2006 BC Mens Cup - Final - Sapperton Champs!

[Regs]

Congrats to WAB and the rest of the Sapp boys as they pulled out 1-0 win over Firemen today - goal was scored with 2 minutes to go in a final not so pretty but lots of heart and great tackles.

Walks was shocking on the line.

[knvb]

Congratulations to the Sapperton Rovers. Especially sweet I assume for log suffering ..err I mean serving Rovers like Brian Donald, Keven 'don't call me a Criminal' Hearns and yes, Brian Weavers. Great guys who've all put their time in.

Congratulations again on a successful cup run.

I sense a 2:00am WAB post coming.

[whataboutbob]

2AM Posting is correct

More later for thisparty has jsut started

[Hands of Stone]

And other like Corey in the pipes, Woody on the back line, and the old vet Ryan McNab up front. All have been around the league for years without a Cup. Congrats to all the Sap players and yes even you WAB, well done boys, enjoy it.

CJ

[djones]

Congrats to Brian(s), Woody, Ryan and the rest of the Sap boys on the big win. Do us proud at Nationals!

DJ

[gomesy_jr]

Congrats to all the Sapp boys.

[cside17]

Is WAB dead from alcohol poisining or what? No post as of yet!

Congrats to Sap!

[J_B]

Congratulations to Sapperton Organization and the team members, a job well done.

Cheers
JB

[whataboutbob]

Sapperton Rovers 1- Firemen 0

Hats off to the Firemen. A class act from the boys and especially Jarvie; coming to our dressing room and giving us their champagne after the game. That team has a bunch of great players and grit.
Well the Firemen did keep their streak of winning the provincials every 8 years. Congratulations to the O35s. I'll let Animal, Lean, and Zeus tell the Firemen story. My focus is on Sapperton players' contribution to the most important win in club history. Look, I was a nervous wreck all day and a lot of that game was a blurry mess. I could be critiquing events that happened last week, or happened to us instead of the Firemen, or maybe never happened at all! So take it as you will......

The field at Town Centre was really rough and made for some lesser moments, but the game was hard-fought, intense, had crunching tackles throughout, and picked up steam all the way to the final whistle.
Right from the kickoff Sapp possessed and moved the ball around the back line, to the mid, and up front. Sapp was winning most of the tackles early on and showed confindence in playing a controlled game. I thought the 1st 10 minutes sent a clear message to Firement that Sapp did not get the respect they deserved in the Cup and leading up to the final. After that Firemen found their legs and battled back. Jarvie and Lucas were a huge distraction for Sapp's back 4 in the the 1st half and created some dangerous chances. In about the 25th min a cross came into the Firemen box, was cleared straight up in the air and into Franks' arms very close to the goal line. He dropped the ball, and from my advantage point 70 yards away at field level, the ball was in the net. (bcsoccerweb.com shows the ball in the net on their slideshow). But Sapp didn't put up much of an arguement, play on. Not too much more happened in the first half; some crappy display of skill prevailed at times, other times both teams looked sharp. Their were some goal mouth scrambles and ball control in the opposing teams' box and the Firemen looked more dangerous on other chances. The big save Cory Breure made in the 1st was off a Skinner free kick left of the goal. From 23 out Skinner curled it beautifully with pace labelled for the near post top corner but Breure made a great save (and made it look easy) to keep it tied. With about 5 to go in the half, 18 year-old Stefano Pannu broke his nose when Mike Araszewski (who played the game of his life) inavertantly hit him with his forearm. Firemen were starting to gain momentum with 10 to go in the half and I was anxiously counting down the clock till halftime. 0-0 and both teams looked satisfied with their effort.

The 2nd half was much better played but more of the same. The big difference was the game opened up and both teams took turns attacking. Lucas made a great run, beating a couple of Sapp defenders but shot right at Cory from 12 out but on an angle. Everyone at Town Centre could feel a goal was immiment, the pace of the game was rising, players were getting tired, and the teams were getting stretched out. Colin Phillips' movement in the centre mid was awesome-not one player rivalled his fitness level. With 15 to go Colin tackled 2 Firemen, got the ball and crossed it to a streaking Kevin Hearne. Kevin just narrowly missed the cross. Paul Favaro completely shut down Skinner in the 2nd half as he was a complete non-factor unlike the 1st. Travis on D for Firemen was great (as was the rest of the Firemen group - it's funny how inexperienced soccer people talk about flashy players as great - never looking at what and how players contribute to a TEAM game. Firemen have it all, unlike many VMSL disappointments). To close down Trevor Todd for 80 is almost impossible, but Travis did and deservedly received his team's MVP.

