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

[Captain Shamrock]

Dezza...........

 

[Painful Deceit]

Well, we are being proactive with this, the powers that be have been advised of the "controversy" and it's being looked into with the Burnaby League as the player in question has given his word that he did not sign with that league...we've done nothing wrong in the management department at E. de Chile and I personally try to be as diligent as humanly possible to ensure this type of crap doesnt happen...I am sure there will be more to come as we don't want any further controversy with the way we participate in the VMSL or go about managing Chile. pd

 

[star #1]

I blame Dezza... that shite starter .... or was it Dazza... maybe TTP spelt his user name wrong by changing the E to an A.

 

[Painful Deceit]

I blame Dezza... that shite starter .... or was it Dazza... maybe TTP spelt his user name wrong by changing the E to an A.

or by removing the D and the second A

 

[Polska]

i was gonna investigate this but the bby soccer site is now down... interesting....

something stinks

 

[Polska]

different guy, Azzi mispelled RAVJI Ahmadi when the player registered for Chile is RAVIJ Ahmadi...nothing to see here folks. We will clarify with the VMSL so that they can look into.

BBY LAKE #3?

i guess it's Just coincidence both those guys play on the same home field?

 

[freddy]

In Chile, it is a very common name - pretty much like John Smith & Jon Smith.

 

[Polska]

in chile, it is a very common name - pretty much like john smith & jon smith.

LOL

Iran And chile are gonna take over the world

 

[sixfyv]

Just a rumour... don't take it for gospel... but,

Chile DQ'd from the tournament.
Inter out since they didn't protest in time (48 hours).
Peg through to Quarter Finals without hitting the pitch yet.

None of the above is confirmed, though.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

I know for a FACT that a player on the Sapperton Masters team has played in the Richmond League this year.........I wonder if it is worth mentioning to anyone but the player would be in a lot of trouble......as would the teams involved.


Why do people think they are not going to get caught doing this?

 

[SmartCoach]

I know for a FACT that a player on the Sapperton Masters team has played in the Richmond League this year.........I wonder if it is worth mentioning to anyone but the player would be in a lot of trouble......as would the teams involved.


Why do people think they are not going to get caught doing this?

Old people do not count !

 

[larsson]

Well, we are being proactive with this, the powers that be have been advised of the "controversy" and it's being looked into with the Burnaby League as the player in question has given his word that he did not sign with that league...we've done nothing wrong in the management department at E. de Chile and I personally try to be as diligent as humanly possible to ensure this type of crap doesnt happen...I am sure there will be more to come as we don't want any further controversy with the way we participate in the VMSL or go about managing Chile. pd

The problem lies with 2 many leagues under different governing bodies ..no wonder BC never wins anything to watered down.

 

[SmartCoach]

The problem lies with 2 many leagues under different governing bodies ..no wonder BC never wins anything to watered down.

Sneddon as a young lad[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6qoQ7UvEBk"]YouTube- Donald, Where's yer Troosers?[/ame]

 

[sixfyv]

IMPERIAL CUP—ROUND OF 16

2010-03-15

A couple of huge upsets took place this past weekend in the second round of the Imperial Cup playdowns. In both cases, the result had to be decided by penalty kicks with Norvan Pacific defeating the Metro-Ford Wolves and Westside FC prevailing over Delta United. The other results were somewhat predictable although two of the top Premier Division teams—Surrey United and Croatia SC—struggled to defeat first division’s NK Hrvat and Binger’s Army.

NORVAN PACIFIC - METRO-FORD WOLVES 3-2 PKs: On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the last place—and newly-relegated—Norvan Pacific upset the once-aspiring Metro-Ford Wolves and thus advanced to the quarter-finals of the Imperial Cup. The Wolves looked very comfortable in the early stages of the match and took the lead midway through the first half when veteran Joe Scigliano took advantage of an uncharacteristic blunder on the part of goalkeeper Steve London. Soon thereafter, Jamie Fletcher’s header rang off the goalpost, denying the Wolves the opportunity to add to their lead. The young Norvan squad responded very positively and came close to tying the game on a few occasions in the latter part of the first half. Early in the second half, Metro-Ford’s veteran Ian Clarke was expelled from the match for having received his second caution. This seemed to be the turning point of the contest as the Norvan youngsters threw caution to the wind and started attacking furiously in search of the equalizer. They were compensated for their effort midway through the second half as Matt Hartwell clinically placed a free kick from the edge of the penalty area into the lower corner of the Metro-Ford net. Neither team was able to score the winning goal in regulation time, so the match was forced into overtime. Early in the first overtime period, Norvan’s Kyle Thompson slipped a brilliant pass through the Metro-Ford defensive unit to a streaking Blake Burgon who made no mistake in finding the back of the net for the go-ahead goal. Very late in the second overtime period, Metro-Ford’s Azad Palani latched on to a desperate defensive clearance and found himself behind the Norvan defenders. Palani made no mistake in slipping the ball under Steve London to push the game into the dreaded penalty kicks. London rose to the occasion in the penalty kick shoot-out as he made three phenomenal saves—on shots by Trevor Rosencrans, Brook Scott, and Azad Palani to send Norvan into the next round of the Imperial Cup. It should be noted that Emilio Bottiglieri and Chris Jarvie scored from the penalty mark for the Wolves, while Norvan’s Kyle Guay, Matt Hartwell, and Kyle Thompson also were able to find the back of the net. Defensively, Brent Dodge, Tony Seddon, and Kyle Guay played extremely well for the North Shore team, while midfielders Nathan Harte, Kyle Thompson, and Blake Burgon worked tirelessly throughout the match. For the Wolves, Jamie Fletcher and youth call-up Paul Clerc performed admirably, albeit in a losing cause. Norvan will now meet Akal FC—a Division 1 team—in the quarter-finals of the Imperial Cup. The winner will advance to semi-finals of the league cup as well as the Provincial Cup playdowns.

