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- #61
2011-03-14
IMPERIAL CUP – QUARTER-FINALS
The 4 Imperial Cup quarter-finals were played this past weekend with 3 games ending in predictable scores, while one rather major upset took place as the Punjab Hurricanes sent the Richmond FC Hibernians packing by defeating the heavy favourites by a 2-1 score. Despite the fact that the other 3 games did not produce any upsets, the scores were very close as the underdogs—Sapperton Rovers, Westside FC, and West Van FC—made life somewhat miserable for the favourites—Surrey United, ICST Pegasus, and Metro-Ford.
ICST PEGASUS - WESTSIDE FC 4-3: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the red-hot ICST Pegasus disposed of the visiting Westside FC by a narrow 4-3 margin, a victory that advances Pegasus to the quarter-finals of the Imperial Cup. The home team came flying out of the starting gate and created numerous scoring chances in the early going. In particular, Azad Palani came close to opening the scoring in the early going as he hit the woodwork twice in rapid succession, once on a header and once on a right-footed shot. Palani was finally rewarded at the 15th minute mark when he raced in on goal on a partial breakaway—after having been set up by Niko Marcina—and struck a well-placed left-footed shot off the far post and into the net for the game’s opening goal. A few minutes later, Pegasus added its second goal of the match when a brilliantly-placed diagonal ball by Paul Bahia found Andrew Reed in full stride down the left flank. Reed then proceeded to square the ball to Omari Aldridge who easily beat goalkeeper Rowan Anders from very close range. At this point the Pegasus lads seemed to take their foot off the pedal while the Westsiders appeared to find their legs and got back into the match. The visitors narrowed the margin at the 30th minute mark when Jay Kent-Hume sent Sebastian Crema on a breakaway, an opportunity that Crema was able to finish brilliantly. Westside FC continued to press and got the equalizer at about the 35th minute mark when central defender Graeme Webber blasted a loose ball into the net from close range. However, Pegasus regained the lead just before the halftime whistle after Diaz Kambere had done some outstanding work down the right flank. Rowan Anders was able to save the first shot by Jag Gill but Azad Palani pounced on the rebound and calmly slotted it home. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. Pegasus was able to add to its lead at the 60th minute mark when Niko Marcina fired a wicked shot directly into the net from an awkward angle, catching Rowan Anders off guard as he was probably expecting a cross. Once again the Westsiders refused to give up and almost found their 3rd goal when Sebastian Crema was unlucky to see his close-range chip shot bounce off the crossbar. However, at the 85th minute mark, Westside FC was able to narrow the margin when Brian Reems was fouled inside the penalty area by Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh. John Stonehocker had no difficulty in converting the ensuing penalty kick, making things very interesting for the remainder of the match. With Westside FC trying desperately to score the equalizer during the last 5 minutes, ICST Pegasus counter-attacked very effectively and came close to extending their lead on a couple of occasions. However, Goldy Takhar hit the crossbar from close range, while young Sahil Sandhu’s shot was saved by Rowan Anders. All in all, a very entertaining and exciting match, played by two very skilled and tenacious teams!! Defensively, Westside’s Sam Wallace and Graeme Webber performed remarkably well, while midfielder Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone and forward Sebastian Crema also turned in excellent performances. For the winning Pegasus team, fullbacks Andrew Reed and Diaz Kambere were outstanding throughout the match, while midfielders Niko Marcina and Adam Costley controlled the middle of the park with poise, skill, and tenacity. Forward Azad Palani continued his recent torrid scoring pace, netting his 10th goal in his last 9 games! The victory advances ICST Pegasus to the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup where they’ll face the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Wolves. On the other hand, Westside’s chances to qualify for the Provincial Cup playdowns diminished enormously as a result of the Imperial Cup loss.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-1 PK’s: On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the defending Imperial Cup champions—Surrey United—edged the underdog Sapperton Rovers on penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play—including overtime—could not produce a winner. The strong wind played a huge part in the game and the Firefighters, with the wind at their backs in the first half, took the game to the visitors in the initial part of the game. In the 9th minute, Surrey United came close to opening the scoring when a fine cross by fullback Mason Webb found Angus Burke in the middle of the box. However, the league’s leading marksman was unable to finish the golden goalscoring opportunity as he hit his shot just wide of the target. Although the Firemen enjoyed a large advantage in terms of possession, some excellent defensive play by Sapperton’s Jeff Rogers, Brayden Volkenant, and Rhys Volkenant denied the free-scoring Premier Division champions any real scoring chances. In fact, Surrey United had to wait until the 31st minute mark for another opportunity but Sapperton goalkeeper—Garth Lagasse—made a spectacular save to turn a Rizal Ganief free-kick around the post. From the resulting corner-kick—taken by former Whitecap Steve Kindel—the ball found striker Ryan Reynolds who lifted his shot just over the cross bar. Surrey United finally broke the deadlock in the 68th minute with a brilliantly-executed play that saw Rizal Ganief take a first-time pass from Mason Webb before launching a superlative cross into the danger area where Angus Burke volleyed the ball into the Sapperton net. At this point, the Rovers were forced to change their defensive strategy and started applying pressure on the Surrey United defense. However, efforts by Jason Pierotti and Mark McQuade went awry and the score remained 1-0 in Surrey United’s favour until the dying seconds of regulation time. With only about a minute left, a long throw-in by Jason Pierotti was redirected towards the Surrey United goal by goalkeeper Garth Lagasse and eventually slammed into the net by defender Jeff Rogers for the last-gasp equalizer. Both teams traded chances in the overtime, but the game remained deadlocked and had to be settled by the dreaded penalty-kick shoot-out. Surrey United’s goalkeeper—Paul Shepherd—rose to the occasion in the shoot-out as he made two excellent saves on shots by Brayden Volkenant and Jason Pierotti to secure the Firefighters’ hard-earned victory. Surrey United will now face the upstart Punjab Hurricanes in the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup. The match is scheduled for Sunday, March 20 at Cloverdale Athletic Park, starting at 2:00 p.m. The Sapperton Rovers, on the other hand, will now shift their concentration towards league play as they’re trying desperately to avoid relegation.
