Weekly Review Azzi's Superlative Week in Review 2009/2010

[sixfyv]

WEEK #1—2009-09-14

The 2009-2010 season got off to a flying start this past weekend as 6 very highly-contested Premier Division matches took place all over the Lower Mainland. Three of the 6 matches ended in ties, proving once again the incredible parity in the VMSL’s Premier Division.

ICST PEGASUS – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 0-0: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the newly promoted ICST Pegasus took on the Firefighters in the ‘Surrey derby’, in a match that provided the large crowd with a lot of excitement, despite the lack of scoring. Surrey United had plenty of territorial advantage in the first half but was unable to score, probably due to the fact that strikers Niall Thompson, Rizal Ganief, and Angus Burke were missing from the starting line-up due to injuries and suspensions. Pegasus also had a couple of glorious goal-scoring opportunities in the first half but failed to capitalize as Jag Gill shot wide of the net and Chetan Jhooty had his shot cleared off the line by veteran Jeff Skinner with goalkeeper Paul Shephard well beaten. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as Surrey United exerted most of the early pressure while Pegasus took over the reins of the match in the second fragment of the half. Surrey United’s Cam Wilson came close to scoring on 3 different occasions as he raced in all alone on breakaways but watched agonizingly as his shots went wide of the net. However, Pegasus bounced back and also created some excellent goal-scoring chances only to have goalkeeper Paul Shephard come up with a few phenomenal saves on shot by Chetan Jhooty and Paul Bahia. Midfielder Adam Costley, defender Jag Sajjan, and forward Goldie Takhar shone in the Pegasus line-up throughout the contest, while midfielders Tyler Rosenland, Simon Codner, and Jeff Buchanan turned in excellent performances in the Surrey United midfield.

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 5-2: Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Metro-Ford Wolves got off to a great start to the season by defeating the visiting Richmond team by a rather elaborate 5-2 margin. However, the score does not tell the entire story as the Hibernians played extremely well during the entire first half and came close to scoring on several occasions. As luck would have it, however, the Wolves took a 1-0 lead to the dressing room as veteran Ian Clarke unleashed a wicked long-range drive that eluded goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Early in the second half, Clarke duplicated his previous effort by blasting another shot from long range into the Richmond net. On this occasion, however, Clarke was aided and abetted by Richmond defender Tim Sowerby who inadvertently deflected the ball into the back of his own net. The newly-named Hibernians fought back hard and were rewarded shortly thereafter when forward Chris Jarvie was tripped inside the Metro-Ford penalty area by youth call-up Domenic Delli Santi. On the ensuing penalty kick, Jarvie himself narrowed the margin by slotting the ball past goalkeeper Brando Ciccone—another youth call-up in the Wolves’ line-up. Metro-Ford replied in kind and re-established the 2-goal lead as veteran Russel Huggon set up young Jovan Blagojevic with a clever through ball. Blagojevic proceeded to calmly convert the pass into what proved to be Metro-Ford’s winning goal. Once again, however, Richmond bounced back as veteran Chris Jarvie added his second marker of the contest as he dribbled past several defenders before slotting the ball home. Immediately thereafter, Alfredo Valente’s rather harmless free-kick eluded everyone and found its way into the back of the net for Metro-Ford’s insurance marker. Late in the match, Jovan Blagojevic capped off a brilliant individual performance by scoring Coquitlam’s fifth goal on a superb indvidual effort. Metro-Ford’s midfielder Oliver Heald, as well as defenders Brook Scott and Kingsley Jones, played very well, while youth call-ups Domenic Delli Santi, Luigi Pantusa, and Brando Ciccone acquitted themselves admirably in the Premier Division debuts. For the visitors, midfielder Chris Jarvie, forward Erik Olsen, and defender Tim Sowerby turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause.

ICSF INTER – WESTSIDE FC 1-0: The third Friday evening game was played at Vancouver Technical School between the host ICSF Inter and the visiting Westside FC. After a hard-fought and highly-contested 90 minutes of play, the Italians prevailed by the narrowest of margins. Both teams played very tentatively during the early part of the match as they were trying to find their shape in their first game of the season. Inter’s Sheldon Maistry and Terry Davis had the best scoring opportunities during the first half but missed the net from close range. Early in the second half, Tino Cucca also missed a chance to give ICSF the lead as he sailed his shot just wide of the net. Westside also came close to scoring midway through the second half as Ian Sandilands was thwarted by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan who made a fantastic save to keep the game scoreless. With only a couple of minutes remaining in the contest, Tino Cucca made amends for his previously missed opportunity as he worked his way through several Westside defenders before firing home a unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Just before the final whistle, Ian Sandilands came close to tying the game up but his shot was miraculously blocked by defender Lee Tregonning. Inter’s midfielders Mike Winters and Tino Cucca played extremely well throughout the contest, while defenders Jessie Dhami, Lee Tregonning, and Bevan Footman deserve a great deal of credit for their team’s clean sheet. For Westside, forward Ian Sandilands was a going concern throughout the match, while defender Iavor Georgeff and goalkeeper Rowan Sanders thwarted Inter’s vaunted attackers on numerous occasions.

NORVAN PACIFIC – DELTA UNITED 2-2: On Saturday, at Inter River Park in North Vancouver, the rejuvenated former Eagles held the visiting—and revamped—Delta squad to a 2-2 tie after a well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. The much more experienced Delta team—led by former Norvan player-coach Steve Millar—controlled the first part of the match but it was the young Norvan team that opened the scoring midway through the first half when young Colin Soo blasted a wicked drive into the top corner of the net from the edge of the penalty box. The visitors bounced back and tied things up near the end of the first half as John Blair and Ryan Dormer combined to set up Steve Dormer for a close-range goal. Midway through the second half, Delta took the lead as veteran Mark Gomes scored a magnificent goal on a great individual effort. However, the young Norvan lads didn’t quit and fought back tenaciously and eventually knotted the score as Matt Hartewell took advantage of a Delta defensive blunder and clinically placed the ball into the lower corner of the net. Midfielders Brian Gebbie and Mark Gomes—as well as forwards Ryan Dormer and Steve Dormer—played extremely well for Delta United while Norvan’s young Colin Soo drove the Delta defenders to distraction with his pace and skill and was unlucky not to score more than once.

SAPPERTON ROVERS – COLUMBUS FC 2-0: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the newly-promoted Rovers upset the heavily-favoured Columbus by a clear-cut 2-0 margin after a rather uneventful and passive 90 minutes of play. Sapperton’s long ball tactics worked to perfection, frequently catching Columbus’ backline off guard. Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Sapperton’s central defenders—Mike Buikema and Ted Ullrich—thwarted Columbus’ efforts all game long and made life very easy for goalkeeper Garth Lagasse as he recorded his first ever VMSL shutout. The Rovers opened the scoring at the 15th minute mark when speedy Jason Pierotti beat goalkeeper Thomas Lindley to the ball before setting up a wide open Shawn Blakeway who had no difficulty in converting the pass into what proved to be the winning goal. Sapperton then scored the insurance marker at the 35th mark when Trevor Todd took advantage of a goalmouth scramble caused by a well-taken corner kick. Columbus—playing without 4 suspended regular starters—struggled during most of the match and relied heavily on some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Thomas Lindley to keep the score respectable.

CROATIA SC – WEST VAN FC 1-1: The lone Sunday game was played at Hastings Bowl between two of the top teams in the VMSL Premier Division—last season’s triple champions West Van FC and the always dangerous Croatia SC. The numerous spectators were treated to a very interesting match with the heavily-favoured West Van team struggling for most of the game against the ‘new-look’ Croatians. Early in the match, newly-signed West Van forward Omari Aldridge was fouled inside the penalty area by Michael Brkic, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the defending champions. Veteran Paul Dailly stepped up to the plate but his shot was brilliantly saved by former Whitecap teammate Didar Sandhu. Near the end of the half, however, Dailly made amends for his previous error by delivering an immaculate corner kick that Sandhu tried to clear with his fists. Unfortunately for the Croatians, the ball ricocheted off the back of Corey’s Birza’s head and into the net for the game’s opening goal. Early in the second half, Croatia SC almost tied things up when Marinko Maras’ perfect cross was headed onto the crossbar by veteran Chris Craveiro. Shortly thereafter, however, Craveiro scored the tying goal as he converted a brilliant cross by Michael Brkic, once again on a well-taken header. Soon thereafter, veteran West Van midfielder Mike Dodd was expelled from the game for having received his second caution of the match, leaving his team shorthanded for the last 25 minutes of play. Defensively, Croatia’s Darko Jelic, Ryan Zaharija, and Marinko Maras played extremely well, particularly in the early going when the former Trollers were dominating proceedings.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SAPPERTON ROVERS for their clinical performance in defeating the heavily-favoured Columbus FC by a 2-0 margin. Led by the brilliant play of central defenders Ted Ullrich and Mike Buikema, the Rovers were able to keep the vaunted Columbus attack off the scoresheet. Jason Pierotti was a going concern throughout the contest as he drove the Columbus defenders to distraction with his speed and tenacity.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Metro-Ford Wolves’ young forward JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC for his excellent performance in his team’s 5-2 victory over Richmond FC Hibernians. Making his senior soccer debut, the 18-year old Blagojevic demonstrated his marvellous skills throughout the contest as he drove the veteran Richmond defenders to distraction with his amazing runs. To cap off his remarkable performance, Jovan scored two great goals in second half to put the game out of the Hibernians’ reach. For his excellent performance this past weekend, JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-10-08.

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #2—2009-09-21

No major upsets took place this past weekend with a couple of the league’s top teams—Surrey United and West Van FC—won their matches by one-sided margins. The Metro-Ford Wolves climbed into sole possession of first place with a hard-fought victory over the newly-promoted Sapperton Rovers, while Westside FC remained pointless after suffering its second consecutive narrow defeat.

