Prior commitments will keep three key Whitecaps out of action in today's semifinal
By Bruce Constantineau
In a perfect world, the Vancouver Whitecaps women's team would enter its league championship tournament with all the best players raring to go.
But a family wedding, university commitments and an international match in England have come together to keep three key Caps out of the lineup today when they play Hudson Valley in the USL W-League semifinal in Santa Clarita, Calif.
That's the way it goes in amateur soccer, insists Whitecaps coach Hubert Busby Jr. You have to move on.
"It's the nature of the beast," Busby said Wednesday in an interview from California. "At a different level, maybe the obligations are different. It's unfortunate but it's one of those situations where a door opens up for someone else to step up and do a great job."
Melissa Tancredi -- the Caps' leading scorer and one of three finalists for league MVP honours -- skipped the tournament to attend her sister's wedding in Hamilton.
Second-leading scorer Jodi-Ann Robinson is away to focus on her summer university studies while starting keeper and English international Siobhan Chamberlain is in England for her country's World Cup qualifier against Turkey. She plans to fly to California Friday to join the Whitecaps for their championship or third-place match on Saturday.
Tancredi and Robinson scored eight of the team's 19 regular-season goals this year while Chamberlain played a pivotal role in the Caps' 2-1 playoff win over Pali last weekend.
Busby said any team that wins a championship must overcome adversity at some point and the depleted Whitecaps lineup now amounts to "our little adversity."
"Somebody is going to step up and emerge from this weekend as a hero," he said. "The depth has always been here and now I really feel someone will come in and do a great job, for sure."
The team will count on striker Amy Vermeulen -who scored against Pali last week -and midfielder Sophie Schmidt to bolster the Whitecaps attack during the tournament.
Midfielder Monica Lam-Feist has recovered from a leg injury and is expected to dress for the Hudson Valley match, but midfielder/ forward Kara Lang still has a nagging foot injury and a decision on her availability will be made today.
Backup keeper Stephanie Panozzo -- who sparkled when starting two games last month while Chamberlain was away -- gets the nod in goal.
Defender Robyn Gayle -- the only Whitecap to play every minute of every game this year -said the team is very excited about its chances and feels everyone on the roster is capable of helping the squad score goals.
"We have a really dynamic team and all season, we've had defenders and midfielders chipping in [with goals] and even Siobhan [Chamberlain] has come close to getting an assist," she said. "So the goals could come from anywhere."
Busby said the mood of the team appeared "lighthearted, relaxed and confident" Wednesday as it prepared for the door-die game against the New York state-based Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues -the top-seeded W-League team that finished the regular season with 11 wins and one loss. The Caps had six wins and four draws in their 10-game regular-season schedule.
The Hudson Valley attack is led by Brazilian midfielder Gabriela Zanotti-Demoner, who had eight goals and two assists this season, and U.S. forward Jackie Acevedo, who added six goals and two assists.
"Obviously they're a very talented, explosive group that can
score goals," Busby said of the opponent. "We have to make sure we're very, very secure at the back and do what we do well -possess the ball and score when we get an opportunity."
The winner will play the winner of the Buffalo Flash-Atlanta Silverbacks clash in the league championship match on Saturday evening. The two losing teams will play in a third-place game on Saturday afternoon.
bconstantineau@vancouversun.com © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