PUNJAB HURRICANES - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Park in Richmond, the struggling Punjab Hurricanes surprisingly qualified for the Provincial Cup playdowns as a result of an upset 2-1 victory over the Richmond Hibernians. The Hurricanes almost took the early lead at the 12th minute mark but Richmond’s goalkeeper—Matt Clayton—pulled off a magnificent save off a Gary Badesha free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. The next 30 minutes of play proved to be an even battle, with neither team taking control of the match. However, the Hurricanes’s Bobby Jhutty had a couple of goalscoring opportunities but missed the net on the first one and was stymied by Matt Clayton on his second attempt. At the 40th minute mark, the Punjab Hurricanes finally took the lead when Amar Bains’ shot—after he had received a nifty pass from Bobby Jhutty—was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Marcus Brougham. Just before the halftime whistle, Richmond FC knotted the score in similar fashion when Brad Caldwell’s shot was redirected into his own net by Punjab’s Joey Brar. It should be mentioned that Caldwell had made a fantastic run towards the Hurricanes’ goal, beat a few defenders before unleashing the shot that was subsequently deflected into the net for the tying goal. The Hibernians got off to a great start in the second half and almost took the lead when substitute midfielder Alex Orasa beat 3 defenders before setting up Brad Caldwell with an immaculate pass. Unfortunately for Richmond FC, Caldwell’s shot barely missed the target, with goalkeeper Sheldon Steenhuis well-beaten. The Hurricanes replied in kind and, at the 64th minute mark, came close to taking the lead when a shot by Bobby Jhutty hit the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, at the 72nd minute mark, Jhutty once again missed a golden opportunity as he watched agonizingly as his shot grazed the crossbar after he had been sent on a breakaway by Rupi Birring. With only a few minutes remaining in regulation time, the Hurricanes took the lead with Bobby Jhutty once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Jhutty won the ball in the middle of the park, beat a couple of Richmond defenders on his way towards goal, and then slipped a brilliant pass to Ryan Dhillon who raced in all alone and easily slotted the ball into the back of the net for the winning goal. However, 3 minutes into stoppage time, the Hibernians almost tied things up when Brad Caldwell’s wicked drive was brilliantly saved by Sheldon Steenhuis. As luck would have it, the Hurricanes counter-attacked immediately thereafter and came very close to scoring what would have been the insurance marker when Bobby Jhutty hit the goalpost with his curling shot and Ryan Dhillon missed a sitter on the subsequent rebound. As mentioned earlier, the Punjab Hurricanes qualify for the Imperial Cup semi-finals—and the Provincial Cup playdowns—as a result of the hard-earned victory. The Richmond FC Hibernians have also qualified for the Province Cup, through the Premier Division standings.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES - WEST VAN FC 2-0: The final Imperial Cup quarter-final match was played on Saturday at Charles Best School in Coquitlam and featured two of the top teams in the VMSL Premier Division: the hosting Metro-Ford Wolves and the visiting West Van FC. After an exciting and evenly-played 90 minutes of non-stop action, the Wolves walked away with a hard-earned 2-0 victory, thus eliminating the former Trollers from further Imperial Cup action. Both teams exchanged numerous goalscoring opportunities, with the visitors having their best chances in the first half while the Wolves replied in kind in the final 45 minutes. Early in the game, West Van’s Carl O’Connor hit the woodwork on two separate occasions, while teammate Kevin Crouch also came close to scoring but was thwarted by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Lucas Menz. At the other end of the pitch, the Wolves also had a glorious opportunity to open the scoring midway through the first half, but former Whitecap Alfredo Valente—after having received a clever pass from Russel Huggon—rang his shot off the goalpost. At about the 70th minute mark, Metro-Ford took the lead when Alfredo Valente and Oliver Heald combined to set up a streaking Ian Clarke down the right flank. The veteran Clarke sped away from the West Van defenders before neatly placing the ball into the back of the net, past a bewildered Marco Durante. Shortly thereafter, Metro-Ford goalkeeper Lucas Menz was forced to leave the field due to a shoulder injury, allowing youth call-up Brando Ciccone to make his first senior appearance of the season. Ciccone then proceeded to make a phenomenal save on a point-blank shot by Jesse Fetterley to preserve his team’s slim lead. With about 5 minutes to go in the contest, Alfredo Valente gained possession of the ball in the middle of the park, noticed that goalkeeper Marco Durante was standing at the top of his penalty area, and proceeded to sail the ball over the helpless goalkeeper from at least 40 yards for the Wolves’ insurance marker. Metro-Ford centre backs Kyle Jones and Matt Besuschko were towers of strength throughout the contest, while midfielder Jovan Blagojevic made a successful return from injury as a second half substitute as he drove the West Van defenders to distraction with his speed and skill. For West Van, a pair of veterans—midfielder Mike Dodd and defender Trevor Short—turned in remarkable performances while Leo Nash was rock-solid in the middle of the defensive unit. The hard-fought victory advances the Wolves to the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup where they will face the red-hot ICST Pegasus. The match is scheduled for Sunday, March 20 at Coquitlam Town Centre, starting at 5:00 p.m.