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – SAPPERTON ROVERS 1-0: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Metro-Ford Wolves edged the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a narrow 1-0 margin after a very hard-fought and exciting 90 minutes of non-stop action. Both teams threw caution to the wind in search of the all-important 3 points and, had it not been for some superlative goalkeeping on the part of Metro-Ford’s Mat Bird and Sapperton’s Kent Waechter, the match could have ended with a much higher scoreline. Near the end of a very evenly-played first half, former Whitecap Alfredo Valente finished off a brilliant passing play involving 3 other Metro-Ford players—Matthew Besuschko, Oliver Heald, and Russel Huggon—for the lone goal of the match. In the second half, the Rovers pushed forward in search of the equalizer and came close to tying the score on several occasions. However, some excellent goalkeeping by Mat Bird and some poor finishing on the part of the Sapperton forwards kept the score at 1-0 till the end of the match. At the other end of the pitch, Sapperton goalkeeper Kent Waechter came up with 3 phenomenal saves on breakaways by Metro-Ford’s Reece Miles and Russel Huggon. Defensively, Brook Scott and Kingsley Jones were once again rock-solid on the Metro-Ford backline, while veteran midfielders Oliver Heald and Russel Huggon turned in outstanding performances. For the Rovers, midfielders Colin Phillips, Kyle Phillips, and Mike Favaro worked tirelessly throughout the contest, albeit in a losing cause.

WEST VAN FC – NORVAN PACIFIC 5-1: Also on Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending champions West Van FC had no difficulty whatsoever in disposing of the rather inexperienced Norvan Pacific by an elaborate 5-1 margin. After a very disappointing opening day performance against Croatia SC, the West Van lads returned to their usual form and totally dominated the North Shore derby from start to finish. All 5 of the West Van goals were scored in the first half with veteran defender Trevor Short and speedy Milad Rahmati leading the way with two goals each. On the first goal, Rahmati—after receiving an impeccable pass from former Whitecap Justin Thompson—raced by several Norvan defenders and proceeded to cleverly chip the ball over the head of veteran goalkeeper Steve London. A few minutes later, Trevor Short converted a well-taken corner kick by Robbie Geizen for West Van’s second goal. At about the 15th minute mark, Rahmati scored his second goal of the match in virtually an identical fashion as his first—by chipping the ball past goalkeeper London. Justin Thompson then celebrated his return to amateur soccer by scoring a brilliant goal on a long-range shot. Late in the first half, Trevor Short rounded out the West Van scoring—once again off a Robbie Giezen corner kick. The young Norvan team—lead by coach Joe Pinto—played very well in the second half and came close to scoring on a few occasions. Midway through the second half, Matthew Brewster scored the lone Norvan goal, thus spoiling goalkeeper Nick Boyd’s hopes of recording a clean sheet. Brewster came close to scoring his second goal shortly thereafter, but his blistering shot hit the crossbar and bounced on the goal line and out of danger. Defender Matt Brewster and forward Colin Soo had excellent games in a losing cause for the newly-named Pacific. West Van’s defensive backline, composed of Trevor Short, Leo Nash, Tim Perry, and Kyle MacDermid played extremely well, as did veteran midfielder Nico Berg. The former Trollers appear to be ready for the Canadian championships which will be held in Saskatoon in mid October!

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – CROATIA SC 4-0: On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the Firefighters hosted Croatia SC in what promised to be an exciting and hard-fought match. Instead, the game proved to be very one-sided and only some brilliant goalkeeping on the part of Croatia’s Didar Sandhu kept the scoreline somewhat respectable. After a fairly even opening 15 minutes, Surrey United started to take control of the match and deservedly took the lead at the 20th minute mark when Jeff Buchanan and young Joseph Martin combined to set up Lucas Barrett who brilliantly headed the ball home for what proved to be the winning goal. The Croatians, however, bounced back and nearly tied things up shortly thereafter as Marteen Koorn unleashed a powerful drive from well outside the penalty area that forced goalkeeper Drew Smiley to make an unbelievable save. The Firemen quickly re-established their supremacy and added their second goal as Tyler Rosenlund set up Cam Wilson for the all-important insurance marker. Just before the halftime whistle, Rosenlund had a great chance to score his first goal of the season, but inexplicably missed the net from close range. The Croatians didn’t give up and started applying some pressure early in the second half but, as luck would have it, it was Surrey United that added its third goal as a Tyler Rosenlund corner kick resulted in a goal mouth scramble that was resolved by Joseph Martin who hammered the ball home from close range for his first VMSL goal. Cam Wilson added his second goal of the match—and his team’s fourth—midway through the second half after some fine play between Lucas Barrett and Vince Stewart. At this point the Didar Sandhu show began as the former Whitecap goalkeeper made save after save—mostly on opportunities by Rizal Ganief and Niall Thompson—to keep the score at 4-0 till the final whistle. The victory places Surrey United in second place in the standings, while Croatia SC is now near the bottom of the table.

ICST PEGASUS – WESTSIDE FC 3-2: Also on Saturday, at the new Andy Livingstone Field in Vancouver, the visiting ICST Pegasus edged Westside FC by a narrow 3-2 margin. Very early in the match, Pegasus took advantage of some soft defending on the part of the home team and took the lead when Chetan Jhooty neatly converted a fine cross by Jag Gill into the opening goal with a perfectly-placed far-post shot. Midway through the first half, Westside scored the tying goal when Cam Kochorek headed home a well-taken corner kick by Frank Glassen. Shortly thereafter, the Westsiders went ahead on a fine goal by Jay Kent-Hume and went into the dressing room with a 1-goal lead. The second half saw Westside absorb a lot of pressure and unable to counter effectively. Pegasus came very close to knotting the score on several occasions but some poor finishing and a lot of bad luck kept the score at 2-1 till the 80th minute mark. In particular, goalscoring chances by Chetan Jhooty, Paul Bahia, Goldie Takhar, and Lavy Mangat all went awry. However, late in the match, substitute Ryan Powell took matters into his own hands and scored two fine goals to give his team the well-deserved victory. On the first goal, Powell slipped a low, hard shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area. The winner was scored near the end of the match as Powell beat a couple of Westside defenders to a loose ball inside the 18-yard box and blasted it into the wide open net. Despite the loss, Westside’s Dan May turned in a superlative performance in his attacking midfield role. The victory improves Pegasus’ record to 1-1-0, good for second place in the Premier Division standings, while Westside FC remains pointless at the bottom of the table.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – DELTA UNITED 2-2: The third, and final, Saturday game was played at Minoru Oval in Richmond and featured the Richmond FC Hibernians and Delta United. After a very spirited and eventful 90 minutes of action, both teams had to settle for a 2-2 tie, a result that neither one had wished for. The Hibernians came flying out of the starting gate and scored the go-ahead goal in the first 5 minutes of play on a penalty kick awarded when Delta defender John Blair fouled Chase Wickham inside the penalty area. Erik Olsen proceeded to score with a perfectly-placed kick from the penalty spot. Richmond continued to attack but some stubborn defending on the part of the Delta backline kept the home team at bay. Midway through the first half, however, it was Delta United that managed to knot the score on a lethal counter-attack as Mike Gomes and Harpreet Khakh combined to set up Steve Dormer whose blistering full-time volley gave Richmond goalkeeper Matt Clayton absolutely no chance. The first part of the second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with Richmond attacking and Delta defending and creating chances on the counter-attack. Midway through the second half, however, Delta United took the lead as Mark Gomes’ long-range free kick was partially saved by Clayton and barely crossed the goal line. Delta United almost took advantage of a disheartened Richmond side and came close to scoring what would have been the winning goal as Steve Dormer took advantage of a defensive blunder, raced in all alone but was stymied by goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Shortly thereafter, at the other end of the pitch, it was Delta’s goalkeeper Brian Brum’s turn to perform a near-miracle as he emulated Clayton’s brilliant save by stopping Erik Olsen on a breakaway. Finally, just before the final whistle, the Hibernians were able to score the equalizer as midfielder Peter Chivers fired a long-range shot that bounced off the crossbar and onto to path of Tim Sowerby who managed to head the ball into the empty net. All in all, a very well played game between two very competitive teams!

COLUMBUS FC – ICSF INTER 0-0: On Sunday the highly-anticipated “Italian Derby” took place at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver. However, as the score indicates, the match did not live up to its high expectations as neither team seemed to be too interested in winning the game. Inter’s goalkeeper, Erman Ozkan, made a couple of early saves, while Columbus’ backline—composed of Tony Gaita, Kozo Manome, and Robbie Cairns—kept the Inter’s attackers at bay for most of the match. Former Columbus player Tino Cucca had the best chances for Inter, but a couple of his shots sailed wide of the net. Laurent Scaligine also had a few opportunities to score, but his shots also missed the goal. Defensively, Jessie Dhami, Lee Tregonning, and Bevan Footman played very well for ICSF. All in all, a very disappointing performance by both teams with little emotion and determination to gain all 3 points!

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their brilliant performance in defeating the visiting Croatia SC by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of Tyler Rosenlund, Lucas Barrett, and Cam Wilson, the Firefighters dominated virtually the entire 90 minutes and could easily have won by an even wider margin had it not been for some outstanding goalkeeping on the part of Croatia’s Didar Sandhu.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: West Van FC’s veteran defender TREVOR SHORT for his amazing performance in his team’s resounding 5-1 victory over Norvan Pacific. Not only did Short anchor his backline in his usual determined fashion, but he also scored two brilliant goals—more than likely the first time he has ever done that! For his excellent performance this past weekend, TREVOR SHORT will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-10-15.

