The last time Banff Sushi House beat Canmore Rose and Crown in regular season Bow Valley Soccer League play, Barak Obama was making his first visit to Canada, Avatar was at the top of the box office and Michael Jackson was still alive.
So when Yuki Matsumoto scored on a penalty kick with less than five minutes remaining to allow Sushi House to salvage a 2-2 tie with the Rose and Crown on Sunday (July 7) at the Banff Rec Grounds, it was bittersweet for the talented squad. The streak lasted another week.
Matsumoto opened scoring on a penalty kick early in the first half as Sushi House carried the play. The aging Canmore offense began to find its legs in the second half, showing a deft passing touch with the ball, but no finish. Crosses were few and far between, however, the attack was undaunted.
It took the Rose’s Andre Babineau 20 minutes to knot the game at 1-1 after he redirected a well-placed ball into the Sushi net.
Five minutes later, with Sushi still reeling, Rose striker Lawrence White lobbed a shot from the top of the box that found its mark to give them a 2-1 lead. White is coming off an Achilles heel injury suffered during a badminton match in the off season, but hasn’t lost his accuracy.
“It was a pretty good buildup from the back. It got stretched out wide by the midfielder, who made a good play down the middle. I managed to turn on Koji, caught the goalie a little bit out and managed to pick the top corner,” White said.
The Sushi House offence rallied with a big push, but was kept out of dangerous scoring positions for much of the quarter. Matsumoto came close on several occaisions, but it wasn’t until a collision with the Canmore goaltender with less than five minutes remaining that they got the break they desperately needed. Matsumoto, the BVSL’s most dangerous striker, made no mistake with his second penalty shot of the game.
He said the tie was better than the alternative. The strategy against Canmore was to rely on their fitness to run their older opponents into the ground.
“I’m not happy, but it’s better than a loss. We ran lots and we play a very tough game against them each time. We will be strong again and run lots.”
Matsumoto said the teams are well matched, and there is a lot of respect on both sides of the field.
“It was a very tough game, because we haven’t won against Canmore in the last four years. We’ve been good, but to only get two goals is just unlucky. For my goals it’s lucky. I’m happy to score.
He knows he’ll have to bury more of his chances the next time the clubs meet.
“I missed lots of chances. On the penalty shots, I was so nervous, but lucky.”
Team fitness needs to be improved, said White, who also wasn’t overly pleased with the tie.
“The game is never in the bag, especially against a team like Sushi House, who plays with a lot of confidence and pace up front. Two penalty kicks is unfortunate, but that’s football sometimes,” White said. “Overall, it’s just fitness. We’re getting older, but we use that excuse every year. If we can keep up the fitness and get used to playing 90 minute games again, we’ll be OK.”