WEST VAN FC - COLUMBUS FC 2-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, two of the top teams in the Premier Division—and long-time rivals—met in the Imperial Cup round of 16. The two teams had met in the Imperial Cup final last season—a memorable event that went into an unprecedented 15 penalty kick shootout! This season, West Van and Columbus settled for a couple of scoreless draws in regular league play and, as a result, the game promised to be very hard fought and highly contested. The first half, however, did not live up to its expectations as both teams appeared to be quite tentative and cautious. Columbus had most of the play in the early part of the match and had a couple of good scoring chances with Kaz Kikuchi missing the net on a header—on a cross by Sheu Fortunato—and Steve Frazao having his shot saved by West Van’s goalkeeper Marco Durante. The home team changed its tactics in the second half and came out of the starting gate with an obvious desire to take the game to the visitors. The strategy paid immediate dividends as West Van FC took the lead at about the 6th minute mark when Ryan Glanville finished off a brilliant three-way passing play—also involving Milad Rahmati and Alan McIndoe—into what proved to be the winning goal. Soon thereafter, Milad Rahmati once again played the part of the provider as he set up a darting Robbie Giezen with a great cross that the youngster headed home past a bewildered Thomas Lindley. Columbus FC bounced back and tried desperately to get back in the game, but some excellent defending on the part of Leo Nash, Tim Perry, Drew Gelley, and Max Baessato made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Marco Durante as he recorded yet another clean sheet. For Columbus FC, midfielder Steve DeBlasio and defender Robbie Cairns worked tirelessly in their respective positions throughout the contest. The victory advances the former Trollers to the quarter-finals of the Imperial Cup where they will meet Croatia SC in what promises to be a very entertaining and exciting match.

ICST PEGASUS - ESTRELLA de CHILE 5-0: The third Friday evening game was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and featured the Premier Division Pegasus and Estrella de Chile, a first division team. Needless to say, the ‘Chileans’—after last week’s upset victory over ICSF Inter—were not up to the task and succumbed to a lop-sided 5-0 defeat. Meysam Soltani opened the scoring very early in the match as he finished off a world class passing play involving Niko Marcina, Ryan Powell, and Goldie Takhar. Estrella de Chile bounced back and almost scored a goal of its own when Ricardo Alvarado set up Francisco Celaya with a perfect pass. Unfortunately for the Chileans, Celaya’s shot missed the Pegasus net. Midway through the first half, Niko Marcina broke in all alone on a breakaway before blasting a wicked drive into the top corner of the net for Pegasus’ second goal. Late in the first half, young Sahil Sandhu rounded out the first half scoring with yet another booming shot from the edge of the penalty area. In the second half, Goldie Takhar put another couple of nails in Estrella’s coffin as he scored twice in rapid succession. Pegasus’ midfielder Adam Costley played extremely well in his defensive midfield role as he shut down his talented Chilean opponents. Despite the elaborate loss, Estrella’s goalkeeper Mike Newton, as well as midfielder Stedman Espinoza played remarkably well. ICST Pegasus will not take on the Sapperton Rovers in the next round of the Imperial Cup.

SAPPERTON ROVERS - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: On Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, the Sapperton Rovers edged the Hibernians by a 2-1 margin after a rather uneventful 90 minutes of play. The Rovers took the early lead at about the 15th minute mark when Trevor Todd converted a well-taken free kick by Reyhan Ismail with a fine header. Very late in the match, at about the 85th minute mark, Richmond’s Masumi Turnbull knotted the score as he headed the ball home from close range after having been set up by Erik Olsen and Brad Caldwell. Just before the full time whistle, Sapperton regained the lead on an opportunistic marker by Andrew Celenza. It should be mentioned that, earlier in the match, Celenza had been denied two excellent goalscoring opportunities by Richmond’s goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Defensively, Sven Wagner and Brayden Volkenant played extremely well for the Rovers, while midfielders Colin Phillips and Kevin Booker dictated the pace of the match from start to finish. Forward Trevor Todd also turned in a brilliant performance for the winning team. On the other side of the ledger, defenders Mike Revelle and Tim Sowerby—as well as forward Brad Caldwell—turned in outstanding performances for the Hibs. The victory keeps Sapperton’s hopes of qualifying for the Provincial Cup alive while the Hibernians’ season is now officially over! As mentioned earlier, the Rovers’ next opponents will be ICST Pegasus in what promises to be a very interesting match-up.

WESTSIDE FC - DELTA UNITED 2-1 PKs: Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, the underdog Westsiders kept their hopes of qualifying for the Provincial Cup playdowns alive by defeating the heavily-favoured Delta United on yet another penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 overtime draw. Both teams came out of the starting gate very tentatively and remained cautious for most of the contest. The best, and practically only, scoring chance in the first half came at about the 20th minute mark when Delta’s playing-coach Steve Millar fired what appeared to be an unstoppable shot from just inside the Westside 18-yard box. Much to Millar’s chagrin, goalkeeper Rowan Anders pulled off a brilliant save to keep the scoreline level till the halftime break. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first with neither team willing to take chances. However, at the 70th minute mark, Westside FC took the lead on a fantastic half-volley by Jay Kent-Hume after he had received a great pass from Peter Bow. The Westside lead didn’t last long as Steve Millar once again rose to the occasion and unleashed a wicked free kick which deflected off the wall and into the Westside net. The remainder of the match, including the 30 minutes of overtime, was played very cautiously by both teams, thus forcing the result to be settled by penalty kicks. Westside’s goalkeeper Rowan Anders pulled off 3 sensational saves, while his teammates were able to score on 3 of their 4 shots, thus advancing the home team to the next round of the Imperial Cup. Defensively, Graeme Webber and Chris Mehuys were towers of strength throughout the contest for Westside FC, while midfielder Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone also turned in an excellent performance. Devon Greenside, Brian Fowler, Mark Gomes, and John Blair played very well for Delta United, despite the unexpected loss. Westside FC will now take on the Premier Division champions—Surrey United—in the next round of the Imperial Cup.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - NK HRVAT 3-2: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the Premier Division champions—Surrey United—hosted the first division NK Hrvat in what most people assumed would be a one-sided match. As luck would have it, however, the Firefighters barely squeezed out a 3-2 victory after a laborious 90-minute struggle. In fact, only a very late goal by Angus Burke gave the home team the final edge! Surrey United controlled most of the action in the early going and scored two goals in rapid succession. On the first goal—at about the 20th minute mark—fullback Rob Wilson crossed the ball from the right flank to Joseph Martin whose neat flick found a wide-open Andrew Proctor who proceeded to fire home a powerful shot from inside the penalty area. Shortly thereafter, Surrey added a second goal when Angus Burke was fouled just outside the penalty area. On the resulting free kick, Rizal Ganief curled home what most people considered to be the insurance marker. A few minutes later, Ganief almost added his second goal of the match on similar fashion, but this time his free kick rattled off the cross-bar and out of danger. With about 8 minutes remaining in the first half, NK Hrvat reduced the margin when Anthony Hecimovic headed home a fine cross by Brian Gusic. Reasonably early in the second half, NK Hrvat unbelievably knotted the score as Kenji Amor took advantage of a goal-mouth scramble and banged home the equalizer from close range. The tying goal seemed to give the visitors some much needed confidence and they came very close to taking the lead with about 15 minutes remaining in regulation time when Kenji Amor beat a couple of defenders and blasted a point-blank shot towards the Surrey United goal. However, veteran goalkeeper Drew Smiley came up with a brilliant, diving save to prevent Amor from scoring what might have been the winning goal. Very late in the match—just as overtime appeared to be a certainty—Surrey United scored the winner as Rizal Ganief, after having made a tantalizing run down the left flank, delivered a well-placed, low cross onto the path of Angus Burke who quickly converted it into the winning goal from close range. Despite the loss, NK Hrvat’s Kenji Amor, Nico Parente, and Luca Disabatino turned in excellent performances against their highly-rated rivals. Surrey United will now meet Westside FC in the next round of the Imperial Cup.

