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- #41
2010-12-06
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 15
No big upsets took place this past weekend, although ICSF Inter’s 2-1 victory over West Van FC could be classified as a surprise result. Therefore, nothing much changed in the Premier Division standings, with the Metro-Ford Wolves still leading the pack with an impressive 11-3-1 record. At the bottom of the table, the Serbian White Eagles—after upsetting the potent Surrey United last week—returned to their losing ways and thus remained in last place with only 7 points. A couple of key games will be played this weekend with West Van FC hosting Surrey United on Friday evening, while the red-hot ICSF Inter will travel to Coquitlam to take on the league-leading Metro-Ford Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
ICST PEGASUS - SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 4-2: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the hosts came back from a 2-1 deficit and eventually defeated the visiting White Eagles by a reasonably comfortable 4-2 margin. Pegasus took the lead at the 20th minute mark when Omari Aldridge converted a fine cross by Deep Toor into the opening goal. The Serbians fought back tenaciously and quickly restored parity when Bobby Jhutty stole the ball from defender Gurjit Dhaliwal and proceeded to set up Majo Bratic for the equalizer. The White Eagles then took the unexpected lead at the 60th minute when Juan Sanchez’ well-taken free kick was volleyed home by David Hill from the edge of the penalty area. Soon thereafter—at about the 65th minute mark—Pegasus was able to knot the score when a wide-open David Samra easily tapped the ball into the net from close range. Ten minutes later, Pegasus scored what proved to be the winning goal when Niko Marcina sent Omari Aldridge flying towards the White Eagles goal with an exquisite through ball. Aldridge’s shot, however, hit the crossbar but Jag Gill picked up the rebound and slotted the ball home without any hesitation. Late in the game, Aldridge capped off a brilliant individual performance with a brilliant, curling shot from the top of the box, a shot that found the top corner of the net and thus sealed the victory for ICST Pegasus. Midfielders Niko Marcina and Diaz Kambere played extremely well for Pegasus, while forward Omari Aldridge was a going concern throughout the match as he drove the White Eagles defenders to distraction with his pace, skill, and fitness. For the Serbians, defenders Joel Malouf and Derrick Bassi also played very well, while goalkeeper Richard Goddard was forced to make several fine saves in order to keep the score respectable. The victory elevates Pegasus to 9th place in the Premier Division standings, while the White Eagles remained mired in last place with a 2-1-11 record.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WESTSIDE FC 6-2: On Saturday afternoon, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the Firefighters returned to their winning ways with a resounding 6-2 victory over the visiting Westside FC. The home team took the lead early in the match when a penalty kick was awarded for a hand-ball infraction by Westside’s Graeme Webber. Rizal Ganief stepped up to the place and hammered the ball home for the opening goal. At about the 15th minute mark, Surrey United increased its lead when Lucas Barrett slammed home a fine cross by Ryan Reynolds from close range. To their credit, the visitors fought back tenaciously and were rewarded at the 25th minute mark when James Brown’s shot was deflected into the net by a Surrey defender. For the next 15 minutes the Westsiders enjoyed their best spell of the game and pushed forward in search of the equalizer, forcing the Firemen back on their defensive heels. As luck would have it, however, it was Surrey United that scored just before the halftime whistle, thus restoring its 2-goal lead. The play started with former Whitecap Steve Kindel crossing a fine ball into the box from the left flank. The ball was subsequently flicked on by Ryan Reynolds and slammed home from close range by young Raakim Amijee. Early in the second half, Surrey United put the game out of Westside’s reach when Andrew Proctor controlled a Mason Webb cross before placing the ball into the corner of the net. The visitors refused to quit and once again fought back and narrowed the margin at the 65th minute mark on a counter-attack goal by young Michael Buree. Five minutes later, however, Surrey United scored its fifth goal of the contest when Rizal Ganief finished off a picture-perfect cross from young Sean Einarsson to notch his second goal of the match. Surrey rounded out the scoring late in the game when substitute Cam Wilson tucked home an Angus Burke feed. Despite the loss, Westside’s central midfielder Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone played extremely well throughout the contest. The Firefighters’ victory solidifies their hold on second place, with a 9-2-3 record, while Westside FC remains in 6th place with 22 points.