The Goal
But Sapperton set the tone early and it paid off late. Sapp won 65 - 70% of the 50/50 tackles and Jeff Rogers, the game's MVP, was instrumental throughout. With less than 2 minutes to go the outside defender/midfielder won a challenge at the firemen 25, pushed the ball past the defender and while off balance took a stab at the rolling ball. That full-knuckle miracle shot sailed over Mike Franks and into the far top corner of the net. All hell broke loose on the pitch as Jeff was swarmed by stunned Sapp players. After that Sapp held on for 3 minutes of extra time-clearing one cross off the goal line from a Firemen corner and scramble.

I thought overall Sapp was better team on the day. We had a great 2nd half and finished strong. Defenders Woody, Mike A, Kent Waechter, and Jeff had the games of their lives. To stop Jarvie, Lucas, Lensky and Skinner for 90 was amazing. Colin is a VMSL all-star. Next year I hope the VMSL coaches don't play favorites again. Mike Favs was all over the park and left nothing to chance-he was great. Kevin Hearne and TT ran miles up front and are arguably the best combination of front runners in the world, er, Province. Ted Ullrich was forced to the wing when Pannu got injured and was stellar creating chance after chance-some of the skill he showed one-on-one was of Luke Hogian class (Who was away in Hawaii). Paul Favs shut down one of the best players in the league in Skinner and proved once again why he is one of the VMSL all-time greats. Pannu will be a top-flight player in the years to come. And without Cory in net, Sapp could never go forward and throw caution to the wind. He proved once again he is a tower of strength.

Sapperton Rovers - 2006 Provincial Cup Champions!!!!!!!!

[Ballbaby]

That's a good write-up WAB. Congrats.

[Dapotayto]

Originally Posted by Whataboutbob

Look for a cat-and-mouse game for the most part until the second half when Firemen open up and Sapp counters with blazing 'warp-wab' speed down the flanks

Congratulations to Sapperton. How could Firemen cope with warp-wab speed though, really? Hey, maybe Azzi will mention it in his writeup (along with the words amazing and brilliant of course).

[whataboutbob]

Is There Hope For The Firemen, Yet?

BC Soccer has the priliminary schedule out for the Nationals held in Surrey, Thanksgiving Week, 2006.

As of now, there are only 10 Provinces and 1 Territory represented and the schedule shows 2 births for BC. Thus 12 teams.

If this is the case, I just hope we are allowed to decide which grouping we are in.

[knvb]

Does the runner-up get the second spot? Has that been confirmed? My personal, non-biased opinion, is it should go the VMSL league champion.

[Regs]

(1) under no uncertain terms should the "extra" go to anyone else but the Firemen

(2) Sapperton would be the higher "seed" (what did Sporting finish last year - 5th? 7th?)

[larsson]

Huge Congrats To Sapperton Especially To All Long Serving Memebers Who Also Played For The Late Donny Smith He Will Be Celebrating Upstairs With A Full Sucrets Box.

[PV]

If Sapp and Firemen both play in the Nationals, then willBCSA provide them with BC uniforms or any financial support for new uni's or tracksuits? Has BCSA helped other Provincial champ teams with expenses in previous years? I don't believe the rumour that BCSA gave Sporting one way bus tickets.

[Regs]

BC uniforms? That would go over well...

[Hands of Stone]

WEEK #31—2006-05-15

PROVINCE CUP FINALS

Three Provincial Cup finals were held on Saturday, May 13 at Town Centre Stadium in Coquitlam, with 4 VMSL teams taking part in the proceedings. In fact, two of the three finals were all VMSL affairs, while the Under 21 final was between two Vancouver Island teams. In the end, the Vancouver Firefighters prevailed over WFC Westside on penalty kicks—after 120 scoreless minutes—in the Masters’ Division finals, while the Gordon Head Titans edged the Bays United Gunners 2-1 in the Under 21 final. The main event, featuring the Sapperton Rovers and the Vancouver Firefighters in the Open Men ‘A’ Cup final, ended in a hard-fought 1-0 victory for the Rovers on a last minute goal by defender Jeff Rogers.