AKAL FC - LOBBANS FC 3-1: On Sunday, at Tom Binnie Park in Surrey, two Division 1 teams met in what promised to be an interesting match, but turned out to be a rather one-sided contest. Lobbans FC got off to a promising start and applied a lot of early pressure on the Akal FC defence in the early going. But, soon thereafter, the visitors took control and dominated virtually every aspect of the match. Akal took the lead at about the 30th minute mark when Aman Dhaliwal—after receiving a clever pass from Harmail Gill—beat a defender and unleashed a wicked drive into the short side of the net from a very sharp angle. Near the end of the first half, Akal added what proved to be the winning goal as Jas Atwal set up Aman Dhaliwal with a great through ball. Dhaliwal then proceeded to blast a shot through the hands of the Lobbans’ goalkeeper from the top of the 18-yard line for his second goal of the contest. Late in the match, after Lobbans’ Muhammed Sissoho had been sent off for a serious foul play infraction, Akal added its third goal when Gurbir Rai took advantage of a great pass from Surinder Janda and managed to find the far corner of the net, once again from the edge of the penalty area. Lobbans’ lone goal came just before the final whistle as a rather harmless cross by Sang Yoon Hwang was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Akal’s Jas Atwal. The entire Akal team played very well, but special mention should be made of defenders Raju Chohan, Jassi Randhawa, and Jamie Fiddler for their solid performances. As well, forwards Aman Dhaliwal and Gary Chahal were going concerns throughout the contest. Despite the loss, Lobbans’ Nick Mann also played very well in his defensive role. Akal FC will now take on Norvan Pacific in the quarter-finals of the Imperial Cup, with a Provincial Cup slot up for grabs!

CROATIA SC - BINGER’S ARMY 3-2: The last Imperial Cup game of the week was played on Sunday at Vancouver Technical School and provided the numerous spectators with an exciting 90 minutes of non-stop action. The heavily-favoured Croatians took the early lead when Andrew Sciampacone made a great run down the right flank, beat a defender and played a perfectly-placed cross onto the path of an unmarked Shawn Parkes who proceeded to find the back of the net from close range. Soon thereafter, Binger’s Army knotted the score when Andrew Cooke controlled a well-taken free kick by Matt Muir and finished off the play with an unstoppable shot from inside the penalty area. Only a few minutes later—at about the 15th minute mark—Marinko Maras set up former professional Johnny Sulentic for Croatia’s second goal with an excellent pass. The unmarked Sulentic had no difficulty in converting Maras’ pass into the go-ahead marker with a clinical, low shot. The first division Binger’s Army, however, refused to give up and eventually knotted the score midway through the second half when Eric Wilson and Andrew Dunn combined to set up Chris Rhodes inside the Croatia penalty area. Rhodes capped off a fine individual performance and made no mistake in converting the pass into the tying goal. At this point, both teams threw caution to the wind in search of the winner and both came close to achieving their goal. First, Croatia’s Johnny Sulentic watched agonizingly as his shot was cleared off the line by Binger’s defender Corey Jackson. Then, shortly thereafter, Binger’s Andrew Dunn appeared to have been tripped inside the Croatia’s penalty area. The referee did not consider the alleged foul to be worthy of a penalty kick and allowed play to continue. With about 8 minutes to go in the match the Croatians scored the winning goal on a lethal counter-attack with Johnny Sulentic and Shawn Parkes once again involved in the action. In fact, Sulentic’s excellent pass was converted into the winning goal by Parkes as he sent the Binger’s goalkeeper the wrong way with a well-placed shot. Needless to say, Parkes and Sulentic were standouts throughout the match for the winning team, while defender Andrew Sciampacone and midfielder Gustavo Argueta also played extremely well in a winning cause. For the hard-working Binger’s Army team, midfielders Graham Morrison, Eric Wilson, and Andy Seymour worked amazingly hard during the entire contest, while defender Matt Muir was rock-solid in his attempt to keep the vaunted Croatian attackers at bay. All in all, a very well played match between two excellent teams! Croatia SC will now take on the defending champions—West Van FC—in the next round of the Imperial Cup.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK: NORVAN PACIFIC and WESTSIDE FC for their major upset victories over the heavily-favoured Metro-Ford Wolves and Delta United respectively. Both games ended on penalty kicks with the underdogs winning on both occasions. As a result of their victories, Norvan Pacific and Westside FC advance to the next round of the Imperial Cup and only need one more victory to qualify for the coveted Provincial Cup playdowns.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Goalkeepers STEVE LONDON (Norvan Pacific) and ROWAN ANDERS (Westside FC) for their unbelievable performances in leading their teams to penalty kicks shootout victories over the Metro-Ford Wolves and Delta United. Not only did London and Anders shine during regulation time and overtime, they also came up with some sensational saves on the deciding penalty kicks. For his excellent performances, STEVE LONDON and ROWAN ANDERS will each receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-04-06.

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[bergamascho]

IMPERIAL CUP—QUARTER-FINALS

2010-03-24

This year’s Imperial Cup competition provided yet another upset this past weekend as the ‘nearly-relegated’ Sapperton Rovers defeated ICST Pegasus on penalty kicks after a 1-1 overtime draw. The other results were more or less predictable as West Van FC and Surrey United—the two powerhouse teams in the Premier Division—easily advancing to the semi-finals by virtue of a couple of clear-cut victories, over Croatia SC and Westside FC respectively. The last quarter-final game was played on Tuesday evening and resulted in a hard-fought victory on the part of the newly-promoted Akal FC over the recently-relegated Norvan Pacific.

