2010-05-17

PROVINCIAL  CUP—FINALS

This past weekend, all 3 Provincial Cup finals took place at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. The finals were hosted by the Vancouver Island Soccer League and proved to be a huge success. Numerous spectators were in attendance, particularly for the ‘A’ Cup final between Victoria Gorge FC and the Surrey United Firefighters. The VMSL was represented in all three finals and came away with two victories—the Under 21 Doug Day trophy (won by the Metro-Ford Jr. Wolves) and the Masters’ Deryl Hughes trophy (won by Westside FC). Unfortunately, the main award—the ‘A’ Cup—was won by the hosting Victoria Gorge FC,  thus denying Surrey United the chance of emulating last season’s performance by West Van FC by winning the triple crown.

METRO-FORD JR. WOLVES  -  BAYS UNITED  1-0:  On Sunday, at 11:00 a.m., things got under way at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria as the VMSL league and cup winners—Metro-Ford Jr. Wolves—took on the Vancouver Island champions—Bays United—in the Under 21 Provincial Cup final. The Jr. Wolves got off to a rather tentative start and allowed the host team to dominate play during most of the first half. Only some excellent defending on the part of Brendan Besuschko and Roberto Ramogida—as well as some outstanding goalkeeping by Dillan Fogliato—kept the home team off the scoresheet. The second half, however, told a totally different story as Metro-Ford took over the reins of the match and eventually scored the winning goal to lay claim to the coveted Doug Day trophy. The insertion of midfielder Chris Locke paid enormous dividends as he continually drove his opponents to distraction with his speed and skill. The lone goal was scored midway through the second half by Milad Mehrabi as he converted an excellent pass by Jovan Blagojevic, who had earlier been set up by Chris Locke. It should be mentioned that Blagojevic was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding performance throughout the contest.  The Jr. Wolves thus lay claim to their third trophy of the season, after having captured the League title and the League Cup. Congratulations to the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Jr. Wolves!!!

VICTORIA GORGE FC  -  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  2-1:  The ‘Main Event’ featured the VISL perennial champions—Victoria Gorge FC—and the VMSL League and Imperial Cup winners—Surrey United Firefighters. Gorge FC took the early lead on a brilliant goal by Sean Battistoni after he received a great pass from Patrick Gawrys. The Firefighters tried hard to get back in the match, but some excellent defending by Victoria’s back four kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers at bay. Midway through the second half, Gorge FC doubled its lead on a fine header by Kellen Holden—on a cross by Kevin Mennie. Very late in the match, Surrey United was finally able to get on the scoreboard when a rather harmless shot by playing-coach Niall Thompson found its way in the back of the net past a stunned goalkeeper, Joel Galbraith. Gorge’s Liam Gerard was deservedly named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his excellent effort during the entire match. Gorge FC will now represent British Columbia in the National Championships which will be held in Prince Edward Island in early October. CONGRATULATIONS TO VICTORIA GORGE FC, AND GOOD LUCK IN THE NATIONALS!!

WESTSIDE FC  -  DELTA UNITED  2-1:  The final match of the day featured two Lower Mainland teams:  Delta United from the FVSL and the VMSL’s Westside FC. The Fraser Valley team took the early lead on a superlative goal scored by Valdy Widera as he struck the ball with the outside of his right foot from the corner of the penalty area, a shot that found the back of the net past a bewildered Mike Wicken. The shot can best be described as a world-class effort! Late in the first half, Colin Pettingale tied things up as he was sent streaking in on goal by Mike Mosher’s clever through ball. Both teams took turns attacking and defending during the second half, but some excellent goalkeeping by Westside’s Mike Wicken and Delta’s Larry Swart kept the score tied at 1-1 till the end of regulation time. Midway through the first overtime period, Swart’s attempt to clear a cross by Mike Mosher bounced off the back of Westside’s Arthur Dahl and into the net for the game’s winning goal. Westside’s midfielder Keith Moore was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his tireless performance during the entire match. Westside FC will now represent British Columbia in the annual Western Canada championships. CONGRATULATIONS TO WESTSIDE FC and GOOD LUCK IN THE WESTERN CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!

TEAMS OF THE WEEK:  WESTSIDE FC ‘M’ and METRO-FORD JR. WOLVES for respectively winning the Masters’ and Under 21 Provincial Cups. Both teams worked tremendously hard to win the coveted titles and fully deserved their victories. Westside FC will now participate in the Western Canadian Championships which will be held in early October.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  Westside FC’s KEITH MOORE and Metro-Ford Jr. Wolves’ JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC for having been named Most Valuable Players in the Masters’ and Under 21 finals. Both players performed admirably and fully deserved the awards. For their brilliant performances, KEITH MOORE and JOVAN BLAGOJEVIC will each receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-06-03.

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2010-05-03

PROVINCIAL  CUP—SEMI-FINALS

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  COLUMBUS FC   1-0:  On Saturday afternoon, at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam, Surrey United advanced to the Provincial ‘A’ Cup finals by virtue of a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Columbus FC.  Columbus, led by the excellent play of forward Tiarnan King and midfielder Steve Frazao, dominated the first half of the game and only some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Surrey’s Drew Smiley kept the game scoreless until the halftime break. In particular, Smiley pulled off a couple of semi-miraculous saves on shots by Nathan Quan and Scott McEachern—shots that appeared destined for the back of the Surrey United net. The Firefighters, obviously inspired by Smiley’s goalkeeping, bounced back in the second frame and started to take control of the match. Very early in the second half, Lucas Barrett came close to opening the scoring—on a great set-up by Angus Burke—but his long-range blast barely missed the target. At about the 60^th minute mark, second-half substitute—and former Whitecaps captain—Jeff Clarke played a nifty give-and-go with young Joseph Martin before racing in on goal. Unfortunately for Surrey United, Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley denied Clarke the opportunity to open the scoring with a fabulous save. However, a couple of minutes later, the Firemen finally broke the deadlock when they were awarded a free kick from well outside the penalty area. Striker Rizal Ganief stepped up to the plate and hammered a superb low drive past the defensive wall and into the far corner of the net for the game’s lone goal. Columbus tried desperately to score the equalizer for the remainder of the game but some excellent defending on the part of Surrey United’s Steve McAuley and Jeff Skinner kept the vaunted Columbus attackers at bay. It should also be mentioned that the Columbus backline—composed of Scott McEachern, Jonathan Poli, Tony Gaita, and Robbie Cairns—played very well throughout the contest. As a result of the victory, Surrey United will now face Victoria Gorge FC in the Provincial ‘A’ Cup final. The game is scheduled to be played on May 16 at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria.

METRO-FORD JR. WOLVES  -  UBC METROPOLITAN  6-1:  Also on Saturday, at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, the heavily-favoured Metro-Ford boys easily advanced to the Under 21 Provincial Cup final by defeating UBC Metropolitan by an elaborate 6-1 margin. The Jr. Wolves took the lead at the 15^th minute mark when Mladen Ljumovic converted a well-taken corner kick by Jovan Blagojevic into the opening goal with a near-post header. Near the end of the first half, Metro-Ford added to its lead when Blagojevic curled a free-kick from well outside the penalty area around the defensive wall and into the top corner of the net. UBC made things interesting midway through the second half when William Reed took advantage of a defensive Metro-Ford miscue and cleverly proceeded to lob the ball over the head of goalkeeper Dillan Fogliato. However, shortly thereafter, the Jr. Wolves restored their 2-goal margin as Blagojevic scored his second goal of the match on a great pass by Milad Mehrabi. With about 8 minutes remaining in the contest, Blagojevic completed his hat-trick as he took advantage of a fine passing play between Mladen Ljumovic and Sasha Vukovic and easily slotted the ball home from close range. Soon thereafter, Blagojevic added insult to UBC’s injury by scoring his fourth goal of the match on a fine individual effort that was finalized with a wicked drive from the edge of the penalty area. Just before the final whistle, Mladen Ljumovic converted Chris Locke’s brilliant through ball into Metro-Ford’s 6^th, and final, goal. The entire Metro-Ford team played very well but special mention should be made of the solid defensive performances by Brendan Besuschko, Roberto Ramogida, Kia Mirzahossein, and Marcin Kostecki. Midfielder Vito Iacobellis also played very well throughout the match. Despite the lop-sided loss, forward Brandon Elsdon and midfielders Amiel Gonzalez and Paolo Urbina played extremely well for UBC. The Metro-Ford Jr. Wolves will now take on Bays United in the Under 21 Provincial Cup final on May 16 at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria.

WESTSIDE FC ‘M’  -  COLUMBUS FC ‘M’  3-2 OT:  On Sunday morning, at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, Westside FC qualified for the Masters’ Provincial Cup final by edging the unlucky Columbus FC by a 3-2 overtime margin. The Westsiders outplayed Columbus in the first half and fully deserved their 2-0 halftime lead. On the first goal, at the 15^th minute mark, Pat Mallette beat a Columbus defender down the left flank before sending a low cross onto the path of Keith Moore who volleyed the ball home from close range. The second goal—scored at the 30^th minute mark—was more or less a repeat of the first, albeit executed by different people! On this occasion, Art Dahl sent a low cross from the right wing into the Columbus 18-yard box, a cross that Markus Felderer finished off in fine fashion. The Italians came back with a vengeance in the second half and narrowed the margin at the 55^th minute mark when Frank Lore took advantage of a defensive blunder and easily scored his team’s first goal. Columbus continued to press in a desperate search for the equalizer which finally came at the 70^th minute mark, once again from the left foot of Frank Lore. Near the end of regulation time, Sal Cuccione almost scored what would have been Columbus’ winning goal but watched agonizingly as his unstoppable shot bounced off the crossbar and out of danger. Early in the first overtime period, Westside regained the lead when Boban Aleksic headed home a well-taken corner kick by Pat Mallette. Within minutes, Columbus was awarded a penalty kick for a handball infraction. Frank Lore failed to convert the spot shot as goalkeeper Mike Wicken came up with a fantastic save to preserve his team’s margin of victory. Defensively, Mike Mosher, James Prescott, Boban Aleksic, and Chris Walters had very strong games for Westside, while midfielders Keith Moore, Pat Mallette, Jason Small, and Art Dahl also performed very well in a winning cause. Westside FC will now travel to Victoria on May 16 to take on Delta United in the Masters’ Provincial Cup final.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent performance in defeating a very strong and determined Columbus FC by a 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent defensive performances of veterans Steve McAuley and Jeff Skinner—as well as some brilliant goalkeeping on the part of Drew Smiley—Surrey United qualified for the Provincial ‘A’ Cup final as a result of the hard-earned victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Surrey United’s goalkeeper DREW SMILEY for his superlative performance in his team’s narrow 1-0 victory over Columbus FC.  Smiley made a few amazing saves—particularly in the first half—to keep his team in the game. For his brilliant performance, DREW SMILEY will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-05-18.

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2010-04-26

PROVINCIAL CUP—QUARTER-FINALS

COLUMBUS FC  -  WEST VAN FC  3-2 PK’s:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the visiting ‘Italians’ edged the defending triple-crown champions—West Van FC—in a penalty kick shoot-out after the 120 minutes of regular and overtime play could not produce a winner. Columbus FC carried the play for a large part of the first half and had several opportunities to open the scoring. Very early in the match, veteran Tiarnan King saw his well-taken free kick miss the net by mere inches. Former Whitecap Steve Kindel provided great service from his left fullback position and set up several dangerous opportunities that forced goalkeeper Marco Durante to make a few excellent saves. At the other end of the pitch, Ryan Glanville came close to opening the scoring for the former Trollers but goalkeeper Thomas Lindley rose to the occasion and pulled off a great save to keep the game scoreless till the 40^th minute of the first half. At this point, against the run of play, West Van’s Milad Rahmati found young Alan McIndoe just outside the 18-yard box with a clever pass. Without a moment’s hesitation, McIndoe converted Rahmati’s pass into the first goal of the match with a low, hard drive into the bottom corner of the Columbus net. Very early in the second half, Columbus FC equalized when captain Steve DeBlasio won a crunching tackle in the West Van third of the field. The ball squirted through to Kaz Kikuchi who skillfully controlled it before hammering it into the back of the West Van net with a left-footed rocket that gave Durante no chance whatsoever. Energized by the tying goal, the visitors continued to attack in waves and were rewarded about 10 minutes later when defender Blair Robertson whipped a dangerous cross into the West Van penalty area from the right flank. Kozo Manome then proceeded to slot the ball home for the go-ahead goal. Columbus’ second goal appeared to be the wake-up call that West Van badly needed as the home team took over the reins of the match and started creating numerous goalscoring opportunities. In particular, Thomas Lindley had to pull off a couple of brilliant saves on a header by former Whitecap Justin Thompson and a long-range shot by veteran Paul Dailly. With about 10 minutes to go in the match, Alan McIndoe tied things up by scoring his second goal of the match, this time on a header from one of Paul Dailly’s patented corner kicks. In the dying moments of regulation time, Columbus’ Kozo Manome nearly scored the winner but his thundering volley—from yet another great cross by Steve Kindel—rattled off the crossbar and out of danger. Both teams battled hard during the two overtime periods but were unable to break the deadlock and the result had to be settled by penalty kicks. Columbus’ Tiarnan King, Robbie Cairns, Tom McCole, and Kozo Manome scored from the penalty mark, while goalkeeper Thomas Lindley pulled off a couple of incredible saves—on shots by Alan McIndoe and Tim Perry—to send his team onto the semi-final round. Columbus’ midfield trio—Kozo Manome, Nathan Quan, and Steve DeBlasio—displayed an enormous amount work rate and contributed immensely to their team’s success. Target-man Kaz Kikuchi was a constant threat on the Columbus forward line and drove the West Van defenders to distraction throughout the contest.  Columbus FC will now take on the Surrey United Firefighters in the semi-finals of the Provincial Cup.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  PORT MOODY GUNNERS  3-0:  On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the heavily-favoured Surrey United Firefighters easily disposed of the visiting Port Moody Gunners by a well-earned 3-0 margin. The Firemen struggled in the first half and—even though they enjoyed plenty of possession—produced very few clear-cut goalscoring chances. The introduction of experienced substitutes—and former professionals—Niall Thompson and Jeff Clarke paid enormous dividends and proved to be the key to success in the second half. Surrey United started attacking in waves right from the opening second half whistle and came close to scoring on several occasions. In particular, Rizal Ganief, Niall Thompson, and Angus Burke all came very close to opening the score in the early going of the second half but all watched agonizingly as their shots barely missed the Port Moody net. Finally, at about the 60^th minute mark, Surrey United finally broke the deadlock when Vince Stewart’s right-wing cross found Jeff Clarke in the middle of the penalty area. The former Whitecaps’ captain sidestepped a defender before slotting the ball into the corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. The Firefighters continued to press and scored the insurance marker at the 80^th minute mark when Clarke returned the favour by setting up Stewart with a brilliant pass. Stewart then proceeded to hammer the ball into the top corner of the Port Moody net with a wicked drive from well outside the penalty area. The Cloverdale-based team rounded out the scoring near the end of the match when Rizal Ganief found playing-coach Niall Thompson at the edge of the penalty area. Thompson’s curling shot gave Port Moody goalkeeper Brent Godin not chance whatsoever. Veteran Steve McAuley and 17-year old Graham Spink played extremely well in the heart of the Surrey United defence, making life relatively easy for goalkeeper Drew Smiley as he recorded yet another clean sheet. For the Gunners, defenders Derek Wilson and Lukas Bennett—as well as goalkeeper Brent Godin and midfielders Kevin Comeau and Tyler Sayers—turned in solid performances, albeit in a losing cause. Surrey United will now face Columbus FC in the semi-final round of the Provincial Cup. The highly-anticipated match will take place on Saturday, May 1 at Percy Perry Stadium, starting at 3:00 p.m.

GORGE FC   -  ICST PEGASUS   2-1:  On Sunday,  ICST Pegasus travelled to Victoria for the second consecutive weekend, this time to face the VISL champions—Gorge FC—at Hampton Park. Unfortunately, the result was not as favourable as last weekend as the VMSL team was eliminated from the Provincial Cup competition as a result of a narrow 2-1 loss. The first half was evenly played with the home team taking the lead at about the 20^th minute mark on a goal by Patrick Gaways. Pegasus bounced back and got the equalizer about 10 minutes later on a goal by Carlos Dhaliwal as he left-footed the ball into the back of the net after Adam Costley had flicked on a fine cross by Ryan Powell. In the second half, the Pegasus lads dominated proceedings and came very close to taking the lead on several occasions. Of note, Sahil Sandhu’s fine header just missed the mark by inches, while Ryan Powell’s powerful shot from the top of the box bounced off the post with Gorge’s goalkeeper well beaten. At the 75^th minute mark, Gorge FC was awarded a controversial penalty kick as Pegasus goalkeeper Andy Singh was penalized for having pushed a Gorge forward while attempting to collect a loose ball inside the penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Patrick Gaways made no mistake and scored Gorge’s winning goal from the 12-yard mark. ICST Pegasus rallied back in fine fashion and nearly tied the game up on a few occasions as Chetan Jhooty and Dave Morris were very unlucky not to score. Despite the loss, midfielder Adam Costley and defender Paul Bahia turned in superlative performances. Gorge FC will now face the Vancouver Thunderbirds in the semi-finals of the Provincial Cup. 

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  COLUMBUS FC  for its excellent performance in defeating the triple-crown holders—West Van FC—on a penalty kick shoot-out after a 2-2 overtime draw. Led by some excellent defending on the part of Jonathan Poli and some brilliant goalkeeping by Thomas Lindley, the visitors fully earned their victory by shutting down the vaunted West Van attackers for most of the contest.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Columbus’ goalkeeper THOMAS LINDLEY for his amazing performance in his team’s penalty kick victory over West Van FC. Not only did Lindley make a few excellent saves during the match, but he also robbed a couple of West Van players—Alan McIndoe and Tim Perry—in the penalty kick shoot-out.  For his brilliant performance, THOMAS LINDLEY will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-05-11.

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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 8^th 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 20^th 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 25^th 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 20^th 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 20^th 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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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 35^th 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.

DIVISION 2 CUP—FINAL

HNK VATRENI -  MERALOMA SC  2-1:  On Saturday, at Point Grey School in Vancouver, HNK Vatreni edged Meraloma SC by a 2-1 margin in the Division 2 Cup final in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. The game consisted of two totally different halves as the Croatians dominated the first 45 minutes of play, while Meraloma SC carried most of the play in the second half. Around the 30^th minute mark, Vatreni took the well-deserved lead when forward Anto Steko rounded a couple of Meraloma defenders before crossing a dangerous ball into the goal area, a cross that was converted into the opening goal by midfielder Marc DeLuca. Shortly thereafter, Vatreni almost doubled its lead but a Mark Vuletin cross was headed onto the crossbar by Mike Kovac. Near the end of the first half, Meraloma SC came close to knotting the score on a well taken free kick by Ian Frew from the edge of the penalty area, a shot that sailed just wide of the net. In the second half, HNK Vatreni seemed content with the 1-0 lead and allowed the Meraloma lads to take control of the match. As luck would have it, however, it was Vatreni that doubled its lead when David Soric converted a well-taken corner kick by Tom Rukavina into what proved to be the winning goal. A few minutes later, Meraloma SC bounced back and narrowed the margin on a penalty kick by John Snow. The spot shot was awarded by the referee when Isaac Mendoza was tripped inside the 18-box by Vatreni’s Graeme Zucko. Very late in the match, Meraloma SC almost knotted the score when a great cross by Anthony Jacobs was headed towards the Vatreni net by a diving Santiago Henderson. Unfortunately for Henderson, and the entire Meraloma crew, the ball sailed over the net. Despite the result, both teams—along with Westiside Rino ‘B’—qualify for the Provincial ‘B’ Cup which will be held in Richmond near the end of June.

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.

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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!!!

MASTERS’ ‘A’ CUP FINAL

WEST VAN FC  -  SURREY UNITED  2-1:   On Saturday, at Kinsman Stadium in North Vancouver, the same two clubs that would later face off in the Imperial Cup final met in the Masters’ ‘A’ Cup. Much like the later game, this one was also highly-contested and hard-fought and ended up in a close, 2-1 decision in favour of West Van FC. Two late goals by Danny Vaughn sealed the deal for West Van as they came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the rather unlucky Surrey squad. Surrey United took the lead early in the match when Murray Howes hit a dangerous free kick from well outside the penalty area. Despite the fact that West Van goalkeeper—Jason Maros—made a great, diving save the ball found its way onto Steve McCaw’s head and, subsequently, into the back of the net. Near the end of the first half, Surrey’s Brent Roberts and West Van’s Darren Nott were sent off for violent conduct infractions, reducing both teams to 10 men. In the second half, West Van FC—led by the excellent play of former Whitecap defender Steve MacDonald, midfielder Ryan Carphin, and forward Mandla Sibiya—appeared to take control of the match and pushed forward relentlessly in search of the equalizer. With 5 minutes remaining in the game, Ryan Carphin won yet another tackle in the middle of the park, slipped the ball to Mandla Sibiya who immediately set up Danny Vaughn for the tying goal. Shortly thereafter, the unfortunate Surrey team was denied a glorious goalscoring opportunity when Jason Maros made yet another phenomenal save, this one on a shot by Darren Villars who had been sent in all alone by Carson Drayson. To add insult to injury, Surrey United’s Darren Holze was sent off the field a couple of minutes later for having denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Then, just before the final whistle, Vaughn scored the winning goal, once again on a set-up by Sibiya and, once again after Carphin had won a tackle in his own, inimitable way! All in all, a very good game played by two very good teams!!

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.

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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 4^th 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 55^th 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 10^th 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.

