A loss last weekend to Langley has done little to quell the enthusiasm and confidence of Peace Arch United’s premier men’s soccer side as they prepare this week for their first game of the Pakenham Cup.
Good thing, too, because the game won’t be an easy one; Peace Arch – which had a bye through the Pakenham’s first round – has drawn fellow premier-leaguers Golden Ears.
“Just our luck that we drew another premier team for our first game,” said PAU head coach Dave Hleucka.
“Golden Ears sits right in the middle of the (league) table, but they’re also a team that’s been able to knock off some of the top teams.
“It’s going to be a tough game.”
Peace Arch, however, still goes into the game as the favourite, considering they sit in a first-place tie with Port Moody in the Fraser Valler Soccer League’s premier division, and a win in their last regular-season game March 13 against Chilliwack ensures they’ll finish atop the standings.
The team has lost just four games in FVSL play; Saturday night’s loss to Langley was a Soccer City Cup match.
This year’s PAU sqaud is in a far better place than last year’s club, which – though they ended up winning the Pakenham Cup – struggled through the first few months of the season without much direction, or even a fulltime coach, until Hleucka came onboard and helped right the ship in time for playoffs.
“There’s a much different, much better, dynamic with the team right now, compared to last year,” Hleucka said, adding that the addition of a few veteran players has also helped keep the team’s season on an even keel.
“Our experience has really helped, for sure, and for me, I’d rather have that experience over a younger, maybe more athletic team any day.”
That’s not to say the team is old, Hleucka’s quick to point out.
“We have a real nice mix,” he said.
“We play more of a possession game this year, rather than last year where we just scrambled and battled to score any way we possibly could.
“Also, it helps us because the more we have the ball, the less our guys have to be chasing it all over the field.”
Peace Arch has plenty of experience at the Pakenham Cup; they have won four of the past six Pakenham tournaments, and been in the finals five times in that span.
The other thing that’s helped Peace Arch to a 17-4-1 (won-loss-tie) record this year, Hleucka said, is the goaltending of Gyrish Kanaih.
“He’s been outstanding for us this year, just outstanding,” the coach said. “And that’s really helped take some pressure off the rest of the guys, especially the defenders, knowing that he’s back there.”
Saturday’s game against Golden Ears is set for 2:15 p.m. at Hammond Park in Maple Ridge.