Inconsistent play adds up to defeat for Kickers - Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still
Friday June 24, 2005 Carman Valley Leader — Playing their first “real” home game of the season didn’t help the Carman Kickers when it came to the end result. The Kickers took to the Carman Collegiate Soccer Field for the first time this season as they faced the Sudan-Nile squad this past Saturday afternoon. Due to scheduling conflicts their first home date on May 30 with Ragnarok was postponed and their next “home game” with St. James actually had to be played in Winkler due to yet another conflict with using the collegiate field. But after finally getting an opportunity to host a contest, it was the visitors from Winnipeg who emerged from the hot and humid day (Humidex readings at around 36º C) on June 18 with a 5-2 victory. A few bright spotsDespite the final score, it wasn’t all bad for the Kickers according to their head coach William Hoogerdijk. “It was an excellent example of how we can play (very well) and how we shouldn’t play (not so well),” Hoogerdijk said. Carman actually scored the opening goal as Jordan Vanderveen was tripped in the Sudan-Nile box. And sniper Lyle Vanveen made the most of the ensuing penalty kick to give the Kickers a 1-0 lead just about twenty minutes into the contest. “Up until that point, I though we were doing a good job of controlling the pressure on them,” Hoogerdijk said. But Sudan-Nile seemed to pick-up their play following the opening tally and they’re efforts paid off about five minutes later when they tied things at 1-1. But Vanveen restored the Kickers’ lead with his second of the afternoon, with around 10 minutes to go before the intermission. Carman was unable to hang onto the advantage as the visitors tied it again with about five minutes left in the half. Despite playing their opposition “pretty even” to start the final half, it wasn’t enough as the visitors proved too much for the Kickers, at least on this day. “In the second half, we started well. We had some chances but so did they, so it was pretty even at the start,” Hoogerdijk said. Took the leadBefore the frame was ten minutes old, Sudan-Nile had recorded two goals to take a commanding 4-2 lead. They followed that up with their fifth of the afternoon, about 15 minutes later. “We had a few chances after that, but nothing we able to cash in on,” Hoogerdijk said, as the loss dropped their early record to 1-2 for the season. And while a defeat is never easy to accept, the coach said he was impressed with what he saw from his team, at times. “I’m hoping it’s a kind of learning experience for us because I saw how good the guys are capable of playing,” Hoogerdijk said. “Now we just need to start putting into practice what we’ve learned otherwise we’ll be in the same place were we ended up last year – out of the playoffs