 UNDER 21 CUP FINAL

METRO-FORD JR. WOLVES  -  ICST PEGASUS  6-1:  On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, the Coquitlam-based team won its second title of the season by defeating Pegasus by an elaborate 6-1 margin in the Under 21 Cup final. After getting off to a tentative start, Metro-Ford took the lead at the 15^th minute mark when Jovan Blagojevic’s corner kick was converted into the opening goal by Mladen Lumovic. The goal seemed to provide the calming effect that the Jr. Wolves needed as they controlled the game from that moment onward. In fact, about 5 minutes later, another corner kick by Blagojevic found a wide-open Marcin Kostecki whose wicked shot was redirected into the net by Alex Hoffer. Soon thereafter, on yet another set-up by Jovan Blagojevic, Matthias Kempe picked up a rebound and calmly deposited the ball into the back of the net for Metro-Ford’s third goal. Early in the second half, Jovan Blagojevic took over the role of finisher as he converted a fine through ball by defender Brendan Besuschko into the Wolves’ fourth goal. To their credit, the Pegasus lads never quit trying and finally got a well-deserved consolation goal shortly thereafter when a long punt by goalkeeper Gursheer Khajla found Sam Gill near the top of the penalty area. Unselfishly, Gill spotted a wide-open Dylan Myers and laid a perfectly-placed pass onto his path. Myers had no difficulty in converting Gill’s pass into Pegasus’ lone goal of the match. It should be mentioned that Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper, Dillan Fogliato, was injured on the play and had to be stretchered off the field and taken to hospital with abdominal injuries. The Jr. Wolves bounced back from the adversity and added their 5^th goal at the 70^th minute mark when Mladen Ljumovic and Sasa Vukovic set up Vito Iacobellis at the top of the 18-yard box. Iacobellis then proceeded to slot the ball home to put the match out of Pegasus’ reach. Very late in the match, Jovan Blagojevic rounded out a brilliant individual performance by scoring his second goal of the match when he picked up a rebound—off a shot by Mladen Ljumovic—and calmly placed the ball into the Pegasus net. Defensively, Brendan Besuschko and Roberto Ramogida were outstanding, while midfielders Vito Iacobellis, Alex Hoffer, and Mladen Ljumovic worked tirelessly throughout the match.

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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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 75^th 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 65^th 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 7^th 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 10^th 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 50^th 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 25^th 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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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 6^th 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 15^th 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 85^th 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 20^th 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 70^th 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 20^th 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 30^th 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 15^th 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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IMPERIAL CUP-- PRELIMINARY ROUND

2010-03-08

Only one major upset took place in the first round of the Imperial Cup playdowns as the Premier Division ICSF Inter dropped out of contention as a result of an unbelievable 1-0 loss to Estrella de Chile—a team struggling to remain in the first division. All other Premier Division teams remained in the running for the coveted Imperial Cup crown, while only 2 other Division 1 teams—NK Hrvat and Binger’s Army—advanced to the next round.   

ESTRELLA de CHILE  -    ICSF INTER  1-0:   On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the ‘Chileans’ pulled off the upset of the season by defeating the heavily-favoured home team by a 1-0 margin. Estrella de Chile took the lead at about the 10^th minute mark when Murtada Alamtrood finished off a great give-and-go with Ravji Amahdi into what proved to be the winning goal. At this point Inter started exerting some constant pressure in its search for the equalizer. However, some excellent defending on the part of Narcisse Tchoumi and some solid goalkeeping by Michael Newton kept the ‘Italians’ off the scoresheet. In the second half, Inter applied even more pressure on the Estrella backline, particularly after Murtada Almatrood was ejected for having accumulated 2 cautions. In particular, chances by Liam Miller, Mike Tempesta, and Paul Bolina all went awry. At the other end of the pitch, on a couple of counter attacks, Estrella de Chile’s Ducivan DeSouza and Falvio Partida also came close to scoring but their shots barely missed the net. The victory advances the ‘Chileans’ to the next round of the Imperial Cup where they’ll face another Premier Division team, ICST Pegasus.

WESTSIDE FC  -  PUNJAB HURRICANES  2-1 PKs:  On Saturday, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the visiting Westsiders narrowly defeated the newly-promoted Punjab Hurricanes by virtue of a penalty kick shootout, after the game had ended in a 1-1 overtime draw. The Hurricanes got off to a great start, displaying some excellent ball skills and speed. They came close to taking the lead at the 12^th minute mark as Gary Badesha’s wicked shot hit the crossbar and bounced out of danger. The Hurricanes were finally rewarded for their remarkable effort at about the 35^th minute mark when Jag Gill finished off a brilliant two-way passing play between Daniel Badesha and Joti Thind.  Shortly thereafter, the home team almost doubled its lead but Daniel Badesha was thwarted on a breakaway by Westside’s goalkeeper, Rowan Anders. The second half told an entirely different story as the Westsiders finally woke up and switched to an attacking formation in search of the equalizer. After missing several clear-cut opportunites, Westside FC finally tied things up at the 78^th minute mark when Indy Khabra took advantage of a scramble inside the Punjab penalty area, laid the ball off to Brian Reems who proceeded to beat a defender before blasting an unstoppable left-foot drive into the far corner of the net. The rest of the game, including the 30 minutes of overtime, was controlled by the Westsiders, as they appeared to be much fitter than their opponents. In the penalty kick shootout, goalkeeper Rowan Anders made a phenomenal diving save on the first Punjab Hurricanes shot, while his teammates all scored from the 12-yard spot. Midfielders Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone, Brian Reems, and Indy Khabra all played exceptionally well for Westside FC. Gary Badesha and Rupi Birring battled hard throughout the game in the Punjab midfield, while Daniel Badesha was a tower of strength in the Hurricanes’ back line. As a result of the victory, Westside FC advances to the next round of the Imperial Cup—against Delta United.

BINGER’S ARMY  -  VANCOUVER OLYMPICS  1-0:  On Saturday, Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, two first division teams clashed in a noble effort to advance to the round of 16 in the Imperial Cup. At the end of the day, Birger’s Army walked away with a hard-fought 1-0 victory, mostly due to a huge second half performance by goalkeeper Chris (Critter) O’Connor. At the other end of the pitch, Olympics’ goalkeeper Paul Cykes also shone brightly as he turned in a solid performance throughout the 90 minutes of play. Early in the match, at about the 10^th minute mark, Binger’s Army took the lead when Rob Corcoran took advantage of a goalmouth scramble and proceeded to knock the ball into the net for the game’s lone goal. The Olympics battled back tenaciously and came close to knotting the score on a couple of occasions but were denied by O’Connor’s sensational goalkeeping. In particular, David Zaharija had a glorious chance to tie things up when he raced in on a breakaway, only to have O’Connor pull off a miraculous last-moment save. Defensively, Binger’s Army’s Todd Perrett and Matt Muir turned in brilliant performances, while midfielder Rob Corcoran not only scored the game’s only goal but also worked tirelessly in the middle of the park during the entire match. For the Olympics, Sebastian Sobis was outstanding in his midfield role as he battled hard during the entire game, while former professional Frank Randazzo made a huge impact when he entered the field in the second half. The victory advances Binger’s Army to the next round of the Imperial Cup where they’ll match up with the Premier Division’s Croatia SC.

COLUMBUS FC  -  SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES  7-0:  On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC destroyed the visiting Serbian White Eagles by a more than elaborate 7-0 margin. After a rather lethargic start by both teams, the heavily-favoured Premier Division team—Columbus FC—took over the reins of the match and dominated the remaining 70 minutes. Steve DeBlasio opened the scoring midway through the first half when he blasted a well-taken free kick into the bottom corner of the White Eagles’ net. Ten minutes later, Kozo Manome doubled Columbus’ lead on an absolutely brilliant scissor’s kick on a cross from Kaz Kikuchi. In the second half, Columbus continued its domination and added to its lead in the early going with Kikuchi once again the provider. On this occasion, he impeccably set up Sheu Fortunato who calmly hammered home a side volley from close range. Shifting gears from set-up man to trigger man, Kaz Kikuchi then went on an offensive tear and scored Columbus’ next four goals in rapid succession. First, Kikuchi was the beneficiary of Steve DeBlasio’s hard work as he converted a cross with an easy tap in for Columbus’s fourth goal. A few minutes later, Sheu Fortunato whipped in a dangerous cross to the far post where Kikuchi rose and powerfully headed home a world-class goal. Next, Kikuchi demonstrated his deft touch as he was released on a breakaway by a Steve DeBlasio through ball and opted for a cheeky chip over the onrushing White Eagles’ goalkeeper. Kikuchi then rounded out his 4-goal and 2-assist performance with a polished side-foot shot into the empty net after youngster Thomas McCole unselfishly delivered a perfect pass on a 2 on 0 break. Columbus’ Ben Hunt turned in a great performance in his new right back position, while centre-back Juan Sanchez and midfielder Kyle Knees played extremely well for the White Eagles, despite the embarrassing defeat. The ‘Italians’ therefore advance to the round of 16 in Imperial Cup play where they will face the defending champions West Van FC.

CROATIA SC  -  WESTSIDE RINO  2-1:  On Sunday, at Point Grey School in Vancouver, Croatia SC edged the first division Westside team by a narrow 2-1 margin and thus advanced to the next round of the Imperial Cup. Mirko Maras opened the scoring at about the 35^th minute mark as he controlled a poor clearance at the edge of the penalty area with his chest and proceeded to blast the ball into the back of the net with a low, hard shot. Shortly thereafter, the Croatians almost doubled their lead when Marinko Maras was fouled inside the Westside penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. Cristian Tropeano stepped up to the plate and blasted what appeared to be an unstoppable shot towards the low corner of the net. However, much to the Croatians’ chagrin, Westside’s goalkeeper Tyler Wilman dove the right way and pulled off a miraculous save to keep the score at 1-0 till the halftime whistle. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Croatia SC scored what proved to be the winning goal as former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a couple of Westside defenders in the middle of the park. Noticing that the Westside goalkeeper was out of position, Sulentic chose to hammer a speculative, long-range shot towards the net, a shot that found the back of the net. Westside Rino bounced back tenaciously and narrowed the margin with 15 minutes remaining in the contest as second half substitute—and youth call-up—Isaac Jacobsen played a brilliant through ball to a streaking Ally Gray. Gray then cut inside the penalty area and fired an unstoppable, left-footed shot into the far top corner of the net. Croatia’s defenders Kreso Vonic and Darko Jelic—as well as midfielders Mirko Maras and Johnny Sulentic—all played extremely well in leading their team to victory, while Westside’s defenders John Bligh and Brent Hanson—along with midfielder Ally Gray—turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. Croatia SC will now meet another Division 1 team—Binger’s Army—in the next round of the Imperial Cup.

SAPPERTON ROVERS  -  CLIFF AVENUE UNITED  3-1 OT:  Also on Sunday, at Burnaby Lake West Complex, the Premier Division Sapperton Rovers defeated the first division Cliff Avenue United by a 3-1 overtime score. The young, and hard-working, Cliff Avenue lads took the early lead and defended it well for most of the match, but finally succumbed to Sapperton’s constant pressure in the late going and, eventually, surrendered the deciding goals late in the second overtime period. Cliff Avenue took the lead at about the 10^th minute mark when former Rover Stefano Pannu’s long-range free kick shot was deflected into the net by a Sapperton defender. Despite the fact that the Rovers controlled the play for the remainder of the match,  Cliff Avenue—led by midfielder Adriano Valente and defenders Jamie Olsen and Matt Atkins—was able to handle the pressure until very late in regulation time when veteran Ted Ullrich scored the tying goal with a well-placed header. In fact, Trevor Todd’s brilliant cross—after he beat a couple of Cliff Avenue defenders down the right flank—found an unmarked Ted Ullrich at the near post. Early in the first overtime period, Cliff Avenue almost retook the lead when Reece Miles was fouled inside the penalty area. Miles himself took the ensuing penalty kick, but Sapperton goalkeeper Garth Lagasse proceeded to make a sensational save and thus keep the scoreline at 1-1. Very late in the second overtime period, Sapperton took the lead—once again on a Ted Ullrich header, this time on a cross by Kyle Phillips. Just before the final whistle, the Rovers put the game out of Cliff Avenue’s reach when Trevor Todd was fouled inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to Sapperton. Reyhan  Ismail made no mistake from the penalty mark, thus putting the last nail in Cliff Avenue’s coffin. Veterans Ted Ullrich (forward) and Edward Bradford (defender) played extremely well in leading Sapperton to the hard-fought, but well-earned victory. The Rovers will now face the Richmond FC Hibernians in the next round of the Imperial Cup. It should be mentioned that the Hibs were awarded a 1-0 default victory against IFC Polonia.

NK HRVAT  -  RICHMOND FC OLYMPICS  2-1:  The last Imperial Cup game of the week, also played on Sunday, featured two first division teams—NK Hrvat and Richmond FC Olympics. The match was played in terrible weather conditions at Hugh Boyd School in Richmond and ended in a 2-1 victory for NK Hrvat. The visitors scored two early goals and controlled most of the play in the first half but Richmond FC replied in kind in the second half. NK Hrvat took the lead very early in the match when Nico Parente was fouled inside the Richmond penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Parente himself converted the spot shot for the game’s first goal. Shortly thereafter, Parente set up Adriano Negri with a fine, pin-point cross. Negri, who a few seconds earlier had missed on a similar opportunity, proceeded to chip the ball over the Olympics’ goalkeeper for what proved to be the winning goal. Midway through the first half, Richmond FC got on the scoreboard when a long throw-in by Mark Wilson was flicked on by Mike Frank towards Matt Rota inside the NK goal area. Rota then proceeded to finish off the play by hammering the ball home and thus reduce NK’s lead to 2-1. In the second half, Richmond FC pushed hard in search of the equalizer, but despite carrying most of the play and creating the better goalscoring chances, the score remained 2-1 in NK Hrvat’s favour till the final whistle. Richmond’s Matt Britner played very well in his midfield role, while NK’s forward Nico Parente was a going concern throughout the contest.  As a result of the victory, NK Hrvat will not take on the Premier Divison champions—Surrey United Firefighters—in the next round of the Imperial Cup.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  ESTRELLA de CHILE for its unbelievable 1-0 victory over the heavily-favoured ICSF Inter. It is not often that a first division team is able to beat a Premier team! The Chileans, led by the fine play of central-defender Narcisse Tchoumi and some very solid goalkeeping on the part of Michael Newton, worked extremely hard throughout the match and fully earned their hard-fought victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  COLUMBUS FC’S forward KAZ KIKUCHI for his amazing 4-goal performance in his team’s lop-sided 7-0 victory over the Serbian White Eagles. Not only did Kikuchi score 4 brilliant goals but he also set up 2 others to lead his team to yet another important victory. For his excellent performance, KAZ KIKUCHI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-03-28.

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WEEK #22—2010-03-04

The Surrey United Firefighters were able to claim the Premier Division championship as a result of their elaborate 5-0 victory over ICSF Inter, coupled with West Van FC’s upset 2-0 defeat at the hands of ICST Pegasus. In the meantime, on Tuesday evening at Coquitlam Town Centre, Columbus FC was able to clinch 3^rd place by narrowly defeating the Metro-Ford Wolves by a 1-0 scoreline.  At the bottom of the table, the luckless Norvan Pacific was relegated to the first division by virtue of a narrow 3-2 loss to the Richmond FC Hibernians. Only 1 make-up game remains in the Premier Division schedule, a rather meaningless match between the Sapperton Rovers and the Metro-Ford Wolves. The Imperial Cup playdowns begin this coming weekend, with most of the games involving Division 1 teams.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  ICSF INTER  5-0:   On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, Surrey United clinched its 4^th title in 11 years by defeating ICSF Inter by a lop-sided 5-0 margin. Despite the fact that the visitors carried most of the play in the early going, it was Inter that came close to taking the lead on a couple of occasions—on efforts by Tino Cucca and Adam Wallace. On the first occasion, GOLDEN BOOT AWARD recipient Tino Cucca narrowly missed the net with a close-range shot, while Adam Wallace was robbed by goalkeeper Drew Smiley’s great save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. However, it was Surrey United that took the lead at about the 30^th minute mark when a short corner kick by Angus Burke to Tyler Rosenlund paid enormous dividends as Rosenlund’s subsequent cross was back-heeled into the back of the net by Lucas Barrett. Three minutes later, United added its second goal with Burke pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area and proceeded to hammer a shot into the Inter net. Shortly thereafter, at about the 40^th minute mark, Inter’s Adam Wallace was expelled from the game for a ‘foul and abusive language’ violation, leaving his team short-handed for the remainder of the match. The Firefighters added to their lead early in the second half when Rizal Ganief sent Andrew Proctor streaking in on goal with a clever chip over the Inter defence. Proctor’s blistering shot from the edge of the penalty area resulted in Surrey’s third goal of the match. At the 60^th minute mark, 17-year old substitute Joseph Martin—with his first touch of the game—outjumped the Inter defenders and headed home a superlative right wing cross from Angus Burke. Ten minutes later, Martin added his second goal of the game—and his team’s 5^th and last marker—when he converted a fine cross by Tyler Rosenlund by hammering the ball home from close range. Another 17-year old—Graham Spink—had an outstanding game in the backline for the Firefighters. The victory, coupled with West Van FC’s subsequent loss to ICST Pegasus—clinched first place for Surrey United. It should be mentioned that the Firefighters’ unbeaten streak has now been extended to a remarkable 12 games with their last defeat, somewhat ironically, coming at the hands of ICSF Inter on November 22, 2009. Congratulations to the Surrey United Firefighters for having captured the Premier Division title!

WESTSIDE FC  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS     2-0:  On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the visiting Westsiders defeated the struggling Sapperton Rovers by a 2-0 scoreline after an evenly played 90 minutes. Westside FC took the lead at the 25^th minute mark when Graeme Webber headed home a corner kick from close range. About 10 minutes later, Jay Kent-Hume finished off yet another Westside corner kick for the insurance marker. The Rovers bounced back in the second half and took the game to the visitors. However, some excellent defending on the part of Sam Wallace, James Possee, Graeme Webber, and Chris Mehuys kept the Sapperton forwards at bay and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Rowan Anders. Sapperton did come close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but close-range efforts by Trevor Todd and Sidd Achutan went awry. Midfielder Ted Ullrich, defender Mike Biukema, and forward Andrew Celenza played very well in a losing cause for the Rovers, while Westside’s Joe Bhegani and Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone worked tirelessly in the middle of the park. Despite the loss, the Rovers avoided relegation to Division 1 as a result of Norvan Pacific’s loss to Richmond FC.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  3-2:  On Saturday, at McNair School in Richmond, the Hibs sent the young North Vancouver team to the first division by defeating the visitors by a narrow 3-2 margin. Two very late Richmond goals proved to be fatal for Norvan as the Hibernians came back from a 2-1 deficit to claim all 3 points. Richmond FC took the lead early in the match on a goal by striker Erik Olsen as he took advantage of a great two-way passing play between Tom Brook and Masumi Turnbull. Norvan Pacific bounced back and equalized a few minutes later when Adam Calway blasted a long-range shot into the bottom corner of the net. Richmond FC had a few golden opportunities to reclaim the lead but some solid goalkeeping on the part of veteran Steve London, as well as some poor finishing by Tom Brook and Masumi Turnbull, kept the score tied at 1-1 till the halftime whistle. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with Richmond FC having most of the play but with neither team having a great deal of scoring opportunities. With about 7 minutes to go in the match, Norvan took the lead when Nathan Harte unleashed a wicked free kick from well outside the penalty area, a free kick that was brilliantly saved by the Hibs’ goalkeeper. Defender Brent Dodge picked up the rebound and deposited the ball into the back of the net for what appeared to be the winning goal. Much to the chagrin of the entire Norvan clan, the Hibernians came back to win the game with two very late goals, thus putting an end to Norvan’s hopes of avoiding relegation. On the first goal, at about the 87^th minute mark, left midfielder Connor Radil beat 2 Norvan defenders before setting up Brad Caldwell for the tying goal. Then, just at the stroke of full time, substitute midfielder Ryan Hindmarch added insult to Norvan’s injury by converting a perfect pass from Brad Caldwell into the winning goal. Needless to say, the final result was heartbreaking for the Norvan youngsters as they battled hard throughout the season to remain in the Premier Division.

ICST PEGASUS  -  WEST VAN FC  2:0:  On Sunday, at Newton Athletic Park, ICST Pegasus bounced out of its 3-game losing streak by upsetting the heavily-favoured West Van FC by a hard-fought 2-0 margin. The former Trollers got off to a flying start and could easily have scored a few goals in the early going but a combination of some solid defending and some poor finishing on the part of Ryan Glanville, Robbie Giezen, and Justin Thompson kept the game scoreless until the halftime whistle. In the second half, things changed dramatically as Pegasus began to take over the reins of the match Very early in the second frame, West Van goalkeeper Marco Durante was forced to make a semi-miraculous save on a close-range strike by Sahil Sandhu. Shortly thereafter, Pegasus took the lead when Nico Marcina clinically finished off of fine cross by Goldy Takhar. Midway through the second half, Takhar took over the role of finisher as he raced in on a breakaway and audaciously chipped the ball over Durante for the insurance marker. Defensively, Pegasus’ Andrew Reed, Rich Fagan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and Paul Bahia played extremely well—particularly in the first half—as they continuously shut down the vaunted West Van attackers. Up front, Goldy Takhar and Sahil Sandhu were dangerous throughout the second half, but the real ‘man of the match’ for ICST Pegasus was midfielder Adam Costley as he ran miles in the midfield and battled tenaciously against his talented West Van counterparts. The disappointing loss ruins West Van’s chances of repeating last season’s exceptional ‘triple-crown’ performance as the former champions slipped into second place, one point behind newly-crowned Surrey United.

