The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades lost 3-2 to the Langara Falcons in exhibition action Sunday.
Down 1-0 nine minutes in on their home pitch at Abbotsford secondary school, the Cascades equalized in the 26th minute on a Colton O'Neill strike. The right-back evaded four Langara defenders as he went from one side of the field to the other, finishing with a perfect shot from inside the 18 yard box
Chilliwack FC product Grant Fadden gave his team a 2-1 lead in the 79th minute, only to see the Falcons roar back.
Langara scored off a set piece in the 84th minute and netted the winner on a penalty shot in the 87th minute.
“I’m disappointed in the result, but the performance is what matters really at this stage of the game,” said Cascades coach Alan Errington. “I’ve just made the comment to the players in [the locker room], ‘it’s not how you start the season, it’s how you end that matters’ … these games are designed to try players out and see how they go.”
Errington said he is still conducting experiments with his back four, where off-season injuries have taken a significant toll.
“I thought young Tammer Byrne came in and did very well,” he noted. “And I thought Grant Fadden came in and did very well.”
Both are CIS rookies.
Get more info at ufvcascades.ca