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - PUNJAB HURRICANES 3-2: The second Saturday game was played at Minoru Park in Richmond between the red-hot Hibernians and the up-and-down Hurricanes. At the end of the day, the Hibs walked away with the hard-earned 3 points—their fourth victory in a row. The Hurricanes took the early lead when Josh Bennett won a 50-50 ball in the middle of the park and sent a streaking Roman Doutkevich on a breakaway with an immaculate pass. Doutkevich proceeded to slot the ball into the back of the net, past a charging Luke O’Shea—the Richmond goalkeeper. Midway through the first half, Richmond knotted the score when Taj Sangara converted a great cross by midfielder Craig McMillan, who had previously beat 3 defenders on his way towards the Hurricanes’ goal. Shortly thereafter, the desperate Hurricanes regained the lead when Joey Brar finished off a well-taken corner kick by Gagan Josan by volleying the ball into the top left corner of the Richmond net. The Hibernians once again tied things up early in the second half when Taj Sangara scored his second goal of the match, this time on a great header from a perfectly-placed cross by Alan Chivers. At the 75th minute mark, Richmond FC scored the winning goal when Taj Sangara became the provider as he set up Mark Sammarco with a brilliant cross-field diagonal pass. Sammarco calmly controlled the ball and half-volleyed it into the Punjab net. Late in the game, the Hurricanes almost tied things up but Roman Doutkevich’s shot—from outside the penalty area—grazed the crossbar and sailed over the net. Needless to say, Taj Sangara played extremely well for the home team as he scored two great goals and also set up the winner. Forward Brad Caldwell, midfielder Alan Chivers, and defender Geoff Salt also turned in excellent performances for the victorious Hibernians. For the Hurricanes, defender Joey Brar and forward Roman Doutkevich also played very well, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of their fourth consecutive victory, the Hibernians find themselves in 7th place, with a 6-3-5 record, while the Hurricanes are still in penultimate place, with only 10 points from 14 games.
ICSF INTER - WEST VAN FC 2-1: Also on Saturday afternoon, at Burnaby Lake West Complex, ICSF Inter upset the visiting West Van FC by a close 2-1 score. The visitors had most of the possession in the early going and applied a lot of pressure on the Inter defence. However, the former Trollers were unable to capitalize on their numerous opportunities and the game remained scoreless till the 35th mark. At this juncture—against the run of play—Inter took the lead when veteran midfielder Joseph Marrello spotted a streaking Dominic Delli Santi and set him up with a perfect pass. Delli Santi then proceeded to neatly tuck the ball into the back of the net for the game’s opening goal. West Van continued to press but Inter’s goalkeeper—Erman Ozkan—came up with some brilliant saves to keep his team in the lead until the halftime whistle. Early in the second half, West Van finally knotted the score when Ryan Glanville was fouled inside the penalty area by Michael Winters. On the ensuing penalty kick, veteran Paul Dailly made no mistake as he calmly deposited the ball into the net for the equalizer. The ‘Italians’ responded positively and created a few goalscoring chances of their own. In particular, Sheldin Maistry and Joseph Marrello came very close to scoring but watched agonizingly as their shots barely missed the net. At the 73rd minute mark, Inter regained the lead when midfielder Colin Streckmann played a clever ball to Mike D’Agostino who was subsequently fouled inside the West Van penalty area by Drew Gelley. A penalty kick was awarded and Gelley was sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Bevan Footman converted the penalty kick, thus giving Inter the lead and the eventual victory. Late in the game, West Van’s Milad Rahmati was also red-carded for a serious foul play infraction, leaving his team with only 9 men for the rest of the match. Defender Michael Winter turned in a marvellous performance for ICSF Inter, while young midfielders Luigi Pantusa, Dom Delli Santi, and Mike D’Agostino worked very hard and effectively during the entire match. The victory elevates ICSF Inter to a 7th place tie with the Richmond Hibernians, while West Van FC remains in a third place tie with Columbus FC and Delta United.
