been up two or three had the ball not gone wide.

Fortunately for them, the Falcons couldn't find a way to convert either, and the Royals limped into half time. During halftime, the team received what could have only been a lecture and a challenge to be better from coach Robby, because the team that took the field in the second half looked nothing like the team in the first. The Royals controlled the game through possession and played the style of soccer that they are so well known for. With all that pressure, it wasn't long until the Langara defence burst. Race Williams equalized the game with a gritty header off a corner, and Matteo Serka would net his second of the weekend off a free kick taken by Race Williams. Serka's goal would be the eventual game winner as the team tightened up and squeezed out Langara.

The win would break their three game losing streak, and give them a much needed three points. It wasn't enough to clinch them a playoff spot, but it was enough to make it pretty hard for them to miss it.

On the women's side of the pitch, the magnitude of the games were slightly different, but the intensity was the exact same. The Royals came into the weekend five points behind the league leading Falcons, and had a sour memory in their mind. The 1-0 season opener loss for the Royals was still evident in the memory of the players, and they were out for revenge.

The first of their two games was played on Langara's field in absolutely dreadful weather. Heavy rain threatened to cancel the game, but the two teams played nonetheless. In the wet, soaking conditions, neither team could really find an edge to hold on to. The weather made passing and dribbling harder than normal, and turnovers dominated the first half of the game. The second half was a much different story. The weather did not let up, but it didn't matter for the Royals. They found a way to connect their passes, and better yet, found a way to convert on their chances. Andrea Perrotta found the net for the third game in a row, while Taylor Wettig got her first goal of the season. Mikayla Hamilton blasted home the game winner as the Royals absolutely ran over the Falcons in the second half.

Coming off that huge win, the team had just the slightest amount of time to celebrate before returning home to face the Falcons the next day. Right out of the gates, the Royals let the Falcons know that their field was a no-fly zone. Mikayla Hamilton issued the warning by scoring twice in the first half of the game. Grounded, the Falcons made easy targets for the sharpshooting Royals. Hamilton capped off her weekend with a beautiful cross to first-year winger Samantha Frketich for the easy tuck away. Co-captain Michelle Wessa put on the gravy as the Falcons looked like turkeys on Thanksgiving Sunday, and the Royals won 4-0.

After the game, Hamilton took some time to talk about her huge weekend, and breaking out of her scoring slump. "I was really happy with my performance. I wanted the hat-trick, but two goals and an assist is good enough. At the beginning I only had two goals, and now I have five. I feel like it's starting to get better and I'm starting to get more into it". 

The win gave the team six points, the top of the PACWEST standings, and a playoff spot, as they look to be in perfect form to repeat as PACWEST champions.