Kitsap Pumas News Release -- www.kitsappumas.com
Sunday, May 1, 2011
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Kitsap Pumas opened the 2011 USL Premier Development League season in style, as Robby Christner fed Matt Friesen and Kyle Johnson for goals as the Pumas defeated Vancouver Whitecaps Residency 2-0 Sunday afternoon at Empire Field.
It's the third straight Opening Day win for the Pumas. In the club's brief history, they have now scored 14 goals in openers without conceding any, and on Sunday it was achieved with a short-handed squad that travelled with just 12 players due to injuries and visa issues.
Friesen, celebrating his 25th birthday, opened his scoring account for the season in the 22nd minute after taking a nifty pass from Christner just outside of the penalty box. Friesen then cooly corralled a small deflection off of Vancouver left back La'Vere Corbin-Ong to slot it past goalkeeper Bryan Silvestrie into the left corner of the goal.
"The keeper didn't close fast enough," he said. "It wasn't a great finish, so if the keeper had come out quicker he would have saved it."
Friesen has now tallied four goals and an assist on his past two birthdays - which also have coincided with the past two Puma season openers.
"The turf was slow," Friesen continued, "so when you take a touch the ball stays at your feet. But I knew where I was so I took a quick glance and hit it."
The Pumas kept the pressure on and eventually scored in the 42nd minute when Cameron Hepple made a great run to the edge of the box then fed Christner who quickly one-timed a pass to Johnson. Silvestrie blocked that shot but couldn't clear in time affording Johnson another easy tap-in for the score.
That was all Kitsap needed in the second half as its stalwart backline of Steve Mohn, Mark Lee, Daniel Scott and Taylor Hyde along with rookie goalkeeper Bryan Meredith -- making his first start in goal for the Pumas -- kept the Whitecaps off the board.
Meredith made some excellent saves in earning his first clean sheet in his first win in his first professional match.
"I had to make a few saves but nothing crazy," Meredith said.
Despite the play of Philippe Davies and Alex Morfaw -- both members of the Whitecaps' Major League Soccer reserve squad -- the defense kept both from scoring despite the pair creating good chances well into the second half.
"The defense definitely stepped it up and did very well," Meredith continued. "We worked out some kinks in the preseason. Overall the whole team is starting to play really well."
The Pumas also had several other clear chances to score - notably second-half attempts by Christner and Hepple which missed by mere inches.
Fewing said he was proud of the way the team hung tough to the end as their legs began tiring late in the match.
"I told them I was proud of them at halftime," he said. "I think that's the first time I've ever said that to them at the half. You get
a little nervous when you say that, because now they're going to say 'Coach is proud of us -- we've done our job.' But they're mature enough now to handle it.
"Everybody's not too high and not too low (afterwards). Everyone's pretty happy with the win but everyone realizes the season has only just begun and there is a lot of work to do."
Kitsap (1-0-0) opens its home schedle next Sunday, May 8 at 1 p.m. against the Victoria Highlanders. Tickets are now on sale at the Pumas home office and through www.brownpapertickets.com.