FORT COLLINS FORCE PREVIEW
June 14, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC women will look to move up the W-League Western Conference standings when they host Fort Collins Force tonight.
With Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium undergoing renovations for the upcoming FIFA Under-20 World Cup, Bob Birarda’s side will host their Colorado-based opponents at Thunderbird Stadium on the campus of the University of British Columbia. It will be an opportunity for the W-League champions to put a disappointing 2-2 draw against the expansion San Diego Sunwaves behind them.
The Whitecaps looked on course for a second straight defeat last Sunday, as two headed goals by Elizabeth Remy had the Sunwaves in a two-goal lead at Swangard. However, two late strikes by veteran star Tiffeny Milbrett and substitute Holly Gault earned the women a fortunate draw. The result leaves Birarda’s side sitting fifth in the six-team Western Conference standings and trailing co-leaders San Diego and Seattle Crossfire Sounders by six points.
Though disappointed to draw with San Diego, Birarda is keen to build on his team’s late-game heroics. “We’re trying to focus now on the last 20 minutes of that game and the energy that we brought to it,” he told whitecapsfc.com. “We knew the early part of the season would be tough, and we hoped to have more points. We have to focus on the success that we had at the end of Sunday’s game.”
Vancouver host a Fort Collins side that embark on a two-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest this coming weekend, with the Force first meeting the Sounders in Tukwila, Washington on Friday evening. Craig Deacon’s side had a slow start to the new campaign, as they suffered defeats in their first two games to San Diego and Real Colorado Cougars in May before recording three straight victories this month. “They are very comfortable on the ball, and are a good possession and pass-oriented team,” Birarda said. “Last year, we beat them here 1-0 in the 90th minute on a penalty and tied them 1-1 down in Fort Collins. It was a tough team to play against, so I don’t expect it to be any easier than it has been.”
The Force’s recent results have been helped in large part by the goals of local player Emmalie Pfankuch and Little Rock, Arkansas native Julie Wiliford. The forward pair may prove a challenge to deal with for the Whitecaps, with Birarda expecting an improved defensive performance on Sunday. “There’s been some things to address this week,” Birarda said. “One thing is defending in our penalty area and from set pieces has just not been good enough, so we need to get better.”
Tonight’s contest will be the last home encounter before the Whitecaps head out on a four-game road trip to the state of Colorado, with the first game being a return contest in Fort Collins on June 22. “I think it’s going to be important to get a result on the weekend,” Birarda said. “Instead of looking at the table, we are looking at the points we have dropped and the fact that we can’t afford to drop any more. We need our players to get comfortable in their roles in order to get confident and get a result before we go on our road trip.”
Tonight’s game at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium kicks off at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres. You can also call Ticketmaster at 604.280.4400 or visit ticketmaster.ca. For more information on Whitecaps ticket packages and group rates, please call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or visit our tickets page.
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