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Div 3 [VMSL Div 3] Predictions, Results & Banter 2017/2018

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trece verde

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No sandwiches and bad eyes, but finally something to post about after a bye week and getting flooded out at Livingstone vs. Lobbans. Some genius at Club America decided that if they played their games on Sunday nights at 6 it would give them an advantage, but when your own guys don't show up, how much of an advantage is it? They managed 10 tonight, and I think we had 15. Ruben in the middle, and despite his reputation, he only gave out 1 card to each team. They played well, but 45 year old Sid is still their best player and even with his skill level, you can only keep up with gazelles less than half your age for so long. 4-2 was a bit flattering as we squandered at least 4-5 other balls that should have been finished easily. Benfica next and hopefully some payback for the first round stinker.
 

clem

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We are surprised that because AKAL FC folded we had a 'BYE' game last week-end without 3 points knowing NVFC Norvan Vikings got a 'forfeited' game the previous week-end counted as a 3-0 victory (3 points + 3 goals). It doesn't seem fair that a team got 3 points on the return games while other teams of Div3-B will get no points.

I hope the VMSL will clarify the situation...
 

Canucks4Ever

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Things remain tight in all three league title races across Div. 3 with two massive clashes on the docket this week as the leaders in 3A and 3B will meet. Westside Black Aces are two points up on Strathcona and they meet Friday at Livingston. No rain in the forecast for this week, so unlikely to be flooded out as some recent games on that pitch have been. New 3B leaders GFC Lions take on closest chasers West Coast Saints. Saints actually have a game in hand so GFC need a win here to move securely into first place. Quite the turn around for a team who, and I very well may not be remembering correctly, did not win a game last season?
 

Canucks4Ever

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We are surprised that because AKAL FC folded we had a 'BYE' game last week-end without 3 points knowing NVFC Norvan Vikings got a 'forfeited' game the previous week-end counted as a 3-0 victory (3 points + 3 goals). It doesn't seem fair that a team got 3 points on the return games while other teams of Div3-B will get no points.

I hope the VMSL will clarify the situation...

Rules state that three forfeits and you're out, so the Akal reboot has failed a year after being expelled from Division 1. As for the table, the rules say that if a team plays half the season (ie each of the other teams once), the results for the first half stand as is. Problem here is, Akal forfeit their final game of the first round against West Coast Saints, so technically they did not "play everybody once". The NorVan result from last weekend will certainly be changes to a "bye", but what of the other results? This happened last year with I believe a Burnaby Selects team in one of the Div. 3 groups and the results stood, up to the half way mark of the schedule. I believe this was challenged though as it was set to impact the promotion race, but, in the end, when it had no bearing on who was going up, it was dropped. Metropolital B is the only team to have dropped points to Akal this season and they are not involved at the top of the table so I am guessing the results will be left as is, expect for NorVan last week.
 

RickG

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Bowen 3 - PCOV 0

We've moved a few things around, picked up an outstanding left back from the Bowen coed league, got a key player back from an injury sustained in our opening game, and the Bowen kid who played as a freshman striker for Cap U. this past fall is back with us. So the Boners have been playing a lot better lately. The PCOV back line couldn't handle the island boys' pace and we should have had 5 or 6.

Our goal for the season was a top 4 finish, which I think we can accomplish if we continue to play like we have the past couple of games. But, so much in the VMSL depends on how you do with injuries, player turnout for any given game, and even suspensions from accumulated yellows. In an intensely competitive Div. 3 division this season I don't believe there are guarantees of anything. I can already see guys bailing from our upcoming games as the holiday season arrives, and our squad doesn't have much depth. Fingers crossed that we can continue to hold things together, let alone improve.

I agree with SoccerMom about Strathcona being the team to beat in our pool, but their upcoming clash with Westside will be a huge determinant of the eventual pool winner.
 

Soccer Mom

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We finally pulled together and put some balls in the onion bag, beating VanCity Snipers 4-1. Was expecting more of a battle from them after their tie with Strathcona the week prior.

I agree with SoccerMom about Strathcona being the team to beat in our pool, but their upcoming clash with Westside will be a huge determinant of the eventual pool winner.

Would be a good one to go watch. I think Strathcona will find a way to pull in the 3 points.
 

Soccer Mom

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5 straight losses for PCOV after starting 5-2-1 in 3A. They're a good team so thats a little surprising. They were beating us 1-0 for most of the game 2 weeks ago (even though their goal came from a blatantly offside player), but we managed to come back in the last 20 mins to win.

