Okanagan FC PCSL

Okanagan FC travelled to Vancouver yesterday for their fourth match of the season. Looking for their first road victory OFC were prepared to throw everything that they had at the UBC Thunderbirds even with a depleated side. The 14 OFC athletes definitely left it all out on the field against several UBC Vancouver 2011 prospects.

Okanagan FC held off the Tbirds strong start to the match and even though OFC bent it did not break under the pressure with some outstanding saves by Sabrina Gasparac. It took OFC 20 minutes to settle into the match and the team capitalized on a penalty shot after Kirsten Dodds was pulled down in the box. Chantal McFetridge stepped up to the spot and clinically put the ball in the back of the net. UBC Thunderbirds were determined to claw the goal back before the half but OFC maintained the 1-0 lead at the break with some great ball movement & stellar defending of corners. Despite OFC being very dangerous creating some good goal scoring opportunities in the second half it was the Tbirds who rallied and scored 3 unanswered goals by the final whistle.

“Even though we only had two subs and a few players playing out of position I thought we played a good match having some great moments of ball movement. We demonstrated that we can step up our game and be competitive.”

Despite a relatively well played 1st match Okanagan FC dropped their first game to visiting Abbotsford SC 4-2. First half OFC came out strong looking to find an early goal. With some quality ball possession, and quick transition OFC created a few quality chances but were left off the score board. Abbottsford broke through a few times and forced the OFC backline to play it out for 4 corners; all defended well. However, a quick counter attack and a missed offides call allowed Abbotsford to score before the half.

OFC came out strong again in the second half and 5 minutes in Clare Murphy followed up a deflected shot to score OFC’s first goal of the season. OFC then went ahead when Michelle Smith connected with Chantal McFetridge who struck a 25 yrd shot beating the Abbotsford gk in the 72 min. Abbotsford fought back and tied up the match in the 80th min and then promptly scored again off a corner in the 85 min. Continuing to turn on the heat the visiting team scored one more on a quick counter attack at the 88 min and put the game out of reach.

“I felt that the score was not indicitive of our play today. Despite it being the first game that we have played together as a team we moved the ball well and created some great chances. However, we faded at the end of the match which is something we need to address. I am looking forward to the re-match later this summer.”

The 2011 PCSL season is only a couple weeks away and it looks like another great group of players are coming together to represent the Okanagan in the highest level of club play in BC. Coaching staff Claire Paterson and Ashlee Davison (UBCO) are excited with the calibre of player they have in the 2011 line up. “I believe it is a great balance of experienced players along with a talented group of young athletes. As we strive to push this program forward it is important that we work hard to prepare ourselves for the tough competition we will face in league play.”

A handful of exceptional returning young talent Michelle Smith (UBCO 2011 prospect), Kirsten Dodds (UBCO 2011 prospect), Taylor Stranaghan (UBCO 2011 prospect), Justine Drosdovech, and Spencer Knapp, will be joined with a vetran group of college/university athletes will be suiting up this year.

Chantal McFetridge will be returning to the squad coming off a fantastic year with the CIS Champions Queen’s University. Paige Howes will be joined by fellow U of A Panadas team mate gk Christine Tallon. Rachel Tietzen will be returning from her freshman season as a member of the RPI squad. UBCO BCCAA All-stars Sabrina Gasparac and Hayley Uyeyama will be returning as well as Vanessa Zilkie (2010 Most Improved player & TRU prospect).

New faces to the 2011 squad. Jenessa Moore a player with the KU U21 team last season is preparing to join Kwantlen in the fall. Another former KU U21 player Pernilla Erikson joins the team an experienced defender who played professional for several seasons in Sweden. Mila Miller who played for Penticton U21 side last season joins us from Warner Pacific University. Jessie Weninger returns to Kelowna from the island as a first year athlete for VIU. UBCO Heat athletes Emily Braun (Calgary) and Kelsey Satterfield (Vancouver) are staying for the summer to play and will be joined by Alex Kaiser (UBCO 2009). Finally, but not least another fantastic young player Clare Murphy will be joining the 2011 squad.

Okanagan FC is also happy to welcome our group of training athletes Monica Neilson (Mount Royal University), Brianna Thielmann (UBCO), Madeliene Greig (UBCO) and Coral Deleef.

Okanagan FC is happy to announce it’s partnership with Integratire for the 2011 & 2012 PCSL seasons. Integratire has stepped up to be the clubs title sponsor for the next two years. A company based out of Edmonton, Alberta Integratire has opened up a few stores in the Okanagan.

About Integra Tire (from website)
Integra Tire and Auto Centres is a committed network of automotive service and tire specialists who have served Western Canada since 2008. With over 160 years of combined experience in the automotive industry, you could say the Integra team has more experience and expertise than most.

Integra Tire offers service from the heart. From tires to maintenance and seasonal tune-ups, their tire and automotive service experts aren’t just highly trained, they care about what they do. They extend the same “from the heart” philosophy to their employees too, and are well known for our commitment to ethical leadership, employee wellbeing, health and safety, our communities and the environment.