PREMIER DIVISION
DAY 24
COLUMBUS FC - DELTA UNITED 2-2: On Wednesday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division—Columbus FC and Delta United—settled for a 2-2 tie, thus diminishing both teams’ chances of finishing in third place in the standings. The visiting Delta team got off to a flying start and took the lead at the 4th minute mark when Phil Lensky worked his way down the right flank before crossing the ball into the Columbus penalty area where Gibson Bardsley clinically headed it home for the go-ahead goal. Soon thereafter—at about the 15th minute mark—Delta United doubled its lead with Phil Lensky once again being a major contributor. On this occasion, Lensky set up Sunny Bains with an impeccable right-wing pass, a pass that Bains one-timed into the back of the Columbus net from the edge of the penalty area. The ‘Italians’ fought back tenaciously and almost narrowed the margin on a couple of occasions but Delta goalkeeper Steve London came up with two phenomenal saves on shots by Steve Frazao to keep his team in a 2-goal lead till the halftime whistle. Very early in the second half, Columbus FC finally narrowed the margin when Steve DeBlasio took advantage of a Delta defensive blunder, raced in all alone and clinically beat an onrushing Steve London for Columbus’ all-important first goal. Despite the fact that Columbus continued attacking, the visitors maintained their 2-1 lead until the very late stages of the contest. With about 5 minutes left, Delta’s Gibson Bardsley—who had scored his team’s initial goal—went from hero to goat as he was sent off the field of play for having received his second caution of the match. Then, well into added time, Columbus was finally able to knot the score when Blair Robertson’s wicked shot was first saved by Steve London and then handled by Delta’s Mark Gomes. On the ensuing penalty kick, Steve DeBlasio made no mistake, thus earning his team the well-deserved tie. Needless to say, Columbus’ Steve DeBlasio was outstanding in his forward position as he scored both his team’s goals and also created numerous other opportunities. Substitutes Sheu Fortunato and Leigh Sembaluk also performed admirably in the midfield roles. For Delta United, midfielders Oscar Jimenez and Phil Lensky, as well as defender Brian Fowler, also deserve special mention for their excellent performances. As mentioned earlier, the result helps neither team’s chances of catching third place Richmond FC.
WESTSIDE FC - AKAL FC 3-1: Also on Wednesday evening, at the newly-opened South Memorial Park in Vancouver, Westside FC kept its hopes of qualifying for the Provincial Cup playdowns alive by defeating the visiting Akal FC by a 3-1 margin. The Westsiders came close to opening the score early in the match when Sebastian Crema unleashed a wicked free kick from well outside the penalty area, only to have the ball strike the underside of the crossbar and, subsequently, the goal line. Westside FC kept pressing and finally took the lead at the 20th minute mark when Indy Khabra set up Sebastian Crema with an immaculate square ball, a pass that Crema easily tapped into the empty net for the game’s initial goal. To their credit, the visitors didn’t give up and fought hard for the remainder of the first half in an effort to score the equalizing goal. Early in the second half—at about the 55th minute mark—Akal FC was able to knot the score when Hussein Abu brilliantly headed home a well-struck corner kick by Desmond Tachie. That appeared to be the wake-up call that the Westsiders needed as they once again took over the reins of the match in search of the all-important go-ahead goal. At the 75th minute mark, Sebastian Crema became the provider as he set up Jay Kent-Hume with a clever pass well inside the Akal penalty area. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kent-Hume blasted the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. The insurance marker came shortly thereafter with the ‘Man-of-the-Match’—Sebastian Crema—scoring on a blistering long-range drive to the top corner of the Akal net. Defender Sam Wallace, midfielder Michael Buree, and forward Sebastian Crema played extremely well for Westside FC as they led their team to the all-important victory. As mentioned earlier, the 3 points keep Westside FC’s hopes of qualifying for the Provincial Cup alive, while Akal FC has now been officially relegated to Division 1 as a result of the loss.
