The Royals are coming!
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
After a heavy-handed week one performance, the Royals will be taking on the Capilano Blues in week two of PACWEST action. It will be the only game the Royals play that week.
I won’t lie or sugarcoat it: This should be a slaughter in favour the Royals. There are so many aspects of this matchup on the side of the Royals. First off, it’s the Royals’ only match this week. They won’t have to prepare for another team, just for the Blues. That sort of dedicated prep time is massive. Secondly, the Royals are coming in riding a rather large streak of form after a massive win over their rivals the VIU Mariners. Thirdly, the Royals team, statistically, are much better than the Capilano Blues.
Speaking of which, let’s take a look at the Royals’ opponent. The Capilano Blues come into the game after a worrying 1-1 draw against the Langara Falcons. While the Blues escaped with a point, they definitely didn’t deserve to. They were simply outmatched and outclassed by the Falcons.
In the first half, the Falcons were dominant over the Blues, outshooting them 8-2, forcing the Blues’ keeper to make some pretty dramatic saves. The second half was better from the Blues, who looked competitive compared to the first half of play, but still only managed three shots on net. In terms of fouls, the Blues were definitely much more composed. But sometimes you need to get into the dirty areas to do a little cleaning. Perhaps there is a hesitation there to get stuck in, which the Royals can and will take advantage of.
If we want to talk scores, I think it’ll be 3-0 before halftime is up in favour of the Royals. There is no reason the team should even be within losing distance of the Blues. They simply are the better team, with more class, and more skill. They should be getting the win here.
A win would leave the Royals topside, with no team able to catch them.
