The Stanley Humphries Secondary School (SHSS) senior boys soccer team overcame an aggressive Rossland team to win 3-1 in the teams' opening game of the season.
"The game went very well," said SHSS coach Kyle Burk. "A good commitment from everyone that showed up. Nice to see that there are new players that can come out and give that kind of effort. It's really impressive."
Min Kang opened the scoring for the Rockers in the first half. Rossland tied the game up shortly after and the teams went into half-time tied 1-1.
Midfielder Grant Matthews, who is in grade 12, scored the winning goal for SHSS beating Rossland goalie Lochlin Dornman on a breakaway.
"It was a great through ball by Taylor George," said Matthews. "I managed to slide it past the keeper which was really good."
Craig Pilla scored a late mark for the Rockers to put SHSS up 3-1 for good.
"We got better as the game progressed," said Matthews. "I've seen us play a lot better but we still managed to pull out the win which is good. We were able to take advantage of our chances. We've only had three practices, so it's a good start."
Burk was pleased with the effort of his team which was able to fend off a strong Rossland push late in the first half.
"It was a close game. Rossland has a lot of rep players. They know what they're doing on the field," said Burk. "I think our team had some good luck but at the same time it was a good even match."
Burk said the Rockers played to their strength in the game, which is offence.
"We're an offensive-minded team. We definitely push on the ball and go for goal," he said. "We can do that because we have a really solid defence that is incredibly reliable."
Burk is in his first year coaching at SHSS, although he has plenty of experience coaching at the club and rep level. He likes the make-up of the team, which is a mix of veteran players and newcomers.
"It's a well balanced team; mostly grade 10's and 12's. Most of the players, I'd say 75%, are rep players," said Burk. "It helps the situation when those rep players can assist the guys coming out for the first time. And they are those kind of players. They're good leaders and they're "inclusive". They get everyone involved."
The Rockers' next game is Sept. 27 in Rossland. The following weekend, Sept. 30/Oct 1, the team plays in the J.L. Crowe Tournament in Trail.