ICST PEGASUS - COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 3-2: The third Wednesday evening game was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and resulted in a 3-2 upset victory by the Pegasus lads over the visiting Metro-Ford Wolves, a result that officially knocked the Wolves out of contention for the Premier Division title. The home team came flying out of the starting blocks and narrowly missed several goalscoring chances before taking an early 2-0 lead with both goals coming from breakaway opportunities. Azad Palani, Sahil Sandhu, and Jag Gill all came very close to scoring very early in the match, but their clear-cut chances all went awry. The first goal was scored at the 15th minute mark by Niko Marcina as he was sent in on goal by an exquisite Diaz Kambere pass. A few minutes later, it was Azad Palani’s turn to race towards the Metro-Ford goal, this time on a great set-up by Jag Gill. In his own inimitable way, Palani blasted the ball past goalkeeper Lucas Menz for Pegasus’ second goal. Shortly before the halftime break, the Wolves bounced back and narrowed the margin when Andrew Veer calmly converted an Oliver Heald corner kick by slotting the ball home from close range. Midway through the second half, Metro-Ford came close the knotting the score when veterans Oliver Heald and Russel Huggon combined to set up Sang Hwang. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Hwang’s shot brushed the outside of the goalpost, with Pegasus’ goalkeeper—Amar Dhinsa—well-beaten. At about the 70th minute mark, Pegasus restored its 2-goal lead as Niko Marcina scored his second goal of the match, this time on a well-placed penalty kick. The spot shot was awarded when young defender Paul Clerc handled the ball inside the Metro-Ford penalty area. The visitors, however, replied in kind and once again narrowed the margin at about the 75th minute mark when Oliver Heald neatly chipped the ball over the Pegasus defense onto the path of a streaking Russel Huggon who made no mistake in firing the ball home from close range. The last 15 minutes of the match proved to be very interesting—although scoreless—as the Wolves applied enormous pressure on the Pegasus defence in search of the equalizer. However, with Metro-Ford frantically pressing forward, Pegasus also had a couple of glorious chances to put the game out of reach but counter-attacks efforts by Jag Gill and Ryan Powell both went awry—the first saved brilliantly by Lucas Menz and the second missing the net by mere inches. Pegasus’ backline—comprised of Paul Bahia, Diaz Kambere, Gurjit Dhaliwal, and Lavy Mangat—did extremely well in keeping the dangerous Metro-Ford attackers at bay for most of the game. Midfielders Niko Marcina and Adam Costley also played extremely well, while forwards Jag Gill and Azad Palani drove the young Coquitlam defenders to distraction with their pace and skill. For the Wolves, veteran midfielder Oliver Heald was outstanding throughout the contest, while young goalkeeper Lucas Menz had to be sharp on several occasions, especially in the first half. The victory improves Pegasus’ record to 11-4-9, good for 6th place in the VMSL Premier Division standings, while Metro-Ford remains in second place with 50 points from 24 games. It should be noted that both teams have qualified for the Provincial Cup playdowns.
ICSF INTER - SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 3-0: The fourth, and final, Wednesday evening match was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and featured ICSF Inter and the already relegated Serbian White Eagles. Needless to say, the ‘Italians’ controlled the play for most of the 90 minutes and walked away with a rather easy 3-0 victory. The White Eagles resorted to a defensive tactic and relied on counter-attacks for their lone goalscoring opportunities. Early in the match, veteran Sasa Vucenovic missed a clear header for the Serbians, while Dalibor Plavsic sailed a couple of shots wide of the net. Otherwise, some solid defending on the part of Inter’s Robert Hall, Ryan Zahjaria, and Milos Jeftic thwarted the quick Serbian forwards and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Dennis Kindel as he gathered the shutout. Inter’s first goal was scored late in the first half by midfielder Colin Streckmann with a lethal strike from 30 yards out. Very early in the second half, forward Liam Miller added the insurance marker to Inter’s tally as he capitalized on a goalmouth scramble, after Sheldin Maistry had inexplicably missed a golden opportunity to score from close range. At about the 80th minute mark, Inter’s Colin Streckmann was fouled inside the White Eagles’ penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. On the ensuing spot shot, Milos Jeftic rounded out the scoring by calmly placing the ball in the back of the Serbian net. Midfielders Colin Streckmann and Joseph Marrello controlled the middle of the park for Inter, while young Luigi Pantusa was a going concern all game long on the left flank. For the White Eagles, defender Miso Rakita, midfielder Stefan Kalaba, and forward Sasa Vucenovic played very well, albeit in a losing cause. It should be noted that Inter’s chances of qualifying for the Provincial Cup playdowns have immensely improved as a result of the victory.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: PUNJAB HURRICANES for their remarkable upset victory over the heavily-favoured Richmond FC Hibernians in the Imperial Cup quarter-finals. The Hurricanes, who are still in danger of getting relegated from the Premier Division, thus qualified for the Imperial Cup semi-finals and, also, for the Provincial Cup playdowns. Led by the incredible performance of young midfielder Bobby Jhutty, the Hurricanes fully deserved their narrow victory over the Hibernians.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ forward AZAD PALANI for his superlative performances in his team’s 2 victories this past week. On Wednesday evening, Pegasus defeated the heavily-favoured Metro-Ford Wolves by a 3-2 score in a regular league game, while on Friday evening, they knocked Westside FC out of the Imperial Cup by beating them by a 4-3 margin. On both occasions, Azad Palani was instrumental in his team’s victories as he scored 3 brilliant goals. For his outstanding performances this past week, AZAD PALANI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2011-04-07.