The Sapperton Rovers, founded in 1994 by Bryan Wevers, Kevin Hearne, and the late Don Smith, deservedly won their first ever Provincial Cup title by edging the ever-dangerous and very talented Vancouver Firefighters in a hotly-contested and very exciting match. The Firemen had posted 3 consecutive upset victories en route to the final and seemed destined to be crowned the Province Cup champions for the 13th.time in their long and illustrious career. The Rovers, however, had other ideas and—in the end—fully deserved the margin of victory. The first half was quite evenly played with Sapperton enjoying an early advantage in ball possession. Midway through the first half, however, the Firemen seem to find their legs and battled back tenaciously, creating a few goal-scoring chances of their own. On the most notable occasion, a brilliantly-taken free kick by Jeff Skinner forced Sapperton goalkeeper Cory Breure to make a spectacular save as he dove to tip the ball over the bar. The Rovers also came close to scoring on a goal-mouth scramble that—luckily for goalkeeper Mike Franks and the rest of the Firemen—resulted in a free kick against Sapperton. Both teams appeared less tentative in the second half as they seemed to shed some of the nervousness that prevailed earlier in the game. As a result, the game opened up and the numerous spectators were treated to some excellent action. Firefighters’ young Lucas Barrett came very close to breaking the deadlock when, after beating a couple of Sapperton defenders he blasted a shot right at Cory Breure, albeit from a difficult angle. The Rovers’ Colin Phillips replied with an incredible individual effort as he dispossessed two Firefighters of the ball before crossing it to a streaking Kevin Hearne. Unfortunately for the Rovers, Hearne was unable to make contact with the ball as he narrowly missed heading it home. Then, with only a couple of minutes remaining in regulation time, defender Jeff Rogers won a tackle in the middle of the park, beat a couple of Firemen defenders before unleashing a nearly miraculous blast into the top corner of the net. Even Mike Franks, reputedly the best goalkeeper in the league, was unable to prevent the ball from entering the net for the game’s lone goal. Defensively, the Rovers were led by the excellent performances of Ed Bradford, Mike Araszewski, Kent Waechter, and Jeff Rogers who had the unenviable task of stopping the vaunted Firefighters’ attackers—Chris Jarvie, Phillip Lensky, and Lucas Barrett. In the middle of the park, veteran Mike Favaro literally ran miles as he led the way—both defensively and offensively. Another veteran, Paul Favaro, was also instrumental in the Rovers’ victory as he shut down Jeff Skinner for most of the match. Congratulations to the Sapperton Rovers—and particularly to original members Bryan Wevers, Kevin Hearne, Brian Donald, Mike Araszewski, and Kent Waechter—for winning their first Province Cup in their 12 years of existence! The Rovers will now progress to the Canadians National Championships which will be held in Surrey on Thanksgiving weekend.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SAPPERTON ROVERS for their excellent performance in defeating the Vancouver Firefighters 1-0 in the Province Cup final. The Rovers were led by veterans Mike Favaro and Paul Favaro, as well as defenders Ed Bradford, Mike Araszewski, Kent Waechter, and Jeff Rogers, en route to their first Province Cup victory in 12 years of existence. WELL DONE ROVERS AND GOOD LUCK IN THE CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sapperton Rovers’ defender JEFF ROGERS for his excellent performance in his team’s 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Firefighters in the Province Cup final. Not only did Rogers score the winning goal with an incredible shot from well outside the penalty area, but he also led the way with an admirable defensive effort. For his outstanding performance, JEFF ROGERS will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2006-06-07.

Buy the whole team a pizza, stop being so cheap.

[knvb]

Buy the whole team a pizza, stop being so cheap.

Seriously! Spot on.

I wonder what percentage of POTW's through-out the season actually take Azzi up on the free pizza pie? Another league moan from someone who barely lifts a finger to support it, but a nice touch of class would be for the league to save some of those fines and buy it's newly VMSL crowned BC champs a pizza or two and maybe a pitcher of beer. You know, a pat on the back for representing your league so well. What do I know...

[sid]

Originally Posted by whataboutbob

Sapperton Rovers 1- Firemen 0

Hats off to the Firemen. A class act from the boys and especially Jarvie; coming to our dressing room and giving us their champagne after the game. That team has a bunch of great players and grit.
Well the Firemen did keep their streak of winning the provincials every 8 years. Congratulations to the O35s. I'll let Animal, Lean, and Zeus tell the Firemen story. My focus is on Sapperton players' contribution to the most important win in club history. Look, I was a nervous wreck all day and a lot of that game was a blurry mess. I could be critiquing events that happened last week, or happened to us instead of the Firemen, or maybe never happened at all! So take it as you will......