SAPPERTON ROVERS - CROATIA SC 0-0: The fourth, and last, Saturday game was played at Queen’s Park Stadium and featured two teams desperately in need of points: the host Sapperton Rovers and the visiting Croatia SC. Both teams fought hard but, in the end, had to settle for a scoreless draw, a result which can be defined as disappointing. The Rovers began the game brightly, instilling their robust, physical game in search of the badly-needed 3 points. The Croatians, on the other hand, maintained their ground and slowly began to carve out opportunities of their own, after wrestling possession from the Rovers as the first half progressed. At the 17th minute mark, Croatia’s goalkeeper—Didar Sandhu—made a wonderful reflex save when a great cross by Mark McQuade was headed towards the goal by an unmarked Ted Ullrich. To add insult to Sapperton’s injury, Kevin Booker picked up the rebound and inexplicably missed the net with his close-range shot. Shortly thereafter, Ullrich once again came close to scoring but, once again, Sandhu pulled off a great save to keep the game scoreless. The Croatians replied in kind and, at the 26th minute mark, young Kresemir Bebic raced in on goal on a partial breakaway only to have goalkeeper Garth Legasse come up with an outstanding save. Early in the second half, a fine interplay between Johnny Sulentic and Selim Karim resulted in an opportunity for Croatia’s Chris Craveiro, only to have his shot cleared off the line by Sapperton defender Brayden Volkenant. Shortly thereafter, at about the 65th minute mark, the Croatians again came close to taking the lead but, once again, goalkeeper Garth Legasse rose to the occasion and made a great save on a redirected shot by Chris Craveiro. Late in the match, Johnny Sulentic beat several Sapperton defenders before slipping a clever pass to an unmarked Goran Vitic whose chip shot barely missed the net. Both goalkeepers—Croatia’s Didar Sandhu and Sapperton’s Garth Legasse—played extremely well throughout the contest and fully deserved their shutouts. Croatia’s backline—composed of Matteo Agnoloni, Darko Jelic, Maarten Koorn, and Andrew Parkes—was rock-solid, while Sapperton’s defensive unit—Mark McQuade, Brayden Volkenant, and Rhys Volkenant—also played very well. As mentioned earlier, the result does neither team any favours as they both remain in danger of relegation.
COLUMBUS FC - AKAL FC 3-0: On Sunday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Columbus FC remained in contention for the league title by defeating the visiting Akal FC by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The ‘Italians’ got off to a great start and took control of the match right from the opening whistle. They were rewarded at the 5th minute mark when a well-taken corner kick by Steve DeBlasio found defender Blair Robertson at the far post. Robertson proceeded to calmly slot the ball into the back of the Akal net for what proved to be the winning goal. A few minutes later, Stefano Pannu received a brilliant pass from Steve Frazao just outside the Akal penalty area and unleashed a powerful, low shot that caught the inside of the post, giving the Akal goalkeeper—Nuno Jesus—no chance whatsoever. Columbus could easily have added a couple of more goals but breakaway chances by Steve Frazao and Nathan Quan went awry with Frazao barely missing the net and Quan having his shot brilliantly saved by Nuno Jesus. Late in the first half, Columbus put the game out of Akal’s reach when Stefano Pannu found an unmarked Kazunori Kikuchi inside the Akal penalty area. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kikuchi put an end to Akal’s chances of recovery with a brilliant shot. In the second half, Columbus appeared to take its foot off the pedal as Akal tried hard to get back into the match. Early in the second half, Akal’s Desmond Tachie came close to narrowing the margin but his excellent shot bounced off the post and out of danger. Soon thereafter, Tachie was fouled inside the penalty area by Columbus’ Blair Robertson, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to Akal FC. Tachie himself took the spot shot but he blasted the ball wide thus maintaining Thomas Lindley rather easy shutout—his 6th clean-sheet of the season. Columbus’ forward Kazunori Kikuchi and midfielder Stefano Pannu turned in solid performances while Nathan Quan and Blair Robertson anchored the backline very effectively. Columbus thus remains in third place, with a 8-1-4 record, while Akal FC is getting closer and closer to the dreaded relegation zone!
METRO-FORD WOLVES - DELTA UNITED 3-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, the league leading Metro-Ford Wolves defeated the aspiring Delta United by a 3-1 margin after a very entertaining and well-played 90 minute of non-stop action. Delta United got off to a great start and almost took the lead in the first minute of play when veteran Shawn Blakeway’s diving header—on a cross by Harp Khakh—barely missed the Metro-Ford net. The Wolves replied in kind and came close to taking the lead at the 9th minute mark but a well-taken shot by Jovan Blagojevic was brilliantly saved by Delta’s veteran goalkeeper, Steve London. Then it was Delta’s turn as Mike Gomes’ header barely missed the net after he had been set up by Shawn Blakeway. Midway through the first half, however, the Wolves took the lead with Blagojevic once again involved in the play. On this occasion, he unleashed a wicked shot from the edge of the penalty area, once again forcing London to make a semi-miraculous save. Luckily for the Wolves, veteran Russel Huggon was in the right place at the right time as he hammered home the rebound from close range to give his team the lead. Soon thereafter, Delta United almost knotted the score as Harp Khakh sent Shawn Blakeway racing in on goal on a breakaway. Unfortunately for the home team, Blakeway’s shot narrowly missed the target and the score remained 1-0 for the visitors till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Delta United tried desperately to get back into the match but, as luck would have it, it was Metro-Ford that added to its lead on a lethal counter-attack as Carlo Basso played a clever ball to a streaking Jovan Blagojevic who raced in behind the Delta backline before calmly slotting the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Shortly thereafter, however, Delta United got back into the game when Mike Gomes took advantage of a rather ugly goal-mouth scramble and sent the ball in the direction of the Metro-Ford net where it was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Russel Huggon. At the 80th minute mark, Huggon made amends for his previous faux-pas as he beat a few Delta defenders before slipping the ball to an unmarked Carlo Basso who hammered home the Wolves’ third goal from just inside the penalty area. Despite the loss, Delta’s goalkeeper Steve London turned in yet another superlative performance, while forward Harp Khakh and midfielder Mike Gomes also played remarkably well during the entire 90 minutes. For Metro-Ford, the defensive quartet—veteran Cliff Vaghy and youngsters Connor Ayre, Paul Clerc, and Kia Mirzahossein—were outstanding as they kept Delta’s vaunted attackers at bay. Young midfielder Devin Phelan also turned in a brilliant performance while forwards Carlo Basso and Jovan Blagojevic were more than a handful for the Delta defenders throughout the match. The victory solidifies the Wolves’ hold on first place, while Delta United remains tied for third place, with an admirable 8-1-5 record.