IMPERIAL CUP – QUARTER-FINALS
The 4 Imperial Cup quarter-finals were played this past weekend with 3 games ending in predictable scores, while one rather major upset took place as the Punjab Hurricanes sent the Richmond FC Hibernians packing by defeating the heavy favourites by a 2-1 score. Despite the fact that the other 3 games did not produce any upsets, the scores were very close as the underdogs—Sapperton Rovers, Westside FC, and West Van FC—made life somewhat miserable for the favourites—Surrey United, ICST Pegasus, and Metro-Ford.
ICST PEGASUS - WESTSIDE FC 4-3: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the red-hot ICST Pegasus disposed of the visiting Westside FC by a narrow 4-3 margin, a victory that advances Pegasus to the quarter-finals of the Imperial Cup. The home team came flying out of the starting gate and created numerous scoring chances in the early going. In particular, Azad Palani came close to opening the scoring in the early going as he hit the woodwork twice in rapid succession, once on a header and once on a right-footed shot. Palani was finally rewarded at the 15th minute mark when he raced in on goal on a partial breakaway—after having been set up by Niko Marcina—and struck a well-placed left-footed shot off the far post and into the net for the game’s opening goal. A few minutes later, Pegasus added its second goal of the match when a brilliantly-placed diagonal ball by Paul Bahia found Andrew Reed in full stride down the left flank. Reed then proceeded to square the ball to Omari Aldridge who easily beat goalkeeper Rowan Anders from very close range. At this point the Pegasus lads seemed to take their foot off the pedal while the Westsiders appeared to find their legs and got back into the match. The visitors narrowed the margin at the 30th minute mark when Jay Kent-Hume sent Sebastian Crema on a breakaway, an opportunity that Crema was able to finish brilliantly. Westside FC continued to press and got the equalizer at about the 35th minute mark when central defender Graeme Webber blasted a loose ball into the net from close range. However, Pegasus regained the lead just before the halftime whistle after Diaz Kambere had done some outstanding work down the right flank. Rowan Anders was able to save the first shot by Jag Gill but Azad Palani pounced on the rebound and calmly slotted it home. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. Pegasus was able to add to its lead at the 60th minute mark when Niko Marcina fired a wicked shot directly into the net from an awkward angle, catching Rowan Anders off guard as he was probably expecting a cross. Once again the Westsiders refused to give up and almost found their 3rd goal when Sebastian Crema was unlucky to see his close-range chip shot bounce off the crossbar. However, at the 85th minute mark, Westside FC was able to narrow the margin when Brian Reems was fouled inside the penalty area by Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh. John Stonehocker had no difficulty in converting the ensuing penalty kick, making things very interesting for the remainder of the match. With Westside FC trying desperately to score the equalizer during the last 5 minutes, ICST Pegasus counter-attacked very effectively and came close to extending their lead on a couple of occasions. However, Goldy Takhar hit the crossbar from close range, while young Sahil Sandhu’s shot was saved by Rowan Anders. All in all, a very entertaining and exciting match, played by two very skilled and tenacious teams!! Defensively, Westside’s Sam Wallace and Graeme Webber performed remarkably well, while midfielder Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone and forward Sebastian Crema also turned in excellent performances. For the winning Pegasus team, fullbacks Andrew Reed and Diaz Kambere were outstanding throughout the match, while midfielders Niko Marcina and Adam Costley controlled the middle of the park with poise, skill, and tenacity. Forward Azad Palani continued his recent torrid scoring pace, netting his 10th goal in his last 9 games! The victory advances ICST Pegasus to the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup where they’ll face the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Wolves. On the other hand, Westside’s chances to qualify for the Provincial Cup playdowns diminished enormously as a result of the Imperial Cup loss.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-1 PK’s: On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the defending Imperial Cup champions—Surrey United—edged the underdog Sapperton Rovers on penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play—including overtime—could not produce a winner. The strong wind played a huge part in the game and the Firefighters, with the wind at their backs in the first half, took the game to the visitors in the initial part of the game. In the 9th minute, Surrey United came close to opening the scoring when a fine cross by fullback Mason Webb found Angus Burke in the middle of the box. However, the league’s leading marksman was unable to finish the golden goalscoring opportunity as he hit his shot just wide of the target. Although the Firemen enjoyed a large advantage in terms of possession, some excellent defensive play by Sapperton’s Jeff Rogers, Brayden Volkenant, and Rhys Volkenant denied the free-scoring Premier Division champions any real scoring chances. In fact, Surrey United had to wait until the 31st minute mark for another opportunity but Sapperton goalkeeper—Garth Lagasse—made a spectacular save to turn a Rizal Ganief free-kick around the post. From the resulting corner-kick—taken by former Whitecap Steve Kindel—the ball found striker Ryan Reynolds who lifted his shot just over the cross bar. Surrey United finally broke the deadlock in the 68th minute with a brilliantly-executed play that saw Rizal Ganief take a first-time pass from Mason Webb before launching a superlative cross into the danger area where Angus Burke volleyed the ball into the Sapperton net. At this point, the Rovers were forced to change their defensive strategy and started applying pressure on the Surrey United defense. However, efforts by Jason Pierotti and Mark McQuade went awry and the score remained 1-0 in Surrey United’s favour until the dying seconds of regulation time. With only about a minute left, a long throw-in by Jason Pierotti was redirected towards the Surrey United goal by goalkeeper Garth Lagasse and eventually slammed into the net by defender Jeff Rogers for the last-gasp equalizer. Both teams traded chances in the overtime, but the game remained deadlocked and had to be settled by the dreaded penalty-kick shoot-out. Surrey United’s goalkeeper—Paul Shepherd—rose to the occasion in the shoot-out as he made two excellent saves on shots by Brayden Volkenant and Jason Pierotti to secure the Firefighters’ hard-earned victory. Surrey United will now face the upstart Punjab Hurricanes in the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup. The match is scheduled for Sunday, March 20 at Cloverdale Athletic Park, starting at 2:00 p.m. The Sapperton Rovers, on the other hand, will now shift their concentration towards league play as they’re trying desperately to avoid relegation.