COLUMBUS FC  -  METRO-FORD WOLVES  1-0:  On Tuesday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, Columbus FC registered its third consecutive victory—by beating the Metro-Ford Wolves—and thus claimed possession of third place in the VMSL Premier Division table. The game got off to a rather slow start as both teams exhibited a great deal of caution. However, at the 30^th minute mark, Columbus took the lead when a perfectly-placed free kick by Tiarnan King was directed into the far post of the net by a towering header from Kaz Kikuchi. Needless to say, things opened up in the second half with the Wolves abandoning their defensive tactics in search of the equalizer. Both teams came close to scoring on several occasions but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Metro-Ford’s Misho Dobrozdravic and Columbus’ Thomas Lindley kept the 1-0 score intact till the final whistle. Dobrozdravic was particularly brilliant with saves on shots by Jeff DeBlasio, Tiarnan King, and Kaz Kikuchi while, at the other end of the pitch, Lindley had to be really sharp to maintain his clean-sheet by thwarting Alfredo Valente’s and Jamie Fletcher’s excellent goalscoring chances. Columbus’ Kaz Kikuchi continued to impress with his ability to be a dominant target man and, as stated earlier, scored the game’s lone goal. Defensively, Sheu Fortunato was silky smooth at his left back position and combined perfectly-timed tackles with great ventures forward. For Metro-Ford, central defender Kingsley Jones returned to action after a lengthy absence and performed admirably, while midfielder Andrew Veer and forward Jamie Fletcher worked tirelessly throughout the contest, albeit in a losing cause.

CROATIA SC  -  DELTA UNITED  2-2:  On Wednesday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, Croatia SC and Delta United settled for a 2-2 tie after a well-played and highly-contested 90 minutes of non-stop action. The visiting Delta team got off to a great start and took a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes of play on goals by Harpreet Khakh and Mike Gomes. On the first goal, at the 8^th minute mark, Khakh was set up by veteran Shawn Blakeway’s immaculate pass before slotting the ball into the back of the Croatia net. Soon thereafter, Khakh almost added his second goal of the match but goalkeeper Allan Connor rose to the occasion and made a sensational save. However, at the 15^th minute mark, the Gomes brothers combined to score Delta’s second goal as Mark Gomes set up Mike Gomes with a perfect cross, a cross which Mike deposited into the net with a fine header. The Croatians bounced back with tenacity and determination and narrowed the margin at the 35^th minute mark when Phil Kotter took advantage of a goalmouth scramble, muscled his way to the ball, and hit a low, unstoppable shot into the far corner of the Delta net. Midway through the second half, Croatia tied things up when Marinko Maras made a superb run to the back post and Phil Kotter rewarded him with a pin-point through ball. Maras did well to avoid a lunging challenge from a Delta defender and proceeded to slot the ball home for Croatia’s tying tally. Both teams had chances to win the game in the late going, but some bad luck—coupled with some poor finishing—kept the game tied till the final whistle. Defenders Kreso Vonic, Darko Jelic, and Andrew Sciampacone played very well for Croatia SC throughout the contest, while Devon Greenside turned in a superlative performance in the Delta midfield.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  ICST PEGASUS for its amazing 2-0 victory over the heavily-favoured West Van FC. West Van needed the victory to clinch its second consecutive league title, but the Pegasus lads had other ideas on their minds as they snapped out of a 3-game losing streak to win the highly-entertaining match.  As a result, Surrey United Firefighters have now been crowned as 2009-2010 VMSL Premier Division champions! Say thank you to Pegasus!!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  ICST Pegasus’ ADAM COSTLEY for his incredible performance in his team’s 2-0 upset victory over the defending champions, West Van FC. Returning to action after a lengthy absence caused by a knee injury, Costley demonstrated amazing strength and courage to lead his team to victory. For his excellent performance, ADAM COSTLEY will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-03-21.

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WEEK #21—2010-02-22

West Van FC bounced back into sole possession of first place by defeating ICSF Inter this past weekend, while the heavily-favoured Surrey United Firefighters were held to a 1-1 tie by the visiting Sapperton Rovers. With only one game remaining in the schedule, both West Van and Surrey United remain in contention for the title. The final game of the season will see the former Trollers travelling the Newton Athletic Park—on Saturday evening—to take on the slumping ICST Pegasus, while the Firemen will match up with ICSF Inter on Friday evening at Vancouver Technical School.

WEST VAN FC  -  ICSF INTER  2-1:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple champions catapulted over the Surrey United Firefighters by virtue of a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the visiting ‘Italians’.  Inter dominated proceedings during the first half and came close to taking the lead on a couple of occasions—both on efforts by Farhad Abdulgani—before finally scoring the opening goal at about the 40^th minute mark. At that time, GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca unleashed a wicked drive from well outside the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net. It should be mentioned that this was Cucca’s 16^th goal of the season, more than 60% of his team’s total goals! The Inter goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the former Trollers needed as they bounced back and scored the equalizer before the halftime whistle. Former professionals Paul Dailly and Justin Thompson combined to score the tying goal as Dailly sent one of his patented corner kicks onto the path of Thompson who proceeded to slam the ball home for the equalizer. In the second half, West Van FC took over the reins of the match, mostly due to Milad Rahmati’s tireless effort as he drove the Inter defenders to distraction with his tenacity and speed. The home team scored the winning goal midway through the second half with former Whitecap Justin Thompson once again in the limelight. On this occasion, Thompson belted home the winning goal from close range, off a Robbie Giezen corner kick. Inter responded well and came close to tying things up, but efforts by Tino Cucca, Liam Miller, and Colin Streckman went awry. Defensively, West Van’s Leo Nash and Inter’s Nick Seddon played very well for their respective teams.

WESTSIDE FC  -  METRO-FORD WOLVES  2-2:  Also on Friday evening, at Point Grey School in Vancouver, the Westsiders earned a very important point by holding the ‘former contenders’—Metro-Ford Wolves—to a 2-2 tie.  Both teams started the game rather tentatively and created virtually no scoring chances during the first part of the match. Then, all of a sudden, the flood gates opened and all 4 goals were scored in rapid succession during the last 15 minutes of the first half. Westside took the lead when Peter Bow took advantage of some lethargic defending on the part of the Wolves and proceeded to score the opening goal with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. The home team’s lead lasted only a few minutes as the Wolves bounced back and scored the equalizer when Emilio Bottiglieri sent a streaking Trevor Rosencrans down the left flank with an immaculate pass. Rosencrans then whipped a perfect near-post cross that Azad Palani headed home from close range. A little while later, at about the 42^nd minute mark, Westside regained the lead when Nick Perugini swung a dangerous free kick into the Metro-Ford that Rosencrans inadvertently headed into his own net. Just before the halftime whistle, former professional Emilio Bottiglieri tied things up as he unleashed a wicked drive from well outside the penalty area into the top corner of the Westside net. In the second half, both teams tried hard to notch the winning goal, but neither one could find the mark. Metro-Ford came very close to winning the match in the late going when Andrew Veer’s wicked blast bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Westside’s defenders Nick Perugini and Chris Mehuys were rock-solid throughout the match, while veteran Keith Moore played extremely well in his midfield role. Metro-Ford’s midfielder Andrew Veer and defender Anthony Di Nicolo also turned in excellent performances throughout the contest. The single point elevates Westside out of the relegation zone, while the Wolves drop to 4^th place in the standings.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  1-1:  On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the Firemen extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games, but in a rather disappointing fashion. In fact, the tie against the struggling Sapperton Rovers, drops the home team to second place, one point behind the defending champions, West Van FC. Surrey United got off to a bright start and took the game to the Rovers in the early going and came close to taking the lead when Justin Carvery’s powerful shot struck the upright. However, a couple of minutes later, Carvery’s clever chip shot was converted into the opening goal by veteran Jeff Skinner as the ball was rolling along the goal line. The home side dominated the remainder of the first half and could easily have taken a more elaborate lead into the dressing room, but some poor finishing on the part of the Surrey strikers kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Sapperton played with more urgency and tried desperately to score the all-important equalizer. In doing so, however, the Rovers abandoned their defensive strategy and allowed the vaunted Surrey United attackers even more goalscoring opportunities. In particular, Gagan Josan, Lucas Barrett, and Cam Wilson all came close to scoring for the Firefighters, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Garth Lagasse prevented them from adding the insurance marker. As luck would have it, Sapperton scored the equalizer at about the 80^th minute mark when veteran Ted Ullrich—who had been strategically moved from defender to forward—converted a ‘pass/shot’ by Danny Caraiman into the tying goal from close range. Surrey United tried desperately to regain the lead during the last 10 minutes of play and applied relentless pressure on the Sapperton defenders. However, some excellent defending on the part of Mike Buikema and Brayden Volkenant—as well as some more brilliant goalkeeping by Garth Lagasse—kept the score tied at 1-1 till the final whistle. In particular, Lagasse made a couple of incredible saves on shots by Surrey United’s player-coach Niall Thompson. The single point puts the Rovers one point ahead of Norvan Pacific at the bottom of the Premier Division table, while the Firefighters are now in second place, one point behind West Van FC.

CROATIA SC  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  1:0:  On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, Croatia SC put an end to Norvan’s 2-game winning streak by defeating the home team by a narrow 1-0 margin. Once again, the Norvan youngsters played remarkably well but, once again, they failed to convert their numerous goalscoring chances. The Croatians, on the other hand, seemed very satisfied with playing a defensive style and counter-attacking whenever the opportunities arose. The lone goal of the contest was scored midway through the second half when Philip Kotter sent Marinko Maras on a breakaway with an impeccable pass. Maras raced in all alone and buried the ball into the back of the net with an unstoppable shot for Croatia’s winning goal. Shortly thereafter, Croatia almost doubled its lead when veteran Chris Craveiro sent young Steve Fronzo flying in on goal on yet another counter-attack. However, Fronzo’s shot was brilliantly saved by young Norvan goalkeeper Lucas Menz to keep the scoreline at 1-0 till the end of the match. Midfielders Chris Craveiro and Phil Kotter—as well as goalkeeper Didar Sandhu—played remarkably well for Croatia SC, while midfielder Blake Burgon and defenders Brent Dodge and Tony Seddon turned in superlative performances for Norvan Pacific. The victory solidifies Croatia’s chances of qualifying for the Province Cup playdowns, while Norvan’s loss leaves the youngsters mired in last place, with little hope of avoiding relegation.

DELTA UNITED  -  ICST PEGASUS  4-1:  On Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, the high-flying Delta United climbed into a 4^th place tie with the Metro-Ford Wolves by defeating the slumping ICST Pegasus by an elaborate 4-1 margin. Oddly, this was Delta’s third consecutive victory and Pegasus’ third consecutive loss!  Delta took the lead midway through the first half when Harpreet Khakh dribbled by a couple of Pegasus defenders before lobbing the ball over the oncoming Pegasus goalkeeper, Brian Brum. The Khakh-show continued in the second half when the youngster scored his second goal of the contest by volleying Mike Gomes’ fine cross into the back of the Pegasus net. With about 10 minutes remaining in the match, Khakh completed his hat-trick with a blistering shot after having been set up by CJ Greenside. Very late in the match, Khakh and Ryan Dormer played a brilliantly clever give-and-go, with Khakh getting the last touch for his 4^th goal of the game. Just before the final whistle, Pegasus managed to score its lone goal of the match when Sunny Bains blasted a left-foot drive into the top corner of the net, giving substitute goalkeeper Nour Fathy no chance whatsoever. Defensively, Delta United’s playing-coach Steve Millar was rock-solid throughout the match, allowing the vaunted Pegasus attackers very few scoring chances.

COLUMBUS FC  -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  3-1:   On   Monday evening, at Hugh Boyd Park in Richmond, Columbus FC climbed into sole possession for third place by defeating the Hibs by a 3-1 margin. The home team took the lead in the early going when former Columbus player, Masumi Turnbull, converted a fine pass from Erik Olsen into the game’s opening goal. A few minutes later, Richmond FC had a glorious opportunity to add to its lead when Erik Olsen cleverly chipped the ball over the head of goalkeeper Thomas Lindley, only to have the crossbar deny his fantastic effort. At this point, the ‘Italians’ seemed to gain their composure and started to take control of the contest. At about the 15^th minute mark, veteran Tiarnan King—on a fine individual effort—ripped the equalizer into the Richmond net from the edge of the penalty area. Near the end of the first half, Columbus took the well-deserved lead when Jeff DeBlasio won the ball with a crunching tackle, fed it to Kaz Kikuchi who promptly relayed it to Steve DeBlasio whose wicked, long-range shot found the back of the Richmond net. Columbus continued its dominance in the second half and allowed the home team very few scoring chances. On one occasion, goalkeeper Thomas Lindley pulled off a semi-miraculous save on a shot by Reynald Stewart, after he was set up by teammate Erik Olsen. Columbus, however, continued to press and scored the insurance marker at the 80^th minute mark, once again on a fine effort by Tiarnan King, for his second goal of the match, after a fine 3-way passing play, also involving Sheu Fortunato and Steve Frazao. All in all, a very good performance by the entire Columbus squad!

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  DELTA UNITED for its third consecutive victory, this one at the expense of  ICST Pegasus by a decisive, and well-earned 4-1 margin. Led by the amazing 4-goal performance of Harp Khakh, as well as some rock-solid defending on the part of playing-coach Steve Millar, the home team fully deserved the elaborate margin of victory. The result pretty well assures Delta United of a slot in the Province Cup playdowns.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Delta United’s HARPREET KHAKH  for his second consecutive goalscoring performance in his team’s 4-1 victory over ICST Pegasus. After scoring 2 brilliant goals last week, Harp did twice as well this week by scoring 4 excellent goals!  For his amazing performance, HARP KHAKH will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-03-14.

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WEEK #20—2010-02-15

A couple of upsets and a few lop-sided scores highlighted this past weekend’s activities in the VMSL’s Premier Division. Surrey United and West Van FC remained the only two teams in contention for the league title as ICST Pegasus and the Metro-Ford Wolves dropped out of the running by losing to Norvan Pacific and the Firefighters respectively. At the bottom of the table, things are getting more interesting as the young Norvan team caught up to the struggling Sapperton Rovers, while Westside FC dropped back into the relegation zone by virtue of its loss to Columbus FC.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  METRO-FORD WOLVES  3-0:  On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the Firefighters made mince meat out of a lethargic Metro-Ford squad and came away with a well-deserved 3-0 victory. The visitors dominated proceeding right from the opening whistle and took the lead at the 17^th minute mark when Lucas Barrett one-timed a perfect pass from Andrew Proctor into the Coquitlam net for what proved to be the winning goal. At the 32^nd minute mark, Proctor became the finisher as he converted an excellent cross from Angus Burke—after the youngster had made a fine run down the left flank—into the insurance marker. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the Firemen controlled the majority of the play against their listless opponents. Midway through the second half, Vinnie Stewart crossed an immaculate ball onto the path of Rizal Ganief who skillfully deposited it into the back of the net from close range. Surrey United’s midfielder Tyler Rosenlund and forward Rizal Ganief turned in superlative performances in leading their team to the all-important victory, while midfielder Andrew Veer and defender Aaron Beattie were the only bright lights in Metro-Ford firmament. As a result of the victory, Surrey United remains in first place, albeit with a slim 1-point lead over the defending champions, West Van FC.

DELTA UNITED  -  ICSF INTER  3-0:  Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, Delta United won its second match in a row by demolishing the home team by a 3-0 margin. The visitors dominated the first 45 minutes of action and took a well-deserved 2-0 into the dressing room. Delta took the lead at the 15^th minute mark when John Blair set up Harpreet Khakh with an immaculate pass down the left flank. Khakh then proceeded to beat a couple of Inter defenders before racing in on goal on a breakaway and calmly depositing the ball behind goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. The second goal—at about the 40^th minute mark—was more or less a carbon-copy of the first—this time on a set up by Shawn Blakeway. Once again Khakh beat a couple of defenders, and once again he raced in on goal and easily beat Ozkan for the insurance marker. The visitors could have added a couple of goals to their halftime margin, but Blakeway was robbed by an outstanding save on the part of Ozkan on a vicious full-time volley, while Khakh’s great header was again stopped brilliantly by Ozkan. Inter played a lot better in the second half and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but Sheldon Maistry and Michael Winter missed their golden opportunities to narrow the margin. As luck would it, the visitors scored their third goal with Harpreet Khakh once again involved in the play as he set up Donald Kambere with a great pass. Kambere made a couple of brilliant moves on the ICSF defenders before slotting the ball home for the last nail in the home team’s coffin. The victory catapults Delta United into 6^th place, slightly ahead of Croatia SC and ICSF Inter.

NORVAN PACIFIC  -  ICST PEGASUS  1-0:  The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and featured the aspiring Pegasus against the once struggling Norvan Pacific. After upsetting ICSF Inter last week, the last-place former Eagles repeated their excellent performance and were able to defeat the heavily-favoured home team by the same 1-0 margin thus keeping their chances of avoiding relegation alive. The Norvan youngsters executed a very clever counterattacking strategy to perfection, giving the more experienced Pegasus squad very few chances and, at the same time, creating several of their own. After a scoreless first half, Norvan took the lead early in the second half when Kyle Thompson took advantage of an uncharacteristic Pegasus turnover in the middle of the park and threaded a pin-point pass to a streaking Blake Burgon. Burgon then burst into the Pegasus penalty area and neatly tucked the ball into the back of the net for the game’s only goal. Defensively, Norvan’s Brent Dodge turned in a superlative performance, while midfielders Blake Burgon and Kyle Thompson also contributed enormously to their team’s upset victory. Veteran goalkeeper Steve London had to make a few excellent saves throughout the contest to gain his well-deserved clean sheet. As a result of its second consecutive upset victory, Norvan Pacific is now tied for last place with the struggling Sapperton Rovers, making the last two games of the regular season very important for both teams.

WEST VAN FC  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  6-0:  On Saturday, at South Memorial Park in Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions clobbered the Sapperton Rovers by a resounding 6-0 margin. Needless to say, the game was very one-sided as the visitors dominated proceedings from start to finish against a very lacklustre Sapperton side. Milad Rahmati opened the scoring for the former Trollers at the 15^th minute mark as he chipped the ball over the Sapperton goalkeeper for what proved to be the winning goal. Soon thereafter, former Whitecap Justin Thompson headed home a well-taken Robbie Giezen corner kick for West Van’s second goal. Ryan Glanville then added insult to Sapperton’s injury as he picked up a rebound—from his own shot that had hit the goalpost—and blasted the ball into the empty net for West Van’s third goal. Thompson then completed the first half scoring as he converted yet another Giezen corner kick—this one with a low drive to the corner of the net. Second half substitute Corey Birza—after hitting the woodwork early in the second half—scored West Van’s 5^th goal as he headed home a brilliant cross by Omari Aldridge. With 10 minutes remaining in the match, Birza added his second goal—and his team’s 6^th—as he finished off a breakaway opportunity in fine fashion. The victory keeps West Van FC in the hunt for the league title, while the loss places the Rovers in a last place tie with the resurging Norvan Pacific.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  CROATIA SC  2-1:  On Sunday, at King George School in Richmond, the Hibernians upset the visiting Croatians by a narrow 2-1 margin after a well-played and highly-contested 90 minutes of non-stop action. Croatia SC took the early lead at the 8^th minute mark when young Steve Fronzo gathered the ball on a counter-attack and drove a low cross onto the path of an onrushing Chris Craveiro, who made no mistake in hammering the ball to the top corner of the Richmond net for the game’s opening goal. The Hibs bounced back and tied things up at the 20^th minute mark on a fine individual effort by midfielder Reynold Stewart. After being set up by fellow midfielder Alan Chivers, Stewart beat a couple of Croatian defenders before lashing a low, hard drive into the back of the net for the equalizer. Early in the second half, Richmond FC scored the winning goal with Reynold Stewart once again involved—this time as the provider. In fact, it was Stewart that set up Owen Sinclair for the winning goal as he cut the ball back after dribbling along the goal line. After the winning goal was scored, the Hibernians defended their lead tenaciously, led by the excellent play of central defenders Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, as well as goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Late in the match, the Croatians came very close to knotting the score but a clever back pass by Christian Tropeano was blasted just over the bar by Phillip Kotter. All in all, an excellent performance by both teams!

COLUMBUS FC  -  WESTSIDE FC   3-1:  On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC defeated the visiting Westside FC by a 3-1 margin in a game that can best be described as one-sided. Columbus’ Kozo Manome opened the scoring midway through the first half on a long-range, curling shot after being set up by Jeff DeBlasio. Westside came close to equalizing shortly thereafter but Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone—after receiving an excellent pass from Brian Reems—shot directly at Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley from close range. Late in the first half, Jeff DeBlasio continued his impressive performance when he set up big brother Steve DeBlasio with yet another excellent pass. The older DeBlasio proceeded to beat a Westside defender before ripping a low shot to the far post for the 2-0 halftime lead. Columbus continued to control the tempo of the match in the second half and added its third goal at the 80^th minute mark when the tireless work of target man, Kaz Kikuchi, allowed him to lay off a perfect pass to Steve DeBlasio who hammered home his second goal of the game from well outside the penalty area. Westside scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle when a Nick Perugini left foot strike from the edge of the box found the far, low corner of the Columbus net.  Columbus’ makeshift—and vertically challenged—backline, composed of Frank Mollica, Nathan Quan, Steve Kindel, and Robbie Cairns, was rock-solid throughout the entire game, while the DeBlasio brothers took care of their team’s offensive chores. The victory lifts Columbus FC into a 4^th place tie with ICST Pegasus, only 1 point behind third place Metro-Ford. The loss, on the other hand, puts the Westsiders back into the dreaded relegation zone as they are now only 3 points ahead of last-place Sapperton and Norvan.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  NORVAN PACIFIC for its second straight upset victory, this one at the expense of the heavily-favoured ICST Pegasus by a narrow, but well-earned 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of Blake Burgon, Kyle Thompson, Matt Brewster, and Mark Krys, as well some solid goalkeeping on the part of veteran Steave London, the Norvan lads fully deserved the victory, a result that improves their chances of avoiding relegation.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Delta United’s HARPREET KHAKH  for his amazing performance in his team’s elaborate 3-0 victory over ICSF Inter. Not only did Khakh score two of Delta’s goals in brilliant fashion, but he also managed to set up his team’s third goal with an excellent pass to teammate Donald Kambere. For his excellent performance, HARP KHAKH will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-03-07.