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #3—2009-09-28

One major upset took place this past weekend as the defending triple-crown champions—West Van FC—dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to revamped Delta United. In the meantime, the Surrey United Firefighters continued to impress by earning their third straight shutout in defeating the struggling Norvan Pacific by an elaborate 5-0 margin. In a game between two of the top teams in the Premier Division, ICSF Inter and the Metro-Ford Wolves settled for a scoreless draw after 90 minutes of non-stop action, while Columbus FC finally won its first game of the season, by a 2-0 scoreline over the newly-promoted ICST Pegasus.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – NORVAN PACIFIC 5-0: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in Surrey, the Firefighters climbed into a first place tie with the Metro-Ford Wolves by virtue of a rather easy 5-0 victory over the very young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific. Playing-coach Niall Thompson opened the scoring early in the contest as he converted an excellent pass from young Joseph Martin into what proved to be the winning goal. Soon thereafter, Rizal Ganief converted a penalty kick—awarded for a hand-ball infraction—for the game’s second goal. Late in the first half, newly-signed Tyler Rosenlund added Surrey United’s third goal as he cleverly chipped the ball over the Norvan goalkeeper’s head after having been set up by Cam Wilson. Early in the second half, Wilson and Rosenlund reversed roles as Rosenlund became the provider and Wilson the finisher for Surrey United’s fourth goal. It should be noted that Cam Wilson’s goal is his third of the season and gives him the lead in the race for the ‘Golden Boot’ award. Late in the match, Rizal Ganief beat 3 Norvan defenders before slotting the ball into the back of the net for the game’s last marker. Defensively, Jeff Buchanan and Jeff Skinner played extremely well for the Firefighters, while goalkeeper Drew Smiley recorded his second consecutive clean sheet, albeit it a very easy one!

SAPPERTON ROVERS – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 1-1: Also on Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the Sapperton Rovers and the visiting Richmond team settled for a 1-1 draw after a very competitive and hard-fought 90 minutes of action. Both teams took turns attacking but it was the Hibernians that had the best scoring chances in the early going. As luck would have it, however, it was Sapperton that took the lead midway through the first half as Colin Phillips’ free kick to the far post was headed back to the near post by Andrew Celenza. Veteran Shawn Blakeway had no difficulty whatsoever in converting it into the match’s opening goal from close range. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with the Richmond lads trying desperately to even the score. They finally succeeded at about the 75th minute mark when defender Tom Brook surged forward and played an immaculate pass into space for striker Brad Caldwell. Caldwell proceeded to cut the ball back to Alan Chivers who then delivered a perfect low cross to a wide-open Chase Wickham who had no difficulty whatsoever in finishing off the superlative 4-way passing play. Wide midfielders Andrew Celenza and Fabio Confeiteiro, as well as defender Brody Phillips played very well for the Sapperton Rovers, while midfielder Chase Wickham and defender Tom Brook shone in the Richmond line-up.

COLUMBUS FC – ICST PEGASUS 2-0: The first of 4 Sunday games was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey between the newly-promoted Pegasus and the struggling Columbus FC. Pegasus had gotten off to a great start to the season by holding the powerful Surrey United to a 0-0 tie in the opening match and then defeating Westside FC in the second round. Columbus, on the other hand, was winless after two rounds, having lost to the Sapperton Rovers in the opener and tying ICSF Inter on Week 2. However, the heavily-favoured ‘Italians’ bounced back with a vengeance and fully earned a 2-0 victory over the host Pegasus after a very entertaining 90 minutes of play. Pegasus got off to a great start and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions as Ryan Powell and Maysam Soltani were unable to finish golden opportunities. Columbus veteran Tiernan King then took matters into his own hands and proceeded to score two excellent goals—one in each half. On the first goal, King received a brilliant pass from Jonathan Poli, streaked in all alone and calmly chipped the ball over the Pegasus goalkeeper’s outstretched arms for what proved to be the winning goal. The second goal was scored midway through the second half as King curled a well-taken free kick from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner of the Pegasus net, giving goalkeeper Andy Singh no chance whatsoever. Columbus’ Steve DeBlasio and Jonathan Poli played a huge part in the team’s victory with exceptional performances. It should be noted that both players were returning to action after serving 2-game suspensions. Goalkeeper Thomas Lindley also played very well and fully deserved the hard-earned clean sheet. In particular, Lindley made a couple of spectacular saves on goalscoring opportunities on the part of Gary Sidhu and former Whitecap David Morris. The result leaves both teams with identical 1-1-1 records and in the middle of the pack in the Premier Division standings.

CROATIA SC – WESTSIDE FC 3-1: The second Sunday game took place at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver and featured two struggling and winless teams—Croatia SC and Westside FC. After an exciting and well-played 90 minutes, the Croatians came away with their first victory of the season, thanks to two late goals by Michael Brkich and Marteen Koorn. The Westsiders got off to a good start and exerted some pressure on the Croatian backline in the early going but, despite the fact that they carried most of the play, they were unable to create any clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. The Croatians, however, took the lead midway through the first half as Chris Craveiro set up Gustavo Argueta with a clever pass. From close range, Argueta made no mistake in converting the pass into the opening goal of the match. Early in the second half, Westside FC knotted the score as substitute Joe Bhegani found the low corner of the net, after having missed from virtually the same spot a few minutes earlier. Westside continued to press in search of the go-ahead-goal and came close to scoring on several occasions. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of former Whitecap Didar Sandhu kept the Croatians in the match. In particular, Sandhu made a couple of superlative stops on shots by Ian Sandilands and James Brown. With a couple of minutes to go in the match, Croatia’s Michael Brkich was brought down inside the penalty area by goalkeeper Rowan Anders, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the home team. Brkich himself took the spot kick and drove the ball into the bottom corner of the net for the winning goal. Soon thereafter, Brad Haga crossed a ball from the corner of the field into the Westside penalty area and Marteen Koorn rose above the defenders to head the ball home for the insurance marker. Despite the loss, Westside’s midfielder Chris Mehuys had an outstanding match, while forward James Brown and defender Cam Kochorek also turned in fine performances. Croatia’s Chris Craveiro was a going concern throughout the contest, while goalkeeper Didar Sandhu deserves a lot a credit for his team’s victory.

DELTA UNITED – WEST VAN FC 2-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, the totally reconstructed Delta United upset the defending triple-crown holders—West Van FC—by a 2-1 margin. The former Trollers were resting some starters in anticipation of the upcoming National Championships in Saskatoon but still fielded a very respectable and capable line-up. Very early in the match, West Van FC took the lead when newcomer Brandon Bonafacio scored a world-class goal by beating two defenders before unleashing a wicked drive from the top of the 18-yard box and into the Delta net. The visitors kept creating goalscoring opportunities as the first half progressed but the Delta defense, anchored by veteran player-coach Steve Millar, held on strongly. The turning point of the match occurred at the 35th minute mark when West Van’s goalkeeper, Marco Durante, was expelled from the match for having accumulated his second caution. At this point, the flow of the game changed enormously as Delta United—led by the brilliant midfield play of CJ Greenside, Brian Gebbie, and Mike Gomes—took over the reins of the match. After missing a few golden opportunities to tie things up—notably on shots by Mark Gomes, Brian Gibson, and Steve Dormer—Delta United finally knotted the score at the 75th minute mark as Steve Millar blasted a wicked drive from long range into the West Van, past substitute goalkeeper Jesse Fetterley. Shortly thereafter, Brian Fowler took advantage of Fetterley’s goalkeeping inexperience by scoring the winning goal and what appeared to be a harmless cross. West Van FC fought back tenaciously but was unable to score the equalizer in the last few minutes of the match. The victory lifts Delta United to third place in the Premier Division standings, while West Van FC drops to the middle of the table.

ICSF INTER – COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 0-0: The last Sunday game was played at Vancouver Technical School between two of the top teams in the Premier Division standings—ICSF Inter and the Metro-Ford Wolves. After an exciting and evenly-played 90 minutes of non-stop action, both teams had to settle for a 0-0 tie, a result that neither team had wished for! Both teams had excellent goalscoring opportunities, but some brilliant goalkeeping on the part of Inter’s Erman Ozkan and Metro-Ford’s Mathew Bird kept the game scoreless till the very end. The Wolves had the better chances in the early going, while the home team came on strong later in the half. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. Former Whitecap Alfredo Valente had an excellent chance to open the scoring early in the first half, but his wicked drive was brilliantly saved by Ozkan. At the other end of the pitch, Inter’s Liam Smith missed a close range tap-in, while Bird came up with a big save on an Anthony Marrello blast from the edge of the penalty area. Ozkan then came up with a few amazing saves, on a shot by Jovan Blagojevic and headers by Joe Scigliano and Azad Palani. Midfielder Mike Winters played extremely well for ICSF, while defender Emilio Bottiglieri and midfielder Russel Huggon turned in excellent performances for Metro-Ford. However, it was the two goalkeepers—Mat Bird and Erman Ozkan—that deserve most of the accolades!

TEAM OF THE WEEK: DELTA UNITED for its amazing 2-1 upset victory over West Van FC, last season’s triple-crown champions! Led by the excellent play of midfielders CJ Greenside, Brian Gebbie, and Mike Gomes, Delta was able to defeat the virtually unbeatable West Van side, albeit aided and abetted by the expulsion of goalkeeper Marco Durante! Delta player-coach Steve Millar also played a huge part in the victory, as he anchored the back line to near perfection and also scored his team’s tying goal midway through the second half.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Columbus FC’s veteran forward TIERNAN KING for his brilliant performance in his team’s first victory of the season—a 2-0 win over ICST Pegasus. Not only did King score both his team’s goals, but he also drove the Pegasus defenders to distraction throughout the entire match, with his skill, pace, and tenacity. For his excellent performance this past weekend, TIERNAN KING will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-10-22.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

 

[Dude]

If this is Superlative, is the FVSL version "Abysmal", for being so damn late?

Azzi has indeed big timed you, KNVB.

 

[sixfyv]

After missing a few golden opportunities to tie things up—notably on shots by Mark Gomes, Brian Gibson, and Steve Dormer—Delta United finally knotted the score at the 75th minute mark as Steve Millar blasted a wicked drive from long range into the West Van, past substitute goalkeeper Jesse Fetterley.

My personal highlight... Millar booting the ball all the way from JO Park to West Van. A new personal best for Mr. Millar.

 

[Pacific2010]

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – NORVAN PACIFIC 5-0: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in Surrey

Where is this Park located... in Surrey

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #4—2009-10-05

Six highly-contested Premier Division games took place this past weekend, as the powerful Surrey United Firefighters climbed into sole possession of first place as a result of a narrow 2-1 victory over Delta United in the ‘Fraser Valley Derby’. At the bottom of the table, the luckless Westside FC remained pointless after dropping a tough 1-0 decision to Norvan Pacific, while the Richmond FC Hibernians also remained near the bottom of the standings as a result of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the defending champion, West Van FC.