PUNJAB HURRICANES - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 2-1: Also on Saturday, at Minoru Park in Richmond, the struggling Punjab Hurricanes surprisingly qualified for the Provincial Cup playdowns as a result of an upset 2-1 victory over the Richmond Hibernians. The Hurricanes almost took the early lead at the 12th minute mark but Richmond’s goalkeeper—Matt Clayton—pulled off a magnificent save off a Gary Badesha free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. The next 30 minutes of play proved to be an even battle, with neither team taking control of the match. However, the Hurricanes’s Bobby Jhutty had a couple of goalscoring opportunities but missed the net on the first one and was stymied by Matt Clayton on his second attempt. At the 40th minute mark, the Punjab Hurricanes finally took the lead when Amar Bains’ shot—after he had received a nifty pass from Bobby Jhutty—was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Marcus Brougham. Just before the halftime whistle, Richmond FC knotted the score in similar fashion when Brad Caldwell’s shot was redirected into his own net by Punjab’s Joey Brar. It should be mentioned that Caldwell had made a fantastic run towards the Hurricanes’ goal, beat a few defenders before unleashing the shot that was subsequently deflected into the net for the tying goal. The Hibernians got off to a great start in the second half and almost took the lead when substitute midfielder Alex Orasa beat 3 defenders before setting up Brad Caldwell with an immaculate pass. Unfortunately for Richmond FC, Caldwell’s shot barely missed the target, with goalkeeper Sheldon Steenhuis well-beaten. The Hurricanes replied in kind and, at the 64th minute mark, came close to taking the lead when a shot by Bobby Jhutty hit the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, at the 72nd minute mark, Jhutty once again missed a golden opportunity as he watched agonizingly as his shot grazed the crossbar after he had been sent on a breakaway by Rupi Birring. With only a few minutes remaining in regulation time, the Hurricanes took the lead with Bobby Jhutty once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Jhutty won the ball in the middle of the park, beat a couple of Richmond defenders on his way towards goal, and then slipped a brilliant pass to Ryan Dhillon who raced in all alone and easily slotted the ball into the back of the net for the winning goal. However, 3 minutes into stoppage time, the Hibernians almost tied things up when Brad Caldwell’s wicked drive was brilliantly saved by Sheldon Steenhuis. As luck would have it, the Hurricanes counter-attacked immediately thereafter and came very close to scoring what would have been the insurance marker when Bobby Jhutty hit the goalpost with his curling shot and Ryan Dhillon missed a sitter on the subsequent rebound. As mentioned earlier, the Punjab Hurricanes qualify for the Imperial Cup semi-finals—and the Provincial Cup playdowns—as a result of the hard-earned victory. The Richmond FC Hibernians have also qualified for the Province Cup, through the Premier Division standings.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES - WEST VAN FC 2-0: The final Imperial Cup quarter-final match was played on Saturday at Charles Best School in Coquitlam and featured two of the top teams in the VMSL Premier Division: the hosting Metro-Ford Wolves and the visiting West Van FC. After an exciting and evenly-played 90 minutes of non-stop action, the Wolves walked away with a hard-earned 2-0 victory, thus eliminating the former Trollers from further Imperial Cup action. Both teams exchanged numerous goalscoring opportunities, with the visitors having their best chances in the first half while the Wolves replied in kind in the final 45 minutes. Early in the game, West Van’s Carl O’Connor hit the woodwork on two separate occasions, while teammate Kevin Crouch also came close to scoring but was thwarted by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Lucas Menz. At the other end of the pitch, the Wolves also had a glorious opportunity to open the scoring midway through the first half, but former Whitecap Alfredo Valente—after having received a clever pass from Russel Huggon—rang his shot off the goalpost. At about the 70th minute mark, Metro-Ford took the lead when Alfredo Valente and Oliver Heald combined to set up a streaking Ian Clarke down the right flank. The veteran Clarke sped away from the West Van defenders before neatly placing the ball into the back of the net, past a bewildered Marco Durante. Shortly thereafter, Metro-Ford goalkeeper Lucas Menz was forced to leave the field due to a shoulder injury, allowing youth call-up Brando Ciccone to make his first senior appearance of the season. Ciccone then proceeded to make a phenomenal save on a point-blank shot by Jesse Fetterley to preserve his team’s slim lead. With about 5 minutes to go in the contest, Alfredo Valente gained possession of the ball in the middle of the park, noticed that goalkeeper Marco Durante was standing at the top of his penalty area, and proceeded to sail the ball over the helpless goalkeeper from at least 40 yards for the Wolves’ insurance marker. Metro-Ford centre backs Kyle Jones and Matt Besuschko were towers of strength throughout the contest, while midfielder Jovan Blagojevic made a successful return from injury as a second half substitute as he drove the West Van defenders to distraction with his speed and skill. For West Van, a pair of veterans—midfielder Mike Dodd and defender Trevor Short—turned in remarkable performances while Leo Nash was rock-solid in the middle of the defensive unit. The hard-fought victory advances the Wolves to the semi-finals of the Imperial Cup where they will face the red-hot ICST Pegasus. The match is scheduled for Sunday, March 20 at Coquitlam Town Centre, starting at 5:00 p.m.
