Gorge FC men roll to province cup victory

By Travis Paterson - Victoria News - May 14, 2008

Soccer supporters find something to cheer about

Led by the trumpet of Christopher Thwaites and the cheers of more than 100 people, Gorge FC captured its first Province Cup B.C. men’s soccer title since 2001.

The enthusiastic support came in handy. Despite scoring just one goal, it was all the Saanich-based club needed to defeat Vancouver Sporting Club 1-0 for the crown on Saturday in Chilliwack.

“We had two buses as a matter of fact,” said coach Julius Karpati of the travelling fan base. “It was terrific not only for us but for the entire (Gorge FC) club. The last few years we’ve been in provincials we’ve been spanked. It was nice to taste a B.C. cup victory.”

With the Vancouver Island Soccer League title, Jackson Cup crown and Province Cup in the bag for 2008, Gorge will try to win a national crown this fall.

The lone goal in the provincial final came five minutes into the second half on a perfect finish by Pat Gawrys, who scored on what was the only one-on-one chance of the game for either team.

Dean Anderson out-jumped a defender and headed a midfield cross up to Gawrys. The last defender got caught anticipating the ball near Anderson, and Gawrys was freed on a breakaway.

“One thing you can say about Patty (Gawrys) in those situations is he might not score all the time, but he’s not going to miss the net. He’s going to force the keeper to make a save or he’s going to score. And he did.”

Gorge’s defensive play kept Sporting Club at bay, said Karpati. “They didn’t create a lot of chances, but they were dangerous on their crosses, hammering the ball into the box with pace.”

By focusing on defense, Karpati has helped convince the team they just needed to stop the other team from scoring. “We’ve got not just one or two guys who can score, but five. And that’s been the key.

“We played well, with grit, a lot of tackles and we did what we had to do to win.”

sports@vicnews.com

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Gorge FC men roll to province cup victory

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