The field at Town Centre was really rough and made for some lesser moments, but the game was hard-fought, intense, had crunching tackles throughout, and picked up steam all the way to the final whistle.
Right from the kickoff Sapp possessed and moved the ball around the back line, to the mid, and up front. Sapp was winning most of the tackles early on and showed confindence in playing a controlled game. I thought the 1st 10 minutes sent a clear message to Firement that Sapp did not get the respect they deserved in the Cup and leading up to the final. After that Firemen found their legs and battled back. Jarvie and Lucas were a huge distraction for Sapp's back 4 in the the 1st half and created some dangerous chances. In about the 25th min a cross came into the Firemen box, was cleared straight up in the air and into Franks' arms very close to the goal line. He dropped the ball, and from my advantage point 70 yards away at field level, the ball was in the net. (bcsoccerweb.com shows the ball in the net on their slideshow). But Sapp didn't put up much of an arguement, play on. Not too much more happened in the first half; some crappy display of skill prevailed at times, other times both teams looked sharp. Their were some goal mouth scrambles and ball control in the opposing teams' box and the Firemen looked more dangerous on other chances. The big save Cory Breure made in the 1st was off a Skinner free kick left of the goal. From 23 out Skinner curled it beautifully with pace labelled for the near post top corner but Breure made a great save (and made it look easy) to keep it tied. With about 5 to go in the half, 18 year-old Stefano Pannu broke his nose when Mike Araszewski (who played the game of his life) inavertantly hit him with his forearm. Firemen were starting to gain momentum with 10 to go in the half and I was anxiously counting down the clock till halftime. 0-0 and both teams looked satisfied with their effort.

The 2nd half was much better played but more of the same. The big difference was the game opened up and both teams took turns attacking. Lucas made a great run, beating a couple of Sapp defenders but shot right at Cory from 12 out but on an angle. Everyone at Town Centre could feel a goal was immiment, the pace of the game was rising, players were getting tired, and the teams were getting stretched out. Colin Phillips' movement in the centre mid was awesome-not one player rivalled his fitness level. With 15 to go Colin tackled 2 Firemen, got the ball and crossed it to a streaking Kevin Hearne. Kevin just narrowly missed the cross. Paul Favaro completely shut down Skinner in the 2nd half as he was a complete non-factor unlike the 1st. Travis on D for Firemen was great (as was the rest of the Firemen group - it's funny how inexperienced soccer people talk about flashy players as great - never looking at what and how players contribute to a TEAM game. Firemen have it all, unlike many VMSL disappointments). To close down Trevor Todd for 80 is almost impossible, but Travis did and deservedly received his team's MVP.

The Goal
But Sapperton set the tone early and it paid off late. Sapp won 65 - 70% of the 50/50 tackles and Jeff Rogers, the game's MVP, was instrumental throughout. With less than 2 minutes to go the outside defender/midfielder won a challenge at the firemen 25, pushed the ball past the defender and while off balance took a stab at the rolling ball. That full-knuckle miracle shot sailed over Mike Franks and into the far top corner of the net. All hell broke loose on the pitch as Jeff was swarmed by stunned Sapp players. After that Sapp held on for 3 minutes of extra time-clearing one cross off the goal line from a Firemen corner and scramble.

I thought overall Sapp was better team on the day. We had a great 2nd half and finished strong. Defenders Woody, Mike A, Kent Waechter, and Jeff had the games of their lives. To stop Jarvie, Lucas, Lensky and Skinner for 90 was amazing. Colin is a VMSL all-star. Next year I hope the VMSL coaches don't play favorites again. Mike Favs was all over the park and left nothing to chance-he was great. Kevin Hearne and TT ran miles up front and are arguably the best combination of front runners in the world, er, Province. Ted Ullrich was forced to the wing when Pannu got injured and was stellar creating chance after chance-some of the skill he showed one-on-one was of Luke Hogian class (Who was away in Hawaii). Paul Favs shut down one of the best players in the league in Skinner and proved once again why he is one of the VMSL all-time greats. Pannu will be a top-flight player in the years to come. And without Cory in net, Sapp could never go forward and throw caution to the wind. He proved once again he is a tower of strength.

Sapperton Rovers - 2006 Provincial Cup Champions!!!!!!!!

no disrespect to you bunch but ............remember donny smith ,,cant get enough of that SAP...PER TON
congrats lads

gary Corr