WHITECAPS DOWN REAL COLORADO 2-0

July 21, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps - 2
Real Colorado Cougars - 0

Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, BC (Attendance: 1,694)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC women concluded their 2007 W-League season with a 2-0 victory over Real Colorado Cougars.

An early strike from Stephanie Smith and a fine second-half finish from Umbro Player of the Game Tiffeny Milbrett meant the Whitecaps ended what was a disappointing campaign on a positive note.

Vancouver missed the chance to defend their 2006 W-League title after being eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in team history. Wins by Seattle Crossfire Sounders and San Diego Sunwaves on Thursday and Friday respectively meant the Whitecaps could not finish any higher than third in the standings.

Whitecaps head coach Bob Birarda made three changes to the side that suffered a heartbreaking loss to Seattle last Saturday, with Holly Gault and Jodi-Ann Robinson partnering Milbrett in attack, as Vancouver played in a 4-3-3 formation.

Despite it being a wet Saturday afternoon, a supportive crowd of 1,694 was on hand at Swangard Stadium to see the Whitecaps final game of 2007, with the home side dominating most of the play.

Real Colorado’s Lauren Mason was a busy goalkeeper in the opening quarter hour of the game, as the Whitecaps looked to make incisive inroads in the early stages.

It only took Vancouver eight minutes to break the deadlock, as a Milbrett free kick from the left was misplayed by Mason in the Cougars box. The loose ball fell to Smith at the far post and the midfielder had the simple task of finishing into an empty net. “The ball went right off the goalkeeper’s hands and fell right to me, so it was pretty easy tap-in,” Smith said of her goal to whitecapsfc.com.

The goal was indicative of the opening 45 minutes, as the Whitecaps kept pressing forward in search of more goals, with Selenia Iacchelli testing Mason’s hands with a long-range strike.

Milbrett’s ability to create openings was seen moments later, as she cleverly played a quick free kick to Sophie Schmidt in the Real Colorado box. Schmidt quickly turned and struck for goal, but her effort rolled wide of the target. Even the outstretched leg of defender Emily Zurrer could not stop the ball from going out for a goal kick.

The Cougars, meanwhile, offered little in terms of attacking play in the first half, as Brian Haynes’ side had just a single shot on target before halftime. Their best opportunity came on 17 minutes from a free kick near the Whitecaps box, but defender Afton Sauer struck her set-piece effort well over Sian Bagshawe’s crossbar.

On 36 minutes, Smith looked for her second goal of the game, but she struck her shot wide after Robinson had chest controlled Schmidt’s byline cross to her teammate. Seconds later, Robinson was unlucky not to connect with Iacchelli’s cross after making a diving attempt with her head at the far post.

The last chance of the half fell to Zurrer on 44 minutes, but her close-range header was well saved by Mason after Milbrett had sent a long free kick forward into the visitors’ box.

The start of the second half saw the players greeted by heavy rain showers and Birarda making two substitutions, as McCall Zerboni and Carly Peetz came on for Robinson and Zurrer.

Not long after the restart, the Swangard crowd showed their displeasure at the near-side assistant referee after she controversially adjudged Milbrett to be offside after the striker went chasing a through ball.

A goal down, the Cougars then caused a moment of concern in the Whitecaps box, with Gault needing to clear a loose ball for a corner after Real Colorado midfielder Megan Flanagan had played over a looping cross in front of Bagshawe’s goal.

Any hopes the away side had of getting back into the game were further diminished on 58 minutes after a second Whitecaps goal. Substitute Zerboni played a fine through ball to Gault on the left and her first-time pass allowed Milbrett to finish past Mason for 2-0. “She’s really comfortable on the ball,” Birarda said of Zerboni, who was making her Whitecaps debut. “She came to into the squad in early July after playing in the reserve team and doing really well. We wanted to see how she would fit in for next year and we thought she did very well.”

Two goals in front, Vancouver were in control at this stage of the contest and Gault was unfortunate not to get on the end of a fine Milbrett cross at the far post. “I really wanted to end the game off with a goal, but I still thought we played well as a team,” Gault said in the rain, as she autographed team posters for young Whitecaps fans after the game.