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WEEK #19—2010-02-08

West Van FC and Surrey United continued to impress by virtue of their respective hard-fought victories over the Metro-Ford Wolves and Columbus FC. With only 3 games remaining in the regular schedule, it would appear that the league title will be awarded to one of the two aforementioned front-runners. At the bottom of the table, Norvan Pacific climbed a wee bit closer to the Sapperton Rovers by upsetting ICSF Inter, Norvan’s first victory since October! The victory keeps Norvan’s slight hopes of avoiding relegation alive, with the Rovers now within reach.

WEST VAN FC  -  METRO-FORD WOLVES  1-0:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, West Van FC remained in contention for the league title by defeating the visiting Wolves by a narrow, but well-earned, 1-0 margin. The former Trollers came out of the starting gate with passion and determination and were rewarded very early in the game when former Whitecap Justin Thompson headed home a brilliant cross by Milad Rahmati for the only goal of the contest. It should be mentioned that Rahmati had made a spectacular solo run before crossing the ball onto Thompson’s path. After the initial goal, the game seemed to stagnate as the home team reverted to its notorious style, not allowing Metro-Ford any space to create goalscoring opportunities. As a result, both teams had very few quality chances for the remainder of the match. Defensively, Leo Nash, Trevor Short, Max Baessato, and Tim Perry kept the Metro-Ford strikers at bay and made life relatively easy for young goalkeeper Nick Boyd as he recorded yet another West Van shutout—the 9^th of the season. At the other end of the pitch, Milad Rahmati was a going concern throughout the contest, using his speed and skill to full advantage. Brook Scott and young Paul Clerc played extremely well for the Wolves in their centre-back positions, as they allowed Rahmati and Justin Thompson very few chances to add to West Van’s lead. The best opportunity for Thompson came very late in the match when Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mathew Bird came up with a superb save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. The victory keeps West Van FC only one point behind Surrey United, while the Wolves appear to be out of the running for the league title as a result of the loss.

WESTSIDE FC  -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  2-2:  On Saturday afternoon, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, the visiting Hibernians and Westside FC settled for a 2-2 draw after a well-played and heavily-contested 90 minutes of action.  Richmond FC came out of the starting blocks looking for a victory and carried most of the play  during the entire match but, at the end, walked away with a disappointing single point. The Hibs got off to a good start and put the Westsiders on their heels early in the match. But, as luck would have it, it was the home team that took the lead at the 25^th minute mark when Peter Bow—after outpacing and outmuscling a couple of Richmond defenders—dribbled along the end line and placed a perfect pass onto the path of Jay Kent-Hume who calmly proceeded to slot the ball into the net for the opening goal. Richmond continued to press for the remainder of the first half but had to wait till the early stages of the second half to finally score the equalizer. After Masumi Turnbull and Brad Caldwell had played a clever one-two, Turnbull was fouled inside the Westside penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Richmond’s Erik Olsen made no mistake as he sent goalkeeper Rowan Anders the wrong way with a well-taken spot shot. About 20 minutes later, a perfectly-placed, near-post corner kick by Erik Olsen was superbly redirected into the net by Brad Caldwell’s brilliant diving header. The visitors continued to attack in search of the insurance marker and came close on several occasions to adding to their lead. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Westside’s Rowan Anders prevented the Hibs from scoring their thir goal. In particular, Anders made miraculous saves on a blistering shot by Reynold Stewart and on a great Alan Chivers header. Late in the match, substitute Frank Glassen unleashed an unstoppable, left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area for the equalizer. The result leaves both teams near the bottom of the table, but seemingly out of the relegation zone.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  COLUMBUS  FC  2-1:  Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, the first place Firemen extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 9 games with a narrow 2-1 victory over the visiting ‘Italians’. As expected, the entire game was a hard-fought battle, with clear-cut scoring chances at a premium. Surrey United came close to scoring in the first half when Angus Burke tried to flick home a Rizal Ganief cross at the near post. However, Columbus’ veteran defender Tony Gaita rose to the occasion as he made a brave goal-saving tackle inside the 6-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, Columbus also had a great goal-scoring opportunity but veteran Surrey United defender Jeff Skinner cleared a shot by Steve DeBlasio off the goal line to keep the game scoreless during the entire first half. The deadlock was finally broken at the 60^th minute mark when Surrey United’s young Gagan Josan stripped the ball from a Columbus defender and fired a perfect, low cross which veteran midfielder Jeff Clarke smashed into the back of the net from close range. Columbus responded very well to Surrey’s goal and bounced back tenaciously. The visitors were rewarded 10 minutes later when veteran Tiarnan King set up Steve Frazao with a brilliant pass. Frazao proceeded to fire a low, right-footed blast from a very tight angle into the net for the equalizer. Both teams then had chances to snatch the winner but it was Surrey United that seized the initiative when a long ball into the penalty area was awkwardly gathered by Jeff Clarke and, as he lay on the ground, proceeded to hook it into the middle of the goal area where Angus Burke tapped it into the net for the winning goal. Columbus almost tied things up in the late going, but a great sprawling save by Drew Smiley on a shot by Tiarnan King kept the scoreline at 2-1 till the final whistle. Steve McAuley and Brad Peetom were rock-solid in the Surrey United defense, while Lucas Barrett, Gagan Josan, and former Whitecaps’ captain Jeff Clarke made significant contributions in the midfield. For Columbus, striker Kaz Kikuchi, as well as midfielders Steve DeBlasio and Nathan Quan, also played very well, albeit in a losing cause. The victory keeps Surrey United in first place, only 1 point ahead of West Van FC, while Columbus remains in a 5^th place tie.

NORVAN PACIFIC  -  ICSF INTER  1-0:  The third Saturday game was played at Confederation Park in North Vancouver and featured the desperate Norvan Pacific and the visiting ICSF Inter. After losing 9 straight games, Norvan bounced out of its slump by defeating the visiting ‘Italians’ by a close, but well-deserved, 1-0 margin. The first half belonged entirely to Norvan as the Inter boys appeared to be a little over-confident and somewhat complacent. The home team came close to taking the lead on a couple of early occasions but Matt Hartwell and Adam Caldway narrowly missed the target with close-range shots. Late in the first half, Norvan was finally rewarded when Colin Soo sent a great cross into the box from the left flank, a cross that Scott Howey converted into the winning goal with a well-placed volley. In the second half, Inter pushed forward in search of the equalizer but some poor finishing—coupled by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of young Lucas Menz—kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the final whistle. As mentioned earlier, the victory keeps Norvan’s slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive, while Inter remains deadlocked in a 5^th place tie in the VMSL Premier Division table.

CROATIA SC  -  ICST PEGASUS:  3-1:  On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, climbed into a 5^th place tie with Columbus FC and ICSF Inter by defeating the aspiring Pegasus team by a rather clear-cut 3-1 margin. The Croatians outplayed the visiting Surrey team during the entire first half and took a well-deserved 2-0 lead into the dressing room. Croatia SC took the early lead when young Steve Fronzo sent Christian Tropeano in on goal with a great through ball. Tropeano made no mistake as he flicked the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper—Andy Singh—for the opening goal. Midway through the first half, Croatia SC added its second goal on a blistering shot by Fronzo from well outside the penalty area. It should be mentioned that Fronzo had originally been set up by a clever pass by Gustavo Argueta. Pegasus bounced back and came close to narrowing the margin when Meysam Soltani raced in on a partial breakaway but was denied the opportunity by Didar Sandhu’s fine save. Late in the first half, Tropeano almost added insult to Pegasus’ injury as he chested down a cross from Fronzo, raced in all alone, but inexplicably missed the net. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the Croatians seemed to be much hungrier and clearly more determined to claim all 3 points. At about the 80^th minute mark, goalkeeper Didar Sandhu sent Christian Tropeano on a counter-attack with a long-range throw. Tropeano capped off a fine individual performance by finding a wide-open Chris Craveiro who had no difficulty whatsoever in tapping the ball home for Croatia’s third goal. Pegasus made the scoreline somewhat respectable very late in the match, as defender Ryan Green headed home a Sunny Bains corner kick, thus spoiling Sandhu’s shutout chances. The entire Croatia team played very well, but special mention must be made of defenders Andrew Sciampacone, Darko Jelic, and Kreso Vonic who continually shut down Pegasus’ powerful forwards. Also, veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro turned in a brilliant performance as he controlled the middle of the park flawlessly throughout the entire match. Needless to say, Steve Fronzo and Christian Tropeano also turned in superlative performances as they drove the Pegasus defenders to distraction, thus contributing enormously to their team’s victory.

DELTA UNITED  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  3-1:  Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, Delta United bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a scoring 3 very late goals. The Rovers took the lead at about the 15^th minute mark on a great shot from the edge of the penalty area by Danny Caraiman. The home team took over the reins of the match from that point onward but had to wait till the 80^th minute mark to score the equalizer. Several excellent saves on the part of Sapperton goalkeeper Garth Lagasse, as well as a few missed opportunities by the Delta attackers, contributed largely to Delta’s failure to score much earlier in the match. In particular, first half chances by Mark Gomes and Harpreet Khakh were thwarted by Lagasse’s fine goalkeeping, while Steve Dormer and Shawn Blakeway barely missed the net with their second half shots. It should also be mentioned that the Rovers also had a couple of chances but both Andrew Celenza and Sidd Achuthan missed the net from close range. At the 80^th minute mark, a patented Mark Gomes cross resulted in Delta’s tying goal as Mike Gomes headed the ball home for the long awaited equalizer. Then, in rapid succession, the Donald Kambere – Shawn Blakeway show took place as they combined to score Delta’s next two goals in very similar fashion. On both goals, Kambere capitalized on his speed and skill as he set up targetman Blakeway for the winning goal and insurance marker.  Defensively, Sapperton veterans Edward Bradford and Kent Waechter played remarkably well as did midfielders Ted Ullrich, Reyhan Ismail, and Colin Phillips. Midfielder Brian Gebbie and forwards Donald Kambere and Shawn Blakeway also turned in solid performances for the winning Delta team. The result drops the Rovers back in the dreaded relegation zone, while Delta United is now only one point out of 5^th place, with a 7-6-6 record.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  CROATIA SC for its remarkable performance in defeating the favoured ICST Pegasus by a clear-cut 3-1 margin. Led by the excellent performances of veteran midfielder Chris Craveiro, forward Christian Tropeano, and young outside midfielder Steven Fronzo, the Croatians dominated the entire match against their highly-regarded opponents and fully deserved the victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Croatia SC’s outside midfielder STEVEN FRONZO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 3-1 upset victory over ICST Pegasus. The youngster set up Christian Tropeano for Croatia’s first goal with an immaculate pass. He then proceeded to score the winning goal on a blistering long-range shot. Throughout the rest of the match, Fronzo drove his opponents to distraction with his enormous skill and fast pace.   For his excellent performance, STEVEN FRONZO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-25.

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WEEK #18—2010-02-01

West Van FC and Surrey United reversed roles from last week as the Firefighters climbed back into first place by virtue of a 2-1 victory over Westside FC, while the former Trollers could only manage a scoreless tie against Columbus FC. Meanwhile, the Metro-Ford Wolves remained in contention for the Premier Division title by narrowly defeating Delta United by a 2-1 margin. At the bottom of the table, the Sapperton Rovers and Norvan Pacific met in a crucial “relegation-avoidance” match that resulted in a 2-0 victory for the Rovers over the luckless North Vancouver squad.

ICSF INTER  -  CROATIA SC   1-1:   On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, ICSF Inter and Croatia SC settled for a 1-1 tie after an exciting and well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. Early in the match, Inter’s Liam Miller came close to scoring as he barely missed the net on a wicked shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. Inter continued to press and eventually took the lead at the 15^th minute mark when GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca fired an unstoppable drive from well outside the penalty area into the Croatian net. The Croatians bounced back and tied things up 10 minutes later when Shawn Parkes volleyed a great cross from Andrew Sciampacone into the back of the Inter net, giving goalkeeper Erman Ozkan no chance whatsoever. Inter came close to retaking the lead late in the first half but a clever three-way passing play among Adam Wallace, Tino Cucca, and Mike Tempesta went awry as Tempesta’s shot just went wide of the net. Early in the second half, Croatia almost took the lead when former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a few defenders at the top of the Inter 18-yard box before firing a shot that appeared to be destined for the back of the net. However, a phenomenal save on the part of Erman Ozkan prevented the Croatians from taking the lead. Ten minutes later, Ozkan once again rose to the occasion as he made yet another superb save, this time on a shot by Cristian Tropeano after he had been set up by Johnny Sulentic. Shortly thereafter, Inter’s Terry Davies was ejected from the game for a violent conduct infraction and the Croatians applied even more pressure on the ICSF defence but were unable to score the winning goal, mostly due to some excellent defending on the part of Sonny Uppal and, once again, some brilliant goalkeeping by Erman Ozkan. Croatia’s defensive duo—Kreso Vonic and Andrew Sciampacone—as well as midfielders Philip Kotter and Chris Craverio played very well throughout the contest, while Inter’s goalkeeper Erman Ozkan once again deserves accolades for his amazing performance.

METRO-FORD WOLVES  -  DELTA UNITED  2-1:   Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, Metro-Ford remained in contention for the Premier Division title by edging the rather unlucky Delta United by a 2-1 margin. The first half was evenly—and somewhat cautiously—played as neither team seemed willing to take any potentially damaging risks. The second half insertion of young veteran Andrew Veer into the Metro-Ford lineup paid enormous dividends for the Wolves as he scored two brilliant goals in rapid succession. On the first marker—at about the 60^th minute mark—Veer converted an impeccable cross by Joe Scigliano into the opening goal with a close-range shot. Shortly thereafter, Veer unleashed an unstoppable drive from well outside the penalty area, a shot that gave Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum absolutely no chance. To their credit, the visitors refused to give up and came close to scoring on a few of occasions. In particular, Mike Gomes’ wicked volley—on a corner kick by Mark Gomes—was cleared off the line by Alfredo Valente. Shortly thereafter, lady luck was once again not on Mike Gomes’ side as he watched agonizingly as his shot bounced off the post. On the resulting scramble, John Blair also hit the post—much to the chagrin of the Delta squad. With about 5 minutes remaining in the match, Metro-Ford’s Kingsley Jones was fouled inside the Delta penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Andrew Veer failed to finish off his hat-trick as his low shot hit the goalpost with Brian Brum well beaten. Just before the final whistle, a long-range, floating shot by Harpreet Khakh caught Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mat Bird out of position as it sailed over his head and into the net. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was a typical case of “too little, too late” as the final whistle came shortly thereafter. The defensive quartet of Kingsley Jones, Brook Scott, Aaron Beattie, and newcomer Anthony DiNicolo played very well for Metro-Ford, while the Gomes brothers—Mike and Mark—once again turned in outstanding performances for the visitors. The victory leaves the Wolves 3 points behind Surrey United, albeit with a game in hand. Delta United, on the other hand, is now in the middle of the pack with a record of 6-6-6.

SAPPERTON ROVERS   -  NORVAN PACIFIC   2-0:  On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the two bottom teams in the Premier Division faced off in a very important “relegation-avoidance” match. At the end of a rather sloppily played 90 minutes, the Rovers came away with the all-important 3 points, a victory which solidifies their chances of avoiding relegation to the first division. The desperate Norvan squad once again was unable to score any goals and thus suffered its 9^th consecutive defeat. In the first half, the former Eagles came close to scoring on a few occasions but some poor finishing on the part of Kyle Thompson, Nathan Harte, and Blake Burgon kept the visitors off the scoresheet. At the other end of the pitch, veteran Sapperton forward Ted Ullrich came close to giving his team the lead on a couple of excellent goalscoring opportunities but—on both occasions—he missed the net from close range. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as the visitors exerted a lot of pressure on the Sapperton defense. However, some outstanding defending on the part of veterans Ed (Woody) Bradford and Kent Waechter made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Garth Lagasse as he recorded his 4^th shutout of the season. Somewhat against the run of play, the Rovers took the lead at the 60^th minute mark when Reyhan Ismail’s well-taken free kick—from well outside the penalty area—sailed into the near top corner of the Norvan net, giving veteran goalkeeper Steve London no chance whatsoever. With only about 5 minutes remaining in the contest, Andrew Celenza took advantage of a great through ball by Danny Caraimann and proceeded to tuck the ball home from close range. Young Norvan defender Brent Dodge—as well as forward Kyle Thompson—played extremely well for the visitors, albeit in a losing cause. The victory improves Sapperton’s chances of avoiding relegation immensely as the Rovers are now 6 points ahead of the last place Pacific, with a game in hand.

ICST PEGASUS  -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS   3-1:  On Saturday, at Minoru Park in Richmond, the high-flying Pegasus continued to impress with yet another excellent performance in defeating the home side by a clear-cut 3-1 margin. The Hibs came out of the starting gate flat-footed and paid the price early in the match as young Sahil Sandhu scored Pegasus’ opening goal on a breakaway, neatly slotting the ball home after having received an outstanding through ball from Ryan Powell. Richmond FC tied things up midway through the first half as the Chivers boys—Peter and Alan—combined to set up Erik Olsen for the close-range equalizer. The Hibernians had a couple of other goalscoring opportunities in the first half but, on both occasions, Pegasus’ goalkeeper—Andy Singh—came up with sensational saves, both on shots by Erik Olsen. Late in the first half, Pegasus took the lead with Ryan Powell once again being the provider as he sent a brilliant cross onto the head of Meysam Soltani who had no difficulty in converting it into what proved to be the winning goal. In the second half, Pegasus defended well and counter-attacked very dangerously as the Hibs tried desperately to score the tying goal. At the 70^th minute mark, the visitors scored the insurance marker on a free kick from the edge of the penalty area. Chetan Jhooty, who in the first half had missed a glorious goalscoring opportunity, made amends for his previous faux pas by hammering an incredibly powereful shot towards the Richmond goal. The ball deflected off the defensive wall, bounced off the goalpost, off the back of goalkeeper Matt Clayton’s head, and into the net for Pegasus’ third goal. calm and composed manner. In the late going, Meysam Soltani and Chetan Jhooty came close to adding another goal to Pegasus’ lead but narrowly missed the target with their powerful shots. Richmond’s midfielders Alan Chivers, Reynold Stewart, and Owen Sinclair—as well as striker Brad Caldwell—played very well in a losing cause. Pegasus’ forward Ryan Powell and goalkeeper Andy Singh also turned in excellent performances. The victory—Pegasus’ 7^th straight positive result—improves its record to 8-7-3 and solidifies its hold on 4^th place, while the Hibernians remain stranded in 9^th place with 18 points.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  WESTSIDE FC  2-1:  On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Surrey United climbed back into first place by edging the Westsiders by a 2-1 margin.   Despite carrying most of the play throughout the match, the Firemen had to rely on two late goals to walk away with the all-important victory. In the first half, Surrey United had a few goalscoring chances, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Geoff Ayi-Bonte—coupled by same great defending by Cam Kochorek, Sam Wallace, and Chris Mehuys—kept the game scoreless till the halftime break. In particular, Ayi-Bonte made a couple of superlative saves on breakaway efforts by Lucas Barrett and Angus Burke. Surrey United continued to dominate proceedings in the second half and exerted a lot of pressure on the Westside defensive core. The best opportunity for the Firefighters came at about the 60^th minute mark when Tyler Rosenlund hit the crossbar with a wicked long-range drive that had Ayi-Bonte handcuffed. Shortly thereafter, as luck would have it, Westside took the lead when Ian Sandilands sent a through ball to Brian Reems who proceeded to cap off an excellent individual performance by neatly beating two Surrey defenders before slotting a low shot into the corner of the net. Westside attempted to defend its narrow lead and succeeded until the 85^th minute mark when Tyler Rosenlund—after receiving a great pass from player/coach Niall Thompson—slammed the ball home from close range. Well into ‘injury-time’ Rosenlund and Thompson reversed roles as the former became the provider and the latter the finisher. In fact, a well-taken corner kick by Rosenlund was headed into the old onion bag by Thompson, thus gaining all 3 points for the visitors. Defensively, Steve McAuley played very well for the victors, while forward Rizal Ganief worked tirelessly all game long and drove the Westside defenders to distraction with his speed, energy, and skill. As mentioned earlier, the victory catapults Surrey United into first place, one point ahead of West Van FC. Westside FC, on the other hand, remain near the bottom of the table with a mediocre 4-4-10 record.

COLUMBUS FC  -  WEST VAN FC  0-0:    On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division faced off in a crucial match. Unfortunately for both teams, the 0-0 draw—and the resulting single point—does neither team any favours. In fact, the result drops the former Trollers to second place, one point behind Surrey United, while Columbus remains in a 5^th place tie with arch-rival ICSF Inter. Columbus had most of the ball possession throughout the contest and created more dangerous goalscoring opportunities. However, at the end of the day, the scoreless draw was a result of solid defending, good goalkeeping, and lacklustre finishing by both squads. Columbus had most of the play in the early going and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions on chances by Kozo Manome and Steve Kindel. On the first opportunity, Manome took advantage of a scramble inside the 18-yard box but his blistering shot rang off the crossbar and out of danger. On the other hand, Kindel’s rocket of a free kick was brilliantly saved by West Van’s goalkeeper, Marco Durante. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first with Durante once again coming up with a couple of excellent saves to preserve the tie for the visitors. West Van’s best chance came late in the match when Corey Birza was left wide open inside the goal area but sailed his header over the crossbar from very close range. Defensively, Jonathan Poli, Tony Gaita, Blair Robertson, and Robbie Cairns played very well for Columbus, while West Van’s goalkeeper Marco Durante was forced to make a few remarkable saves to keep his team in the game. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC now drops to second place in the Premier Division standings, one point behind Surrey United, while Columbus FC remains in 5^th place.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent effort in defeating the always tough Westside FC by a 2-1 margin. Surrey United dominated proceedings from start to finish but had to rely on two late goals to claim all 3 points against the defensively-minded Westsiders. As a result of the victory, the Firefighters have climbed back into sole possession of first place, albeit only one point ahead of West Van FC. It should also be mentioned that Surrey United has now extended its unbeaten streak to a remarkable 8 games!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  ICSF Inter’s goalkeeper ERMAN OZKAN for his amazing performance in his team’s 1-1 tie against Croatia SC. Time after time Ozkan was called upon to make incredible saves against the vaunted Croatian strikers. In particular, Ozkan robbed former professional Johnny Sulentic with a world-class save.   For his excellent performance, ERMAN OZKAN will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-18.