We handled bottom feeders Royal City with ease this weekend. Nice group of guys and looks like they picked up some veterans since the first time we played them to try and help out. Props to them for showing up each weekend, we've been there and it's tough.

Any match report from the 1-1 Strathcona/Westside tie?
 

trece verde

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Any match report from the 1-1 Strathcona/Westside tie?
Reported as 0-0 on the Most Excellent site. No, I wasn't there.

Wasn't at our 1-0 win over PCOV today either as I was at the BC Soccer conference today instead. Report from the game for us was that we finished with 10 due to a sending off. 3 more points is always a good thing.

Snipers next.
 

Canucks4Ever

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Stalemates in the top table clashes in both 3A and 3B, keeps things very interesting in the promotion race with GFC and Strathcona failing to take over control of the groups and West Coast and Westside missing a chance to establish some breathing room. Instead the rest of the field all make up ground. Things are just as tight over in 3C as well where once again none of the big boys will clash this weekend after all holding serve last weekend. All in all a really entertaining Division 3 this season and don't forget the closest race might in fact be for the second place promotion spot offered up by Sea to Sky dropping out of Division 2!
 

soccer8

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Stalemates in the top table clashes in both 3A and 3B, keeps things very interesting in the promotion race with GFC and Strathcona failing to take over control of the groups and West Coast and Westside missing a chance to establish some breathing room. Instead the rest of the field all make up ground. Things are just as tight over in 3C as well where once again none of the big boys will clash this weekend after all holding serve last weekend. All in all a really entertaining Division 3 this season and don't forget the closest race might in fact be for the second place promotion spot offered up by Sea to Sky dropping out of Division 2!

Is it 4 teams gaining promotion to div 3 next year?
 

clem

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Rules state that three forfeits and you're out, so the Akal reboot has failed a year after being expelled from Division 1. As for the table, the rules say that if a team plays half the season (ie each of the other teams once), the results for the first half stand as is. Problem here is, Akal forfeit their final game of the first round against West Coast Saints, so technically they did not "play everybody once". The NorVan result from last weekend will certainly be changes to a "bye", but what of the other results? This happened last year with I believe a Burnaby Selects team in one of the Div. 3 groups and the results stood, up to the half way mark of the schedule. I believe this was challenged though as it was set to impact the promotion race, but, in the end, when it had no bearing on who was going up, it was dropped. Metropolital B is the only team to have dropped points to Akal this season and they are not involved at the top of the table so I am guessing the results will be left as is, expect for NorVan last week.

They finally removed the victory of Norvan Vikings, so everything is back to normal.
Thanks for your reply.
 

clem

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Game report : France FC 5 - 2 Ex Patriots FC

A nice game with lot of goals and an interesting scenario.
We dominated most of the first half even if Patriots FC scored first on a free kick (0-1). We quickly come back in the game few minutes later and 1st half ended with a 2 - 1 and with a beautiful goal of our captain, a long shot (with left foot) right into the top left-hand corner.
Second half was in our favor too, we kept ball possession and quickly scored another goal which gave us a serious advantage in this game (3-1). But Patriots players never gave up and they scored again to come back in the race (3-2). They pushed hard but we finally scored 2 more goals using the spaces they left behind.

France FC come back at the TOP 3 of Div3-B. The first game after the break against GFC will be crucial for FFC, with 6 points between us and West Coast Saints (2nd) and 7 points between us and GFC we might come back in the race for div3B.
 

Soccer Mom

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SDFC with a 1-6 loss to Westside in 3A. That's what happens when you're missing your entire backline, and both your goalies. We were lucky we were able to even field a team. Our best player was late and had to leave at half time which also didn't help. It was actually 2-1 after 50 minutes, but with us only having 1 sub, their youth had us gassed after 75' and they put 3 goals in the net in the final 15 minutes. Shitty way to go into the break, and wish we could've made things a little more interesting between the top 3. Westside looks sharper than they did earlier in the season, but still beatable. Will be interesting to see if Strathcona has improved when we play then first thing in January.

Bowen and Vancity also with big showing this weekend. 3 horse race in 3A, potentially 4 if lobbans can take 9 pts from their 3 games in hand. I still think Strathcona will take top the table.
 