SAPPERTON ROVERS - ICST PEGASUS 2-1 PKs: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park, yet another upset took place as the heavily-favoured home team was unceremoniously bounced out of the Imperial Cup by the hard-working Sapperton Rovers. The game was well played and heavily contested with both teams displaying an ardent desire to advance to the next round of the coveted Imperial Cup. Midway through the first half, Pegasus took the lead when Adam Costley dove bravely to head a fine cross by Goldy Takhar into the back of the Sapperton net. Soon thereafter, the Rovers came close to knotting the score when Sidd Achuthan beat a couple of Pegasus defenders before chipping the ball towards the net. However, a miraculous last moment clearance by defender Paul Bahia kept the score in Pegasus’ favour till the halftime whistle. It should be mentioned that Sapperton’s Ted Ullrich also came close to scoring in the first half as his near-post header bounced off the woodwork and out of danger. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams took turns attacking and creating goalscoring opportunities. In particular, Pegasus’ Sahil Sandhu blasted a long-range shot just over the cross bar, while Ryan Powell and Chetan Jhooty both had their glorious chances stymied by a couple of great saves on the part of Sapperton’s goalkeeper Garth Lagasse. At the other end of the pitch, Jason Pierotti’s long throw-ins caused the Pegasus defenders a lot of grief, as well as speedy wingers Reyhan Ismail and Sidd Achuthan. Finally, at about the 75th minute mark, the Rovers were able to tie things up as Colin Phillips headed home one of Pierotti’s patented throw-ins. Obviously the 30 minutes of overtime did not solve anything and the result had to be settled by penalty kicks. Sapperton’s Colin Phillips scored the deciding goal on the shootout after goalkeeper Garth Lagasse had made a brilliant save on Pegasus’ last shot, taken by Paul Bahia. Defensively, Sven Wagner played extremely well in the Rovers’ lineup as he marked the very dangerous Meysam Soltani for the entire 120 minutes of play. Andrew Celenza also played extremely well on the Sapperton forward line as he drove his opponents to distraction with his pace and tenacity. However, the player of the match for the Rovers was midfielder Colin Phillips as he controlled the middle of the park with his immense skill and indefatigable work rate. For Pegasus, young forward Sahil Sandhu worked tirelessly throughout the match, while second half substitute Chetan Jhooty was a constant threat and was unlucky not to have scored on at least a couple of occasions. The upset victory advanced the underdog Rovers to the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup and also to the Provincial Cup playdowns. The Rovers will now take on the defending champions—West Van FC—in the next round.

WEST VAN FC - CROATIA SC 2-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending Imperial Cup champions—West Van FC—advanced to the semi-finals by virtue of a clear-cut 2-0 victory over the visiting Croatians. West Van took the early lead when Gary Anderson—formerly a Croatia SC player—received a perfect pass from Paul Dailly, broke down the right flank and drove a low shot into the far corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Didar Sandhu no chance whatsoever. The former Trollers continued to exert pressure on the Croatian defence and came close to doubling the score on a few occasions, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Sandhu kept the score at 1-0 till the halftime whistle. In particular, Sandhu pulled off some brilliant saves on shots by Ryan Glanville, Milad Rahmati, and Paul Dailly. At the other end of the pitch, Johnny Sulentic also came close to scoring but watched agonizingly as his shot just trickled wide of the net. In the second half West Van FC continued to carry most of the play, particularly after Sulentic had been expelled for a violent conduct infraction, at about the 65th minute mark. Soon thereafter, Milad Rahmati put the game out of Croatia’s reach as he scored the insurance marker after having received a perfect pass from teammate Ryan Glanville. Late in the match, Croatia’s Kreso Vonic and West Van’s Alan McIndoe were sent off, also for violent conduct infractions. Despite the loss, midfielders Gustavo Argueta and Philip Kotter played very well for Croatia SC, while Milad Rahmati was a going concern during the entire match, as he drove the Croatian defenders to distraction with his pace, tenacity, and skill. The victory advances the defending Imperial Cup champions to the semi-finals, while Croatia SC—despite the loss—has qualified for the Provincial Cup as a result of its 7th place finish in the league standings.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WESTSIDE FC 4-0: On Saturday afternoon, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the highly-rated Firemen had no difficulty in disposing of the visiting Westside team by a rather lop-sided 4-0 margin. The home team got off to a flying start and took the game to the Westsiders right from the opening whistle, with a dominating and impressive all-round performance. Surrey United opened the scoring at the 10th minute mark when a long clearance by defender Myles Davis found striker Andrew Proctor. Without a moment’s hesitation, Proctor laid the ball onto the path of midfielder Vince Stewart who—after beating a defender—slammed a low shot into the back of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Ten minutes later, the Firefighters added a second goal to their tally when Stefan Leslie’s throw-in was flicked on by Angus Burke to teammate Rizal Ganief who then hammered an unstoppable left-foot shot into the net from the edge of the penalty area. It should be mentioned that a couple of excellent saves on the part of Westside’s Rowan Anders kept the scoreline respectable till the halftime break. Any chance of a second half revival by Westside FC was snubbed out at the 50th minute mark when the Firemen notched their third goal of the match. On this occasion, Rizal Ganief became the provider as he fired a superb cross-field pass to Lucas Barrett who immediately set up substitute Justin Carvery with a clever pass. Carvery then proceeded to volley the ball into the back of the net, giving goalkeeper Anders no chance whatsoever. Late in the contest, Surrey United rounded out the scoring when Angus Burke slotted the ball home after some fine link-up play between Stefan Leslie and Vince Stewart. In the dying moments of the match, Westside’s Peter Bow came very close to scoring the consolation marker but he missed the net by inches, thus preserving Drew Smiley’s shutout. Surrey United’s veteran Jeff Skinner and young Vince Stewart were very prominent in their midfield roles throughout the contest as they guided their team to a clear-cut victory. Surrey United will now face the winner of the Norvan Pacific – Akal FC match in the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup.