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WEEK #17—2010-01-25

West Van FC climbed back into sole possession of first place by narrowly defeating the visiting Westside FC by a 1-0 margin, while the Surrey United Firefighters were held to a 2-2 tie by the Richmond FC Hibernians. Two contenders for promotion to the BC Premier League—ICSF Inter and ICST Pegasus—had to settle for a 1-1 tie after a very well-played and highly-competitive 90 minutes of non-stop action. At the bottom of the table, the Sapperton Rovers and Norvan Pacific continued their losing streaks and thus remained in danger of being relegated to the first division.

WEST VAN FC  -  WESTSIDE FC  1-0:   On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple champions—West Van FC—narrowly defeated the visiting Westsiders by a 1-0 margin. Once again, the visitors employed their defensive and counter-attacking tactics and, as a result, the final score remained respectable. The former Trollers came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the first half, but the woodwork got in the way on shots by Robbie Giezen and former Whitecap Justin Thompson. .Early in the second half, Westside FC—on yet another counter-attack—came close to taking the lead when midfielder Brian Reems was stymied by goalkeeper Nick Boyd as he flew in on goal on a clear-cut breakaway. Shortly thereafter, at the other end of the pitch, second-half substitute Sean Taylor had his brilliantly-executed bicycle kick saved by Westside’s goalkeeper Rowan Anders. Westside responded in kind and came close to taking the lead when front runner Peter Bow managed to dribble around a few West Van defenders only to see his well-struck, low shot miss the far post by inches. Ten minutes later, Taylor finally got the winning goal as he darted across the top of the box, beat a couple of Westside defenders, and celebrated his birthday by blasting a shot into the top right-hand corner of the net!  The Westside backline—composed of Graeme Webber, Cam Kochorek, Frank Glassen, and particularly Sam Wallace—played extremely well throughout the match while young forward Peter Bow was dangerous on the limited Westside counter-attacks. The insertion of veteran Mike Dodd and young Sean Taylor in the second half paid enormous dividends for the home team, while Tim Perry also played very well in his central midfield role. As mentioned earlier, the victory—coupled with Surrey United’s tie—elevates West Van FC back into first place, albeit only one point ahead of of their main rivals.

ICST PEGASUS  -  ICSF INTER  1-1:   Also on Friday evening, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at Newton Athletic Park, two aspiring teams met in a very important match. One of the four spots in next season’s BC Premier League was a stake and, as a result, both teams desperately needed all 3 points. As luck would have it, however, the game ended in a 1-1 tie, a fair—but disappointing—result for both teams. The match was extremely well-played and very entertaining, with chances at both ends of the pitch. Pegasus took the lead at about the 15^th minute mark when a cross/shot by David Samra was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. Unfortunately for Ozkan—and the rest of the Inter crew—the ball fell onto the path of Meysam Soltani who proceeded to score the easiest of his 13 goals during the current season. The second half was more of less a repeat of the first as, once again, both teams took turns defending, attacking, and creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities. ICSF Inter knotted the score 10 minutes into the second half when newly-signed Farhad Abdulgani took advantage of a defensive blunder and played a perfect pass to a streaking Paul Bolina who, without a moment’s hesitation, set up a wide-open Tino Cucca who had no trouble whatsoever in converting the pass into the tying goal. It should be mentioned that this was Cucca’s 14^th goal of the season, as he retained his narrow lead in the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD race. Shortly thereafter, Abdulgani once again beat several defenders but had his shot saved by Pegasus goalkeeper, Andy Singh. Pegasus responded in kind and came very close to taking the lead but newly-signed Sahil Sandhu watched agonizingly as his glancing header barely went over the bar. At the other end of the pitch, Sheldon Maistry’s header also just went wide of the net. In the dying moments, Pegasus almost claimed all 3 points but Chetan Jhooty’s shot was miraculously cleared off the line by Inter’s goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. All in all, a very exciting match played between two very competitive teams! The Pegasus backline—in particular Paul Bahia and Carlos Dhaliwal—was rorck-solid during the entire game, while defender Nick Seddon—as  well as midfielders Mike Tempesta and Farhad Abdulgani—were  standouts in the Inter line-up.

METRO-FORD WOLVES  -  NORVAN PACIFIC   2-0:  On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the Wolves remained in contention for a spot in the BC Premier League by defeating the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific by a 2-0 margin. The first half belonged entirely to the visitors as the Norvan lads appeared confused and perplexed by the excellent midfield performances of veterans Oliver Heald and Emilio Bottiglieri. Very early in the match, another couple of Metro-Ford veterans—Joe Scigliano and Alfredo Valente—combined to give the visitors the lead as Valente finished off a neat pass by Scigliano into what proved to be the winning goal. About 10 minutes later, Valente added his second goal of the match as he capitalized on a great pass by young Anthony DiNicolo by cleverly tucking the ball under Norvan’s goalkeeper, Steve London. The former Eagles bounced back in the second half and created a few chances of their own. In particular, Matt Hartwell was unable to convert a glorious opportunity which arose when goalkeeper Mat Bird fumbled a shot by Norvan’s Blake Burgon. Another Pacific youngster, Kyle Thompson was also unlucky on a couple of occasions as his shots barely missed the net. At the other end of the pitch, Steve London had to come up with a few brilliant saves—the best ones on a great shots by Oliver Heald and Azad Palani—to keep the scoreline respectable. Very late in the match, Metro-Ford’s Chris Jarvie had London beaten with his clever shot but painfully watched the ball bounce off both posts before being cleared out of danger. Metro-Ford’s central defenders—Brook Scott and Kingsley Jones—were once again towers of strength throughout the contest, while Norvan’s defender Lavere Corbin-Org and goalkeeper Steve London turned in superlative performances in a losing cause. The victory improves the third-place Wolves’ record to 8-5-3, while Norvan’s 8^th consecutive loss leaves them mired in last place with little hope of avoiding relegation to Division 1.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  2-2:  The second Saturday match was played at Cloverdale Athletic Park and featured the league-leading Firemen and the visiting Hibernians. Much to Surrey United’s chagrin, the visitors managed to eke out a draw and thus send the heavy favourites back into second place in the Premier Division table. The Hibs came flying out of the starting gate, dominated the first part of the match, and deservedly took the lead  at around the 20^th minute mark as a result of a brilliant 3-way passing play involving Jeff Potratz, Alan Chivers, and Peter Chivers. In fact, after Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley had made a great save on Peter Chivers’ shot, Richmond’s Masumi Turnbull picked up the rebound and smashed the ball home for the all-important opening goal. Turnbull’s goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the Firefighters needed as they bounced back with grit and determination and quickly knotted the score when Angus Burke finished off a well-executed pass from teammate Stephan Leslie. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking and defending but it was Richmond FC that took the lead at around the 60^th minute mark, once again on a close-range shot by Masumi Turnbull. On this occasion, Reynold Stewart picked up a loose ball in the middle of the park and sent Alan Chivers down the right flank with an impeccable pass. Chivers then proceeded to deliver a perfect, low cross into the Surrey goal area, a cross that was hammered home by Turnbull for Richmond’s second goal. Once again, Surrey United responded quickly and scored the final equalizer about 6 minutes later when Brad Petoom sent Angus Burke on a breakaway with an exquisite pass. Burke then proceeded to score his second goal of the match in a calm and composed manner. At this point, the Firemen took over the reins of the match and applied enormous pressure on the Richmond defensive unit in a desperate effort to gain the all-important 3 points. However, some rock solid defending by Stu Walters, as well as some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Matt Clayton kept the score at 2-2 till the final whistle. It should be noted that both teams came very close to scoring what would have been the winning goal in the late stages of the match as Surrey’s Rizal Ganief hit the goal post while Richmond’s Tom Brook lobbed the ball over the crossbar, both with the opposing goalkeeper well-beaten. As mentioned earlier, the single point drops Surrey United back to second place, while the Hibernians remain in 9^th place with only 18 points.

CROATIA SC  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  4-1:  On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the Croatians bounced back from last week’s embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of the Metro-Ford Wolves by destroying the struggling Sapperton Rovers by a 4-1 margin. Croatia SC dominated the entire first half and took a well-deserved 3-0 lead into the dressing room. Very early in the match, Chris Craveiro’s near post run on a Johnny Sulentic corner kick resulted in the first goal as Craveiro’s glancing header amazingly found the back of the net past a bewildered Sapperton defensive unit. Soon thereafter, Sulentic added insult to Sapperton’s injury by scoring what proved to be the winning goal when a perfectly-played through-ball by Gustavo Argueta sent him on a breakaway. In his usual skillful and composed manner, Sulentic made no mistake in slotting the ball behind Sapperton’s goalkeeper Garth Lagasse. Midway through the first half, Sulentic scored again, this time as he took advantage of a defensive Sapperton blunder as he blocked Lagasse’s attempted clearance before depositing the ball into the back of the net. Midway through the second half, Marinko Maras made a speedy run down the left flank, beat a couple of Sapperton defenders, and played an immaculate low cross to Chris Craveiro who easily slotted the ball home for his second goal of the contest. Soon thereafter, Sapperton’s Jason Pierotti hammered home a close-range shot after having beaten a couple of Croatia’s defenders along the goal line. Despite the loss, the Rovers’ Reyhan Ismail and Danny Caraiman played very well in the midfield, while defender Sven Wagner and forward Brandon Steblin worked tirelessly throughout the match. Needless to say, Johnny Sulentic and Chris Craveiro turned in excellent performances for the Croatians, while midfielder Shawn Parkes and defender Kreso Vonic also played remarkably well. The victory maintains Croatia’s hopes of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Sapperton’s 3^rd consecutive loss keeps the Rovers mired in penultimate place, only 3 points ahead of Norvan.

DELTA UNITED  -  COLUMBUS FC  0-0:   Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, two teams with high expectations met in a crucial match. Unfortunately for both teams, the 0-0 draw—and the resulting single point—does not help them a great deal in their quest to gain promotion to next season’s BC Premier League. Even though Columbus had the majority of the ball possession, it must be said that both teams had various goalscoring opportunities. Early in the match, newly-transferred Donald Kambere sent a very dangerous cross into the Columbus goal area, just out of the reach of target man Shawn Blakeway. Soon thereafter, Kambere had a couple of other goalscoring opportunities go awry as he had his shots blocked by Columbus defenders. Near the end of the first half, Delta’s Mark Gomes and Harpreet Khakh both sent their long-range strikes over the crossbar. In the second half, it was Columbus that had the best goalscoring chances as Tiarnan King, Steve DeBlasio, and newly-signed Kaz Kikuchi were all thwarted by Delta goalkeeper Brian Brum. Columbus’ defenders Jonathan Poli and Robbie Cairns were rock-solid throughout the match while Steve Kindel controlled the midfield for the entire 90 minutes of play. Delta’s defensive unit—composed of Devon Greenside, Steve Millar, Brian Fowler, and Mike Gomes—also played extremely well. The result leaves Columbus in a 5^th place tie with ICSF Inter, only one point out of 4^th place, while Delta United is now in 7^th place, 4 points out of the promotion zone.

TEAMS OF THE WEEK:  ICST PEGASUS and ICSF INTER for their brilliant performances in their match played on Friday evening at Newton Athletic Park. Both teams played extremely well in their determined effort to gain all 3 points. However, they both had to settle for a disappointing 1-1 draw, a result that does not help either team. It should be mentioned that the goals were scored by the two top goalscorers in the Premier Division, Inter’s Tino Cucca and Pegasus’ Meysam Soltani.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Croatia SC’s midfielder CHRIS CRAVEIRO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 4-1 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. Not only did Craveiro control the middle of the park with his immense skill and precise ball distribution, but he also scored two vital goals in his team’s all-important victory.   For his excellent performance, CHRIS CRAVEIRO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-11.

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WEEK #16—2010-01-18

For the most part, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer this past weekend as most of the matches ended with predictable results. The one ‘mini-upset’ took place on Saturday afternoon at Cloverdale Athletic Park when the host Surrey United Firefighters edged West Van FC by a 2-1 margin and thus climbed into sole possession of first place in the VMSL Premier Division standings.

METRO-FORD WOLVES  -  CROATIA SC  3-0:   On Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, two rather unpredictable teams faced off in a very important match. Both teams are trying desperately to qualify for the BC Premier League and, as a result, needed all 3 points to improve their chances of reaching their goal. The Croatians, after last week’s impressive 3-0 victory over Columbus FC, came flying out of the starting gate and nearly took the lead very early in the match when Daniel Rogic blasted what appeared to be an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately for the Croatians, the shot rang off the crossbar, with goalkeeper Mathew Bird well beaten. After that, the first half was very evenly played with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. At about the 25^th minute mark, the Wolves took the lead when veteran Emilio Bottiglieri latched onto a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and proceeded to hammer home the opening, and winning, goal. Just before the halftime whistle, former professional Johnny Sulentic nearly knotted the score as he waltzed around a couple of Metro-Ford defenders before forcing Mathew Bird into making a great save off a wicked shot. Early in the second half, Sulentic once again came close to scoring the equalizer, but once again he was denied by yet another fine save by Bird. It should be mentioned that Sulentic’s shot took a last-moment deflection, forcing Bird to make a nearly miraculous reaction save. Midway through the second half, former Whitecap Alfredo Valente set up young Jovan Blagojevic for Metro-Ford’s insurance marker with a clever pass. Blagojevic’s finish was a thing of beauty as he curled the ball into the far corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Didar Sandhu no chance whatsoever. Blagojevic added the Wolves’ third goal—and his second of the match—late in the contest, this time after being set up by Azad Palani. Metro-Ford defenders Aaron Beattie and newly-signed Anthony DiNicolo were outstanding throughout the match as they constantly thwarted the vaunted Croatian attackers. Veteran midfielders Emilio Bottiglieri and Oliver Heald also played very well for the Wolves as they controlled the middle of the park with poise and composure. Needless to say, Johnny Sulentic played extremely well for Croatia SC, while veteran Chris Craveiro once again demonstrated his enormous skills and play-making ability. The loss leaves Croatia SC at 21 points, 5 short of the coveted 4^th spot, while Metro-Ford climbs into 4^th place with 26 points.

DELTA UNITED  -  WESTSIDE FC  3-1:   On Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Delta United came out of its 3-game losing streak by defeating Westside FC by a 3-1 margin. Two very late goals sealed Westside’s fate as the match appeared to be destined to end in a tie. After an evenly-played, and scoreless, first half, the visitors took the lead at about the 55^th minute mark when veteran Shawn Blakeway headed home a clever chip by Harp Khakh. The Westsiders responded in kind and found the equalizer about 10 minutes later when Jay Kent-Hume sent a glancing header into the far low corner of the net. Delta United bounced back and, led by the fine play of veteran midfielder Mike Gomes, controlled the remainder of the match.  Finally, at the 88^th minute mark, Mike Gomes was able to score the winning goal on a header from yet another cross by Harp Khakh. Just before the final whistle, with Westside goalkeeper Rowan Anders pushing forward in search of the equalizer, Mike Gomes took advantage of a counter-attack to score the insurance marker into an empty net from the middle of the park. Newly-signed midfielder Geoff Kosub and forward Donald Kambere made very successful debuts in the Delta lineup as they exhibited a high degree of speed and energy. However, the biggest contributors to Delta’s victory were veteran defenders Brian Fowler, Brian Gebbie, and Steve Millar as they shut down the young and energetic Westside forwards throughout the contest. Westside’s defenders Brian Reems and Chris Mehuys also played very well, while midfielder Keyhan Kaveh worked tirelessly for the entire 90 minutes, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of the victory, Delta United’s chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League remain alive, while Westside FC remains near the bottom of the table with a mediocre 4-4-8 record.

ICSF INTER  -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  1-0:  The second Saturday game was played at Minaru Park in Richmond between the visiting ICSF Inter and the hosting Hibernians. After a well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action, the ‘Italians’ walked away with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over the luckless Richmond lads. Inter had most of the play in the early going and created several goalscoring opportunities, all of which went awry. Specifically, Paul Bolina, Alex Marrello, and Tino Cucca came close to scoring but all 3 of them missed glorious chances to give their team the well-deserved lead. Cucca’s chance was by far the most clear-cut as the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader watched agonizingly as his open-net shot was cleared off the line by Richmond defender Stu Walters. On the other hand, Bolina’s effort, on a clear-cut breakway, was brilliantly saved by Richmond goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Clayton’s and Walters’ remarkable saves seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Hibs as they took over the reins of the match for the remainder of the first half. The home team came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, both on efforts by striker Reynold Stewart. On the first, Stewart took advantage of a great passing play, involving Alan Chivers and Erik Olson, and unleashed what appeared to be an unstoppable shot that was miraculously saved by goalkeeper Erman Ozkan. Minutes later, Stewart attacked down the left flank, beat a couple of Inter defenders along the goal line and beat Ozkan with a clever near-post shot only to have the ball bounce off the post and trickle along the goal line. The second half continued to be a chess match, similar to the first, with both teams attacking and defending well. At about the 70^th minute mark, Inter’s Paul Bolina was fouled at the edge of the penalty area by goalkeeper Matt Clayton, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the visitors. Tino Cucca stepped up to the plate and scored his 13^th goal of the season, and his team’s winning goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, Inter came close to doubling its lead when Adam Wallace bounced a wicked shot off the post with Clayton well-beaten. The Hibernians, however, refused to give up and attacked furiously for the remainder of the contest in search of the equalizer. They came very close in doing so on a few occasions but some bad luck—coupled with some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan—kept the scoreline at 1-0 till the final whistle. In particular, a blast by Masumi Turnbull—after a brilliant passing play involving Peter Chivers and Owen Sinclair—bounced off the post with Ozkan well beaten. The final opportunity for Richmond to tie the game came just at the stroke of full time when Owen Sinclair’s excellent chip shot—on a set-up by Alan Chivers and Masumi Turnbull—was  once again brilliantly saved by Ozkan. All in all, a very entertaining game played between two very competitive teams!

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  WEST VAN FC  2-1:  The third, and final, Saturday game was played in front of a large crowd at Cloverdale Athletic Park and featured the two top teams in the Premier Division: the Surrey United Firefighters and the defending champions West Van FC. At the end of the 90 minutes of exciting action, the Firemen walked away with a hard-fought victory, their 6^th consecutive positive result and, as a result, sole possession of first place. The former Trollers got off to a great start and generated several gilt-edged chances in the first 25 minutes, only to be repeatedly thwarted by Drew Smiley, Surrey United’s veteran goalkeeper. Notably, Smiley made point-blank saves on shots by Alan McIndoe, Justin Thompson, and Paul Dailly. Veteran Mike Dodd also came very close to scoring for the league leaders but inexplicably missed the wide open net from close range. The Firefighters, after absorbing West Van’s initial pressure, responded positively and used their youth and pace to effectively stretch the visitors’ backline and dominate the remainder of the first half. Not surprisingly, at about the 35^th minute mark, Surrey United took the lead on a goal by young Angus Burke as he was set up by another youngster, Brad Petoon. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first as West Van applied a lot of early pressure, but the Firefighters stormed back near the end. At the 65^th minute mark, Omari Aldridge knotted the score as he converted a Corey Birza set-up for West Van’s only goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, Surrey United scored the winning goal on a counter-attack as Lucas Barrett sent Rizal Ganief flying down the right flank with a great through ball. Ganief’s shot was somewhat mishandled by goalkeeper Marco Durante and, much to the chagrin of the entire West Van clan, ended up in the back of the net. The former Trollers pressed hard for the equalizer and came close to knotting the score on efforts by Trevor Short and former Whitecap Justin Thompson but the Firemen held on for the victory. As mentioned earlier, Surrey United is now all alone in first place, one point ahead of West Van FC.

COLUMBUS FC  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  3-1:  On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, Columbus FC bounced back from 2 straight losses to defeat the last place Norvan Pacific by a 3-1 margin. The first half saw both teams taking turns defending, attacking, and creating some excellent goalscoring chances.  Columbus’ Tiarnan King and Steve Kindel—in his first game of the season after returning from professional duties—had their excellent shots saved by young goalkeeper Lucas Menz, while at the other end of the pitch Blake Burgon and Kyle Thompson narrowly missed the mark with shots that seemed destined for the back of the net. Near the end of the first half, Columbus’ captain—Steve DeBlasio—played a square ball to Tiarnan King at the top of the box. King was able to create enough room for himself and slipped a clever toe punt into the back of the net for the all-important go-ahead goal.  In the second half, Columbus took over the reins of the match and missed several glorious scoring chances before Steve DeBlasio took matters into his own hands and scored what proved to be the winning goal with a long-range blast that found the top corner of the Norvan net. At about the 75^th minute mark, DeBlasio added his second goal of the contest in a rather fortuitous manner as his cross was redirected into the back of the net by a Norvan defender. To their credit, the Norvan youngsters never gave up and actually created a couple of goalscoring opportunities of their own. On one occasion, Scott Howey was able to convert a nifty set piece by Nathan Harte only to have the goal disallowed due an offside infraction. Then, Kyle Thompson’s blazing shot was saved brilliantly by goalkeeper Thomas Lindley to keep the visitors off the scoresheet. Finally, at the 90^th minute mark, the Norvan hard work paid off when a Tony Seddon throw-in was redirected into the back of the net by Nathan Harte. Defensively, Lavere Corbin-Org played extremely well for the former Eagles, while Columbus’ Steve DeBlasio was dominant during the entire contest, both in a forward and midfield role. The victory keeps Columbus’ chances of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Norvan’s  6^th straight loss keeps the youngster mired in last place.