Mason then needed to make another save to stop a third Whitecaps goal, as she blocked Milbrett’s shot after Schmidt had flicked Jill Oakes’ free kick into the striker’s path. She then forced Mason to stop her curling free kick before missing the target with a header from substitute Caroline Vanderpool’s cross.

The striker was disappointed not to see the season continue beyond Saturday. “We are all gutted about missing out on the playoffs,” said Milbrett, who expressed interested about returning to the Whitecaps next season. “Our energy has been zapped and our hearts are broken, as the two ties before the two losses last week really put us out of the playoffs. Under the circumstances, we needed to come out today and be a professional team and give the best we got.”

Real Colorado’s attacks were again few and far between throughout the game, with Sauer unable to make the most of a second free-kick opportunity after blasting her effort off the Whitecaps wall before the ball bounced away for a corner.

The last goalscoring chances of the game fell to Vancouver, with Mason making a complicated save from Clare Rustad’s fierce strike before an unmarked Gault somehow missed the target with a simple-looking header.

Though he was pleased to claim a victory on Saturday, Birarda was disappointed by the outcome of the 2007 campaign. “Even though we had moments in the year, I think it’s been a really disappointing end,” he said to reporters after the game. “The last three weeks have been really tough for us, but it’s good to end on a positive note. We got a chance to see some players today and hopefully, we have learned enough about them now, so we can get a good start for next season.”

The Whitecaps players and staff would like to thank their many fans for their continued support throughout the season. The Caps look forward to the 2008 season and hope to see you back at Swangard Stadium.

Goal Summary
8' Vancouver 1-0 Stephanie Smith (Tiffeny Milbrett)
From a free kick on the left, Milbrett swung a high ball into the box which the Colorado keeper could only get a touch to. The ball dropped to Smith, who volleyed in her first goal of the season.

58' Vancouver 2-0 Tiffeny Milbrett (Holly Gault)
Halftime substitute McCall Zerboni, marked her Whitecaps debut by helping set up Vancouver's second goal. Zerboni carried the ball through midfield then slipped a perfect pass ahead to Holly Gault who got behind the defence, then cut it back to Milbrett to hammer home from 15 yards. It was Milbrett's team-leading 11th goal of the season, and moves her past Christine Sinclair into fifth place on Vancouver's all-time scoring list with 21 goals and 11 assists.

Final stats:
Shots: Vancouver - 16 - Real Colorado - 4
Saves: Vancouver - 1 - Real Colorado - 6
Fouls: Vancouver - 10 - Real Colorado - 22
Offsides: Vancouver - 6 - Real Colorado - 3
Corners: Vancouver - 4 - Real Colorado - 4

Referee: Phil Barrington

Cautions: Real Colorado - Jenna Billingsley 68', Afton Sauer 70' - Vancouver - none

Real Colorado Cougars:
00.Lauren Mason; 2.Carrie Aversano, 3.Afton Sauer, 5.Elle Sweeney, 21.Marissa Sampias; 8.Brittany McDonald, 15.Macke Mutz, 20.Vanessa Mais, 22.Megan Flanagan; 10.Nicole Lukens, 17.Amy Baumann

Real Colorado subs not used:
9.Lindsay Ratterman

Vancouver Whitecaps FC:
1.Sian Bagshawe; 13.Anna Caniglia, 7.Jill Oakes, 2.Emily Zurrer (9.Carly Peetz 45'), 23.Lindsay Rohla (30.Caroline Vanderpool 61'); 16.Sophie Schmidt (18.Clare Rustad 79'), 11.Selenia Iacchelli (14.Kaylyn Kyle 61'), 10.Stephanie Smith, 24.Holly Gault; 22.Jodi-Ann Robinson (29.McCall Zerboni 45'), 25.Tiffeny Milbrett

Vancouver subs not used:
26.Michele Duncan; 8.Erin Ramsay

Winning 50/50 ticket: Yellow ticket - 0944634

More News
Return To Whitecaps News