Canucks4Ever

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Coming into the home stretch after the break absolutely nothing has been decided in any of the Division 3 pools. This time last season Lupi were running away with 3C while 3A and 3B were basically two horse races. This year, not so much. Plus the bonus promotion spot is entirely wide open. Let's get a lay of the land and see if we can't suss out who will going up come March:

3A
Based on the anecdotal evidence provided by many of TTP's most stalwart contributors, Strathcona are the favourites to emerge atop this group. The East Van boys currently sit second, two points behind pool leaders Westside. The consensus is that Westside are not as strong as Strathcona and will ultimately falter down the stretch, however that seems somewhat harsh given that Westside have either lead or co-lead the division from day one, so perhaps they are a group that deserve slightly more respect. If Strathcona are to prove the pundits correct they will need Westside to falter as they squandered their recent chance to pull ahead when the teams tied 0-0 at Andy Livingston. Westside won the original meeting 1-0 back in September, so they will control their own fate down the stretch. Of the three teams they dropped points to in the first half of the schedule they have already cleared one hurdle, trouncing a reportedly understaffed South Delta side 6-1 before the break. That leaves former Div. 2 boys, America, who are the only team to beat Westside this season, and Lobbans, as the most likely to affect the title race. Lobbans themselves should not be counted out of the promotion race given that they have a pair of games to make up and will still play both Westside and Strathcona in back to back weeks at the end of January, in a period that will likely determine the fate of 3A one way or the other. Long time Division 3 mainstays Bowen Island also find themselves in the mix at the top of the table, only three points out of first place, however, they look to have the toughest schedule remaining as they will face Westside, Strathcona and South Delta consecutively following the break and will need significant points from that stretch of games to stay in the hunt. They also will face Lobbans at the end of the season before being idle the final week of the schedule, so certainly an uphill climb, though one supposes it could also be viewed as a perfect opportunity.

Prediction:
Again, tough to bet against Westside who have yet to put a foot wrong this season, but I would suggest that if anyone is going to pip them to the finish line it will be Lobbans. The Surrey boys have the pedigree of having played in Div. 2 before and that experience should bode well for them down the stretch. Both these teams have their fate in their own hands and their clash on January 20 could well decide the champion in 3A. One wild card is VanCity Snipers who have two forfeits and are one more away from being potentially tossed out of the league. They beat Lobbans and drew Strathcona, so it would be interesting to see how those results would be handled should they drop out.

3B
GFC continue to sit atop of 3B, but to say that their position is precarious would be an understatement. West Coast Saints have a game in hand and sit only two points back. Saints looked to have wrested full control of the group away after a top of the table 1-1 draw with GFC in their penultimate fixture before the break, but then threw away that hard work when they lost to third placed Siaron the following week. Fortunately GFC failed to capitalize on this misstep, drawing 1-1 with NorVan Vikings. So it appears no one really wants to take control of this pool. One time leaders Siaron have kept themselves afloat with that aforementioned 2-0 win over West Coast, but will need some serious help if they are to make up their five (or potentially six) point deficit over their final five matches. One team that is lurking just off the radar however is France FC. Les Coqs du Sport have games in hand and will play all three of the teams ahead of them in the table. After an inauspicious beginning to their life in the VMSL last season, France turned a corner around this time last year and have been playing top half of the table football ever since. They are full value for their current fourth place standing and, if they can take another similar step forward, might be able to challenge for promotion down the stretch. In order to do this they will need to improve on their record against the other contenders (0-1-2) in the reverse fixtures and they will need to be ready to hit the ground running as they will play first placed GFC and third placed Siaron immediately after the break in January. Les Coqs have established themselves as a solid VMSL Division 3 side, now we will find out about their ambition.

Prediction:
I still can't get on board this GFC train. Are they seriously the team that went winless last season? I think West Coast Saints are in pole position and I expect to see them bounce back to Division 2 where, I believe, they played once upon a time. They look to have one of the easier schedules down the stretch, facing only France and NorVan from the top half of the table. They will need to bank the points early however as they sit idle on the final weekend of the schedule (though Cup play will surely affect when the actual "final weekend" fixtures are played). With the Akal reboot failing miserably and them dropping out of the league, if the teams at the top in 3B can continue to put up points at the same pace as the rest of the league at large look for the best second placed record to come from this pool, as it should come down to points per game and these teams will all have played only 19, as opposed to 20, matches.

