Rain City FC highlighted Richmond Adult Soccer Association’s Soccer Sunday by capturing the Don Taylor League Cup.
Making their first-ever appearance in the cup final, Rain City edged defending champions Richmond Athletics 1-0 at the Minoru Oval. The match was part of a RASA tripleheader that also included the league all-star game and the Masters Cup final.
Kevin Berna’s goal in the 14th minute stood as the winner as goalkeeper Christopher Hamilton earned the shutout with some solid defensive work in front of him. The result capped an excellent run in cup play that saw Rain City outscore their opponents 13-2 and produce three clean sheets in the process. Their first-ever win over Athletics also locked up a spot in the upcoming Keith Millar Provincial “B” Cup playdowns. They did it without their team MVP Trevor Koochin.
“This was a great way to finish the regular season. The team got stronger as the season went along and we are really excited to have qualified for the provincials,” said head coach Sean Handlin.
After finishing at the bottom of the old Premier Division last season, Rain City enjoyed solid league campaign with a 8-7-2 record to finish sixth in the First Division.
The Athletics entered the final after going 9-6-3 to finish fifth in the First Division.
The Don Taylor League Cup is the most prestigious trophy in the RASA — named after the league’s first-ever president who served on the executive for a remarkable 25 years. The tournament begins in mid-October and features teams from all three RASA Divisions — First, Second and Masters — in a random draw. It’s the league’s oldest trophy with the first competition commencing in 1962.
“The League Cup is always an exciting tournament for our association,” explained RASA president Steve Valenzuela. “Teams tend to bring an extra level of intensity to it.”
The Masters Cup final saw the Old Blacks continue their dominating season with a 5-1 victory over F.K. Nikola Tesla for their fifth straight triumph.
The Old Blacks went 16-1-1 in league play which included winning two of three meetings against Nikola Tesla which also enjoyed an impressive season with a 14-2-2 record. The game was a rematch of last year’s final.
The all-star game featured top players from teams across the RASA.
“It is a great way for our association to celebrate our players that help make our association a success,” added Valenzuela. “It’s really exciting to see our top players compete. We try to provide our membership a fun, exciting environment to play and the all-star game is one of the events that helps us achieve that goal.”