ICST PEGASUS  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  4-2:   Also on Sunday, at Mercer Stadium in New Westminster, ICST Pegasus won their third game in a row by defeating the Sapperton Rovers by a 4-2 margin. Pegasus came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and had at least 4 clear-cut chances in the early part of the match but some superlative goalkeeping on the part of Garth Lagasse kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the entire first half. Right off the opening whistle, Meysam Soltani surprisingly missed the net as he raced in on goal on a breakaway. Shortly thereafter, Lagasse made a phenomenal save on a Ryan Powell shot which subsequently bounced off the crossbar. Then, it was Nico Marcina’s turn to miss the net from point-blank range. Finally, after David Samra had been hauled down by veteran Ted Ullrich, Lagasse pulled off yet another incredible save on Chetan Jhooty’s penalty kick. To add insult to Pegasus’ injury, it was Sapperton that scored the first goal of the game late in the first half as Jason Pierotti took advantage of some poor communication between Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh and defender Andrew Reed and cleverly chipped the ball into the back of the net from well outside the penalty area. Pegasus recovered admirably in the second half and the flood gates finally opened up in the second half as the Meysam Soltani show began! First, the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD candidate calmly converted a penalty kick which was awarded when Soltani himself had been brought down—once again by Ted Ullrich—inside the penalty area. Then, Soltani scored his second goal on a great individual effort, using his skill and strength to hold off several Sapperton defenders before slotting the ball home for the go-ahead goal. Soltani then completed his hat-trick by neatly deflecting a powerful long-range strike by David Samra. The Rovers narrowed the margin to 3-2 with about 10 minutes remaining in the match when a Reyhan Ismail free kick eluded several Pegasus defenders, as well as the goalkeeper, before finding the back of the net. Pegasus promptly went back down the pitch and added a fourth goal as Goldie Takhar calmly stroked the ball home after a goal-mouth scramble. Veteran Pegasus defender Lavy Mangat was a tower of strength throughout the contest, while David Samra was a going concern on the right flank as he drove the Sapperton defenders to distraction with his pace and skill. Young Sapperton defenders Brayden Volkanent and Rhys Volkanent turned in solid performances, while wingers Reyhan Ismail and Sidd Achutan also played very well in a losing cause. The victory solidifies Pegasus’ hold on third place in the Premier Division table, while the Rovers remain in penultimate place with only 11 points out of 15 games.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their excellent effort in defeating the defending champions—West Van FC—by a 2-1 margin and thus laying claim to first place. Led by the excellent performances of veteran goalkeeper Drew Smiley, young Brad Petoon, and veteran defender Steve McAuley, the Firemen climbed to 31 points in the standings—one ahead of the triple champions, West Van FC.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  ICST Pegasus’ forward MEYSAM SOLTANI for his amazing 3-goal performance in his team’s 4-2 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. This is the second time that Soltani has scored multiple goals against the Rovers as he netted 4 in their first encounter at Newton Athletic Park. The hat-trick places Soltani only one goal behind Inter’s Tino Cucca in the race for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD.   For his brilliant performance, MEYSAM SOLTANI will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-02-04.

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WEEK #15—2010-01-11

West Van FC, Surrey United, and ICST Pegasus continued their impressive unbeaten streaks with impressive victories in their matches this past weekend. On the other hand, a couple of other aspiring teams—Coquitlam Metro-Ford and Columbus FC—suffered devastating losses and are now on the verge of losing a spot in the upcoming BC Premier League. At the other end of the table, Norvan Pacific suffered its 6^th consecutive loss and thus remains mired in last place, albeit only 3 points behind the Sapperton Rovers.

WEST VAN FC   -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS   2-0:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions remained solidly in first place with a well-earned 2-0 victory over the visiting Hibernians. The former Trollers came out of the starting gate with a vengeance and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions before former Whitecap Justin Thompson converted a Paul Dailly corner kick into what proved to be the winning goal with a fine header. The league leaders continued to press and came close to scoring on several other occasions, particularly on a wicked free kick by veteran Paul Dailly and on a great header by Leo Nash. Unfortunately for West Van, both attempts rang off the woodwork and out of danger. In the second half, the Hibs tried desperately to get back into the match but were unable to create any meaningful scoring opportunities, mostly due to some excellent defending on the part of Leo Nash, Tim Perry, Paul Dailly, and Max Baessato. The one exception came early in the second half when Richmond’s Jon Bula slipped a great pass to a streaking Chase Wickham whose low shot barely missed the corner of the West Van net. At the other end of the pitch, Ryan Glanville and Milad Rahmati drove the Richmond defenders to distraction with their darting runs but some excellent goalkeeping by Matt Clayton kept the game within reach for the Hibernians. Late in the match, however, Milad Rahmati was fouled inside the Richmond penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the defending champions. As usual, veteran Paul Dailly stepped up to the plate and easily converted the spot shot into the insurance marker. The result leaves West Van FC in first place, with a 2-point lead over Surrey United, while Richmond FC remains in ninth place, only one point ahead of the resurgent Westside FC.

ICST PEGASUS  -  COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES   2-1:   Also on Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the red-hot Pegasus continued to impress by edging the visiting Coquitlam team by a 2-1 margin. The home team got off to a flying start and narrowly missed several goalscoring chances in the early going. In particular, Meysam Soltani was very unlucky as he rang his shot off the goalpost with goalkeeper Mathew Bird well-beaten. Midway through the first half, however, David Samra opened the scoring for Pegasus when he beat a couple of Metro-Ford defenders at the edge of the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net from close range. The go-ahead goal seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Wolves as they proceeded to dominate the remainder of the first half. After Pegasus goalkeeper Andy Singh had made a couple of outstanding saves—on shots by Carlo Basso and Russel Huggon—Metro-Ford finally tied things up late in the first half when former Whitecap Alfredo Valente converted an excellent 2-way passing play between Emilio Bottiglieri and youth call-up Carlo Basso. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking and defending with Metro-Ford coming very close to taking the lead on two separate occasions. On the first, young centre-back Paul Clerc watched agonizingly as his great header was brilliantly saved by Andy Singh, while the second opportunity arose when Jovan Blagojevic narrowly missed the target with a wicked shot from the top of the penalty area. As luck would have it, however, it was the home team that scored the winning goal at about the 70^th minute mark as David Samra notched his second goal of the contest after an amazing display by young Chetan Jhooty. In fact, Jhooty took possession of the ball in his own half of the field, eluded several opponents on his way towards the Metro-Ford goal, hesitated in the penalty area amidst a few defenders, and then unselfishly set up David Samra for the winning goal. Midfielder Rich Fagan turned in an outstanding performance for the winning team as he ran miles in the middle of the park and completed at least half a dozen world class tackles against his very skilful opponents. Metro-Ford’s defender, youth-call up Paul Clerc, also played remarkably well, albeit in a losing cause. As a result of the all-important victory, Pegasus gained sole possession of third place, with an excellent chance of qualifying for next season’s BC Premier League. The Wolves, on the other hand, are now in a 3-way tie for fourth place, albeit with a game in hand over ICSF Inter and Columbus FC.

ICSF INTER  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  3-2:  The third, and last, Friday evening game was played at Vancouver Technical School between two teams with totally different aspirations: the visiting Sapperton Rovers are trying desperately to stay out of the dreaded relegation zone, while ICST Inter is still in the running for one of the four spots in next season’s BC Premier League. That being said, the game was very evenly played proving once again the wonderful parity which exists in the VMSL Premier Division. Inter had a couple of early chances to open the scoring but Paul Bolina sent his shot over the crossbar while Tino Cucca’s well-placed drive was brilliantly saved by the Rovers’ goalkeeper, Garth Lagasse. As often happens, however, it was Sapperton that took the lead midway through the first half when a 3-way passing play—involving Andrew Celenza, Reyhan Ismail, and Jeff Rogers—allowed Celenza to break into the box and chip the ball over the head of goalkeeper Erman Ozkan for the go-ahead goal. Inter tied things up at about the 40^th minute mark when Mike Winter unleashed an unstoppable volley, a shot that gave Lagasse no chance whatsoever. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with both teams trying desperately to gather all 3 points. The ‘Italians’ took the lead at the 60^th minute mark when Liam Miller’s pass—aided and abetted by a defensive deflection—found a wide-open Paul Bolina who proceeded to hammer the ball home for his first goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, the Rovers knotted the score as Andrew Celenza scored his second goal of the match—on a brilliant low shot from the edge of the box—after having received a great cross from Reyhan Ismail. However, at about the 80^th minute mark, Inter scored the winning goal as GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca—after receiving an excellent pass from veteran Laurent Scaligine—clinically deposited the ball into the back of the Sapperton net. Very late in the match, the Rovers came close to tying things up but Jeff Rogers was unable to convert a well-taken free kick by Reyhan Ismail. Midfielders Mike Winter and Milos Jeftic played extremely well for ICSF Inter, while Sapperton’s defender Brayden Volkenant and midfielder Brody Phillips—as well as Celenza and Ismail—turned in outstanding performance in a losing cause. The victory elevates ICSF into a 4^th place tie with Metro-Ford and Columbus, while the Rovers are still only 3 points out of last place.

WESTSIDE FC  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  2-0:  The Westsiders climbed out of the relegation zone with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over the luckless Norvan squad in a game played on Saturday at Confederation Park in North Vancouver.  The visitors started the game with an offensively-minded 3-5-2 formation and were rewarded early in the match when newly-signed Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone smashed home an unstoppable half-volley from a very tight angle just off the goal line. Norvan replied in kind and came close to tying things up on a couple of occasions but efforts by Scott Howey and Matt Hartwell went awry. Westside continued to carry the play and found a second goal at the 30^th minute mark when Nick Perugini’s well-taken corner kick was cleverly headed back across the net by Sebastian Crema to Jay Kent-Hume who powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net for the insurance marker. The former Eagles bounced back in the second half and tried desperately to get back into the match but some excellent defending on the part of Westside’s Sam Wallace, Graeme Webber, and Nick Perugini—as well as some solid goalkeeping by Rowan Anders—kept the home team off the scoresheet. It should be mentioned that Norvan’s Nathan Harte came close to narrowing the margin on a couple of occasions but failed to finish his glorious opportunities. Westside’s Steve Johnson was instrumental to the victory with his excellent performance in the middle of the park, while Norvan’s defender Tony Seddon and midfielder Nathaniel Blaiklock worked very hard in a losing cause.

CROATIA SC  -  COLUMBUS FC  3-0:   On Sunday, at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, the Croatians bounced back from their pre-Christmas defeat at the hands of the Sapperton Rovers by beating the highly-regarded—and heavily-favoured—Columbus FC by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The home team got off to a great start and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the early going but a great save by Columbus’s goalkeeper Thomas Lindley—on a close-range shot by Philip Kotter—as well as Christian Tropeano’s shot off the goal post kept the score level until the 35^th mark. At this point, Maarten Koorn played a wonderful ball from the halfway line to an unmarked Tropeano who proceeded to fire the ball home with an unstoppable shot for Croatia’s go-ahead goal. Late in the first half, former professional Johnny Sulentic made a fantastic run down the right wing and, after beating a couple of Columbus defenders, played a perfect pass across the goal area to an unmarked Marinko Maras who made no mistake in finishing the play with his team’s second goal. Early in the second half Tropeano scored his second goal of the match as he converted a penalty kick awarded for a foul committed by Joel Malouf against Johnny Sulentic. To their credit, the ‘Italians’ never gave up and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions but some poor finishing on their part—as well as some excellent goalkeeping by Croatia’s Didar Sandhu kept the score at 3-0 till the final whistle. In particular, at the 65^th minute Steve Frazao inexplicably miskicked the ball from close range with the Croatia net wide open. Then, at about the 75^th minute mark, Tiarnan King failed to convert a penalty kick awarded for a foul by Chris Craveiro on Jonathan Poli as Sandhu was able to get his feet on a ‘down-the-middle’ spot shot. Late in the match, Sandhu once again rose to the occasion as he thwarted a breakaway attempt by Steve DeBlasio with a well-timed sliding challenge. Columbus’ Frank Mollica and Jeff DeBlasio played very well in their respective left back and left midfield positions, while Croatia’s defender Kreso Vonic, goalkeeper Didar Sandhu, midfielder Johnny Sulentic, and forward Christian Tropeano, were outstanding throughout the match. The victory puts the Croatians back in contention for promotion to the BC Premier League, while Columbus’ second consecutive loss leaves the ‘Italians’ only 1  point ahead of the Croatians.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  DELTA UNITED  4-0:   Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, the Firemen continued their unbeaten streak, with their 5^th consecutive positive result, by beating the struggling Delta lads by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Surrey United took the early lead at the 7^th minute mark when young Joseph Martin made a great run down the right flank, beat a couple of flat-footed Delta defenders, and placed an excellent low cross onto the path of newly-signed Andrew Proctor who made no mistake in scoring what proved to be the winning goal from close range. Late in the first half, Martin switched roles as he became the finisher as he converted an excellent cross from young Angus Burke—after the youngster had made a great run—into his team’s second goal. Just before the halftime whistle, Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley came up with a great save on a shot by Devin Greenside to preserve his team’s 2-0 halftime lead. Very early in the second half, the Firefighters added their third goal when Lucas Barrett buried the ball into the net after receiving a great pass from teammate Justin Carvery. At the 80^th minute mark, Surrey United’s Rizal Ganief put the last nail in the Delta coffin as he rounded out the scoring with a blistering volley into the upper corner of the net. Near the end of the match, Drew Smiley once again rose to the occasion as he pulled off a couple of incredible saves on shots by Delta’s Shawn Blakeway and Gibson Bardsley. Despite the emphatic loss, Delta’s midfielder CJ Greenside played quite well, while Surrey’s defensive quartet—composed of Brad Petoom, Steve McAuley, Vinnie Stewart, and Stefan Leslie—performed impeccably throughout the contest. The victory elevates Surrey United into sole possession of second place, only 2 points behind league leading West Van FC, while the Delta lads drop to 8^th spot as a result of their third consecutive loss.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  CROATIA SC for its amazing performance in defeating the highly-regarded Columbus FC by a clear-cut 3-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of former Whitecaps Didar Sandhu and Johnny Sulentic, as well as a 2-goal performance by Christian Tropeano, the Croatians climbed to 21 points in the standings—only 2 short of fourth place and a spot in the BC Premier League.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Croatia SC’s goalkeeper DIDAR SANDHU for his superlative performance in his team’s 3-0 victory over Columbus FC. Sandhu was rock-solid throughout the 90 minutes of play as his domination in the box made it difficult for Columbus to score. He also made a few great saves, including one on Tiarnan King’s penalty kick.   For his brilliant performance, DIDAR SANDHU will  receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-28.

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MAKE-UP GAMES

2009-12-22

Three very important make-up games were played on Friday evening with 2 of them ending in surprising results. In fact, the struggling Sapperton Rovers were able to defeat the heavily-favoured Croatia SC by a 3-1 margin, while ICST Pegasus upset the high-flying Columbus FC by a narrow, and hard-fought, 3-2 score. The third match, between the two top teams in the Premier Division—West Van FC and Surrey United—ended in a rather predictable 0-0 tie.

SAPPERTON ROVERS  –  CROATIA SC  3-1:  The Rovers came out of their lengthy slump with a vengeance and were able to bounce out of last place as a result of a surprising 3-1 victory over Croatia SC in a match played on Friday evening at Burnaby Lake West Complex. Midway through the first half, Sapperton took the lead when veteran defender Ed Bradford converted a well-taken corner kick to the near post with a brilliant far-post header. Shortly thereafter, Sapperton almost added its second goal of the match when Colin Phillips was sent in on goal by a cleaver pass from Jason Pierotti. Unfortunately for Phillips—and the rest of the Sapperton clan—his close-range shot barely missed the net. Ten minutes later, Jeff Rogers doubled the Rovers’ lead when he unleashed a wicked, long-range blast from well outside the penalty area into the top corner of the Croatian net. Just before the half-time whistle, Croatia SC narrowed the margin when Marinko Maras took advantage of a great pass from Shawn Parkes and proceeded to beat goalkeeper Garth Lagasse with a well-placed low shot. In the second half the Croatians worked relentlessly in an attempt to tie the score and came close on several occasions. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Lagasse—as well as some poor finishing by the Croatian attackers—kept the scoreline in Sapperton’s favour. In particular, Marinko Maras was denied what appeared to be a sure goal by an outstanding Lagasse save, while Kreso Vonic barely missed the net with a long-range blast that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. With 10 minutes to go in the match, the Rovers added their third goal when veteran striker Ted Ullrich sent young Andrew Celenza on a breakaway with a clever pass. Celenza then calmly deposited the ball into the bottom right-hand corned of the net for the insurance marker. Defensively, Brayden Volkenant and Ed Bradford played brilliantly for the Rovers, while goalkeeper Garth Lagasse made several amazing saves, mostly in the second half of play. As mentioned earlier, the long-awaited victory elevates the Rovers out of a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while the aspiring Croatians remain in 8^th place with a rather mediocre 5-3-6 record.

ICST PEGASUS  -  COLUMBUS FC  3-2:  In the meantime, on an adjacent field at Burnaby Lake West Complex, Pegasus climbed into sole possession of 5^th place with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the red-hot Columbus FC. After a slow start to the season, Columbus had climbed up the ladder of the Premier Division standings by recording 4 consecutive victories, the last 3 by shutout. However, Columbus’ remarkable streak came to an end on Friday evening against a very determined Pegasus squad. With both teams missing several starters, the game turned out to be a rather scrappy affair with Pegasus dominating the first half and Columbus having most of the possession during the latter part of the match. Goldy Takhar opened the scoring for Pegasus early in the game when he converted a nifty low cross by CJ Jhooty with a rather easy tap-in. Midway through the first half, Pegasus doubled its lead on a goal by Meysam Soltani, once again from close range, but this time on a flick-on by Ryan Powell. Shortly thereafter, Goldy Takhar added his second goal of the match—and what proved to be the winner—once again from close range, and once again on a great pass from CJ Jhooty. Columbus bounced back in the second half—and despite some excellent defending on the part of Gurjit Dhaliwal and Jag Sajan—were able to score two late goals to make things interesting. On the first goal, veteran Aaron Keay brilliantly headed home a fine Steve DeBlasio cross from inside the 18-yard box. Near the end of the match, Robbie Cairns took advantage of a goal-mouth scramble and hammered home an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately for the ‘Italians’ it was ‘too little, too late’ as Pegasus was able to hold on to its narrow lead till the final whistle. It should be mentioned that young Adam Costley made a successful coaching debut on the Pegasus bench as he replaced a holidaying Rob Reed! Also, Pegasus veteran goalkeeper Paul Sandhu made his second start of the season and recorded ‘half-a-shutout’ as he was replaced by young Malcolm Ho in the second half. Pegasus’ victory maintains its hopes of qualifying for the BC Premier League alive, while Columbus remains tied for third place with a 7-2-5 record.

WEST VAN FC  -  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  0-0:  The last game of 2009 was played at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver on Friday evening and featured the two top Premier Division teams in what could easily be called ‘The Battle of the Giants’. Despite the fact that both teams were missing several starters, the game was very well played and heavily contested. The final result—a 0-0 tie—is probably a fair one as both teams shared the overall ball possession—as well as goalscoring opportunities—more or less equally. Surrey United controlled the opening 20 minutes and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. In particular, an excellent scoring chance by young Angus Burke went awry as he missed the net from close range. The former Trollers replied in kind in the latter part of the first half, but some excellent defending on the part of Surrey’s Mason Webb, Brad Petoom, and Jeff Buchanan kept the vaunted West Van attackers off the scoresheet. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams took turns attacking and defending. The Firemen came close to scoring midway through the second half,  but goalkeeper Marco Durante came up with a brilliant save on a Vinnie Stewart breakaway—after a clever 3-way passing play also involving Justin Carvery and Tyler Rosenlund. Shortly thereafter, former Whitecaps’ captain Jeff Clarke barely missed the net with a close-range header. At the other end of the pitch, young Robbie Giezen came very close to scoring when he raced in on goalkeeper Drew Smiley, after having been set up by Corey Birza. However, Giezen’s shot—with  Smiley clearly beaten—went just wide of the net. Just before the final whistle, West Van once again came very close to claiming all 3 points but Omari Aldridge failed to finish off a Kyle McDiarmid header to the near post. Defensively, Max Baessato and Tim Perry played extremely well for West Van FC, while both goalkeepers—Surrey’s Drew Smiley and West Van’s Marco Durante—fully deserved their respective clean sheets. The result leaves West Van FC in first place—with a 8-3-3 record—while Surrey United remains in second place, two points behind the leaders.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:   SAPPERTON ROVERS for their outstanding performance in defeating the heavily-favoured Croatia SC by a 3-2 margin. Led by the superlative performances of defenders Ed Bradford and Brayden Volkenant, the Rovers kept the very dangerous Croatian attackers at bay for most of the match. As a result of the upset victory, the underdog Rovers climb out of last place and enhance their chances of avoiding relegation to the first division.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:   ICST Pegasus’ GOLDY TAKHAR and Sapperton Rovers’ ED (WOODY) BRADFORD for their excellent  performances in their teams’ upset victories over the heavily-favoured Columbus FC and Croatia SC respectively. Thakar scored two marvellous goals is Pegasus’ narrow 3-2 victory against Columbus, while the veteran Bradford was a tower of strength on Sapperton’s defensive backline throughout the match. For their outstanding performances, Takhar and Bradford will each receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-21.

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WEEK #14—2009-12-14

West Van FC remained in sole possession of first place as a result of an emphatic 6-1 victory over the visiting Delta United—the most one-sided result in this season’s Premier Division. One crucial match—between Columbus FC and ICST Pegasus—was postponed due to the unplayable field conditions at Vancouver Technical School. All the other matches ended with rather predictable results as the league table remained more or less the same. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, 3 make-up games will be played this coming Friday. Needless to say, all 3 games are very important!