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – ICST PEGASUS 1-1: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Wolves and Pegasus settled for a 1-1 tie after a very entertaining and well-played 90 minutes of action. The first half was evenly-contested with Pegasus having the best goalscoring opportunity as former Whitecap David Morris—after having received a great pass from Chetan Jhooty—inexplicably missed the wide-open net. The second half was much more exciting as both teams threw caution to the wind in search of the all-important first goal. At the 55th minute mark, Pegasus’ Goldy Takhar outmuscled a couple of Metro-Ford defenders and fired an unstoppable far-post shot for the go-ahead goal. About 15 minutes later, the Wolves tied things up when a couple of former Whitecaps—Alfredo Valente and Oliver Heald—combined to score the equalizer, albeit in a bizarre fashion! Heald’s clever pass from the edge of the penalty area was drilled towards the goal by Valente only to be stopped by Lavy Mangat’s hand ball. At first the referee awarded a penalty kick to the Wolves and ejected Mangat for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. However, after consulting with her assistant, referee Michelle Pye reversed her decision since the ball had crossed the goal line! Both teams continued attacking in search of the all-important winning goal but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Metro-Ford’s Mathew Bird and Pegasus’ Andy Singh kept the scoreline even. In particular, Bird made a world-class save on a Goldy Takhar rocket, while Singh thwarted a breakaway by Joe Scigliano late in the match. Defensively, Gurjit Dhaliwal played extremely well for Pegasus, while youth call-up Paul Clerc and young veteran Brook Scott were rock solid in the centre of the Wolves’ backline.

SAPPERTON ROVERS – ICSF INTER 1-0: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the Sapperton Rovers upset the visiting ICSF Inter by a narrow, but well-deserved, 1-0 margin. Both goalkeepers—Inter’s Giancarlo Martino and Sapperton’s Kent Waechter—came up with some excellent saves throughout the contest. In the first half, Sapperton came close to scoring on a couple of occasions but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Martino kept the game scoreless throughout the first 45 minutes. In particular, Martino stopped Jason Pierotti on a breakaway—after a fine set-up by Shawn Blakeway—and then tipped a Trevor Todd shot over the cross bar. Early in the second half, Reyhan Ismail watched agonizingly as his free kick from well outside the penalty area bounced off the cross bar with Martino well-beaten. The lone goal of the match was scored soon thereafter as defender Jeff Rogers took advantage of a long throw by Jason Pierotti, a throw that caught the Inter goalkeeper and defenders off guard. Rogers proceeded to slot the ball home from close range for what proved to be the winning goal. At this point Inter bounced back and came close to tying things up on several occasions but some poor finishing, coupled by some great goalkeeping on the part of Kent Waechter, kept the score at 1-0 till the final whistle. Both Matt Judd—on a long-range blast—and Michael Winter—of a fine header—were thwarted by Waechter’s brilliant saves as Inter tried desperately to even to score. Defensively, Inter’s Matt Judd, Bevan Footman, and Jessie Dhami played extremely well as did Sapperton’s Ted Ullrich, Mike Biukema, Jeff Rogers, and Brody Phillips.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – DELTA UNITED 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the ‘Fraser Valley Derby’ took place with the heavily-favoured Firefighters prevailing over the visiting Delta team by a narrow 2-1 margin. The match featured two previously unbeaten teams and fully lived up to its high expectations. However, it took a great late goal by midfield ‘maestro’ Tyler Rosenlund to claim the victory for Surrey United and, as a result, send the Cloverdale-based team alone at the top of the table. Delta almost opened the scoring in the first minute of play when John Blair headed the ball into the grateful arms of Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley. At the other end of the pitch, Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum thwarted Cam Wilson on a partial breakaway to keep the game scoreless throughout the first half. Surrey United broke the deadlock at the 60th minute mark when Rizal Ganief was fouled inside the penalty area by Delta playing-coach Steve Millar. ‘Golden Boot’ leader Cam Wilson stepped up to the plate and successfully converted the resulting penalty kick by calmly depositing the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Delta United responded very positively and battled back tenaciously in search of the equalizer. In fact, the visitors enjoyed their best spell of the game and pinned Surrey United into their own half of the field for a lengthy period of time. Finally, at about the 80th minute mark, Delta United levelled the score when John Blair converted a fine cross by Harpreet Kakh into the top corner of the net with a fine header. It should be mentioned that this was the first goal conceded by Surrey United this season! However, the Firemen responded well to the adversity and came close to retaking the lead when young Lucas Barrett outpaced the aging Delta defenders only to have his shot bounce off the goalpost and out of danger. Very late in the match, with the game seemingly destined for a tie, some fine work by Rizal Ganief and veteran Steve McCauley carved out an opportunity for Tyler Rosenlund who, with a moment of sheer brilliance and skill, curved a 20-yard drive into the net. Defender Jeff Buchanan also played well for the Firemen, while veteran Mark Gomes was outstanding on the Delta backline, mostly due to his probing runs that caused problems for the home team during most of the game. As mentioned earlier, the Surrey United Firefighters are now all alone in first place, with an unbeaten record of 3-1-0.

WEST VAN FC – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 1-0: The third Saturday game took place at Minoru Oval in Richmond and featured the BC champions—West Van FC—and the host Richmond FC Hibernians. The former Trollers are preparing themselves for the upcoming National Championships and, as a result, rested a few of their key players. The match was quite evenly played throughout the 90 minutes, with both teams sharing several early chances. Led by former Whitecap Justin Thompson, as well as young goalkeeper Nick Boyd and captain Leo Nash, West Van FC was able to keep the visitors off the scoresheet during the entire contest. In particular, Boyd was brilliant as he robbed Chase Wickham on a couple of breakaway opportunities. The lone goal of the match was scored early in the second half when Sean Taylor and Desmond Tachie combined to set up newly-signed Omari Aldridge who made no mistake from close range. Soon thereafter, Austin Lowrie almost doubled the score but his header sailed over the crossbar. To their credit, the Hibernians never quit and tried desperately to knot things up, mostly with long ball tactics. Chase Wickham, in particular, came very close to tying the score when he broke past the last West Van defender and unleashed a powerful shot that Boyd once again saved brilliantly. Soon thereafter, Richmond midfielder Peter Chivers hammered a long-range drive that skimmed the outside of the goalpost with Boyd well-beaten. Just before the full-time whistle, Boyd once again made a tremendous save on a blistering shot from Chivers. Darren Suderman played very well defensively for Richmond FC, albeit in a losing cause. West Van FC will now travel to Saskatoon for the Canadian National Championships. The entire VMSL family wishes our representatives the best of luck!

NORVAN PACIFIC – WESTSIDE FC 1-0: The fourth, and last, Saturday game was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver between Westside FC and the visiting Norvan Pacific—two of the bottom dwellers in the Premier Division. The game turned out to be a tale of two halves, with the more experienced Westsiders controlling the tempo of the first half while the young former Eagles bounching back and taking charge during the second half. After a rather nervous and tentative first half, Norvan came flying out of the gate in the second half and showed much more composure and a passionate determination to gather all 3 points. Newly-signed Blake Burgeon had a couple of scoring chances early in the second half to give Norvan the lead but was stymied by goalkeeper Rowan Anders on the first attempt and by the crossbar on the second effort. Matt Hartwell also came close to scoring for the newly-named Pacific but, once again, Anders came up with a fine save. With about 15 minutes left in the match, Norvan finally scored the winning goal when a cross by Tony Seddon found Blake Burgeon at the edge of the goal area. Burgeon proceeded to head the ball towards a wide-open Colin Soo who calmly placed it into the back of the net for the lone goal of the match. Just before the final whistle, Westside appeared to have scored the tying goal—on a shot by Joe Bhegani—but the assistant referee spotted a violent conduct infraction by Westside’s Jay Kent-Hume, an infraction that nullified the goal and resulted in Kent-Hume’s expulsion. Defensively, Norvan’s Tony Seddon and Westside’s Sam Wallace were towers of strength throughout the match, while Westside’s goalkeeper Rowan Anders pulled off a few brilliant saves to keep the scoreline respectable.

COLUMBUS FC – CROATIA SC 1-0: The lone Sunday game was played at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver between Columbus FC and Croatia SC, in what could be called the ‘Adriatic Derby’. After a very well-played 90 minutes of action, the ‘Italians’ walked away with a well-deserved 1-0 decision over the struggling Croatians. Columbus controlled most of the play and created numerous scoring chances but had to wait till late in the game to score the winning goal. In the first half Columbus’ Joel Malouf hit the crossbar with a wicked shot from the edge of the penalty area with goalkeeper Didar Sandhu well-beaten. Shortly thereafter, Steve Frazao missed a couple of golden opportunities to score Columbus’ winning goal. On the first chance, the newly-signed Frazao hit the goal post, while on the second he barely missed the net. However, Frazao made amends for his blunders when he finally scored Columbus’ goal off a brilliant play also involving Steve DeBlasio and Tiernan King. Frazao’s shot was a thing of beauty as he drilled the ball to the far post from a very difficult angle, giving Sandhu no chance whatsoever. The Croatians also had a few good scoring chances but were unable to capitalize as Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley came up with a fine save on a shot by Daniel Rogic, while Chris Craviero and Marinko Maras narrowly missed the net with their long-range shots. Late in the game, Croatia’s Cristiano Tropeano was expelled from the match for having accumulated 2 cautions during the contest. The entire Columbus team played very well, but special mention should be made of the tireless effort of midfielder Steve DeBlasio. Defender Marinko Maras and veteran midfielder Chris Craviero played very well for Croatia SC, albeit in a losing cause.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SAPPERTON ROVERS for their well-deserved 1-0 upset victory over ICSF Inter. Led by the excellent performances of goalkeeper Kent Waechter and defenders Ted Ullrich, Jeff Rogers, and Brody Phillips, the Rovers kept the vaunted Inter attack at bay throughout the contest. Forward Jason Pierotti was also a going concern, driving the Inter defenders to distraction with his speed and tenacity. The victory places the newly-promoted Rovers in a third place tie in the Premier Division standings!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Surrey United’s midfielder TYLER ROSENLUND for his brilliant performance in his team’s 2-1 victory over the very tough and determined Delta United. Rosenlund demonstrated remarkable skills in controlling the play in the middle of the park hroughout the entire match. As well, he scored the winning goal late in the match with an amazing long-range shot that curled into the back of the net. For his exceptional performance this past weekend, TYLER ROSENLUND will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-10-29.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #5—2009-10-12

Only 5 Premier Division games were played this past weekend, due to the fact that the highly-anticipated power struggle between West Van FC and the Surrey United Firefighters had to be postponed due to the fact that the former Trollers were representing British Columbia in the Canadian National Championships. No huge surprises occurred as the top teams continued to climb, in search of a slot in the BC Premier League. The only ‘semi-upset’ took place on Friday evening as the newly-promoted ICST Pegasus totally demolished the visiting Sapperton Rovers by an elaborate 5-2 margin.