AKAL FC - NORVAN PACIFIC 2-0: On Tuesday evening, at William Griffin Park in North Vancouver, the newly-promoted Akal FC defeated the luckless Norvan Pacific by a 2-0 margin and thus qualified for the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup as well as the Provincial Cup playdowns. Despite the fact that Norvan had most of the play in the early going, it was the visiting team that took the lead at the 25th minute mark when Jas Atwal rose above all the Norvan defenders and headed home a well-driven free kick by Raju Chohan. Just prior to that, Akal’s goalkeeper—Nuno Ribeiro de Jesus—had make a phenomenal save on a close-range shot by Blake Burgon. Shortly thereafter, Kyle Thompson’s header bounced off the crossbar to once again deny Norvan a well-deserved early lead. Soon after Akal FC had scored the opening goal, the visitors came close to doubling their lead as Aman Dhaliwal flew in on goal all by himself only to be thwarted by a great save by Norvan’s veteran goalkeeper, Steve London. The former Eagles continued to press in the second half but the Akal defensive core—led by Jamie Fiddler, Harbinder Chohan, and Raju Chohan—replied with rock-solid efforts and denied the young Norvan forwards any really clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. Akal FC withstood the determined Norvan pressure and counter-attacked dangerously on a few occasions. In particular, Jas Atwal almost scored his second goal of the match only to be denied by yet another brilliant save by Steve London. Very late in the game, with Norvan pressing desperately for the equalizer, Akal’s Jason Sarai played a great through ball to Gary Chahal and sent him flying on a quick counter-attack. Chahal proceeded to beat the lone Norvan defender and made no mistake in beating an onrushing Steve London with a shot from outside the penalty area. Despite the heart-breaking loss, Norvan’s defenders Brent Dodge, Tony Seddon, and Kyle Guay—as well as midfielders Nathan Harte, Kyle Thompson, and Blake Burgon—played extremely well throughout the match. As mentioned earlier, the victory not only advances the first division Akal squad to the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup, but also qualifies them for the Provincial Cup playdowns, a competition which will start on the weekend of April 10/11, 2010.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SAPPERTON ROVERS for their upset victory over the heavily-favoured ICST Pegasus. Led by the superlative performances of Andrew Celenza and Colin Phillips, the Rovers were able to defeat the aspiring home squad—albeit on a penalty kick shootout—and thus qualify for the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup as well as the Provincial Cup playdowns. Quite a feat for a team that a short time ago seemed destined for relegation!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sapperton Rovers’ midfielder COLIN PHILLIPS for his superlative performance in leading his team to an upset penalty-kick victory over the heavily-favoured ICST Pegasus. Not only did Phillips perform remarkably well in his midfield role but he also scored his team’s lone goal in regulation time with a fine header. He then proceeded to notch the winner in the penalty kick shootout with an unstoppable shot! For his excellent performance, COLIN PHILLIPS will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-04-13.

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[bergamascho]

IMPERIAL CUP—SEMI-FINALS

2010-03-30

The two powerhouse teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division—Surrey United and West Van FC—advanced to the Imperial Cup final by defeating the underdog Akal FC and Sapperton Rovers respectively. The final, scheduled for Saturday April 3, 2010 at Kinsman Stadium in North Vancouver, promises to be a very highly-contested match as both teams have been playing remarkably well and appear to be in fine form. On a different note, the Provincial Cup playdowns will begin the following week, on April 10 and 11, with most of the VMSL teams once again on the same side of the draw!

WEST VAN FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 6-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending Imperial Cup champions advanced to the final by demolishing the visiting New Westminster team by an elaborate—and somewhat embarrassing—6-0 margin. The former Trollers dominated proceedings during the entire match, scored 3 goals in each half, defended extremely well, and walked away with their easiest victory of the season. Defender Max Baessato opened the scoring very early in the game as he rose above the Sapperton defenders to head home one of Paul Dailly’s patented free kicks. About 10 minutes later, Ryan Glanville scored his 4th goal in 3 games when he slotted home a rebound from a Robbie Giezen shot. Just before the halftime whistle, Giezen added a goal of his own as he unleashed a curling shot to the far post from well outside the penalty area. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the West Van defensive quartet—Max Baessato, Leo Nash, Tim Perry, and Drew Gelley—shut down the Sapperton attackers and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Marco Durante as he added yet another clean sheet to his impressive record. At about the 55th minute mark, the numerous spectators witnessed one of the finest goals ever scored in the VMSL as Milad Rahmati collected the ball at the halfway line and began weaving some of his renowned magic by displaying skill, pace, trickery, and sheer brilliance. On his way to the Sapperton goal, Rahmati beat several defenders before blasting an unstoppable low shot from the edge of the penalty area into the Rovers’ net. Former Whitecap Justin Thompson—making his first Imperial Cup appearance due to illness—added West Van’s fifth goal as he finished off a fine solo run with a well-placed shot. The final goal came from an unlikely source, but it was also a thing of beauty as Sean Taylor squared the ball to veteran Nico Berg who proceeded to blast a long-range screamer to the top corner of the Sapperton net. All in all, an amazing performance by one of the VMSL’s top-rated teams!

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - AKAL FC 2-0: On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the Firefighters hosted the newly-promoted Akal FC and emerged victorious by a 2-0 margin and thus advanced to the final of the coveted Imperial Cup. Surrey United opened the scoring at the 10th minute mark when Steve McAuley beat the offside trap with a well-timed, far-post run and then proceeded to head Rob Wilson’s cross onto the path of Angus Burke who had no difficulty in slotting the ball home from close range. Akal FC continued using its defensive-style strategy, hoping to catch the Firemen on the counter-attack. Needless to say, the tactic did not work as the Surrey United defensive unit—composed of Steve McAuley, Stefan Leslie, Rob Wilson, and Myles Davis—was rock-solid throughout the match. At the other end of the pitch, Surrey’s Lucas Barrett was very unfortunate not to score on a few occasions as he had a goal called back for an offside infraction, hit the crossbar on another effort, and also had a shot cleared off the line on what appeared to be a sure goal. Late in the game, however, Barrett finally got the goal he deserved when he converted a fine set-up from Stefan Leslie and Justin Carvery into the insurance marker. Despite the loss, Akal’s backline—Jamie Fiddler, Harbinder Chohan, Surinder Janda, and Raju Chohan—played extremely well throughout the match while goalkeeper Nuno Riberio de Jesus was forced to make a couple of superlative saves during the second half. Surrey United thus advances to the Imperial Cup final—against West Van FC—in what promises to be a very exciting match. The game is scheduled for Saturday, April 3, 2010 at Kinsman Stadium in North Vancouver, starting at 2:00 p.m.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: WEST VAN FC for its nearly perfect performance in defeating the always tough Sapperton Rovers by a lop-sided 6-0 margin in the Imperial Cup semi-finals. Led by the rock-solid play of defenders Tim Perry, Leo Nash, Max Baessato, and Drew Gelley, the former Trollers limited Sapperton’s goalscoring opportunities to virtually zero!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: West Van FC’s forward MILAD RAHMATI for his incredible performance in his team’s 6-0 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. In particular, Rahmati scored one of the finest goals ever witnessed by VMSL spectators as he dribbled by several Sapperton defenders from the half-way line, exhibiting simply brilliant techniques on his way towards the opponents’ goal before slotting the ball into the back of the net. For his amazing performance, MILAD RAHMATI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-04-20.