ICSF INTER - WESTSIDE FC 1-0: On Wednesday, December 1, a Day 13 make-up game was played at Vancouver Technical School between two middle of the pack teams: ICSF Inter and Westside FC. The match, between two committed and evenly-matched teams, was hard-fought and ended with a 1-0 victory for the ‘Italians’. Westside FC had a difficult time adjusting to the Inter formation in the early going and absorbed some substantial pressure. The Westsiders managed to adjust their shape and eventually got more into the game but, as the momentum appeared to shift, it was Inter that took the lead at the 40th minute mark when young veteran Andrew Corazza took advantage of some poor communication among the Westside defenders and clinically finished off the lone goal of the contest. Both teams traded chances for the remainder of the first half and Westside was unfortunate not to get the equalizer when Sebastian Crema and Andrew Czalij were both stymied by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan in rapid succession. The second half saw Westside FC press hard for the equalizer, while Inter relied mainly on defending and counter-attacking, a tactic that proved to be very successful. In particular, on one of Inter’s counter-attacks, Sheldin Maistry was unable to take advantage of a defensive blunder as his shot went wide of the open net. Midfielders Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone, James Brown, and Andre` Herath played extremely well for Westside FC, as did veteran defender Andrew Czalij. For Inter, defender Michael Winter was a tower of strength throughout the match, while goalkeeper Erman Ozkan fully earned his shutout with some excellent goalkeeping. Also, young midfielders Luigi Pantusa and Domenico Delli Santi once again performed admirably.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-0: On Tuesday, November 30, another Day 13 match was played, this one at Charles Best School in Coquitlam between the league-leading Metro-Ford Wolves and the struggling Sapperton Rovers. At the end of the day, the young Wolves prevailed by a 2-0 margin with Jovan Blagojevic scoring both goals in fine fashion. The first goal was scored at the 15th minute mark when Blagojevic collected the ball near the touchline, proceeded to twist himself around a couple of Sapperton defenders before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top corner of the net. Then, at the 30th minute mark, Blagojevic repeated his earlier feat as he dribbled around a Sapperton defender before tucking the ball under the Sapperton goalkeeper for the insurance marker. At the other end of the pitch, Metro-Ford goalkeeper Lucas Menz had to come up with a couple of brilliant saves—on shots by Ted Ullrich and Jason Pierotti—to maintain his team’s lead and his clean sheet. In the second half, the Wolves continued to press and could have increased their margin of victory had it not been for some outstanding goalkeeping on the part of Simon Postma—particularly on shots by Blagojevic, Alfredo Valente, and Russel Huggon. Defensively, Metro-Ford’s young centre-backs Paul Clerc and Sam Coulter were rock solid throughout the match while midfielders Rob Sing and Jay Gangnes performed admirably for the Rovers, albeit in a losing cause.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter for its excellent performances in beating Westside FC and West Van FC by narrow, but well-earned margins. Led by the fine play of young defender Michael Winter—as well as even younger midfielders Domenico Delli Santi and Luigi Pantusa—Inter climbed to 7th place in the standings as a result of the two very important victories. Inter’s overall record is now an even 6-3-6.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Metro-Ford Wolves wide midfielder JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC for his remarkable performances in his team’s victories over the Sapperton Rovers and Delta United. On both occasions, Blagojevic led the way with his inimitable skill and pace. Against the Rovers, he scored both goals—in brilliant fashion—in his team’s 2-0 victory. Against Delta, he scored yet another fantastic goal and set up two others. For his magnificent performances, JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-12-30.