WEST VAN FC   -  DELTA UNITED  6-1:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the defending triple-crown champions literally destroyed the visiting Delta lads by a rather embarrassing 6-1 margin. West Van FC got off to a great start by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes of play. On the first goal, Justin Thompson—after a nifty give-and-go with Omari Aldridge—set up a streaking Tim Perry with an impeccable cross. Perry proceeded to volley the ball into the back of the net with an unstoppable, low drive. A few minutes later, former Whitecap Thompson became the finisher as he found the back of the net on a pass from young Robbie Giezen. It should be mentioned that Giezen had initially received the ball from Ryan Glanville after he had made a brilliant run down the left flank. With about 5 minutes to go in the first half, West Van tripled its lead with Thompson once again becoming the provider as he took advantage of a Delta defensive blunder before slipping the ball to a darting Ryan Glanville who proceeded to outmuscle a Delta defender before depositing the ball past goalkeeper Brian Brum. Just before the halftime whistle, Delta almost got on the scoreboard, but a brilliant save by goalkeeper Marco Durante—on a Shawn Blakeway breakaway—kept the score at 3-0 till the halftime break. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, as West Van continued to dominate virtually every aspect of the game. The home team added its 4^th goal early in the second half as veteran Paul Dailly—with one of his patented pin-point passes—sent Justin Thompson on a lethal breakaway. The former Whitecap defender made no mistake as he beat goalkeeper Brian Brum for his second goal of the contest. Midway through the second half, Robbie Giezen was brought down inside the Delta penalty area. Giezen himself converted the resulting penalty kick for West Van’s 5^th goal. Soon thereafter, newly-signed Michael Nonni added the last nail to the Delta coffin by slotting the ball into the back of the net, after having been set up by Giezen. Very late in the match, the two Gomes brothers—Mike and Mark—combined to score Delta’s lone goal on a set play as Mark’s cross was headed home by younger brother Mike for his 5^th goal of the season. As a result of their second consecutive loss, the Delta lads now find themselves in 5^th place while the red-hot former Trollers remain all alone in first place in the Premier Division table.

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES  -  ICSF INTER  3-1:   Also on Friday evening, at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam, the hot-and-cold Wolves returned to their winning ways by defeating the visiting ‘Italians’ by a 3-1 margin. Both teams played very cautiously in the opening half, with Metro-Ford taking the lead at the 25^th minute mark on a curling free kick by Emilio Bottiglieri that found the back of the net with the assistance of a deflection from the defensive wall. The second half was more wide-openly played as ICSF tried desperately to equalize. However, the Wolves added to their lead, once again on a goal by left-back Emilio Bottiglieri. On this occasion, Bottiglieri played a clever give-and-go with young Carlo Basso at the top of the Inter penalty area before neatly slotting the ball home for what proved to be the winning goal. At this point, Inter threw caution to the wind and Metro-Ford counter-attacked dangerously on several occasions. In fact, only some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Inter’s Erman Ozkan—as well as some sloppy finishing by the Wolves—kept the score at 2-0 till the 75^th minute mark. At this point the visitors were able to narrow the margin as Adam Wallace made a determined run down the left flank before crossing the ball back to the far post where Sheldon Maistry had no difficulty whatsoever in heading it home. Once again, Inter pressed hard for the equalizer but, once again, the Wolves appeared to be more dangerous on numerous counter-attacks. Near the end of the match, youth call-up Carlo Basso was robbed by yet another great save by Erman Ozkan, only to have newly-signed Chris Jarvie pounce on the rebound and slot the ball home from close range. Left back Emilio Bottiglieri, central defenders Kingsley Jones and Brook Scott, and forward Carlo Basso turned in outstanding performances for the Wolves. Midfielder Joseph Marrello and goalkeeper Erman Ozkan also played very well for Inter, albeit in a losing cause. The defeat, Inter’s second in a row, drops the ‘Italians’ to 5^th place in the Premier Division table, while the Wolves are tied for third place with the idle Columbus FC, and still in the hunt for a spot in the BC Premier League.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  NOVAN PACIFIC  2-0:   The Firefighters maintained their challenge for a top 4 finish with a 2-0 victory over the visiting—and struggling—Norvan Pacific on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park. As usual, the Surrey lads started brightly and enjoyed most of the early play but were unable to convert their extensive pressure into goals. Early in the match, Norvan’s veteran goalkeeper—Steve London—produced a great save to rob Surrey’s young striker Angus Burke of the opening goal after Rizal Ganief had done well to create the opening.  Finally, after almost 40 minutes of constant pressure, United scored just before the interval when Burke broke down the left flank and fired a long-range shot that London saved brilliantly. Unfortunately for London, and the entire Norvan squad, the ball fell at the feet of an unmarked Lucas Barrett who tucked the ball into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Early in the second half, the Cloverdale-based team continued to take the game to the visitors and only another great save by Steve London—on an Angus Burke volley—kept the scoreline at 1-0. The former Eagles took comfort in United’s inability to close out the game and got back into it by creating some excellent scoring chances of their own. In particular, Matt Hartwell was unfortunate not to score on a couple of occasions, while Surrey United’s goalkeeper—Drew Smiley—pulled off a superlative save on a shot by Kyle Guay. Late in the game, with Norvan pressing hard for the equalizer, the Firefighters put the game out of reach with a lethal counter-attack. Angus Burke once again raced down the left flank before brilliantly crossing the ball onto the path of Tyler Rosenlund who then hammered the ball home from close range. All in all, a very well played match between two teams with totally different ambitions!

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  1:0:   Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, the Hibernians recorded their fourth straight positive result by narrowly defeating the visiting Sapperton Rovers by a 1-0 margin. Richmond FC came out of the starting blocks with a great deal of determination and carried most of the play right from the opening whistle. The lone goal of the game was scored by Richmond’s Erik Olsen, at the 20^th minute mark, after a great passing play also involving Mike Revelle, Chase Wickham, and Reynold Stewart. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with the Hibs controlling most of the play, mainly due to the fine play of midfielders Reynold Stewart, Chase Wickham, and Alan Chivers. Midway through the second half, however, Sapperton came close to equalizing when a Jason Pierotti shot—from just inside the penalty area—bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Despite the loss, Sapperton’s defenders Ed Bradford and Brayden Volkenant—as well as midfielder Reyhan Ismail—played very well. Richmond’s young goalkeeper, Valerian Wiebe—recorded the shutout, his second in the VMSL Premier Division. The loss leaves the Rovers tied for last place with Norvan Pacific, while the Hibernians remain in 9^th place with a 4-5-5 record.

CROATIA SC  -  WESTSIDE FC  2-1:  The third Saturday game was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver between the red-hot Croatians and the rather unpredictable Westsiders. As expected, the Croatians were able to claim all 3 points, due to a well-earned 2-1 victory. After a rather lethargic and uneventful first half, Croatia SC took the lead 10 minutes into the second half when former professional Johnny Sulentic beat a few defenders down the right flank before crossing the ball to a wide-open Maarten Koorn who blasted it into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area. The Croatians continued to push forward in search of the all-important second goal and were finally rewarded at the 75^th minute mark when Chris Craveiro made a fantastic run, split two Westside defenders, and was consequently brought down inside the box by Cam Kochorek. Ryan Zaharija scored easily on the ensuing penalty kick, giving his team a practically insurmountable 2-goal lead. The last few minutes of the match provided the numerous spectators with a lot of exciting action as Westside was finally able to narrow the margin when Sebastian Crema headed home a fine cross from Frank Glassen. Immediately thereafter, Croatia nearly re-established its 2-goal lead when Philip Kotter unleashed a brilliant volley from the corner of the 18-yard box. However, Westside’s goalkeeper—Rowan Anders—came up with a phenomenal diving save to keep the scoreline close. At this point, the Westsiders surged forward in search of the equalizer and—on practically the last kick of the game—nearly achieved their goal when Graeme Webber was unable to convert a great cross from Sebastian Crema. The Croatians victory—their 6^th consecutive positive result—leaves them in the hunt for one of the 4 spots in next season’s BC Premier League. Westside FC, on the other hand, has not won a game during the last 5 weeks and remains near the bottom of the table with a 3-4-7 record.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  WEST VAN FC for its amazing performance in defeating the highly-regarded Delta United by an elaborate 6-1 margin. Led by the excellent play of former Whitecap Justin Thompson, the former Trollers virtually dominated every aspect of the match against the aspiring Delta lads. The defending triple-crown champions thus remain in sole possession of first place in the highly-competitive Premier Division of the VMSL with an enviable 8-2-3 record.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  West Van FC’s forward JUSTIN THOMPSON for his brilliant 2-goal performance in leading his team to an all-important 6-1 over the visiting Delta United. The former Whitecaps defender has adjusted very well to his new forward role and demonstrated his versatility by scoring two excellent goals.   For his brilliant performance, JUSTIN THOMPSON will  receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-14.

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WEEK #13—2009-12-09

West Van FC climbed back into sole possession of first place as a result of a narrow—and hard-fought—2-1 victory over last place Norvan Pacific in a well-attended ‘North Shore Derby’. In the meantime, the race for the top 4 spots remained very intense as only one of the other contenders—Columbus FC—was able to secure a victory. Two games—Sapperton vs Metro-Ford and Delta vs Richmond—were postponed due to the fact that the fields were deemed to be unplayable. The Delta United vs Richmond FC Hibernians match was played on Tuesday evening and resulted in a 3-1 upset victory for the visitors.

ICST PEGASUS  -  WESTSIDE FC   1-1:  On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the aspiring ICST Pegasus was held to a 1-1 draw by the visiting Westsiders. In fact, only a late goal by Meysam Soltani managed to secure the single point for Pegasus as Westside FC  appeared to have a stronghold on the victory. The visitors controlled most of the play in the first half, but were unable to create any clear scoring chances. However, it was Pegasus that almost scored the first goal when a thunderous full-time volley on the part of Paul Bahia narrowly missed the target. The game opened up in the second half, as both teams tried desperately to find the elusive opening goal. In particular, Chetan Jhooty had an excellent opportunity to give Pegasus the lead but, after beating a couple of Westside defenders, he lost his footing on the very slick turf. Soon thereafter—at about the 75^th minute mark—Westside FC took the lead when a cross from Sunny Kaler was converted into the opening goal by Steve Johnson as he half-volleyed the ball into the back of the net, past goalkeeper Amar Dhinsa. Late in the game, Pegasus knotted the score when Niko Marcina’s close-range shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Rowan Anders, only to have an onrushing Meysam Soltani slot home the rebound. Jag Sajan was once again a tower of strength on the Pegasus backline, while midfielder Paul Bahia turned in another admirable, workmanlike, performance. For Westside, Steve Johnson and Indy Khabra played extremely well in the middle of the park, while defenders Sam Wallace, Graeme Webber, James Possee, and Chris Mehuys were rock-solid throughout the contest. The single point is more disappointing for Pegasus, since the Surrey-based team is trying desperately to finish the season in the top four spots, thus securing a place in the BC Premier Soccer League.

COLUMBUS FC  -  ICSF INTER  2-0:   Also on Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the ‘Italian Derby’ took place in front of a disappointing sparse crowd.  At the end of the 90 minutes of play, the Columbus lads walked away with a well-earned 2-0 victory, a result that places them in a first place tie with West Van FC. It should be mentioned that West Van has a game in hand! Columbus got off to a flying start and almost scored at the 5^th minute mark when a well-executed 3-way passing play—involving Tiarnan King, Steve DeBlasio, and Steve Frazao—sent DeBlasio in on goal on a partial breakaway. Unfortunately for Columbus, DeBlasio’s shot rocketed off the crossbar and out of danger. However, 10 minutes later, Columbus managed to take the lead when veteran Tiarnan King unleashed a wicked shot from the left side of the Inter box, a shot that bounced off the inside of the goalpost and onto the path of a perfectly-positioned Aaron Keay who proceeded to slot home the rebound for what proved to be the winning goal. Inter responded well and came close to tying things up when Tino Cucca found a wide-open Mike Winter at the edge of the penalty box. Unfortunately for Winter—and the entire ICSF clan—his shot went wide of the net. In the second half, Inter tried hard to obtain the equalizer but some solid defending on the part of Robbie Cairns, Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, and Blair Robertson limited Inter’s chances and made life relatively easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he earned his 8^th shutout of the season. Columbus added the all-important second goal at the 75^th minute mark as Nathan Quan sent Steve Frazao on a breakaway down the left flank with a brilliantly-executed diagonal pass. Frazao then showed great poise and technique as he placed a wicked volley past goalkeeper Erman Ozkan and into the back of the net for the insurance marker. Despite the loss, Inter’s Jessie Dhami played extremely well in his defensive role. As mentioned earlier, Columbus FC is now tied with West Van FC for first place, with the former Trollers having a game in hand.

CROATIA SC  -  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  1-1:  The third Friday evening match was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and featured two of the strongest teams in the VMSL Premier Division. In the end both aspiring teams had to settle for a 1-1 tie, a disappointing result for both of them. The Croatians got off to a bright start and almost took the lead in the first minute of play when a shot by Chris Craveiro—after a clever one-two with Cristian Tropeano—was brilliantly saved by Surrey’s netminder, Drew Smiley. The Firefighters responded well and they almost grabbed the lead themselves when—at the 15^th minute mark—Rizal Ganief outraced the entire Croatia backline before cheekily chipping the ball over the head of goalkeeper Didhar Sandhu. However, an unbelievable over-the-head clearance by Croatia’s Ryan Zaharija kept the ball out of the net and the game scoreless till the halftime whistle. Surrey United finally broke the deadlock early in the second half when veteran Jeff Skinner and young Angus Burke combined to score a very impressive goal. In fact, Skinner’s excellent cross found an unmarked Burke behind the Croatian defence and the youngster proceeded to steer an unstoppable shot past Sandhu and into the net. The Croatians battled back strongly and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but Johnny Sulentic’s brilliant free kicks were saved by Drew Smiley. At the 75^th minute mark, however, yet another Sulentic free kick was headed into the back of the net by forward Cristian Tropeano for the well-earned equalizer. The Firemen once again rallied and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions on chances by Lucas Barrett and Cam Wilson. At the other end of the pitch, Philip Kotter also had a great opportunity to score the winner for Croatia but his shot from inside the box narrowly missed the Surrey United net. All in all, an excellent game played between two excellent teams! The result drops the Firefighters to third place in the standings, while Croatia SC remains in the running for the coveted promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League.

WEST VAN FC  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  2-1:   On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, a fairly large crowd watched the top team in the VMSL’s Premier Division—West Van FC—struggle to defeat the last place Pacific by a 2-1 margin in the ‘North Shore Derby’. Both teams needed all 3 points, albeit for completely different reasons! The former Trollers came out of the starting blocks with a vengeance and took the early lead at the 7^th minute mark when Kyle McDiarmid—off a Corey Birza flick-on—calmly finished off the play by depositing the ball into the back of the net. Twenty minutes later, Norvan’s Scott Howey found himself unmarked inside the goal area and easily headed home the equalizer on a well-taken free kick by Tony Seddon. Late in the first half, West Van scored the winner as an innocuous cross by Omari Aldridge was handled inside the 18-yard area by Norvan defender Scott Howey. On the ensuing penalty kick, veteran Paul Dailly banged home the winning goal in his own patented fashion. The young Norvan squad battled hard throughout the second half in search of the equalizer but, at the end, walked away pointless. Despite the loss, the Norvan lads played their best game of the season with defenders Scott Howey, Brent Dodge and Tony Seddon leading the way with outstanding performances. Forwards Sandeep Sull, Jamie Casey, and Blake Burgon also deserve special mention for the fine efforts, albeit in a losing cause. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC is now tied with Columbus FC at the top of the table, albeit with a game in hand, while Norvan Pacific is mired in a last-place tie with the Sapperton Rovers.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  DELTA UNITED  3-1:  On Tuesday evening, at Holly Park in Delta, the visiting Hibs upset the heavily-favoured Delta squad by a 3-1 margin. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday at John Oliver Park but was postponed due to the field’s unplayable conditions. The visitors got off to a good start and controlled most of the early action. However, as often happens, it was the home team that took the lead midway through the first half against the run of play. Midfielder Ryan Dormer took advantage of a huge scramble at the top of the 18-yard box and proceeded to lift the ball over an onrushing Matt Clayton, the Richmond goalkeeper. Delta United took advantage of the situation and created a couple of other glorious goalscoring chances—on shots by playing-coach Steve Millar and newly-signed Shawn Blakeway—but Matt Clayton came up with some brilliant saves to keep the score at 1-0 till the 40^th minute mark. At this point, the Hibernians were able to level the score on a brilliant passing play that involved defender Mike Revelle, midfielder Reynold Stewart, and forward Erik Olsen. It was Olsen’s final pass that found a streaking Alan Chivers who managed to control the ball, beat a defender, and deposit it into the back of the net for the equalizer. Very late in the first half, Richmond FC took the lead with Olsen once again in the limelight as his wicked shot was brilliantly saved by Delta’s goalkeeper Brian Brum, only to have midfielder Reynold Stewart pick up the rebound and slot the ball home from a very sharp and difficult angle. The Hibs added their insurance marker early in the second half when midfielder Peter Chivers received a great ball from teammate Chase Wickham, cut inside and unleashed a low, hard drive from well outside the penalty area and into the net. Delta United never quit trying and exerted a great deal of pressure on the Richmond defence for the remainder of the match, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Matt Clayton, as well as some remarkable defending by Mike Revelle and Stu Walters kept the vaunted Delta forwards off the scoresheet. Harp Khakh and David Hileman played quite well on the forward line for Delta United, while midfielder CJ Greenside and defender Steve Millar also turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. The loss drops Delta United to 5^th place in the standings, while the victory elevates the Hibernians to 9^th place, only a point behind Croatia SC.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS for their upset victory over the red-hot Delta United. Led by the superlative play of goalkeeper Matt Clayton, as well as some staunch defending on the part of Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, the Hibs were able thwart numerous Delta attacks and eventually walk away with a hard-fought 3-1 victory. It should also be mentioned that forward Erik Olsen was a going concern throughout the contest and played a major part in two of the Hibernians’ goals.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Richmond FC’s goalkeeper MATT CLAYTON for his amazing performance in leading his team to an upset 3-1 victory over the heavily-favoured Delta United. Clayton pulled off some miraculous saves throughout the match, particularly on shots by Shawn Blakeway and Steve Millar, to keep his team in the lead.   For his brilliant performance, MATT CLAYTON will  receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-01-07.

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WEEK #12—2009-11-30

Unbelievably, six teams are tied for first place in the Premier Division—with 20 points each—at the end of the 12^th week of the schedule. That being said, two of the 6 teams have a game in hand, meaning that the 6-way tie could be a 5-way or 4-way tie for second place, depending on the outcome of the West Van FC vs. Surrey United make-up game. Also, 2 other teams—ICST Pegasus and Croatia SC—are not far behind and thus remain in contention for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League. The second half of the season will therefore be very interesting!

CROATIA SC   -  WEST VAN FC  3-0:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the Croatians got back in the running for a spot in the BC Premier League by upsetting the defending champions by an emphatic 3-0 margin. The former Trollers got off to a bright start and nearly took the lead on a couple of occasions in the early going but former Whitecap Justin Thompson was unable to convert either opportunity. On the first chance, Thompson took advantage of a Croatian defensive blunder and, with goalkeeper Didar Sandhu clearly beaten, rocketed a close-range shot off the goalpost. Shortly thereafter, Thompson headed a fine Paul Dailly cross over the net, once again from close range. At this point the Croatians started taking over the reins of the match, mostly by outworking their opponents by displaying more energy, passion, and toughness. The Croatians came close to scoring midway through the first half, when Chris Craveiro sent Daniel Rogic flying down the right flank with a great through ball. Goalkeeper Marco Durante, however, was able thwart the opportunity with a remarkable save. Late in the first half, Croatia SC took the lead when Cristian Tropeano headed home a bizarre cross/shot by Chris Craveiro that was initially saved by Durante. The insertion of former professional Johnny Sulentic paid enormous dividends for the Croatians in the second half as he scored a brilliant goal at about the 75^th minute mark as he displayed a marvellous combination of skill and tenacity. After beating a couple of West Van defenders, Sulentic raced in all alone, beat an onrushing Durante and, from nearly an impossible angle, slotted the ball to the far post for the insurance marker. A few minutes later, Marinko Maras duplicated Sulentic’s effort by stripping the ball from a West Van defender before racing in on goal on a breakaway. Once again Durante was left by himself and, once again, the ball was placed into the back of the net. Croatia had a couple of other chances to add to its elaborate scoreline, but Maras and Sulentic were unable to capitalize on them. Central defender Maarten Koorn was outstanding throughout the match, while goalkeeper Didar Sandhu fully earned his clean sheet. Croatia SC thus improves its record to 4-2-5, while West Van barely remains in first place with a 6-2-3 record.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  ICST PEGASUS  1-1:  On Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the ‘Surrey derby’ took place and, once again, the two contenders had to settle for a disappointing tie. The Firemen got off to a great start and took the lead at the 10 minute mark when Stefan Leslie headed home a perfectly-flighted corner kick by Tyler Rosenlund. Pegasus responded well and enjoyed a lot of territorial advantage, mostly due to the outstanding play of fullback Andrew Reed as he continually joined in his team’s attacks  down the right flank. The constant Pegasus pressure finally paid off at the 25^th minute mark when Chetan Jhooty—on a long-range free kick—unleashed a vicious low shot that ended up in the corner of the net for the equalizer. Shortly thereafter, Pegasus could easily have taken the lead on a couple of occasions, but some poor finishing on the part of Ryan Powell, and a brilliant save by goalkeeper Paul Shepherd on a point-blank shot by Meysam Soltani kept the score even till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Surrey United bounced back and got back into the match. The Firefighters came close to taking the lead on several occasions, but Angus Burke, Jeff Buchanan, Rizal Ganief, and Joseph Martin watched agonizingly as their attempts at goal narrowly missed the target. It should also be noted that Chetan Jhooty, at the other end of the pitch, also came very close to scoring, but also barely missed the net. Surrey United thus regains a share of first place, while ICST Pegasus slips to 7^th place, albeit only 3 points out of the lead.