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[sixfyv]

2010-04-05

IMPERIAL CUP—FINAL

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WEST VAN FC 2-0 OT: Surrey United and West Van FC entertained the numerous, and enthusiastic, spectators in attendance at Kinsman Stadium on Saturday afternoon with a very highly-contested and well-played 120 minutes of non-stop action. At the end, the newly-crowned Premier Division champions added their second title by defeating the reigning champions by a 2-0 overtime score. As usual, the outcome of the game between these two very evenly-matched teams was in doubt for most of the match as both teams took turns attacking and defending tenaciously. West Van FC got off to a great start and exerted a lot of pressure on the Surrey United defence in the early going. In particular, Ryan Glanville and Justin Thompson created a couple of excellent chances but were both unable to put the much-needed finishing touch to them. However, it was Surrey United that had the best goalscoring opportunity in the early part of the first half when defender Steve McAuley rose magnificently at the far post to powerfully head a cross from Stefan Leslie towards the West Van goal. However, goalkeeper Marco Durante rose to the occasion and pulled off a marvellous save to keep the score level. At the other end of the pitch, near the halftime whistle, a spectacular full-volley shot by West Van’s Milad Rahmati was superlatively saved by veteran Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley when he tipped the ball over the crossbar as it seemed destined for the back of the net. In the second half, Surrey United seemed to take control of the match, probably due to the absence of West Van’s veteran midfielder--Nico Berg--who was substituted late in the first half due to an injury. Surrey’s Andrew Proctor came close to scoring early in the second half when he was sent in on goal by a brilliant pass from former Whitecap Jeff Clarke. After outpacing the West Van defenders, Proctor steered what appeared to be an unstoppable shot toward the far corner of the net. Once again, however, Marco Durante came up with a superlative save as he got his outstretched fingers on the ball and deflected it past the far post. Late in regulation time, a defensive blunder by Surrey United resulted in a 3 on 1 break for the former Trollers as Robbie Giezen and Omari Aldridge combined to set up Ryan Glanville, whose shot barely missed the net in an agonizing fashion. So, after a scoreless 90 minutes of exciting and entertaining action, the match went into overtime with both teams obviously tired after having played a very fast-paced regulation time. Despite their obvious fatigue, all the participants continued to battle hard in search of the all-important first goal. After a scoreless first overtime period, the winning goal finally arrived midway through the second overtime as Angus Burke was fouled inside the West Van penalty area by defender Drew Gelley. Much to West Van’s chagrin, the referee called a penalty kick, a spot shot that was converted clinically by Rizal Ganief. West Van FC responded well to the adversity and tried desperately to knot the score. However, goalkeeper Drew Smiley once again stepped up to the plate as he denied Milad Rahmati what appeared to be a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity with yet another brilliant save. Very late in the match, with West Van pushing forward in search of the equalizer, a lethal Surrey United counter-attack put the game out of reach as Angus Burke squared a perfect pass to Rizal Ganief who had no difficulty in slotting the ball into the empty net. Defensively, Stefan Leslie and Steve McAuley turned in impeccable performances, while midfielders Myles Davis and Lucas Barrett worked tirelessly throughout the contest. For West Van FC, veteran midfielder Nico Berg led the way with his hard tackling during most the first half, until he had to be replaced due to an ankle injury. As mentioned earlier, both goalkeepers—Surrey’s Drew Smiley and West Van’s Marco Durante—played exceptionally well throughout the match. It is quite possible that these two teams will meet again in the near future—in the semi-finals of the Provincial Cup!!!


MAKE-UP GAME

METRO-FORD WOLVES - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-0: On Thursday evening, at Mercer Stadium in New Westminster, the Premier Division schedule came to an end as the visiting Metro-Ford Wolves defeated the Sapperton Rovers by a 3-0 margin in the last game of the regular season. Metro-Ford opened the scoring midway through the first half when Matt Besuschko found Chris Cerroni with an excellent cross. Cerroni proceeded to neatly control the ball before hammering it into the back of the Sapperton net with a wicked, left-footed drive. Early in the second half, the Wolves’ Jamie Fletcher took advantage of a Sapperton defensive blunder and found a streaking Joe Scigliano who made no mistake in slipping the ball into the net from close range. Midway through the second half, Cerroni scored his second goal of the match as he converted a fine set-up by Jamie Fletcher and Andrew Veer into the final goal. Defenders Brook Scott and Kingsley Jones were towers of strength throughout the contest as they limited the Sapperton forwards to minimal scoring opportunities. Midfielders Andrew Veer and Alfredo Valente also turned in excellent performances, while forward Chris Cerroni made a very successful VMSL debut by scoring 2 great goals and by driving the Sapperton defenders to distraction with his speed and skill.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent performance in defeating the always tough West Van FC by a 2-0 overtime margin in the Imperial Cup final. Led by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Drew Smiley, as well as some rock-solid defending by Steve McAuley, Stefan Leslie, and Myles Davis, the Firemen were able to defeat the very tough defending champions.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Surrey United’s goalkeeper DREW SMILEY for his remarkable performance in his team’s 2-0 overtime victory over West Van FC in the Imperial Cup final. Smiley pulled off a few world-class saves en route to the hard-earned victory. Most notably, Smiley denied Milad Rahmati the opportunity to give West Van the lead near the end of the first half with a miraculous save on a wicked shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. For his amazing performance, DREW SMILEY will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-04-27.

 

[sixfyv]

Atta boy, Drew!

 

[sixfyv]

2010-04-12

PROVINCIAL CUP—PRELIMINARY ROUND

COLUMBUS FC - METRO-FORD WOLVES 1-0: On Saturday, at Charles Best School in Coquitlam, Columbus FC advanced to the Provincial Cup round of 16 by virtue of a narrow 1-0 victory over the hosting Metro-Ford Wolves. The game—between two of the top squads in the VMSL—did not live up to its expectations as both teams appeared to be somewhat hesitant to take any chances. Despite the fact that Columbus scored what proved to be the winning goal at about the 35th minute mark, the pace of the game did not change much as the Wolves failed to demonstrate the hunger and determination that were required to get back into the game. Having said that, Columbus’ goal was a thing of beauty as Blair Robertson got the ball rolling with a well-placed long-range pass that veteran Tiarnan King flicked on to Kazupori Kikuchi. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kikuchi proceeded to blast the ball into the bottom corner of the Metro-Ford net from just outside the penalty area. To say that Kikuchi’s goal was the highlight of the game would be a huge understatement! The Wolves seemed to lack the necessary intensity to get back into the match, while Columbus defended extremely well—mostly due to the superlative play of central defenders Tony Gaita and Jonathan Poli. The only clear-cut Metro-Ford goalscoring opportunity came midway through the second half on a long-range shot by Alfredo Valente, a shot that barely missed the net. Near the end of the match, Columbus was awarded a penalty kick when Andrew Veer fouled Kozo Manome inside the Metro-Ford penalty area. Steve DeBlasio stepped up to the plate but was thwarted by an excellent save on the part of goalkeeper Mat Bird. Despite the loss, veteran midfielder Russ Huggon and young defender Anthony DiNicolo played very well for the Wolves, while wide midfielder Robbie Cairns turned in a superlative performance for Columbus FC. The ‘Italians’ will now take on Croatia SC in the next round of the Provincial Cup. The game will be played at Vancouver Technical School on Sunday, starting at 2:30 p.m.