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 15
No big upsets took place this past weekend, although ICSF Inter’s 2-1 victory over West Van FC could be classified as a surprise result. Therefore, nothing much changed in the Premier Division standings, with the Metro-Ford Wolves still leading the pack with an impressive 11-3-1 record. At the bottom of the table, the Serbian White Eagles—after upsetting the potent Surrey United last week—returned to their losing ways and thus remained in last place with only 7 points. A couple of key games will be played this weekend with West Van FC hosting Surrey United on Friday evening, while the red-hot ICSF Inter will travel to Coquitlam to take on the league-leading Metro-Ford Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
ICST PEGASUS - SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 4-2: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the hosts came back from a 2-1 deficit and eventually defeated the visiting White Eagles by a reasonably comfortable 4-2 margin. Pegasus took the lead at the 20th minute mark when Omari Aldridge converted a fine cross by Deep Toor into the opening goal. The Serbians fought back tenaciously and quickly restored parity when Bobby Jhutty stole the ball from defender Gurjit Dhaliwal and proceeded to set up Majo Bratic for the equalizer. The White Eagles then took the unexpected lead at the 60th minute when Juan Sanchez’ well-taken free kick was volleyed home by David Hill from the edge of the penalty area. Soon thereafter—at about the 65th minute mark—Pegasus was able to knot the score when a wide-open David Samra easily tapped the ball into the net from close range. Ten minutes later, Pegasus scored what proved to be the winning goal when Niko Marcina sent Omari Aldridge flying towards the White Eagles goal with an exquisite through ball. Aldridge’s shot, however, hit the crossbar but Jag Gill picked up the rebound and slotted the ball home without any hesitation. Late in the game, Aldridge capped off a brilliant individual performance with a brilliant, curling shot from the top of the box, a shot that found the top corner of the net and thus sealed the victory for ICST Pegasus. Midfielders Niko Marcina and Diaz Kambere played extremely well for Pegasus, while forward Omari Aldridge was a going concern throughout the match as he drove the White Eagles defenders to distraction with his pace, skill, and fitness. For the Serbians, defenders Joel Malouf and Derrick Bassi also played very well, while goalkeeper Richard Goddard was forced to make several fine saves in order to keep the score respectable. The victory elevates Pegasus to 9th place in the Premier Division standings, while the White Eagles remained mired in last place with a 2-1-11 record.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - WESTSIDE FC 6-2: On Saturday afternoon, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the Firefighters returned to their winning ways with a resounding 6-2 victory over the visiting Westside FC. The home team took the lead early in the match when a penalty kick was awarded for a hand-ball infraction by Westside’s Graeme Webber. Rizal Ganief stepped up to the place and hammered the ball home for the opening goal. At about the 15th minute mark, Surrey United increased its lead when Lucas Barrett slammed home a fine cross by Ryan Reynolds from close range. To their credit, the visitors fought back tenaciously and were rewarded at the 25th minute mark when James Brown’s shot was deflected into the net by a Surrey defender. For the next 15 minutes the Westsiders enjoyed their best spell of the game and pushed forward in search of the equalizer, forcing the Firemen back on their defensive heels. As luck would have it, however, it was Surrey United that scored just before the halftime whistle, thus restoring its 2-goal lead. The play started with former Whitecap Steve Kindel crossing a fine ball into the box from the left flank. The ball was subsequently flicked on by Ryan Reynolds and slammed home from close range by young Raakim Amijee. Early in the second half, Surrey United put the game out of Westside’s reach when Andrew Proctor controlled a Mason Webb cross before placing the ball into the corner of the net. The visitors refused to quit and once again fought back and narrowed the margin at the 65th minute mark on a counter-attack goal by young Michael Buree. Five minutes later, however, Surrey United scored its fifth goal of the contest when Rizal Ganief finished off a picture-perfect cross from young Sean Einarsson to notch his second goal of the match. Surrey rounded out the scoring late in the game when substitute Cam Wilson tucked home an Angus Burke feed. Despite the loss, Westside’s central midfielder Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone played extremely well throughout the contest. The Firefighters’ victory solidifies their hold on second place, with a 9-2-3 record, while Westside FC remains in 6th place with 22 points.