Delhi Raiders cruise into soccer playoffs

Delhi’s Ryan Vandevelde, left, tries to get past VHSS defender Dax Lambrecht.

Chris Abbott

Editor

Delhi District Secondary School boys soccer team solidified their hold on ‘mid-pack’ on Thursday, May 1, defeating Valley Heights 6-1.

As of May 5, three AABHN South Division teams – Holy Trinity, Waterford and Simcoe Composite – shared the division lead with 6-1 records. Delhi (4-3) and Cayuga (3-4) were in fourth and fifth – leading to a tight May 6 quarter-final - followed by Hagersville, Dunnville and VHSS.

“I think we communicated really well,” said Delhi District Secondary School coach Ryan Gaertner. “The ball movement was definitely there, spreading the field, and the boys off of that communication were able to create a lot of opportunity and we were able to capitalize on it.

“I think they played a lot more relaxed… they were relaxed and confident,” said Gaertner.

The Raiders led 3-0 at half, and wore the Bears down to score three late goals after VHSS defender Brady Smith scored a long, booming free-kick goal from outside the 18-yard box.

“It’s tiresome to play defence all the time, for the other team, and it allows for more opportunities,” said Gaertner.

“Definitely they (Raiders) played with a different level of confidence than they have previously in other games,” he said, with a nod to an earlier 5-0 loss to HT, and losses to the two other ‘big dogs’ SCS and Waterford.

“We play better in shorter games,” said Delhi’s Liam Wouters. “In tournaments we have 25-minute halves. We just play better because we come out and stay strong the whole game. We usually struggle with longer games.”

With a limited number of rep players on some South Division teams – just two on the Raiders - inexperience can be a factor in high school games.

“We turn athletes into soccer players,” said Wouters, who gave a shoutout to first-year teammate Nick Krizmonics, a defender who made a ‘big move’ coming up as a striker.

“Almost scored,” Krizmonics laughed.

“He’s talking about that jump,” Wouters smiled. “He had an open net.”

Wouters said he was looking forward to making playoffs.

“I hope we pick it up towards the end, and I feel like we can beat any team in our league. It was 0-0 against HT going into half and we lost 5-0 – it’s that fatigue factor that we have. We play well in the first half, struggle in the second half.

“We are a strong team - we beat North Park, we lost to BCI 2-1 in a really strong, competitive game. But those were short games, we compete better in those games.”

VHSS goalie Mason McIntyre was busy in net for the Bears, making numerous point-blank saves.

“He is amazing,” said Valley Heights coach Terri Groh. “And consistently… One game against HT, I kept track, he had over 50 shots. They came up on him, one after another. He’s got spunk, and such a good attitude, too. I really love his attitude.”

Groh noted the Bears did not have any rep soccer players this season… or last season… or the season before that.

“None, it’s tough, and it’s such a short season,” said Groh as thunder growled in the background before the Delhi-VHSS girls game. “But before that, we always used to win.”

Groh said the Bears tried to focus on ‘the little things.’

“Coach Stephanie is all about optimism,” said Groh. “The thing about a small school, these kids are all on other teams. Every kid plays every sport.

“And it’s just for fun,” Groh summed up.