Not only did we steal the three points from Victoria this past Saturday, but we also extended our winning streak to 4 games. It sure wasn’t going to be an easy task since it would be a long day of traveling but boy did we make it look easy! 

The trip started at 9:30am when we all met at Civic Stadium to depart, and it didn’t end until midnight when we finally arrived home. It was a day full of driving, ferry riding, and most of all, good team bonding. During the ferry ride to Victoria, some of us hung around the TVs to watch some Wimbledon matches, others went straight for the mini arcade, while the rest of us chatted and enjoyed the view from the deck. Once we all managed to find seating next to each other, we ran into a few surprising Hammer fans. Chris Jepson’s parents were sporting Hammer scarfs - now we had fans with which to celebrate with once we scored.

When we finally arrived to Royal Athletic Park we couldn’t hold back the excitement that we were actually going to be playing on a nice grass surface. If you don’t understand why this excites us as soccer players… it is because grass is where the game is meant to be played. Everything about it is special - the way the ball naturally rolls, the smell of fresh cut grass, the distance you can cover with a slide tackle and how it doesn’t rip up your legs like turf does. Not to mention the dirt and grass stains you get on your kit, and how it doesn’t damage your boots as much as turf does. Not only were we excited to play on grass, but we were also hungry for revenge; we did not appreciate how Victoria celebrated their game-winning goal at our place by totally disrespecting our fans.

From the moment the game started, we got our rhythm by passing and moving off the ball really well. After the first five minutes, we controlled possession of the entire game. The first 40 minutes saw us struggling to put the ball in the back of the net, we had chance after chance but it just did not want to go in. I started thinking to myself that this game might just turn out to be one of those games. A game where you dominate the entire match and have a ton of chances but they never go in. Then, out of nowhere the other team scores their one chance and we end up losing. As soon as that ran through my head, Jepson received a pass from Thomas, turned, then found Kellan making a perfect little run behind the last defender. Kellan caught up to the pass and did a cheeky Messi chip over the keeper. I swear, sometimes I feel like Kellan makes finishing look so easy. The second goal came off a corner kick, the ball bounced around in the box until Kellan found it, faked a shot, and then just crushed it in the top corner. 2 simple finishes by the top goal scorer in the league.

I was very impressed with how we played - we dominated the middle of the park, our defenders never got beat, we passed the ball around a lot more than usual, and our forwards were very creative in their runs. When we are all in sync we play some very attractive fútbol.

With three regular season games left we feel like we have hit form just at the right time! We have won our last four games, only allowing 1 goal and having scored 7. #11, Downtown Kellan Brown is in full stride with 4 goals in three matches. We have two games this weekend where we face two teams who are right below us in the table. If we want to secure a spot in the playoffs we will need to get at least 1 more win. So come out and support your Hammers Saturday on the road and Sunday at Civic Stadium, as we get ready to bring a trophy to the city of Bellingham!!

Happy 4^th of July from all the Hammers!
 

Prepare for sunshine and see you this weekend!!

#19 Oscar Jimenez