ICST PEGASUS – SAPPERTON ROVERS 5-2: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, two newly-promoted teams—ICST Pegasus and the Sapperton Rovers—faced off in a very important match, since both teams appear to be in contention for promotion to the BC Premier League. The revamped Pegasus, with several newly-signed players on its roster, totally dominated the contest and fully deserved the lop-sided margin of victory. The home team came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and took an early 3-0, mostly due to the speed and skill of its young forwards, who drove the aging Sapperton defenders to distraction throughout the entire contest. The opening goal was scored at the 15th minute mark as Meysam Soltani was tripped inside the Sapperton penalty area by veteran Ted Ullrich. On the ensuing penalty kick, another newcomer—Chetan Jhooty—easily placed the ball into the back of the net with an unstoppable shot. A few minutes later, Jhooty and Goldy Takhar combined to set up Soltani for his first goal of the evening and his first in a Pegasus uniform. At about the 30th minute mark, Soltani scored what proved to be the winning goal with a blistering and precise shot from outside the penalty area. To their credit, the Rovers never gave up and bounced back as veteran Shawn Blakeway narrowed the margin near the end of the first half after receiving an excellent pass from Colin Phillips. Early in the second half, Pegasus restored its 3-goal margin as Chetan Jhooty eluded a couple of defenders and again set up a wide-open Meysam Soltani who had no difficulty slotting the ball home for his third goal of the evening. Once again, however, Sapperton bounced back and narrowed the margin on a well-taken free kick by Colin Phillips. However, Soltani put the game out of the Rovers’ reach with a great goal at about the 75th minute mark as he fired a brilliant shot into the top corner of the net after having beaten a couple of Sapperton defenders. All in all, a great performance by the entire Pegasus team, although special mention must be made of midfielder Paul Bahia, forward Goldy Takhar, and—of course—4-goal scorer Meysam Soltani. The victory elevates Pegasus into a 4th place tie with Delta United, while the Rovers drop to the middle of the table, albeit only 1 point behind Delta and Pegasus.

ICSF INTER – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 1-1: Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the visiting Richmond team held the favoured ICSF Inter to a 1-1 tie after a hard-fouiht and very intense 90 minutes of play. The Hibernians got off to a great start and could easily have taken the early lead when they were awarded a penalty kick at about the 10th minute mark of the match. Unfortunately for Richmond FC, Chris Jarvie—after Tom Brook was tripped inside the box by Inter’s Bevan Footman—inexplicably missed the net from the 12-yard mark. In the second half, the Hibs continued to exert pressure on the Inter defence and finally took the lead at about the 50th minute mark when Stu Walters, Brad Caldwell, Mike Revell, and Chris Jarvie combined to set up Chase Wickham who proceeded to hammer a first-time volley into the net for the go-ahead goal. Inter fought back with grit and determination and came close to tying things up at about the 60th minute mark when Tino Cucca was fouled inside the penalty area by goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Once again, however, a renowned veteran player—this time Joseph Marrello—was unable to convert the ensuing penalty kick as Matt Clayton made amends for his blunder by making a wonderful save. At this point, the ‘Italians’ took over the reins of the match and fought tenaciously for the equalizer. In particular, Sheldon Maistry was a going concern as he set up several goalscoring opportunities only to have his teammates fail miserably in the finishing department. Finally, at about the 70th minute mark, Inter was rewarded when a beautiful cross from Sunny Uppal was converted into the equalizer by Terry Davies. Late in the match, Richmond FC almost regained the lead but a superlative save on the part of Inter’s goalkeeper—Erman Ozkan—on a brilliantly-taken free kick by Erik Olsen, kept the scoreline at 1-1 till the final whistle. Congratulations to both teams for a well-played match!

COLUMBUS FC – NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: On Saturday, at Sutherland School in North Vancouver, the visiting Columbus FC easily defeated the young and inexperienced former Eagles by a 2-0 margin. The score could easily have been much more elaborate had it not been for some brilliant goalkeeping on the part of goalkeeper Steve London, one of the very few veterans on the Norvan squad. However, it was actually the home team that looked sharper in the early going as Columbus seemed to be a little complacent at the start of the match. Norvan squandered a couple of good opportunities as Colin Soo and Blake Burgeon missed the net from close range. This appeared to be the wake-up call that Columbus needed as the visitors took over the reins of the match from that moment onward and scored a couple of goals in rapid succession to put the result out of Norvan’s reach. On the first goal, newly-signed Steve Frazao set up veteran Tiarnan King with an immaculate pass that King converted into what proved to the the winning goal. Soon thereafter, Frazao and King reversed roles as King’s pass found a wide-open Frazao who calmly placed the ball behind London for the insurance marker. At this point, the ‘Steve London Show’ began as the veteran stopped innumerable Columbus goalscoring opportunities with some phenomenal saves. In particular, Jeff DeBlasio, Sheu Fortunato, and Steve Frazao were thwarted by London on clear-cut breakaways, while Tiernan King failed to take the lead in the ‘GOLDEN BOOT AWARD’ race as London made a miraculous save on a well-taken penalty kick. Defensively, Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, Kozo Manome, and Scott McEachern played very well for Columbus, making life very easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he earned his 4th straight clean sheet.

DELTA UNITED – WESTSIDE FC 5-0: On Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, the host Delta United demolished the once-powerful Westside FC by a rather embarrassing 5-0 margin. A few minutes after the opening kick-off, Delta took the lead when veterans Steve Dormer and Mike Gomes combined to set up a wide-open David Hileman, who then proceeded to one-time the ball into the net from close range. Midway through the first half, Hileman repeated his earlier feat by blasting a long-range shot into the Westside goal for Delta’s second goal. Early in the second half, Delta added its third goal of the contest as Brian Fowler took advantage of yet another brilliant cross by Steve Dormer to tap in his second goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, CJ Greenside capped off a brilliant individual performance by hammering a long-range shot towards the Westside goal. Steve Dormer, also one of the stand-outs in the Delta lineup, redirected Greenside’s shot with a header that sailed into the Westside goal for the 4th goal. The last goal was scored at about the 80th minute mark when Mike Gomes dribbled in from the middle of the field before calmly depositing the ball into the back of the net. As a result of the emphatic victory, Delta United climbs to a 4th place tie—with ICST Pegasus—in the Premier Division standings, and thus remain in contention for the coveted promotion to the BC Premier League. Westside FC, on the other hand, remain pointless—and in last place!

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – CROATIA SC 2-0: Also on Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the visiting Metro-Ford Wolves defeated the struggling Croatia SC by a 2-0 margin. Despite the fact that both teams were missing some key players, the game was well played and provided the numerous spectators with a lot of action and excitement. The Croatians got off to a flying start and came close to scoring very early in the match when newly-transferred Philip Koiter unleashed a rocket of a shot from well outside the penalty area, a shot that forced goalkeeper Mathew Bird into making a miraculous save. Soon thereafter, Metro-Ford’s Russel Huggon opened the scoring from close range as he picked up his own rebound after Croatia’s goalkeeper Didar Sandhu had made a fabulous save.on Huggon’s initial shot. Midway through the second half, Croatia SC came close to tying things up but Jag Sangha, after beating a couple of Metro-Ford defenders, narrowly missed the net from close range. Immediately thereafter, a couple of youth call-ups—Domenic Delli Santi and Carlo Basso—combined to score the Wolves’ insurance marker as Delli Santi swung a marvellous cross from the left flank, a cross that Basso was able to head home for his first ever senior soccer goal. Croatia’s midfielder Philip Koiter, as well as forward Marteen Koorn played extremely well, albeit in a losing cause. On the other hand, Metro-Ford’s midfielders—Oliver Heald, Russel Huggon, and Jamie Fletcher—controlled the middle of the park, while 17-year olds Domenic Delli Santi, Carlo Basso, and Luigi Pantusa acquitted themselves admirably throughout the contest. Goalkeeper Mathew Bird had to be sharp on a couple of occasions in order to earn his 3rd shutout of the season as the Wolves climbed into first place in the Premier Division—albeit with Surrey United having a game in hand.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: ICST PEGASUS for its remarkable 5-2 victory over the always tough Sapperton Rovers. Led by Meysam Soltani’s 4 goals, Pegasus dominated proceedings from start to finish as the aging Rovers’ defenders found it very difficult to keep up with the young and vibrant Pegasus forward line, composed of Goldy Takhar, Soltani, and Chetan Jhooty. The victory places the newly-promoted Pegasus in a 4th place tie in the Premier Division standings!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ forward MEYSAM SOLTANI for his amazing 4-goal performance in his team’s 5-2 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. Not only did Soltani score 4 brilliant goals, but he also played a part in his team’s other goal as he was tripped inside the Sapperton penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to his team. For his exceptional performance this past weekend, MEYSAM SOLTANI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-11-05.