PREMIER DIVISION
DAY 24
COLUMBUS FC - DELTA UNITED 2-2: On Wednesday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division—Columbus FC and Delta United—settled for a 2-2 tie, thus diminishing both teams’ chances of finishing in third place in the standings. The visiting Delta team got off to a flying start and took the lead at the 4th minute mark when Phil Lensky worked his way down the right flank before crossing the ball into the Columbus penalty area where Gibson Bardsley clinically headed it home for the go-ahead goal. Soon thereafter—at about the 15th minute mark—Delta United doubled its lead with Phil Lensky once again being a major contributor. On this occasion, Lensky set up Sunny Bains with an impeccable right-wing pass, a pass that Bains one-timed into the back of the Columbus net from the edge of the penalty area. The ‘Italians’ fought back tenaciously and almost narrowed the margin on a couple of occasions but Delta goalkeeper Steve London came up with two phenomenal saves on shots by Steve Frazao to keep his team in a 2-goal lead till the halftime whistle. Very early in the second half, Columbus FC finally narrowed the margin when Steve DeBlasio took advantage of a Delta defensive blunder, raced in all alone and clinically beat an onrushing Steve London for Columbus’ all-important first goal. Despite the fact that Columbus continued attacking, the visitors maintained their 2-1 lead until the very late stages of the contest. With about 5 minutes left, Delta’s Gibson Bardsley—who had scored his team’s initial goal—went from hero to goat as he was sent off the field of play for having received his second caution of the match. Then, well into added time, Columbus was finally able to knot the score when Blair Robertson’s wicked shot was first saved by Steve London and then handled by Delta’s Mark Gomes. On the ensuing penalty kick, Steve DeBlasio made no mistake, thus earning his team the well-deserved tie. Needless to say, Columbus’ Steve DeBlasio was outstanding in his forward position as he scored both his team’s goals and also created numerous other opportunities. Substitutes Sheu Fortunato and Leigh Sembaluk also performed admirably in the midfield roles. For Delta United, midfielders Oscar Jimenez and Phil Lensky, as well as defender Brian Fowler, also deserve special mention for their excellent performances. As mentioned earlier, the result helps neither team’s chances of catching third place Richmond FC.
WESTSIDE FC - AKAL FC 3-1: Also on Wednesday evening, at the newly-opened South Memorial Park in Vancouver, Westside FC kept its hopes of qualifying for the Provincial Cup playdowns alive by defeating the visiting Akal FC by a 3-1 margin. The Westsiders came close to opening the score early in the match when Sebastian Crema unleashed a wicked free kick from well outside the penalty area, only to have the ball strike the underside of the crossbar and, subsequently, the goal line. Westside FC kept pressing and finally took the lead at the 20th minute mark when Indy Khabra set up Sebastian Crema with an immaculate square ball, a pass that Crema easily tapped into the empty net for the game’s initial goal. To their credit, the visitors didn’t give up and fought hard for the remainder of the first half in an effort to score the equalizing goal. Early in the second half—at about the 55th minute mark—Akal FC was able to knot the score when Hussein Abu brilliantly headed home a well-struck corner kick by Desmond Tachie. That appeared to be the wake-up call that the Westsiders needed as they once again took over the reins of the match in search of the all-important go-ahead goal. At the 75th minute mark, Sebastian Crema became the provider as he set up Jay Kent-Hume with a clever pass well inside the Akal penalty area. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kent-Hume blasted the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. The insurance marker came shortly thereafter with the ‘Man-of-the-Match’—Sebastian Crema—scoring on a blistering long-range drive to the top corner of the Akal net. Defender Sam Wallace, midfielder Michael Buree, and forward Sebastian Crema played extremely well for Westside FC as they led their team to the all-important victory. As mentioned earlier, the 3 points keep Westside FC’s hopes of qualifying for the Provincial Cup alive, while Akal FC has now been officially relegated to Division 1 as a result of the loss.