3C
Greencaps B currently occupy the top spot in 3C and having them promoted to Division 2 would dovetail well for Greencaps as a whole given their "A" group looks odds on to go up to Division 1. However, nothing is really settled at all given that the top four teams all have still to play each other for the second time this season. Even now fourth placed North Delta, who sit six points back, cannot be counted out. The North Delta boys spent much of the early part of the season in the top two places, but have slipped back due to results like their beleaguered 7-0 drubbing to bottom half Cosmos on the final weekend before the break. Despite carrying the North Delta moniker in their name, they play out of South Surrey. I don't believe that they have any link to the former ND side now playing there under the Coastal banner in the FVSL, but perhaps there are some connections. Whatever their situation, one thing that is clear is that they will need to be desperate for points when they get to run the gauntlet against the other top sides after the New Year. Richmond Olympics are up first right after the break and it will be the first of three in a row against the other promotion contenders for the boys from below sea level. Richmond were the only team to remotely keep pace with Coquitlam Metro Ford Lupi who ran riot with the division last season in what was, overall, one of the weaker groups in the league. Now they have an opportunity to win the league themselves, but it will require some top performances straight away in January. West Coast Celts shouldn't be counted out either as they look to ensure at least one of the club's teams, if not both, return to Division 2, with Saints in the mix for promotion over in 3B. All in all, this is likely the toughest of the three promotion races to call.

Prediction:
As I said this one is a lottery. I'll take Richmond on the basis that they had a good season last year and, if not for the behemoth that was CMF Lupi, they likely would have gone up. Also, by playing the all the top sides immediately after the break, if they can come away with even four to six points from that, they will likely be able to take advantage of some lower hanging fruit down the stretch while the other promotion hopefuls are busy cannibalizing each other. Further to that point, it's tough to see the best second place record coming from this group simply because there is so much parity at the top. Unless two teams can all but sweep the points against their rivals, it is likely they will take too many points off of each other, meaning that it's all or nothing for promotion from this group!

Well should be fun to keep an eye on in the New Year and best of luck to all the teams pushing for promotion!
 

RickG

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Westside 3, Bowen 1
A disappointing game in many ways for Boners although it was a far better match than the last time we played these guys. The way the match unfolded was also indicative of the Island boys' strengths and limitations.

Boners took the match to Westside early on, scored around the 10 minute mark, and pressed them so hard they could barely get out of their half. Westside kept coughing up the ball in dangerous positions and we had 3 or 4 more outstanding chances, including a crossbar and a missed sitter.

As the half wore on though Westside started to get into the game a bit more and created one good chance just before the whistle. Second half you could see our guys starting to tire and, even with our subs on, the youth and speed of Westside was starting to show. They got the tying goal just past the 65 minute mark, which brought one last Bowen rally, leading to what seemed to be the winning goal for us, only to have the ref call it back on what I thought was a really questionable offside call. Gawd I wish we had linesmen in Div 3.

Having that one called back seemed to take the heart of the teams' second half rally and Westside scored the game winner in a goalmouth scramble a few minutes later. Boners never quit, created a few more chances, and started to throw everyone forward to force the tying goal. But in the final minutes there was simply nothing left in the team tank and, with most of our guys pushing up the pitch and too tired to recover defensively, Westside scored their third on a fast counter attack, literally at the final whistle.

All credit to Westside for the fightback, because for most of the game I thought we had them.

Nice bunch of guys and I wish them lots of luck down the stretch.
 

trece verde

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Catch-up time...

I was away for our loss to Snipers, so I have absolutely no idea how the wheels fell off for that one, but they did badly. A little bit of a make-up for that one with a bit of a thumping of the Royal City lads last week, but a bit too much sloppiness set in, and it showed today against Westside in the fogbowl at Point Grey. 1-1 after roughly 15 minutes due to lazy defending at both ends - a botched offside trap at our end and a penalty at their end. They had a bit more possession than we did but not overwhelmingly so. The difference was from defensive brain farts in our end that never should have happened, leading to 3 more finished chances for them before the half in increasingly dense fog. Credit to the Westside lads for making the most of some gift-wrapped opportunities, but honestly, they should NOT have happened.

Our ref deliberated for a couple of minutes at the half about continuing, as visibility wasn't great, but decided to go for it. Conditions did actually clear for most of the second half, which was scoreless, but definitely left us feeling that we should have done better with some smarter defensive play, and more finished chances. Strathcona next, so we'll be better able to compare the two as opponents again, but the general consensus was that they were still more difficult to play against than Westside were.
 
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