ICST PEGASUS - DELTA UNITED 5-2: On Sunday, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, ICST Pegasus defeated the visiting Delta United by a rather lop-sided 5-2 margin. However, if truth be told, the final result did not reflect the flow of the match since the Delta lads carried at least 50% of the play and were unfortunate on several occasions, at both ends of the pitch. In fact, Delta United came very close to taking the lead in the early going when Harp Khakh picked up a Pegasus turnover but narrowly missed the net on the ensuing partial breakaway. The home team took the lead shortly thereafter on what most people would call a fluke of a goal! Young Andrew Reed’s well-placed cross was cleared from inside the goal area by Delta’s playing coach Steve Millar. Unfortunately for Millar and the rest of the Delta crew, the ball struck the back of Ryan Powell and rebounded past goalkeeper Brian Brum into the back of the net for the opening goal. Pegasus took advantage of Delta’s frustration by scoring the second goal shortly thereafter, this time on a wicked long-range shot by Ryan Powell. A few minutes later, Delta United added insult to Pegasus’ injury by scoring its third goal—the one that turned out to be the winning marker. On this occasion, Nico Marcina emulated Powell’s second goal as he unleashed an unstoppable shot from the top of the 18-yard box and into the back of the Delta net. To their credit, the visitors never stopped trying and came close to scoring on several occasions, but chances by Harp Khakh, CJ Greenside, Mike Gomes, and Shawn Blakeway all went awry. Just before the halftime whistle, Delta was finally rewarded when Harp Khakh capitalized on some defensive miscommunication as he headed home a fine cross by Mark Gomes. In the second half, Delta United moved defender Steve Millar to the forward line in a desperate attempt to get back into the game. Despite the fact that Delta’s goalscoring chances increased noticeably, it was Pegasus that widened its margin on a lethal counter-attack that saw Goldy Takhar finish off a fine set-up by Andrew Reed. Once again the visitors refused to give up and came close to narrowing the margin when Mike Gomes’ header—on a well-taken Mark Gomes corner kick—was cleared off the goal line by defender Lavy Mangat. Soon thereafter, Delta United was awarded a penalty kick when Paul Bahia handled the ball inside the Pegasus area. On the ensuing penalty kick, however, Steve Millar’s wicked drive was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Andy Singh. Delta finally scored its second goal with about 5 minutes left in the game on a fine individual effort by Shawn Blakeway. Just before the final whistle, however, Pegasus restored its 3-goal margin when young Sahil Sandhu took advantage of yet another fine run—and excellent cross—by Goldy Takhar and had no difficulty in placing the ball into the net from close range. As a result of the hard-earned victory, ICST Pegasus will now travel to Victoria to face Bays United in the Provincial Cup round of 16.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: COLUMBUS FC for its clinical performance in defeating the highly-regarded Metro-Ford Wolves by a narrow, but well-earned, 1-0 margin. Led by some excellent defending on the part of Jonathan Poli and Tony Gaita, as well as some brilliant play by midfielder Robbie Cairns and forward Kazupori Kikuchi, Columbus fully deserved the victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ forward Goldy Takhar for his remarkable performance in his team’s 5-2 victory over Delta United. Takhar was a going concern throughout the match as he drove the veteran Delta defenders to distraction with his skill and speed. Not only did Takhar score a brilliant goal, he also set up a couple of other markers and many more glorious goalscoring opportunities. For his amazing performance, GOLDY TAKHAR will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-04-27.

 

[sixfyv]

2010-04-19



PROVINCIAL CUP—ROUND OF 16

WEST VAN FC - LAKE HILL FC 6-1: On Saturday, at Kinsman Stadium in North Vancouver, the defending Provincial Cup champions—West Van FC—took on the visiting Vancouver Island team in what promised to be a highly-contested and evenly-played match. As luck would have it, however, the home team dominated every aspect of the game and came away with a rather easy 6-1 victory over the second-place finishers from the VISL. West Van FC got off to a great start and scored the opening goal at about the 8th minute mark when Gary Anderson took advantage of a blunder by the Lake Hill goalkeeper—on a wicked shot by Ryan Glanville—and slotted the ball into the back of the net from close range. About 15 minutes later, Anderson added his second goal of the match when he intercepted a Lake Hill defensive pass, raced in all alone and easily scored what proved to be the winning goal. Near the end of the first half, Anderson completed his hat trick as he converted a brilliant cross from Milad Rahmati by looping the ball over the Lake Hill goalkeeper’s outstretched hands. It should be mentioned that Rahmati had started the play by beating a couple of defenders on his way to the Lake Hill defensive zone. West Van FC made a few substitutions at half time, with Gary Anderson and goalkeeper Marco Durante taking a rest. Young substitute goalkeeper—Darius Motazed—rose to the occasion very early in the second half as he made a couple of outstanding saves in rapid succession. Motazed’s saves served as a gentle reminder to the home side that the game was not over and, shortly thereafter, the former Trollers added their fourth goal of the contest when Milad Rahmati once again beat a few Lake Hill defenders—after having received a great pass from Alan McIndoe—and finished off the brilliant play in clinical fashion. Then, it was Ryan Glanville’s turn to score West Van’s fifth goal as he finished off a clever give-and-go with Sean Taylor. Near the end of the match, Rahmati added insult to Lake Hill’s injury by scoring his team’s sixth goal when he cut in from the left flank and blasted an unstoppable shot into the net from the edge of the penalty area. Just before the final whistle, Lake Hill’s Matt Pelle pounced on a poor clearance by Darius Motazed and managed to score his team’s consolation goal. West Van FC will now take on arch-rivals Columbus FC in the quarter-finals of the Provincial Cup. The game is slated for Friday evening at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, starting at 8:00 p.m.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 3-0: Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the heavily-favoured Surrey United Firefighters easily disposed of the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a well-earned 3-0 margin. The Firemen did not underestimate the underdog Rovers and got off to a flying start by scoring in the very first minute of action when an unmarked Brad Peetom headed home a superbly flighted corner kick by Angus Burke. At about the 20th minute mark, Surrey United doubled its lead when Sapperton goalkeeper Garth Lagasse was unable to hold onto a powerful shot by Lucas Barrett, allowing Rizal Ganief to fire home the rebound from close range for the insurance marker. A couple of minutes later, the Firefighters put the game out of Sapperton’s reach when Myles Davis’ brilliant cross-field ball sent Ganief racing down the flank. Ganief’s subsequent low cross was then slotted into the back of the net by an unrushing Angus Burke. In the 25th minute, Surrey United was denied a fourth goal when Lagasse made a nearly-miraculous save to turn aside a well-struck volley by 17-year old midfielder Graham Spink. Near the end of the first half, Surrey United suffered a blow when Brad Peetom was shown a red card for a poorly-timed tackle, thus reducing the home side to 10 men for the rest of the match. Not surprisingly, the Rovers—with their one-man advantage—came out of the second half starting blocks with a vengeance but some excellent defending on the part of the Firefighters kept Sapperton off the scoresheet. Midway through the second half, Sapperton’s Reyhan Ismail was also sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity as he tripped Lucas Barrett as he was streaking towards the goal on a breakaway. With both teams reduced to 10 men, the remaining 25 minutes of the match were rather uneventful and the game predictably ended in a 3-0 victory for the home team. Surrey United will now take on the Port Moody Gunners—of the Fraser Valley Soccer League—in the quarter-finals of the Provincial Cup.