<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #6—2009-10-19

Once again, only 5 Premier Division games were played this past weekend, due to the fact that the Sapperton Rovers match against Croatia SC had to be postponed due to the fact that Queen’s Park Stadium was closed because of the heavy rain during the previous days. One huge upset took place on Friday evening as the winless, and pointless, Westside FC defeated the defending champions West Van FC by a 3-2 margin. Another upset occurred on Sunday afternoon when the totally revamped Delta United humiliated the heavily-favoured Columbus FC with a 2-0 shutout.

ICSF INTER – ICST PEGASUS 2-2: On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, two very skilled teams faced off in search of the all-important 3 points. However, much to both teams’ chagrin, they had to settle for a 2-2 tie, a result that helps neither team in their quest to finish among the top 4 and thus qualify for next season’s BC Premier League. Both teams missed several golden goalscoring opportunities throughout the contest but, at the end, the tie was probably a fair result. Inter took the early lead as a result of a brilliant goal by recent returnee Tino Cucca, who, on a Joseph Marrello corner kick, received the ball at the edge of the penalty area, dribbled past a Pegasus defender and blasted an unstoppable shot into the net. Late in the first half, Pegasus tied things up when former Whitecap David Morris converted a clever pass from Chetan Jhooty with an easy tap-in. It should be mentioned that Jhooty had gathered the ball from a shot by Meysam Soltani, a shot that had bounced off the post. Midway through the second half, Inter was awarded a penalty kick when Tino Cucca was tripped inside the box by Lavy Mangat. Cucca himself converted the spot shot for his team’s go-ahead goal, and his second of the match. However, with 10 minutes to go in the match, Pegasus once again knotted the score as David Morris was pushed from behind by Inter defender Liam Smith inside the penalty area. Chetan Jhooty easily converted the ensuing penalty kick for the equalizer. The Inter midfield—composed of Tino Cucca, Michael Winter, Joseph Marrello, and Nick Seddon—was dominant throughout the match, while defensively Jessie Dhami and Sunny Uppal also played very well. For Pegasus, defender Jag Sajjan, midfielder Nico Marcina, and forward Meysam Soltani turned in outstanding performances. The disappointing result leaves both teams in the middle of the pack in the Premier Division standings.

WESTSIDE FC – WEST VAN FC 3-2: On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, the Westsiders came out of their unbelievable slump by defeating the defending champions by a narrow, but well-earned, 3-2 margin. Westside FC used a very clever defensive tactic throughout the match with a 4-5-1 formation, a tactic that invited the visitors to attack. Westside FC, on the other hand, was content with countering, a strategy that paid enormous dividends at the end. Veteran Keith Moore almost gave the home team the lead in the early going as his well-taken free kick bounced off the West Van goalpost. Shortly thereafter, James Brown gave Westside FC the lead as he took advantage of a blunder by goalkeeper Nick Boyd by blasting the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area. Early in the second half, Westside doubled its margin when another well-taken free kick by Keith Moore was redirected into the net by Joe Bhegani. The BC champions fought back tenaciously and tied things up with two goals in rapid succession midway through the second half. On the first goal, a speculative shot/cross by Sean Taylor found the back of the net as it eluded a bewildered goalkeeper, Rowan Anders. On the second West Van goal, veteran Trevor Short took advantage of a goalmouth scramble—as a result of a Paul Dailly corner kick—to knot the score at 2-2. But, with about 15 minutes to go, the Westsiders regained the lead as Ian Sandilands raced in from the right flank and calmly nut-megged the West Van goalkeeper net for the winning goal. James Possee was rock-solid on the Westside backline, while midfielders Ian Sandilands, James Brown, Keith Moore, Cedric Lunel, and Joe Bhegani turned in excellent performances. It should also be mentioned that Jay Kent-Hume worked tirelessly as the lone front runner. On the other hand, the former Trollers turned in a very mediocre performance, probably due to the fact that they had just returned from the National championships in Saskatoon! The result leaves Westside FC in last place, albeit tied with Richmond FC, while the former Trollers are now in the middle of the table.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 3-1: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, the red-hot Firemen continued their unbeaten string with a hard-fought and well-earned 3-1 victory over the newly-named Hibernians. The visitors got off to a great start and almost took an early lead when striker Lucas Barrett failed to connect on a superbly taken free kick by Tyler Rosenlund. However, after defending resolutely for most of the early part of the match, the Hibs almost grabbed the lead but Tom Brook was denied by a brilliant save on the part of Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley. A few minutes later, Surrey United took the lead on yet another immaculate set-up by Tyler Rosenlund. On this occasion, Rosenlund’s brilliant pass split the Richmond defence and sent Cam Wilson in on goal to score his league-leading 5th goal of the season. Ten minutes into the second half, Surrey United increased its lead with Rosenlund once again playing a key part by setting up a streaking Vince Stewart who then proceeded to set up a wide-open Lucas Barrett who had no difficulty in scoring what proved to be the winning goal from close range. The Firemen kept pressing and could easily have added a couple of more goals had it not been for some phenomenal saves on the part of Matt Clayton. However, as luck would have it, Richmond narrowed the margin at the 70th minute mark when Alan Chivers headed home a sublime far-post cross by Kody Hol. At this point, the Hibernians pushed forward tenaciously in search of the equalizer but were denied by some outstanding goalkeeping on the part of veteran Drew Smiley, on shots by Alan Chivers and Karl Sandberg. Late in the game, the Firefighters took advantage of Richmond’s desperate effort to tie things up with a lethal counter-attack that resulted in playing-coach Niall Thompson being fouled inside the penalty area by Kody Hol. Rizal Ganief had no difficulty in converting the penalty kick for the Surrey United insurance marker. Richmond FC midfielders Ivan Prpic and Tom Brook, as well as defender Connor Radil, played very well for the home team, albeit in a losing cause. As mentioned earlier Surrey’s Tyler Rosenlund was once again outstanding in his midfield role. The victory leaves the Firemen in second place, only 1 point behind—and with a game in hand—the leading Metro-Ford Wolves.

DELTA UNITED – COLUMBUS FC 2-0: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, the visiting Delta United upset the Columbus FC by a well-deserved 2-0 margin. In fact, had it not been for some outstanding goalkeeping on the part of Thomas Lindley, the score could easily have been more emphatic. Lindley pulled off a couple of sensational saves in the first half, one on a great shot by John Blair and the other on an equally dangerous drive by veteran Brian Gibson. However, CJ Greenside was able to give the visitors the lead at the 20th minute mark when he finished off a wonderful 3-way play, also involving the Gomes brothers, Mark and Mike. In fact, a patented Mark Gomes cross was headed in Greenside’s direction by Mike Gomes and finished off perfectly with a cracker of a volley. Midway through the second half, Delta United doubled the margin when veteran Ryan Dormer was able to beat Lindley with a well-placed shot to the far post. Defender Jonathan Poli and goalkeeper Thomas Lindley were the only standouts in the Columbus lineup, while the midfield trio of Mike Gomes, Harpreet Khakh, and CJ Greenside were instrumental in Delta’s victory, a victory that catapults them ahead of Columbus in the Premier Division table. It should be mentioned that goalkeeper Brian Brum recorded the shutout in the Delta net.

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – NORVAN PACIFIC 1-0: Also on Sunday, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Metro-Ford Wolves remained in first place in the highly competitive Premier Division by virtue of a narrow 1-0 victory over the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific. Right from the start of the match, the Wolves were able to create several excellent goalscoring opportunities. However, some great goalkeeping on the part of veteran Steve London kept the game scoreless until the dying moments of the first half when Jamie Fletcher received an immaculate pass from Emilio Bottiglieri and hammered the ball home from the edge of the penalty area. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with the Wolves missing chance after chance and London coming up with some spectacular saves. In particular, London was able to stop Joe Scigliano, Russel Huggon, and Alfedo Valente repeatedly. To their credit, the young Norvan lads never stopped trying and actually came close to tying things up on a couple of occasions on efforts by Derek Sherk and Kyle Thompson. Metro-Ford’s veteran midfielders Oliver Heald and Brian VanSchagen dictated the tempo of the match throughout the 90 minutes of play, while defenders Brook Scott and Aaron Beattie made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Mathew Bird as he collected his 4th shutout of the season. Young defender Mark Krys and, as mentioned earlier goalkeeper Steve London, were instrumental in keeping the score respectable for Norvan Pacifica.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK: WESTSIDE FC and DELTA UNITED for their upset victories over West Van FC and Columbus FC respectively. Westside FC won its first game of the season by defeating the reigning champions West Van FC mostly due to the excellent performance of veteran midfielder Keith Moore. Delta United, on the other hand, played virtually flawlessly throughout the 90 minutes as veterans Mark Gomes, Mike Gomes, Brian Gibson, and Steve Millar guided them to the all-important victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter’s midfielder TINO CUCCA for his excellent performance in leading his team to a 2-2 tie against the very skillful ICST Pegasus. Cucca scored both of his team’s goals, the first on a penalty kick—after he had been fouled inside the penalty area—and the second on a blistering drive from the edge of the penalty area. For his escellent performance this past weekend, TINO CUCCA will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-11-12.



<><><><><><><><><><><>

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #7—2009-10-26

All six Premier Division games were played this past weekend, all of them ending with very close scorelines. Three rather major upsets took place, with Westside FC once again defeating one of the top contenders—this time the Surrey United Firefighters—by a 1-0 margin. In the other upsets, Norvan Pacific—temporarily coached by Whitecaps’ captain Martin Nash—edged the visiting Sapperton Rovers, while the Richmond Hibernians won their first game of the season at the expense of the hot-and-cold ICST Pegasus. As a result, the battles at the top and at the bottom of the table have gotten even more interesting!

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – ICST PEGASUS 1-0: The previously winless Hibernians won their first match of the season by upsetting the aspiring Pegasus by a narrow 1-0 margin in a game played on Friday evening at Newton Athletic Park. The Indo-Canadians controlled most of the action and came close to scoring on several occasions but were thwarted by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Richmond’s Matt Clayton. In particular, Meysam Soltani watched agonizingly as his point-blank diving header—on a brilliant set-up by Goldie Takhar—forced Clayton to make a phenomenal save. To their credit, the Hibs worked extremely hard throughout the contest in search of their first victory of the season. The lone goal of the match was scored near the end of the first half when Brad Caldwell calmly converted a 3-way passing play—involving Ivan Prpic, Chase Wickham, and Carl Sandberg—into the winning goal. Defensively, Jon Bula and Stu Walters played extremely well for the Hibernians, while Carlos Dhaliwal was a tower of strength on the Pegasus backline. Veteran Lav Mangat was also a stand-out as he celebrated his 36th birthday by running miles in the ICST midfield! Despite the badly-needed victory, the Hibernians are still near the bottom of the table in the Premier Division, while ICST Pegasus is now in the middle of the pack with 9 points.

