Oceanside unveiled its’ high octane U16-U18 Boys house team down at QB Rec Fields on Sunday, as ‘the Q-crew’ rolled over the Ladysmith Lightening 4-2 in their home opener.
Comprised primarily of KSS players, both juniors and seniors, the team is coached by Butch Gayton and Chris Knox and competes in the 10-team mid-Isalnd league. There is another Oceanside team in the league which is made up primarily of Parksville players.
As for Sunday’s match, Ladysmith opened the scoring early, about 10 minutes in on their first foray into the offensive zone, and Oceanside’s Will Beckingham tied it up at one’s, which is how it stood at the half, when he beat two defenders the blasted one low corner from just inside the 18 yard box.
“Great individual effort,” said Gayton.
Ladysmith scored early to start the second half “on a botched defensive clearing” to go up 2-1, then returned the favour when they scored an own- goal off a Brett Binnersly cross to even it 2-2.
Axel Cash scored the winner midway through the second half when he finished a three-way passing play that included a great feed from Connel Spencer, and Austin Phye finished it off with a tremendous leaping header on a cross from ‘Sugar’ Shane Gayton.
Earning props from his coach was the outstanding play of Gr. 12 centre mid Connel Spencer. “He was dominant today,” said Gayton. “He was the engine out there (and) that was his fifth game in three days.”
Spencer is one of six players on the local house team that opened their high school senior boys soccer season at a tournament in Campbell River last Friday/Saturday.
“They all play the KSS system so they’re very familiar with that, but a lot of these kids have never played together before,” Gayton said when asked about the team’s strong play so early in the season who had possession at least 80 per cent of the time Sunday and would have scored more gaols had it not been for Ladysmith’s keeper and numerous cross bars and goal posts.
KSS Gr. 12 keeper Kevin Frampton was away on Sunday but is also on the team and will be used for one half only per game for the house team “because he’s also great out (so) beyond that it’s keeper by committee right now.”
Oceanside tied their league opener the week prior on the road against Nanaimo #4 with a disappointing 2-2 tie.
“Same idea,” said Gayton, “we dominated the game, it was one we easily could have won, but we had two gaols go in against the flow.”
NEXT UP
Oceanside is in Nanaimo on Sunday.