Eight goals and a substitute mix-up kicks off the new League1 BC season

There was no better time to kick off the fourth League1 BC season than on a bright and sunny evening at Swangard Stadium on Friday. A healthy crowd was out for the occasion, the return of soccer confirming that there is indeed life after winter.

TSS Rovers welcomed new League1 addition Evolution FC to Burnaby. The doubleheader format remains the custom for the league, and it was the women’s match up first, followed by the men’s. Here’s how things played out.

L1BC Women’s Division: TSS Rovers 2-2 Evolution FC

Before the home crowd could take their seats, the visitors had taken the lead. A historic first goal in Evolution FC’s history took all of 20 seconds and was scored by Alyssa Clark. A good strike following a lack of defensive pressure from TSS.

Evolution’s wingers were energetic after the goal, probing the TSS full-backs and looking dangerous, but it was the home side who returned fire in the 14th minute. Katie Bishop’s exquisite backheel beat two Evolution defenders before being finished well by Maya Smith from close range.

From then on, it was TSS who looked the better side, with Erin Van Dolder controlling the middle of the park, finding key passes, and breaking up the play. Claire Ye and Delana Friesen should have scored before the break, but Evolution’s keeper Sofia Piperni saved well on both occasions.

TSS carried their pressure into the second half and took the lead just six minutes in. Piperni failed to deal with halftime substitute Elyse Beaudry’s shot, allowing the ball to awkwardly squirm through her legs and into the back of the net.

The home side looked comfortable at 2-1, but a rare attack by Evolution led to goalscorer Beaudry pulling down Isabelle Dobbin inside the box and conceding a penalty. Dobbin had looked offside on the ball forward, but the flag stayed down and Sarah Caravatta converted from the spot.

Evolution could have won it late; Julia Balchen blasted a great opportunity wide of the post as the game ended all square.

“We found ourselves defending for the majority of the game,” Evolution head coach Liam Carter noted to AFTN after the match. “TSS are a very good side, and they move the ball really well. Overall, I’m happy to walk away with the draw.”

On what to expect from his team going forward:

“We have a lot of players coming in and coming back from university,” Carter added. “There’s going to be a lot of new faces. It’s now about trying to find the right balance in the team and get some fluidity and some continuity.”

Perhaps unaware of the rules of their new league, Evolution sent already substituted Yasmina Enneddam back on in the 90th minute. And while both the team and fourth official are guilty, the final decision of what happens next remains with the league. This is not how Evolution would have hoped to end their first game in League1 BC. As for the fourth official, who should be keeping note, this error should have been prevented.

L1BC Men’s Division: TSS Rovers 2-2 Evolution FC

There were some familiar faces among the TSS roster from last season, but little was known about Evolution FC’s men’s side. Without an online roster page or any social media announcements, the crowd was left guessing on the quality of their side, as were TSS in their opposition preparation for the match.

The visitors soon made their identity clear with a quick start and some impressive play, matching the tempo of the home side. Luis Klimo went close for TSS before Evolution’s Ryan Torresan just failed to find Frixos Petsas for a simple finish.

For the little known about Evolution’s roster before the match, there was one familiar face that the TSS crowd was familiar with. Dominic Di Paola was a TSS player just last season; now he was back to haunt them, opening the scoring for Evolution in the 41st minute with a fine finish following a quick dart down the left-hand side. An animated celebration followed, a quick shout towards the home crowd before sprinting off to celebrate with the travelling Evolution contingent.

Just two minutes into the second half, Evolution gave up their lead through a poor defensive mistake. Adam Szymanski lost possession on the edge of his own penalty area, allowing Michael Hennessy to clean up and bring TSS back into the tie.

The pressure now belonged to TSS, but just like the earlier game, a clumsy penalty was conceded. Newly appointed captain Ali Zohar tripped Hamish Ogden right on the line of the penalty area. Di Paola had the subsequent penalty saved by Cal Weir but converted the rebound. A dream return to Swangard for the young Evolution winger.

With seconds left on the clock, a late TSS corner caused mayhem in the six-yard box. Evolution keeper Jordan Thorsen made a mess of the incoming corner, which rebounded off a defender before being poked home by defender Ben Hultin, rescuing a draw for the home side.

It was a first League1 BC goal for Hultin, who may find himself with a regular spot in the starting 11 this season.

“Earlier in the match I tried a flying bicycle kick and totally missed,” Hultin told us after the match. “My centre-back partner told me to go up [for the corner]. I found a knockdown and smashed it in. I did it, the first goal. You never want to lose a first game; a win is ideal, and a draw is a must.”

It was an agonizing late goal to be given up by Evolution in their first ever match, and it will be made worse by the fact that it should have been a goal kick for them and not a corner in the build up. But it’s a long season ahead and there’s certainly a lot to build from in this match for both teams.