DELTA UNITED – COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 1-1: Also on Friday evening, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, two of the top teams in the Premier Division settled for a 1-1 tie after a rather uneventful 90 minutes of play. The windy conditions did not make things easy for either team as it became obvious from the onset that it would be very difficult to control the ball and execute any type of passing. The Wolves were unable to capitalize on the wind advantage in the first half and, despite carrying most of the play, had to settle for a 0-0 deadlock at the 45th minute whistle. In the second half, as would be expected, Delta United took over the reins of the match and finally took the lead at the 65th minute mark when a well-taken corner kick by veteran Mark Gomes was knocked into the net by a combined effort from Metro-Ford’s Brook Scott and Andrew Veer. The Wolves fought back tenaciously in search of the equalizer and were rewarded near the end of the match as second-half substitute Adam Day took advantage of a goal-mouth scramble to knock the ball into the net from close range. Defensively, Mike Gomes and Brian Fowler played extremely well for Delta, while midfielder CJ Greenside was a going concern throughout the contest. On the other hand, Metro-Ford’s midfielder Andrew Veer and defender Kingsley Jones also turned in excellent performances. The tie leaves the Wolves in first place, while Delta United is still in third spot—3 points behind the leaders.

WEST VAN FC – COLUMBUS FC 0-0: The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver and also featured two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division. After a well-played 90 minutes, both contenders had to settle for a scoreless tie, a result that does neither team any favours in their quest to win the league championship. The former Trollers controlled most of the play in the first half while the ‘Italians’ responded in kind in the second half, despite playing the last 40 minutes with only 10 men, due to the expulsion of Steve DeBlasio for having accumulated 2 cautions. Veteran Tiernan King and young Steve Frazao had the best scoring chances for Columbus in the second half, but West Van’s goalkeeper—Marco Durante—came up with a couple of sensational saves to keep the game scoreless. Late in the match, former Whitecap Justin Thompson, after receiving a great pass from Omari Aldridge, barely missed the Columbus net on a well-taken shot. Both goalkeepers—Columbus’ Thomas Lindley and West Van’s Marco Durante—played very well and fully deserved their clean-sheets.

NORVAN PACIFIC – SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-1: On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the former Eagles edged the visiting Rovers by a 2-1 margin after a very exciting 90 minutes of non-stop action. Sapperton got off to a very good start and dominated the first 35 minutes of play and almost took the early lead when Brandon Steblin inexplicably missed a close-range shot. The Rovers, however, deservedly took the lead at the 25th minute mark on a great individual effort by Jason Pierotti as he dribbled around a couple of Norvan defenders before unleashing a wicked shot from outside the penalty area and into the bottom corner of the net. However, some brilliant tactical changes by new coach—and Whitecaps’ captain—Martin Nash inspired the young North Vancouver lads as they managed to control most of the action in the second half. Midway through the second half, Norvan’s Matt Brewster scored the equalizer as he converted a well-taken corner kick by Colin Soo with a close-range shot. Near the end of the match, Sapperton’s Ted Ullrich was ejected from the game for having denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity as he tripped Colin Soo at the edge of the penalty area. On the ensuing free kick, Matt Hartwell scored the winner on a magnificent free kick as he bent the ball around the wall and into the top corner of the Sapperton net. Shortly thereafter, to add insult to injury, the Rovers were reduced to 9 players as Brody Phillips was also ejected for having received his second caution. However, the gutsy Rovers nearly tied things up at the stroke of fulltime as Norvan goalkeeper Steve London came up with an amazing save on a shot from Sapperton goalkeeper Garth Lagasse—who had pushed forward in a desperate, last-moment attempt to get the equalizer. On the ensuing rebound, newly-transferred Billy Shokar blasted the ball towards the net only to have Cyrus Greenall make an unbelievable goal line clearance. Norvan’s young midfielders Kyle Guay, Cyrus Greenall, and Blake Burgon worked tirelessly throughout the entire match, while forward Colin Soo tormented the Sapperton veteran defenders constantly, with his speed and enormous skills. As a result of the victory, Norvan Pacific is now tied with the Rovers for 8th place in the Premier Division standings.

WESTSIDE FC – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 1-0: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the biggest upset of the season—and perhaps in many years—took place as the visiting Westside FC defeated the previously unbeaten Surrey United Firefighters by a narrow 1-0 margin. Many spectators had predicted a lop-sided victory in favour of the Cloverdale-based team but were proven wrong by the energetic and well-structured visitors. After beating the defending champions West Van FC last week, the Westsiders once again fielded a 4-5-1 formation and, once again, invited the heavily-favoured opposition to attack. Needless to say, the tactic paid enormous dividends as the Westside backline—composed of Cam Kochorek, Sam Wallace, James Possee, and Iavor Georgeff—was rock solid and, aided and abetted by some spectacular goalkeeping on the part of Rowan Anders, kept the vaunted Surrey attackers off the score sheet for the entire 90 minutes. In particular, shots by Rizal Ganief, Stefan Leslie, Cam Wilson, and Jeff Buchanan were brilliantly saved by Anders to keep the Westside team in the match. Then, midway through the second half, Westside FC executed a lethal counter attack that resulted on Chris Mehuys sending Keyham Kaveh down the left flank with a well-placed through ball. Kaveh proceeded to streak down the wing and subsequently sent a brilliant low cross into the box, a cross that was converted into the match’s lone goal by veteran Keith Moore. The Firefighters continued to press in search of the equalizer, but once again, Anders rose to the occasion with some magnificent saves. The victory elevates the Westsiders out of last place, while Surrey United failed to gain sole possession of first place as a result of the unexpected loss.

ICSF INTER – CROATIA SC 1-0: On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the visiting ICSF Inter defeated Croatia SC by a narrow, and hard-fought, 1-0 margin. Despite the atrocious weather conditions, the game was well played, with both teams creating several excellent goalscoring opportunities. After missing a relatively easy chance in the early going, Inter’s Tino Cucca made amends late in the first half when he converted a brilliant pass from newly-signed Adam Wallace into the game’s lone goal. It should be mentioned that Wallace had dribbled around several Croatia players in the midfield before sending Cucca in on goal. The Croatians bounced back tenaciously and almost knotted the score when former ICSF forward Cristian Tropeano curled a free kick around the wall but onto the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, Inter’s Terry Davies sent Wallace in all alone, but a great save by Croatia’s goalkeeper—Allan Conner—kept the score at 1-0 till the halftime whistle. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first with both teams coming close to scoring on several occasions. Croatia came close to tying things up midway through the second half, but Jag Sangha, after being set up by a clever back-pass by Chris Craveiro, narrowly missed the top corner with his shot. Defensively, Jessie Dhami, Lee Tregonning, and Sunny Uppal played very well for Inter, while midfielders Tino Cucca, Michael Winters and Joseph Marrello worked hard in a winning cause. For Croatia SC, veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro and young defender Daniel Rogic turned in excellent performances. The victory puts Inter back in the running for a spot in next season’s BC Premier League, while the loss drops Croatia SC into last place in the Premier Division table.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: WESTSIDE FC for yet another upset victory, this time over the previously undefeated Surrey United Firefighters. The Westsiders relied heavily on their defensive tactics and were able to hold the highly-regarded Firefighters off the scoreboard for the entire 90 minutes with some solid defending and excellent goalkeeping. Veteran Keith Moore capped off a brilliant individual performance by scoring the lone goal of the match to secure the all-important victory for his team.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Westside FC’s goalkeeper ROWAN ANDERS for his amazing performance in leading his team to a 1-0 victory over the heavily-favoured Surrey United Firefighters. Anders practically stood on his head to deny the Firemen on several excellent goalscoring opportunities. For his excellent performance this past weekend, ROWAN ANDERS will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-11-19.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

 

[bergamascho]

Who is Matt Clayton...he gets mad props from Azzi quite often...

 

[4STGMP]

Who is Matt Clayton...he gets mad props from Azzi quite often...

He's the Richmond goalie - DUUUUUHHH

and my big little bro

 

[Mr Base]

Guys Bill Azzi is not composing the reports. He can not be at all the games. Each club has a guy sanding in a report to him. Like Croatia soccer club they use Daniel Rogic to send in a report. Nowhe is woderfull every game. Go and watch the games and you will see every second game is the couse of a goal. And on. Bill just sets it up on the page and cleans the spellings.

 

[Bronco]

Bill just sets it up on the page and cleans the spellings.

I would, but it's just too easy.......

 

[dezza]

He's the Richmond goalie - DUUUUUHHH

and my big little bro

I thought the Richmond goalie was named Big Bird - he's tall, yellow, and flaps around a lot!

Hi sixfyv

 

[sixfyv]

as a special halloween treat, i've added orange socks to my kit for this weekends game...

 

[knvb]

I think who ever sends in the Richmond reports has a man crush on 65 or they're just buttering him up to get close to 49... That must be it

 

[sixfyv]

WEEK #8—2009-11-02

No major upsets took place in the Premier Division and, as a result, the gap between the top teams and the bottom dwellers widened after this past weekend’s results. ICSF Inter, Delta United, and Surrey United confirmed their strength by recording lop-sided victories and thus remain in contention for promotion to the newly-established BC Premier League. West Van FC appeared fully-recovered from the National Championship ‘hangover’ and defeated the Metro-Ford Wolves by a 2-0 score to remain in contention for one of the top 4 spots. At the bottom of the table, Croatia SC continued to struggle and, as a result of a 2-1 loss to ICST Pegasus, are now all alone in last place.