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS - PUNJAB HURRICANES 3-2: The second Saturday game was played at Minoru Park in Richmond between the red-hot Hibernians and the up-and-down Hurricanes. At the end of the day, the Hibs walked away with the hard-earned 3 points—their fourth victory in a row. The Hurricanes took the early lead when Josh Bennett won a 50-50 ball in the middle of the park and sent a streaking Roman Doutkevich on a breakaway with an immaculate pass. Doutkevich proceeded to slot the ball into the back of the net, past a charging Luke O’Shea—the Richmond goalkeeper. Midway through the first half, Richmond knotted the score when Taj Sangara converted a great cross by midfielder Craig McMillan, who had previously beat 3 defenders on his way towards the Hurricanes’ goal. Shortly thereafter, the desperate Hurricanes regained the lead when Joey Brar finished off a well-taken corner kick by Gagan Josan by volleying the ball into the top left corner of the Richmond net. The Hibernians once again tied things up early in the second half when Taj Sangara scored his second goal of the match, this time on a great header from a perfectly-placed cross by Alan Chivers. At the 75th minute mark, Richmond FC scored the winning goal when Taj Sangara became the provider as he set up Mark Sammarco with a brilliant cross-field diagonal pass. Sammarco calmly controlled the ball and half-volleyed it into the Punjab net. Late in the game, the Hurricanes almost tied things up but Roman Doutkevich’s shot—from outside the penalty area—grazed the crossbar and sailed over the net. Needless to say, Taj Sangara played extremely well for the home team as he scored two great goals and also set up the winner. Forward Brad Caldwell, midfielder Alan Chivers, and defender Geoff Salt also turned in excellent performances for the victorious Hibernians. For the Hurricanes, defender Joey Brar and forward Roman Doutkevich also played very well, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of their fourth consecutive victory, the Hibernians find themselves in 7th place, with a 6-3-5 record, while the Hurricanes are still in penultimate place, with only 10 points from 14 games.
ICSF INTER - WEST VAN FC 2-1: Also on Saturday afternoon, at Burnaby Lake West Complex, ICSF Inter upset the visiting West Van FC by a close 2-1 score. The visitors had most of the possession in the early going and applied a lot of pressure on the Inter defence. However, the former Trollers were unable to capitalize on their numerous opportunities and the game remained scoreless till the 35th mark. At this juncture—against the run of play—Inter took the lead when veteran midfielder Joseph Marrello spotted a streaking Dominic Delli Santi and set him up with a perfect pass. Delli Santi then proceeded to neatly tuck the ball into the back of the net for the game’s opening goal. West Van continued to press but Inter’s goalkeeper—Erman Ozkan—came up with some brilliant saves to keep his team in the lead until the halftime whistle. Early in the second half, West Van finally knotted the score when Ryan Glanville was fouled inside the penalty area by Michael Winters. On the ensuing penalty kick, veteran Paul Dailly made no mistake as he calmly deposited the ball into the net for the equalizer. The ‘Italians’ responded positively and created a few goalscoring chances of their own. In particular, Sheldin Maistry and Joseph Marrello came very close to scoring but watched agonizingly as their shots barely missed the net. At the 73rd minute mark, Inter regained the lead when midfielder Colin Streckmann played a clever ball to Mike D’Agostino who was subsequently fouled inside the West Van penalty area by Drew Gelley. A penalty kick was awarded and Gelley was sent off for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Bevan Footman converted the penalty kick, thus giving Inter the lead and the eventual victory. Late in the game, West Van’s Milad Rahmati was also red-carded for a serious foul play infraction, leaving his team with only 9 men for the rest of the match. Defender Michael Winter turned in a marvellous performance for ICSF Inter, while young midfielders Luigi Pantusa, Dom Delli Santi, and Mike D’Agostino worked very hard and effectively during the entire match. The victory elevates ICSF Inter to a 7th place tie with the Richmond Hibernians, while West Van FC remains in a third place tie with Columbus FC and Delta United.