COLUMBUS FC - CROATIA SC 3-2 PK’s: On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, two very competitive and aspiring teams—Croatia SC and Columbus FC—met in the Round of 16 Provincial Cup playdowns. The match lived up to its high expectations and provided the numerous and enthusiastic spectators with a lot of action and a great deal of emotional anxiety. The Croatians got off to a great start and took the lead in the early going when Christian Tropeano took advantage of an unusual miscue by Columbus goalkeeper Thomas Lindley and scored from close range. The play had started with a well-taken corner kick by Johnny Sulentic, a cross that was headed downward by Kreso Vonic. The ball bounced in front of Lindley who misplayed it, thus allowing Tropeano to give his team the lead. At about the 20th minute mark, Columbus knotted the score when right back Blair Robertson sent a dangerous cross into the Croatia penalty area where Kaz Kikuchi rose brilliantly and headed the ball past the outstretched arms of Croatia’s goalkeeper Didar Sandhu. Early in the second half, Columbus took the lead when young substitute Tom McCole whipped a great cross to the near post where Kozo Manome perfectly angled his header into the back of the Croatia net. About 10 minutes later, Croatia SC tied things up, once again on a goal by Christian Tropeano. On this occasion, Mirko Maras sent a streaking Andrew Sciampacone flying down the right flank with an impeccable pass. Sciampacone then crossed a pinpoint, low ball onto the path of a wide open Tropeano who made no mistake in finishing off the play from close range. Both teams had several chances to score the winning goal during the remainder of the second half and in the overtime periods. In particular, Columbus’ Kozo Manome watched agonizingly as Didar Sandhu made a great save on his fine header. Also, Tiarnan King and Tom McCole had their goals called ball due to offside infractions. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Lindley made a superlative save near the end of the game on an excellent header by Philip Kotter. The result had to be settled by penalty kicks and Columbus FC prevailed on goals by Tiarnan King, Robbie Cairns, Tom McCole, Steve DeBlasio, and Jonathan Poli. Columbus’ central defenders—Tony Gaita and Jonathan Poli—battled all game long against the vaunted Croatia attackers, while Tom McCole and Steve Frazao were dangerous in the latter part of the match. For Croatia SC, defender Andrew Sciampacone, midfielder Phil Kotter, and striker Christian Tropeano played extremely well throughout the match, albeit in a losing cause. Columbus FC will now face West Van FC in the quarter-finals of the Provincial Cup.

ICST PEGASUS - BAYS UNITED 2-1: Also on Sunday, at Centennial Stadium in Victoria, ICST Pegasus advanced to the quarter-finals of the Provincial Cup by defeating the hosting Bays United by a narrow, but well-earned, 1-0 margin. Despite the fact that Pegasus enjoyed most of the ball possession in the early part of the match, it was Bays United that took the lead at about the 20th minute mark on a goal by Brian Doyle as he flicked the ball into the net from a long throw-in. The Pegasus lads replied in kind and were able to knot the score shortly thereafter as Ryan Powell converted a well-placed free kick for the equalizer. Pegasus continued to apply pressure on the Bays United backline and came close to taking the lead on a few occasions. In particular, efforts by Sahil Sandhu and Maysam Soltani—that seemed destined for the back of the net—were thwarted by the Vancouver Island goalkeeper. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with ICST Pegasus applying most of the pressure and creating most of the goalscoring opportunities. Once again, however, the Bays United goalkeeper was able to keep the vaunted Pegasus attackers at bay with some excellent saves. At the other end of the pitch, Pegasus goalkeeper Andy Singh also rose to the occasion and kept the score level with a magnificent save with about 10 minutes left in the match. With 5 minutes left in regulation time, Pegasus finally scored the all-important winning goal when Goldy Takhar took advantage of a turnover and set up Chetan Jhooty with a picture-perfect pass. Without hesitation, Jhooty blasted an unbelievable shot into the top corner of the net from well outside the penalty area for the winning goal. Defensively, Lavy Mangat, Paul Bahia, Carlos Dhaliwal, and Andrew Reed were rock-solid throughout the contest as they guided their team to an all important victory. As a reward, ICST Pegasus will now have to travel to Vancouver Island once more, this time to take on the VISL champions—Gorge FC—in the quarter-finals of the Provincial Cup.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: ICST PEGASUS for its excellent performance in defeating the hosting Bays United by a narrow, but well-earned, 2-1 margin. Led by some excellent defending on the part of Lavy Mangat, Paul Bahia, Carlos Dhaliwal, and Andrew Reed, Pegasus controlled most of the action and fully deserved the victory. It is never easy to win a game on Vancouver Island, but the Pegasus lads managed to do so in fine fashion and will have to do it again this coming weekend if they wish to advance to the semi-finals of the Provincial Cup!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: West Van FC’s forward GARY ANDERSON for his amazing 3-goal performance in his team’s 6-1 victory over Lake Hill FC. The veteran Anderson was at his very best throughout the first half as he scored almost at will against the visiting Vancouver Island team. Fortunately for Lake Hill FC, Anderson was substituted at the half-time break! For his amazing performance, GARY ANDERSON will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-05-04.

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