ICSF INTER – NORVAN PACIFIC 4-1: On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the ‘Italians’ climbed into sole possession of 4th place by easily defeating the visiting North Shore team by a 4-1 margin. Both teams survived the almost unbearable rainy and windy conditions and managed to turn in very solid performances. The first half was evenly played as both teams created various goalscoring chances, but were unable to finish them. In particular, Norvan’s Kyle Thompson and Matt Hartwell watched agonizingly as their well-taken shots barely missed the Inter net. At the other end of the pitch, veteran goalkeeper Steve London was forced to make a couple of key saves—on shots by Michael Winters and Joseph Marrello—to keep the game scoreless till the half-time whistle. Early in the second half, Inter took the lead when Norvan defender Matt Brewster brought down Joseph Marrello inside the penalty area. At this point, the Tino Cucca show began as the former Whitecap converted the ensuing penalty kick with a well-placed shot that gave Steve London no chance whatsoever. Shortly thereafter, Cucca added his second goal with a blistering shot from outside the area, a shot that bounced off defender Steve Sacilotto and into the Norvan net. The young former Eagles bounced back tenaciously and, midway through the second half, narrowed the margin when Cyrus Greenall headed home a fine cross by Nathan Harte. Tino Cucca, however, once again rose to the occasion and re-established the two-goal lead as he beat several defenders before unleashing an unstoppable shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Near the end of the game, Cucca scored his fourth goal of the game—and his 8th of the season—in similar fashion to the 3rd goal, with yet another great individual effort. Defender Lee Tregonning and midfielder Michael Winters played extremely well for ICSF Inter, while Tino Cucca’s four-goal performance was absolutely magnificent!

WEST VAN FC – COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 2-0: Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the former Trollers continued their dominance over the Metro-Ford Wolves and extended their unbeaten streak to 4 games against their arch-rivals by virtue of a well-earned 2-0 decision. The Wolves got off to a good start despite the virtually intolerable weather conditions and carried most of the play in the early going. Veteran striker Ian Clarke looked very dangerous on a few occasions, while Kingsley Jones came close to scoring on a header midway through the first half. But, as is often the case, it was West Van that took the lead as young Robbie Giezen took advantage of a middle-of-the-park turnover and raced in all alone before unleashing a wicked left-footed drive to the far post, a shot that gave goalkeeper Mathew Bird no chance whatsoever. West Van proceeded to take advantage of the disgruntled Wolves by scoring the insurance marker shortly thereafter on a great goal by newly-signed Gary Anderson, a goal that was virtually a carbon-copy of the first marker! It should be noted that young Alan McIndoe caused both turnovers with a couple of excellent tackles. In the second half, West Van made a very clever strategic move as former Whitecap Justin Thompson was moved from the forward line to a defensive role and, along with veterans Trevor Short, Tim Perry, and Paul Dailly, made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Marco Durante as he recorded his second straight shut-out. Young Coquitlam veteran Andrew Veer turned in a very solid midfield performance, albeit in a losing cause. The victory keeps West Van FC in contention for one of the top 4 spots and, therefore, promotion to the BC Premier League, while the loss—the first for the Wolves this season—drops Metro-Ford out of first place in the Premier Division table.

ICST PEGASUS – CROATIA SC 2-1: The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Point Grey School in Vancouver between the aspiring, and newly-promoted, Pegasus and the struggling Croatia SC. The atrocious weather conditions made it very difficult for either team to play an attractive style of soccer but, to their credit, both teams tried hard to overcome the situation and competed very well for the entire 90 minutes. Meysam Soltani opened the scoring for Pegasus very early in the match as he poked in a rebound off a powerful shot by Chetan Jhooty. It should be noted that the opportunity was created by some extremely deceptive dribbling down the right flank by former Croatia SC player, Niko Marcina. Early in the second half, the Croatians knotted the score when veteran Darko Jelic’s header was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Jag Sajan. Late in the match, Pegasus managed to claim all 3 points after a Chetan Jhooty shot—literally from his knees—slipped by goalkeeper Didar Sandhu and rolled into the far corner of the net. Croatia’s Gustavo Argueta had a golden opportunity to restore parity very late in the game, but his shot was blocked at the last moment by young defender Andrew Reed. The victory elevates Pegasus into 5th place in the Premier Division standings, while the Croatians are now mired in last place with only 4 points from 7 games.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – WESTSIDE FC 1-1: On Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, two struggling teams faced off in a desperate search for the entire 3 points. As luck would have it, however, the Hibs and the Westsiders had to settle for a 1-1 tie, a result that helps neither team. The two evenly matched squads spent the first half trying to find some rhythm, but neither team was able to gain an upper hand. Westside got off to a bright start as James Brown and Jay Kent-Hume had excellent chances to score in the early going, only to be thwarted by Richmond goalkeeper Matt Clayton. The Hibernians responded in kind in the latter part of the opening half, but veteran goalkeeper Geoff Ayi-Bonte also came up with a couple of good saves—on shots by Erik Olsen and Peter Chivers—to keep the game scoreless till the halftime break. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, as both teams took turns attacking and defending. At about the 65th minute mark, Westside took the lead when a wicked drive by Jay Kent-Hume was saved by Clayton, only to have a wide-open James Brown slot home the rebound. Richmond FC bounced back with grit and determination and tied things up shortly thereafter when Stu Walters headed home a well-taken free kick by Peter Chivers. Defensively, Stu Walters and Mike Revell were towers of strength on the Richmond backline, while defender Graeme Webber, midfielder James Brown, and goalkeeper Geoff Ayi-Bonte turned in outstanding performances for Westside FC. As mentioned earlier, the single point does neither team any favours as they both remain near the bottom of the table in the Premier Division standings.

DELTA UNITED – SAPPERTON ROVERS 4-0: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, the red-hot Delta United climbed into a second-place tie with the Metro-Ford Wolves by handily defeating the struggling Sapperton Rovers by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Once again led by the excellent play of the Gomes brothers, Delta United solidified its chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League with a virtually flawless performance. Defender Mike Gomes capped off a brilliant individual performance by scoring two great first half goals—both on headers and both on set plays. On the first goal, Gomes headed home a well-taken free kick by John Blair, while on the second he repeated his feat on brother Mark’s corner kick. The Rovers also came close to scoring when veteran Shawn Blakeway raced in all alone, only to have Delta’s goalkeeper—Brian Brum—pull off a spectacular save. In the second half, Delta United added two more goals as Harpreet Khakh and CJ Greenside put the game out of the Rovers’ reach by scoring twice in rapid succession. On the first goal, veteran Brian Gibson crossed the ball into the box from the right flank onto the path of Khakh who then proceeded to slot it home with an unstoppable shot. Greenside’s goal, on the other hand, came from yet another impeccable corner kick from the foot of Mark Gomes, a corner kick that was flicked on by Matt Dobie. Despite the emphatic loss, Sapperton’s Reyhan Ismail played extremely well throughout the contest in his left flank position. As mentioned earlier, the victory elevates the Delta team into second place in the VMSL Premier Division standings, while the Rovers now find themselves in penultimate place, tied with 3 other teams.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – COLUMBUS FC 5-1: On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the visiting Surrey United defeated Columbus FC by a lop-sided 5-1 margin. After losing unexpectedly to the lowly Westside FC last week, the Firefighters were hopeful to return to their winning ways against the highly-rated ‘Italians’. Columbus, however, put an early damper on Surrey’s hopes in the early going by scoring the opening goal when Aaron Keay’s brilliant cross found Tiernan King who hammered the ball home on a full volley from the edge of the penalty area. The visitors, however, responded well to the early adversity and knotted the score 10 minutes later when Tyler Rosenlund’s corner kick was deflected to veteran Jeff Skinner whose shot from the top of the box bounced off the post onto the path of Jeff Buchanan who calmly slotted the ball home for the equalizer. The tying goal ignited the Firefighters and 5 minutes later they took the lead when Rizal Ganief sent Tyler Rosenlund racing in on goal with a brilliant pass. Rosenlund steered a low, hard shot past goalkeeper Thomas Lindley for what proved to be the winning goal. Surrey United continued to dominate play and near the end of the first half added the third goal as Cam Wilson finished off a two-way passing play between Vince Stewart and Lucas Barrett. Columbus tried hard to get back in the match and came close to scoring before the half time whistle, but efforts by Steve Frazao and Ben Hunt were awry. Columbus continued to press early in the second half but was unable to capitalize, mostly due to the excellent defensive performances of Surrey’s Stefan Leslie and Jeff Buchanan. Halfway through the second frame, the Cloverdale-based team put the result out of Columbus’ reach when Cam Wilson fired home a rocket of a shot from inside the 18-yard box, after a knockdown by Rizal Ganief presented the opportunity. Late in the match, the Firemen added their 5th goal when young substitute Joseph Martin collected a pass from veteran Rob Wilson and slipped past a couple of Columbus defenders before knocking a low, left-foot shot into the corner of the net. The well-earned victory places Surrey United all alone at the top of the Premier Division standings, while Columbus FC slips down to a 6th place tie with defending champions West Van FC.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their amazing performance in their 5-1 victory over the highly-regarded Columbus FC. The Surrey lads bounced back from last week’s upset defeat at the hands of Westside FC by dominating most of the action and fully deserved their emphatic margin of victory. Led by the excellent midfield performance of Tyler Rosenlund, as well as the 2-goal effort by Cam Wilson, Surrey United climbed to the top of the table as a result of the victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter’s attacking midfielder TINO CUCCA for his unbelievable 4-goal performance in his team’s 4-1 victory over Norvan Pacific. After scoring twice in the fist half, Cucca capped off his amazing performance by scoring twice more in the second half, both times on brilliant individual efforts.. For his excellent performance this past weekend, TINO CUCCA will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-11-26.

 

[bergamascho]

Good to see Matt Clayton is still thwarting adversaries in goal for the Hibs. Good on ya Matty...Good on ya...

 

[kjohnsob]

Good to see Matt Clayton is still thwarting adversaries in goal for the Hibs. Good on ya Matty...Good on ya...

He clearly calls Azzi with Richmond's game recap.