SAPPERTON ROVERS - CROATIA SC 0-0: The fourth, and last, Saturday game was played at Queen’s Park Stadium and featured two teams desperately in need of points: the host Sapperton Rovers and the visiting Croatia SC. Both teams fought hard but, in the end, had to settle for a scoreless draw, a result which can be defined as disappointing. The Rovers began the game brightly, instilling their robust, physical game in search of the badly-needed 3 points. The Croatians, on the other hand, maintained their ground and slowly began to carve out opportunities of their own, after wrestling possession from the Rovers as the first half progressed. At the 17th minute mark, Croatia’s goalkeeper—Didar Sandhu—made a wonderful reflex save when a great cross by Mark McQuade was headed towards the goal by an unmarked Ted Ullrich. To add insult to Sapperton’s injury, Kevin Booker picked up the rebound and inexplicably missed the net with his close-range shot. Shortly thereafter, Ullrich once again came close to scoring but, once again, Sandhu pulled off a great save to keep the game scoreless. The Croatians replied in kind and, at the 26th minute mark, young Kresemir Bebic raced in on goal on a partial breakaway only to have goalkeeper Garth Legasse come up with an outstanding save. Early in the second half, a fine interplay between Johnny Sulentic and Selim Karim resulted in an opportunity for Croatia’s Chris Craveiro, only to have his shot cleared off the line by Sapperton defender Brayden Volkenant. Shortly thereafter, at about the 65th minute mark, the Croatians again came close to taking the lead but, once again, goalkeeper Garth Legasse rose to the occasion and made a great save on a redirected shot by Chris Craveiro. Late in the match, Johnny Sulentic beat several Sapperton defenders before slipping a clever pass to an unmarked Goran Vitic whose chip shot barely missed the net. Both goalkeepers—Croatia’s Didar Sandhu and Sapperton’s Garth Legasse—played extremely well throughout the contest and fully deserved their shutouts. Croatia’s backline—composed of Matteo Agnoloni, Darko Jelic, Maarten Koorn, and Andrew Parkes—was rock-solid, while Sapperton’s defensive unit—Mark McQuade, Brayden Volkenant, and Rhys Volkenant—also played very well. As mentioned earlier, the result does neither team any favours as they both remain in danger of relegation.
COLUMBUS FC - AKAL FC 3-0: On Sunday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Columbus FC remained in contention for the league title by defeating the visiting Akal FC by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The ‘Italians’ got off to a great start and took control of the match right from the opening whistle. They were rewarded at the 5th minute mark when a well-taken corner kick by Steve DeBlasio found defender Blair Robertson at the far post. Robertson proceeded to calmly slot the ball into the back of the Akal net for what proved to be the winning goal. A few minutes later, Stefano Pannu received a brilliant pass from Steve Frazao just outside the Akal penalty area and unleashed a powerful, low shot that caught the inside of the post, giving the Akal goalkeeper—Nuno Jesus—no chance whatsoever. Columbus could easily have added a couple of more goals but breakaway chances by Steve Frazao and Nathan Quan went awry with Frazao barely missing the net and Quan having his shot brilliantly saved by Nuno Jesus. Late in the first half, Columbus put the game out of Akal’s reach when Stefano Pannu found an unmarked Kazunori Kikuchi inside the Akal penalty area. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kikuchi put an end to Akal’s chances of recovery with a brilliant shot. In the second half, Columbus appeared to take its foot off the pedal as Akal tried hard to get back into the match. Early in the second half, Akal’s Desmond Tachie came close to narrowing the margin but his excellent shot bounced off the post and out of danger. Soon thereafter, Tachie was fouled inside the penalty area by Columbus’ Blair Robertson, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to Akal FC. Tachie himself took the spot shot but he blasted the ball wide thus maintaining Thomas Lindley rather easy shutout—his 6th clean-sheet of the season. Columbus’ forward Kazunori Kikuchi and midfielder Stefano Pannu turned in solid performances while Nathan Quan and Blair Robertson anchored the backline very effectively. Columbus thus remains in third place, with a 8-1-4 record, while Akal FC is getting closer and closer to the dreaded relegation zone!
METRO-FORD WOLVES - DELTA UNITED 3-1: Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, the league leading Metro-Ford Wolves defeated the aspiring Delta United by a 3-1 margin after a very entertaining and well-played 90 minute of non-stop action. Delta United got off to a great start and almost took the lead in the first minute of play when veteran Shawn Blakeway’s diving header—on a cross by Harp Khakh—barely missed the Metro-Ford net. The Wolves replied in kind and came close to taking the lead at the 9th minute mark but a well-taken shot by Jovan Blagojevic was brilliantly saved by Delta’s veteran goalkeeper, Steve London. Then it was Delta’s turn as Mike Gomes’ header barely missed the net after he had been set up by Shawn Blakeway. Midway through the first half, however, the Wolves took the lead with Blagojevic once again involved in the play. On this occasion, he unleashed a wicked shot from the edge of the penalty area, once again forcing London to make a semi-miraculous save. Luckily for the Wolves, veteran Russel Huggon was in the right place at the right time as he hammered home the rebound from close range to give his team the lead. Soon thereafter, Delta United almost knotted the score as Harp Khakh sent Shawn Blakeway racing in on goal on a breakaway. Unfortunately for the home team, Blakeway’s shot narrowly missed the target and the score remained 1-0 for the visitors till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Delta United tried desperately to get back into the match but, as luck would have it, it was Metro-Ford that added to its lead on a lethal counter-attack as Carlo Basso played a clever ball to a streaking Jovan Blagojevic who raced in behind the Delta backline before calmly slotting the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Shortly thereafter, however, Delta United got back into the game when Mike Gomes took advantage of a rather ugly goal-mouth scramble and sent the ball in the direction of the Metro-Ford net where it was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Russel Huggon. At the 80th minute mark, Huggon made amends for his previous faux-pas as he beat a few Delta defenders before slipping the ball to an unmarked Carlo Basso who hammered home the Wolves’ third goal from just inside the penalty area. Despite the loss, Delta’s goalkeeper Steve London turned in yet another superlative performance, while forward Harp Khakh and midfielder Mike Gomes also played remarkably well during the entire 90 minutes. For Metro-Ford, the defensive quartet—veteran Cliff Vaghy and youngsters Connor Ayre, Paul Clerc, and Kia Mirzahossein—were outstanding as they kept Delta’s vaunted attackers at bay. Young midfielder Devin Phelan also turned in a brilliant performance while forwards Carlo Basso and Jovan Blagojevic were more than a handful for the Delta defenders throughout the match. The victory solidifies the Wolves’ hold on first place, while Delta United remains tied for third place, with an admirable 8-1-5 record.
