Canadian Men win second game of Chile Series (4-2)
August 2, 2010
By: Yan Huckendubler
The Canadian men cleanly beat Chile 4-2 in the second game of their 5-match series against the South Americans.
The game started as an intense midfield battle. Canada circulated the ball well but could not get a clear hold on the proceedings. They nevertheless managed to open the scoring in the 14th minute after a decisive run by Rob Short, Iain SMYTHE managing to put his stick on a cross from the right by Ken PEREIRA.
Rob SHORT played higher in midfield today, shifting the momentum of the team toward the attack. Soon after the first goal, he offered a sumptuous pass to Phil WRIGHT but it was well saved by Mathias ANWANDTER in the Chilean goal.
Canada scored two more field goals before the break, first by Ken PEREIRA receiving in the circle a perfect pass by Keegan PEREIRA, and then Devhon TEXEIRA was well positioned to capitalize on a cross from Iain SMYTHE to score his first international goal in only his second match with the national team.
Canada seemed to have a comfortable 3-goal advantage but Chile reacted well and scored soon after the break by Fernando FERNANDES after a sweeping move that seemed to catch the Canadian defense flat footed. Chile scored again in the 58th minute after a similar move from the right wing, setting the stage for an intense end of game.
The Canadian defense, pushed by the local crowd, was well backed up by Dave CARTER who intervened decisively on a few occasions. Canada finally regained some breathing room in the 64th minute when Phil WRIGHT was on hand to connect with a precise cross by Dave JAMESON from the left.
Coach Alan Brahmst was happy to see his team win by scoring 4 field goals today. “We dominated the first half and built a comfortable lead, but we let them back into the game with some defensive mental errors. We somehow lost our composure for a while but I am happy that we managed to come back into the game to score another goal and win. We had a solid game plan today and I am satisfied that we managed to implement it, at least in first half. Overall, I am pleased that the team responded well to some tactical adjustments throughout the game”
Canada: Philip Wright, Scott Tupper, Ben Martin, Jess Watson, Richard Hildreth, Hudson Stewart, Ken Pereira, Dave Jameson, Rob Short, Devhon Texeira, Keegan Pereira, Iain Smythe, Matt Guest, Adam Froese, Taylor Curran, Dave Carter (GK)
Goals:
14mn CAN Iain SMYTHE (FG)
28mn CAN Ken PEREIRA (FG)
35mn CAN Devhon TEXEIRA (FG)
38mn CHI Fernando FERNANDEZ (FG)
58mn CHI Jan RICHTER (FG)
64mn CAN Philip WRIGHT (PC)
For more information on the Canada-Chile Test Series, please click here
