It was a weekend full of emotions. Harbourside won the Reid Davidson Charity Shield, the first trophy the club has won! Time to invest in a trophy case! Reid’s uncle, Victor Lizzi, graciously hand-made the wooden base and designed the trophy. Reid’s family and friends attended the game, and helped make the atmosphere electric! The men’s team secured a win after an exciting, back and forth game. The women’s team fought a tough battle, and after a series of frustrating plays, the ladies lost 3-0 to Rivers FC.
The women’s game was gritty. Ladies on both sides were putting their bodies on the line. Six yellow cards were awarded between the teams! Harbourside’s women voted Carli Rae player of the game for her determination and resilience in the midfield. She hit the turf quite a few times. Her toughness was showcased in a skirmish where she was tackled from behind and fell back. “I don’t exactly remember what happened, it was so fast. As I was going down, [the Riverside player] was running away from me, and her heel hit me in the back of the head.” Yikes!
After chatting with Erin Jensen and Kaiden Thorpe, it is evident that the ladies are looking forward. When the whistle blew, Harbourside was upset. There were tears and lots of frustration - but coach Bobby pulled them into a huddle and rallied the troops. A phrase that stuck with Kaiden in that moment was when Bobby said “Welcome to adversity.” The ladies continue to hold their heads high, and as Kaiden and Erin pointed out, next weekend marks a fresh start. They are exactly halfway through their season, and next weekend, they will be playing a new team. Lots can happen in half a season, especially when dealing with a clean, and unknown slate!
The men’s game was incredible to watch, wow! Talk about action. As the score 3-2 indicates, it was a ping-pong match.
A particularly memorable goal was one assisted by Callum Weir, Harbourside’s goalie. As Weir placed the ball down for the free kick, he said he saw Billy Bagiopolous, saw the net (and swore it moved), and that was that. He launched it into the other half, and it landed just before the box in front of a perfectly positioned Billy. Billy let it bounce once and then masterfully volleyed it into the back of the net. Impeccable execution. The play took less than ten seconds. “... it was poetic,” Callum reminisced.
Like the women’s team, Rivers FC’s men’s squad is a physical one. Harbourside received four yellow cards, and Rivers received 3. Billy recalled the physicality, and said he felt Harbourside had more control in the first half. In the second half, he noted that “[Rivers FC] came off on their front foot,” as they were “eager to get back in the game. We didn’t have as much control.” Captain Fergus Hall also commented and said that “In the second half, they moved a lot of guys forward, and came at us pretty hard.” As a center back, he was able to offer a defensive perspective of the match: “After conceding the second goal, we defended really well, particularly in the last 20 minutes of the game.”
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