ICSF INTER - WESTSIDE FC 1-0: On Wednesday, December 1, a Day 13 make-up game was played at Vancouver Technical School between two middle of the pack teams: ICSF Inter and Westside FC. The match, between two committed and evenly-matched teams, was hard-fought and ended with a 1-0 victory for the ‘Italians’. Westside FC had a difficult time adjusting to the Inter formation in the early going and absorbed some substantial pressure. The Westsiders managed to adjust their shape and eventually got more into the game but, as the momentum appeared to shift, it was Inter that took the lead at the 40th minute mark when young veteran Andrew Corazza took advantage of some poor communication among the Westside defenders and clinically finished off the lone goal of the contest. Both teams traded chances for the remainder of the first half and Westside was unfortunate not to get the equalizer when Sebastian Crema and Andrew Czalij were both stymied by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan in rapid succession. The second half saw Westside FC press hard for the equalizer, while Inter relied mainly on defending and counter-attacking, a tactic that proved to be very successful. In particular, on one of Inter’s counter-attacks, Sheldin Maistry was unable to take advantage of a defensive blunder as his shot went wide of the open net. Midfielders Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone, James Brown, and Andre` Herath played extremely well for Westside FC, as did veteran defender Andrew Czalij. For Inter, defender Michael Winter was a tower of strength throughout the match, while goalkeeper Erman Ozkan fully earned his shutout with some excellent goalkeeping. Also, young midfielders Luigi Pantusa and Domenico Delli Santi once again performed admirably.
METRO-FORD WOLVES - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-0: On Tuesday, November 30, another Day 13 match was played, this one at Charles Best School in Coquitlam between the league-leading Metro-Ford Wolves and the struggling Sapperton Rovers. At the end of the day, the young Wolves prevailed by a 2-0 margin with Jovan Blagojevic scoring both goals in fine fashion. The first goal was scored at the 15th minute mark when Blagojevic collected the ball near the touchline, proceeded to twist himself around a couple of Sapperton defenders before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top corner of the net. Then, at the 30th minute mark, Blagojevic repeated his earlier feat as he dribbled around a Sapperton defender before tucking the ball under the Sapperton goalkeeper for the insurance marker. At the other end of the pitch, Metro-Ford goalkeeper Lucas Menz had to come up with a couple of brilliant saves—on shots by Ted Ullrich and Jason Pierotti—to maintain his team’s lead and his clean sheet. In the second half, the Wolves continued to press and could have increased their margin of victory had it not been for some outstanding goalkeeping on the part of Simon Postma—particularly on shots by Blagojevic, Alfredo Valente, and Russel Huggon. Defensively, Metro-Ford’s young centre-backs Paul Clerc and Sam Coulter were rock solid throughout the match while midfielders Rob Sing and Jay Gangnes performed admirably for the Rovers, albeit in a losing cause.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: ICSF Inter for its excellent performances in beating Westside FC and West Van FC by narrow, but well-earned margins. Led by the fine play of young defender Michael Winter—as well as even younger midfielders Domenico Delli Santi and Luigi Pantusa—Inter climbed to 7th place in the standings as a result of the two very important victories. Inter’s overall record is now an even 6-3-6.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Metro-Ford Wolves wide midfielder JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC for his remarkable performances in his team’s victories over the Sapperton Rovers and Delta United. On both occasions, Blagojevic led the way with his inimitable skill and pace. Against the Rovers, he scored both goals—in brilliant fashion—in his team’s 2-0 victory. Against Delta, he scored yet another fantastic goal and set up two others. For his magnificent performances, JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-12-30.
