THUNDER BAY – The first half was all about giving some of the younger players a chance to show what they can do.
But as the second half rolled on, the Thunder Bay Chill pulled out the big guns on Sunday afternoon, and were rewarded with their only goal of the game.
Diego Reveco took a long feed from Karin Bachir Bey in the 75th minute, bolted in alone on Winnipeg Lions keeper Josh Biswonger and slammed the ball home to earn the Chill a 1-1 draw in the second of five friendlies the team plans to play at Chapples Field ahead of the USL 2 regular season.
It was a long road back for a team fighting strong winds that made pinpoint passing and corner kicks an adventure all game long.
It wasn’t exactly the result the team was looking for, the Lions a club team that calls the Manitoba capital home.
But it’s about building toward something bigger, Reveco said, happy to have provided the offence the Chill needed to avoid dropping the game.
“It’s nice to score my first goal for Thunder Bay,” said Reveco, who spent last season with FC Manitoba, Canada’s only other entry in the USL 2 before the team called it quits in the offseason.
“I hope I’ll score many more. Honestly, the ball was perfect from Karim. I was one-on-one and I saw the goalie move to the left, so I just placed it.”
Unfortunately, the Chill, who dominated play in the second half, couldn’t find the back of the net a second time, despite four corner kicks after the break.
Reveco had a great chance in the 89th minute, but Biswonger made a diving stop to knock the ball out of harm’s way. Moments later Biswonger tipped a Reveco free kick just over the net.
Thunder Bay coach Tony Colistro, who gave Friday’s starters the first half off, said he told his team he was mostly happy with their effort, though it was clear the younger starters need a little more work to get on the same page as some of the team’s more seasoned players.
It’s all part of the growing process, Colistro said.
“Of course, when you’re playing friendlies, you want to make sure that you get the results, but we were able to use every player on our team and we managed our minutes well. We had a little bit of a slow first half today, but I was pretty happy with the team and how they responded in the second half,” Colistro said.
Winnipeg’s lone goal came off a set play in the seventh minute.
Using the wind to his advantage, midfielder Caelan Budhoo was awarded a free kick from the far right of Chapples Field.
He fired a high, arching shot that hooked toward the net and sailed past the outstretched arms of Thunder Bay keeper Joshua Moya, nestling just under the crossbar and to the right of the post.
The Lions dominated much of the opening half, the opportunities few and far between for the Chill. Their best chance came in the 25th, when Macdonald Niba nudged a crossing pass to Thunder Bay’s own Parker Mork. Mork slid toward the ball, but it proved to be just out of his reach and went wide. Nick Phyllis later had a shot hit the side of the Winnipeg net, in the 42nd.
Niba blasted the ball wide on a free kick just outside the box in the 49th. Jules Peycelon had back-to-back chances in the 53rd and 55th, but shot wide on the first and sent a free kick into Biswonger on the second.
Thunder Bay plays a team of local all-stars on Wednesday night, and hosts Winnipeg Hellas SC on Saturday and Sunday. The regular season begins on May 31.