ICST PEGASUS - COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES 3-2: The third Wednesday evening game was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and resulted in a 3-2 upset victory by the Pegasus lads over the visiting Metro-Ford Wolves, a result that officially knocked the Wolves out of contention for the Premier Division title. The home team came flying out of the starting blocks and narrowly missed several goalscoring chances before taking an early 2-0 lead with both goals coming from breakaway opportunities. Azad Palani, Sahil Sandhu, and Jag Gill all came very close to scoring very early in the match, but their clear-cut chances all went awry. The first goal was scored at the 15th minute mark by Niko Marcina as he was sent in on goal by an exquisite Diaz Kambere pass. A few minutes later, it was Azad Palani’s turn to race towards the Metro-Ford goal, this time on a great set-up by Jag Gill. In his own inimitable way, Palani blasted the ball past goalkeeper Lucas Menz for Pegasus’ second goal. Shortly before the halftime break, the Wolves bounced back and narrowed the margin when Andrew Veer calmly converted an Oliver Heald corner kick by slotting the ball home from close range. Midway through the second half, Metro-Ford came close the knotting the score when veterans Oliver Heald and Russel Huggon combined to set up Sang Hwang. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Hwang’s shot brushed the outside of the goalpost, with Pegasus’ goalkeeper—Amar Dhinsa—well-beaten. At about the 70th minute mark, Pegasus restored its 2-goal lead as Niko Marcina scored his second goal of the match, this time on a well-placed penalty kick. The spot shot was awarded when young defender Paul Clerc handled the ball inside the Metro-Ford penalty area. The visitors, however, replied in kind and once again narrowed the margin at about the 75th minute mark when Oliver Heald neatly chipped the ball over the Pegasus defense onto the path of a streaking Russel Huggon who made no mistake in firing the ball home from close range. The last 15 minutes of the match proved to be very interesting—although scoreless—as the Wolves applied enormous pressure on the Pegasus defence in search of the equalizer. However, with Metro-Ford frantically pressing forward, Pegasus also had a couple of glorious chances to put the game out of reach but counter-attacks efforts by Jag Gill and Ryan Powell both went awry—the first saved brilliantly by Lucas Menz and the second missing the net by mere inches. Pegasus’ backline—comprised of Paul Bahia, Diaz Kambere, Gurjit Dhaliwal, and Lavy Mangat—did extremely well in keeping the dangerous Metro-Ford attackers at bay for most of the game. Midfielders Niko Marcina and Adam Costley also played extremely well, while forwards Jag Gill and Azad Palani drove the young Coquitlam defenders to distraction with their pace and skill. For the Wolves, veteran midfielder Oliver Heald was outstanding throughout the contest, while young goalkeeper Lucas Menz had to be sharp on several occasions, especially in the first half. The victory improves Pegasus’ record to 11-4-9, good for 6th place in the VMSL Premier Division standings, while Metro-Ford remains in second place with 50 points from 24 games. It should be noted that both teams have qualified for the Provincial Cup playdowns.
ICSF INTER - SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 3-0: The fourth, and final, Wednesday evening match was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and featured ICSF Inter and the already relegated Serbian White Eagles. Needless to say, the ‘Italians’ controlled the play for most of the 90 minutes and walked away with a rather easy 3-0 victory. The White Eagles resorted to a defensive tactic and relied on counter-attacks for their lone goalscoring opportunities. Early in the match, veteran Sasa Vucenovic missed a clear header for the Serbians, while Dalibor Plavsic sailed a couple of shots wide of the net. Otherwise, some solid defending on the part of Inter’s Robert Hall, Ryan Zahjaria, and Milos Jeftic thwarted the quick Serbian forwards and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Dennis Kindel as he gathered the shutout. Inter’s first goal was scored late in the first half by midfielder Colin Streckmann with a lethal strike from 30 yards out. Very early in the second half, forward Liam Miller added the insurance marker to Inter’s tally as he capitalized on a goalmouth scramble, after Sheldin Maistry had inexplicably missed a golden opportunity to score from close range. At about the 80th minute mark, Inter’s Colin Streckmann was fouled inside the White Eagles’ penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. On the ensuing spot shot, Milos Jeftic rounded out the scoring by calmly placing the ball in the back of the Serbian net. Midfielders Colin Streckmann and Joseph Marrello controlled the middle of the park for Inter, while young Luigi Pantusa was a going concern all game long on the left flank. For the White Eagles, defender Miso Rakita, midfielder Stefan Kalaba, and forward Sasa Vucenovic played very well, albeit in a losing cause. It should be noted that Inter’s chances of qualifying for the Provincial Cup playdowns have immensely improved as a result of the victory.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: PUNJAB HURRICANES for their remarkable upset victory over the heavily-favoured Richmond FC Hibernians in the Imperial Cup quarter-finals. The Hurricanes, who are still in danger of getting relegated from the Premier Division, thus qualified for the Imperial Cup semi-finals and, also, for the Provincial Cup playdowns. Led by the incredible performance of young midfielder Bobby Jhutty, the Hurricanes fully deserved their narrow victory over the Hibernians.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ICST Pegasus’ forward AZAD PALANI for his superlative performances in his team’s 2 victories this past week. On Wednesday evening, Pegasus defeated the heavily-favoured Metro-Ford Wolves by a 3-2 score in a regular league game, while on Friday evening, they knocked Westside FC out of the Imperial Cup by beating them by a 4-3 margin. On both occasions, Azad Palani was instrumental in his team’s victories as he scored 3 brilliant goals. For his outstanding performances this past week, AZAD PALANI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2011-04-07.