ICSF INTER  -  WESTSIDE FC  3-1:   Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, ICSF Inter ended Westside’s 6-game unbeaten streak by defeating the home team by a 3-1 margin. The visitors got off to a great start and almost took the lead at the 5^th minute mark when GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca almost scored his 11^th goal of the season but was denied by a wonderful save on the part of Westside goalkeeper Rowan Anders. However, shortly thereafter, Inter’s Sheldon Maistry scored the opening goal as he blew by 2 defenders—after receiving a great through ball from Adam Wallace—and easily scored his third goal of the season. A few minutes later, Inter added insult to Westside’s injury when Joseph Marrello took advantage of a well-taken corner kick by Tino Cucca and blasted an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area. Midway through the first half, Inter almost added its third goal but Sheldon Maistry failed to capitalize on a great cross by Paul Bolina as his shot barely missed the net. In the second half, the Westsiders seemed to wake up as they began to battle in search of their first goal. However, as luck would have it, it was the ‘Italians’ that added their third goal of the game when Laurent Scaligine was tripped by Frank Glassen inside the Westside penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. Tino Cucca stepped up to the plate and easily scored from the penalty mark, giving his team an insurmountable 3-goal lead. To their credit, the Westside lads continued to battle as they shifted to a more attacking formation. Late in the match, Westside FC was rewarded for its gritty efforts when Jay Kent-Hume headed home a great cross from Ian Sandilands. Defensively, Inter’s Mike Winter, Jessie Dhami, Matt Judd, and Bevan Footman played superlatively throughout the contest, while forward Jay Kent-Hume and midfielder Sunny Kaler turned in excellent performances in the Westside line-up. The victory elevates Inter to a first-place tie—with 5 other teams—while Westside remains near the bottom of the table with a 3-3-6 record.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  METRO-FORD WOLVES  1-1:  The third Saturday game was played at Minoru Oval in Richmond and featured the underachieving Hibs and the aspiring Wolves. The home team got off to a flying start and kept the Wolves on their back heels right from the kick-off. In particular, midfielder Chase Wickham drove his opponents to distraction with his dazzling pace and phenomenal dribbling skills. The constant Richmond pressure paid dividends at the 20^th minute mark when midfielder Reymold Stewart scored his first goal of the season in sensational fashion. The play started with defender Darren Suderman gaining possession of the ball with a fine tackle and then feeding it to a streaking Chase Wickham down the left flank. Wickham then proceeded to beat a couple of Metro-Ford defenders before setting up Reynold Stewart with a sublime through ball. Stewart made no mistake in finishing the play by calmly slotting the ball into the net, past an onrushing Metro-Ford goalkeeper, Misho Dobrozdravich. The goal seemed to be the wake-up call that the Wolves needed as they settled down and began to exert some pressure of their own. On a couple of occasions, the Richmond goalkeeper—Matt Clayton—had to come up with fantastic saves—on shots by Alfredo Valente and Jovan Blagojevic—to keep his team in the lead till the halftime whistle. The second half was more or less a repeat of the latter part of the first half as both teams battled tenaciously and created numerous goalscoring opportunities. Both goalkeepers—Richmond’s Matt Clayton and Coquitlam’s Misho Dobrozdravich—rose to the occasions and made a few outstanding saves. Midway through the second half, the Wolves were able to knot the score when Azad Palani latched onto a neat through ball from former Whitecap Alfredo Valente and cleverly tucked it inside the near post with a shot that seemed to handcuff the otherwise brilliant Matt Clayton. Very late in the match, the Wolves almost captured all 3 points but Valente’s wicked shot rang off the goalpost and out of danger. The Richmond backline—composed of Tim Sowerby, Mike Revelle, Stu Walters, and Darren Suderman—played extremely well throughout the contest, while Metro-Ford forward--youth call-up Carlo Basso—turned in yet another excellent performance in the senior ranks. The tie leaves the Wolves tied for first place with 20 points, while the Hibernians are still near the bottom of the table with a 2-5-5 record.

COLUMBUS FC  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS   3-0:  On Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School, won its third match in a row—thus claiming a share of first place for the first time this season—by defeating the struggling Sapperton Rovers by an elaborate 3-0 margin. Columbus took the early lead at the 15^th minute mark when Steve Frazao—after making a great run down the left flank—cut the ball back to Aaron Keay who then forced the Sapperton goalkeeper—Garth Lagasse—to make a fine save with a well-placed shot. Unfortunately for Lagasse—and the entire Sapperton team—an onrushing Tiarnan King was then able to head home the rebound for what proved to be the winning goal. Late in the first half—at about the 38^th minute mark—Nathan Quan was brought down inside the Rovers’ penalty area by veteran Woody Bradford. Tiarnan King then proceeded to score his second goal of the match on a well-placed penalty kick by sending Lagasse the wrong way. Just before the halftime whistle, Columbus almost scored again but Garth Lagasse was able to thwart Steve DeBlasio’s breakaway attempt with a courageous save. On the rebound, Ben Hunt was unable to convert as he sent the ball just over the net. Early in the second half, Columbus once again came close to putting the game out of the Rovers’ reach, but King missed a golden opportunity as he raced in all alone, but rolled his shot just wide of the net, with Lagasse well beaten. Not to be denied his hat-trick, the veteran King made amends for his previous faux-pas—very late in the match—by converting a fine pass from Aaron Keay after the latter had taken advantage of a Sapperton giveaway. Overall, Columbus appeared to be very well organized defensively and, although the Rovers had spells of possession, they seldom caused any major problems as Thomas Lindley recorded his 7^th clean sheet of the season. Scott McEachern, Robbie Cairns, and Nathan Quan continued to impress in the Columbus lineup with their indomitable work rate and defensive responsibility. The Rovers’ midfield trio—composed of Sidd Achuthan, Colin Phillips, and Reyhan Ismail—also turned in impressive performances, albeit in a losing effort. As a result, the Rovers’ remained mired in a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while Columbus FC now seems destined for a spot in the BC Premier Soccer League, with a 6-2-4 record.

DELTA UNITED  -  NORVAN PACIFC  4-0:  Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Delta United also climbed into a first place spot for the first time this season by easily defeating the visiting, and struggling, Norvan Pacific by a resounding 4-0 margin. Delta took the lead at the 15^th minute mark as a well-taken free kick by Mark Gomes found a wide-open John Blair who then proceeded to one-time the ball into the back of the net. The young Norvan boys fought back with grit and determination and, although they didn’t create any really good goalscoring chances, they managed to keep the vaunted Delta attackers off the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half. The former Eagles continued to work hard at the beginning of the second half and came very close to tying things up but a brilliant cross by second-half substitute Jamie Casey eluded his onrushing teammates and was cleared out of danger. Shortly thereafter, Delta doubled its lead, once again on a set-up by veteran Mark Gomes. This time, Gomes’ corner kick was headed home by Brian Gebbie, much to the chagrin of the Norvan team that claimed that goalkeeper Steve London had been fouled. Midway through the second half, two veterans combined for Delta’s third goal as Brian Gibson’s throw-in was cleverly flicked towards the Norvan goal by playing-coach Steve Millar. Perhaps aided and abetted by a gust of wind, the header sailed into the top corner of the net, past a bewildered Steve London. Just before the final whistle, Delta’s CJ Greenside added his team’s fourth goal as he calmly slotted the ball into the net after having received a brilliant pass from Mike Gomes. Norvan’s Sandy Sull, Kyle Guay, and Nathan Hart worked tirelessly throughout the contest, while Delta’s striker Ryan Hopp drove the young Norvan defenders to distraction with his skill, speed, and indomitable work rate. As mentioned earlier, Delta United is now tied with 5 other teams for first place in the Premier Division standings, while Norvan Pacific remains in a last place tie with the Sapperton Rovers.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  CROATIA SC for its incredible 3-0 upset victory over the defending triple-crown champions, West Van FC. e 2-0 margin. Led by the extraordinary defensive performance of  Maarten Koorn, as well as the inimitable skills of second-half substitute Johnny Sulentic, the Croatians fully deserved the victory as they outworked their opponents for the better part of the match. The victory keeps the Croatian’s hopes of qualifying for a spot in the BC Premier League alive as they are now only 6 points out of first place, with a game in hand.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Columbus FC’s veteran forward TIARNAN KING for his 3-goal effort in his team’s emphatic 3-0 victory over the Sapperton Rovers. In fact, had it not been for some bad luck, King could easily have scored 5 goals! As a result of his hat-trick, King climbs to second place in the race for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD, with 8 goals to his credit.   For his brilliant performance, TIARNAN KING will  receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-17.

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WEEK #11—2009-11-23

The Premier Division reached the halfway point of its season this past weekend, with 7 teams still in contention for the coveted title, all within 4 points of each other. The defending champions—West Van FC—finally climbed into sole possession of first place by virtue of a narrow 1-0 victory over the unpredictable ICST Pegasus while ICSF Inter and Columbus FC got back in the race for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League with their mini-upset victories over Surrey United and Metro-Ford. At the other end of the table, the young and inexperienced Norvan Pacific sank to the bottom after suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Richmond FC Hibernians, while Westside FC and the Sapperton Rovers settled for a 0-0 tie, a result which is of little help to either team.

WEST VAN FC  -  ICST PEGASUS  1-0:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the resurging former Trollers gained sole possession of first place with a narrow, and hard-earned, 1-0 victory over the visiting Pegasus lads. Former teammates—and now coaching rivals—Dave Fiorvento and Rob Reed, led their respective teams to what promised to be an exciting 90 minutes of action. Unfortunately, however, the game turned out to be a rather listless affair as neither team seemed interested in taking any potentially dangerous risks. Pegasus got off to a good start and came close to taking the early lead when Goldie Takhar took advantage of an uncharacteristic West Van defensive blunder and raced in all alone towards West Van’s goal. Unfortunately for the visitors, Takhar’s attempted chip shot landed directly into the arms of goalkeeper Nick Boyd. West Van FC controlled most of the action for the remainder of the first half, but failed to create any really good goalscoring opportunities. The Pegasus backline—composed of Andrew Reed, Rob Hall, and Carlos Dhaliwal—was mostly responsible for keeping the score knotted at 0-0 till the halftime whistle. In the second half, Pegasus inserted newly-signed veteran Randy Celebrini into the line-up, in search of some badly-needed spark. However, the experienced West Van defence coped well with the skillful veteran and kept the visitors off the scoresheet for the entire match. It should also be mentioned that young Leo Nash was outstanding in the West Van defence as he limited former teammate Meysam Soltani’s chances to virtually zero with his indomitable defensive skills. Midway through the second half, West Van FC came very close to taking the lead when second-half substitute Corey Birza was set up brilliantly by former Whitecap Justin Thompson. However, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh came up with a brave and spectacular save to keep his team in the match. Late in the game, however, West Van FC was finally able to gain the important 3 points when Birza made amends for his previous missed chance as he set up Thompson on a very well executed header. Thompson then unleashed a cracking shot that bounced off Singh’s arm and sneaked into the net for the game’s lone goal. As mentioned earlier, West Van FC is now all alone in first place, with a 6-2-2 record, while Pegasus slipped to 7^th place, albeit only 4 points behind the leaders.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  3-0:  On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the Hibernians came storming out of their slump and climbed out of last place with a resounding 3-0 victory over the host Norvan team. Early in the match, the visitors took the lead when Stu Walters set up forward Brad Caldwell with and excellent through ball. Caldwell raced in all alone and was fouled inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to Richmond FC. Erik Olsen proceeded to convert the spot shot for what proved to be the winning goal of the contest. The Hibs continued to set the pace of the match and exerted a lot of pressure on the young Norvan defence. Late in the first half, after Richmond goalkeeper Valerian Wiebe had been forced to make a couple of great saves on Norvan counter-attacks, the Hibs scored the insurance marker as Tim Sowerby, Brad Caldwell, Alan Chivers, and Chase Wickham combined to set up Erik Olsen for his second goal of the match. Another excellent passing play resulted in Richmond’s third goal midway through the second half as defender Mike Revelle got the ball rolling with a great pass to the feet of second half substitute Chris Jarvie who then proceeded to beat a Norvan defender before sending Reynold Stewart on a breakaway with a sublime pass. Stewart dribbled around goalkeeper Steve London and unselfishly squared the ball to a wide-open Chase Wickham who had no difficulty whatsoever in placing it into the back of the net for Richmond’s third and final goal. As mentioned earlier, the victory elevates Richmond FC out of last place, while the young Norvan lads are now mired at the bottom of the table with an unenviable 2-2-7 record.

ICSF INTER  -  SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS    2-1:   Also on Saturday, at Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey, ICSF Inter earned a share of 4^th place in the Premier Division standings with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Surrey United, thus knocking the Firefighters out of first place. The home team got off to a bright start and came close to taking the lead in the early going but Lucas Barrett—on two occasions—and Jeff Clarke were unable to convert glorious goalscoring opportunities. Inter bounced back and enjoyed a good spell of play during the latter part of the first half and for most of the second half. At the 60^th minute mark, Inter finally took the lead when a well-struck free kick from second-half substitute Adam Wallace eluded the clutches of a diving Drew Smiley and allowed Sheldon Maistry to pounce of the loose ball and steer it into the back of the net. Fifteen minutes later, Maistry added Inter’s—and his own—second goal as he made one of his patented runs, beat a few defenders and proceeded to unleash a superb strike which gave Smiley no chance whatsoever. Ten minutes before the final whistle, Surrey United got back into the match when defender Steve McAuley headed home a Justin Carvery corner kick. The goal set up the scene for a rousing finale as the Firemen poured forward in search of the equalizer. However, some extraordinary goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan kept the hungry Surrey United forwards at bay. In particular, just before the final whistle, Ozkan was able to brilliantly save a powerful shot by Angus Burke after Burke had been set up by a clever pass on the part of Lucas Barrett. Midfielders Mike Winter and Sheldon Maistry—as well as defenders Jesse Dhami, Lee Tregonning, Liam Smith, and Bevan Footman—turned in excellent performances for ICSF Inter, who had to endure the absence of top goalscorer Tino Cucca and captain Mike Tempesta—due to suspensions. The Firefighters thus drop to second place, while Inter climbs to a fourth place tie with Delta United and Columbus FC.

WESTSIDE FC  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  0-0:  Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Westside FC continued its impressive 6-game undefeated streak by drawing 0-0 with the visiting, and point-hungry, Sapperton Rovers. The first half was evenly-contested as neither team was able to create many goalscoring chances. Westside’s James Brown came the closest to scoring for the home team but his shot went just wide of the mark as he raced in on a partial breakaway. At the other end of the pitch, veteran goalkeeper Geoff Ayi-Bonte made a phenomenal save on a blistering full-volley by Jason Pierotti from the edge of the penalty area. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as both teams battled hard but were unable to score the all-important opening goal. Once again, Pierotti had the best chance to score for the Rovers after being set up by Mike Favaro and Colin Phillips. However, Pierotti’s close-range shot sailed just wide of the net, leaving the game deadlocked till the final whistle. As a result, the Rovers remain in a last place tie with Norvan Pacific, while the Westsiders appear to be out of the dreaded relegation zone with a 3-3-5 record.

COLUMBUS FC  -  METRO-FORD WOLVES  2-0:  On Sunday, at Andy Livingstone Park, Columbus FC climbed closer to the top of the Premier Division ladder with an impressive 2-0 victory over the visiting Coquitlamites. After both teams had created a few goalscoring chances, the ‘Italians’ took the lead midway through the first half  as they took  advantage of a lethal counter-attack as midfielder Nathan Quan sent Steve DeBlasio flying down the left flank with a picture-perfect pass. DeBlasio, after racing in all alone, slotted the ball into the back of the net past an onrushing goalkeeper, Mathew Bird. At this point, Columbus took over the reins of the match as the Wolves appeared disgruntled and unable to battle back. The insurance marker was scored at about the 70^th minute mark when Steve Frazao took advantage of a defensive blunder to set up veteran Tiarnan King at the edge of the penalty area. King proceeded to cleverly back-heel the ball to a wide open Aaron Keay who made no mistake in finding the far corner of the net with his perfectly-placed shot. The entire Columbus squad played extremely well, but special mention must be made of defenders Joel Malouf, Jonathan Poli, Kozo Manome, Tony Gaita, and Robbie Cairns for their impressive performances in holding the vaunted Metro-Ford attackers scoreless for the entire match and thus making life reasonably easy for goalkeeper Thomas Lindley as he recorded his sixth shutout of the season. Midfielders Nathan Quan and Scott McEachearn and forwards Steve DeBlasio and Tiarnan King also played extremely well for the victors. For the Wolves, midfielders Russel Huggon and Jovan Blagojevic, as well as goalkeeper Mathew Bird, turned in excellent performances, albeit in a losing cause. The loss drops the Wolves out of first place, while Columbus FC is now tied with Delta United and ICSF Inter for the all-important 4^th place spot.

DELTA UNITED  -  CROATIA SC  1-1:  Also on Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Croatia SC held Delta United to a 1-1 draw after a rather uneventful 90 minutes of play. Neither team demonstrated any real desire to gather all 3 points and, therefore, the final 1-1 score can be considered a fair result. Delta took the early lead as a well-taken corner kick by Mark Gomes was headed into the back of the net by younger brother Mike Gomes. The Croatians came back strongly in the second half and, after coming close to equalizing on a couple of occasions, were finally rewarded at the 80^th minute mark when former professional Johnny Sulentic hammered home a long-range shot after receiving a great pass from Chris Craveiro. Delta midfielder Brian Gebbie played very well throughout the match, while Brian Fowler was very solid on the backline. For the Croatians, Johnny Sulentic turned in a very impressive midfield performance, while forward Cristian Tropeano and midfielder Robin Hart also played very well. The tie does neither team a lot of good as they both needed all 3 points to remain in contention for a spot in  next season’s BC Premier Soccer League.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  COLUMBUS FC for its impressive performance in defeating the highly regarded Metro-Ford Wolves by a decisive 2-0 margin. Led by the extraordinary midfield performances of Nathan Quan and Scott McEachearn, as well as some stubborn defending on the part of Tony Gaita, Jonathan Poli, Robbie Cairns, Kozo Manome, and young Joel Malouf, Columbus kept the Wolves off the scoresheet and fully deserved the entire 3 points. As a result of the all-important victory, the ‘Italians’ now find themselves in a 3-way tie for 4^th place, only 3 points behind league-leading West Van FC.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  ICSF Inter’s goalkeeper ERMAN OZKAN for his outstanding performance in his team’s 2-1 upset victory over the Surrey United Firefighters. On several occasions, Ozkan pulled off remarkable saves that kept his team in the running for all 3 points. In particular, just before the full time whistle, Ozkan literally robbed Angus Burke as he unleashed a wicked drive that seemed destined for the back of the net.  For his excellent performance, ERMAN OZKAN will  receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-10.

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WEEK #10—2009-11-16

Things are getting more and more interesting and very intense in the highly competitive Premier Division as all 6 matches played this past weekend were hard-fought and very competitive. No major upsets took place, although ICST Pegasus’ victory over Delta United could be considered a surprise result due to the fact that the Delta lads had a 3-point advantage over their opponents prior to kick-off. At the top of the standings, Surrey United reclaimed a share of first place by bouncing back from last week’s defeat while, at the other end of the table, Croatia SC rose out of the basement, leaving the Sapperton Rovers and the Richmond FC Hibernians mired in last place.

WEST VAN FC  -  ICSF INTER  3-2:  On Friday evening, at Vancouver Technical School, the former Trollers edged the host ICSF squad by a 3-2 margin after a very exciting and entertaining 90 minutes of non-stop action. West Van came flying out of the starting gate and, had it not been for some incredible goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan, could easily have led by 3 goals in the first 10 minutes of play. On the first save, Ozkan literally robbed former Whitecap Justin Thompson with a miraculous save on a superb shot. Shortly thereafter, Ozkan thwarted Ryan Glanville as the West Van forward went in on goal all alone on a clear-cut breakaway. Ozkan’s third fantastic save came on a rocket of a shot from the foot of Robbie Giezen, a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. As luck would have it, however, it was Inter that took the lead at about the 15^th minute mark when, against the run of play, Michael Winter was tripped inside the West Van penalty area by former teammate Tim Perry. On the ensuing penalty kick, GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca made no mistake as he slotted the ball into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal. The visitors bounced back and regained control of the match and finally tied things up at about the 35^th minute mark when Tim Perry made amends for his previous faux pas by setting up speedy Omari Aldridge with a great through ball. Aldridge then proceeded to unleash a wicked long-range drive that found the top right hand corner of the net. Early in the second half, however, Inter regained the lead with Tino Cucca and Michael Winter once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Cucca’s shot from the edge of the penalty area bounced off the goalpost and found a wide-open Winter who made no mistake in driving the ball home for Inter’s second goal. The visitors, led by veterans Paul Dailly and Mike Dodd, bounced back tenaciously and tied things up midway through the second half as Dodd converted a Dailly well-executed corner kick into the tying goal. With about 15 minutes left in the match, West Van FC finally took the well-deserved lead as Dailly scored a brilliant goal on one of his patented long-range free kicks from outside the penalty area. Near the end of the match, West Van came close to adding the insurance marker but young Robbie Giezen’s powerful header—on a wonderful cross from Justin Thompson—bounced off the goalpost and out of danger. Defensively, Leo Nash and Tim Perry were outstanding in the West Van backline while midfielder Mike Winter and goalkeeper Erman Ozkan turned in superlative performances for Inter, albeit in a losing cause. The positive result elevates the defending champions to third place in the Premier Division standings, while ICSF Inter is now in sixth place with a record of 3-5-2.

METRO-FORD WOLVES  -  WESTSIDE FC  1-1:  Also on Friday evening, at Coquitlam Town Centre, the visiting Westsiders recorded their 5^th consecutive positive result by holding the heavily-favoured Wolves to a 1-1 tie.  After losing its first 5 games of the season, Westside FC has bounced back with a vengeance and has gained 11 points (3 victories and 2 ties) in the last 5 games. The visitors got off to a bright start and were rewarded for their efforts at about the 15^th minute mark when Jay Kent-Hume struck a fantastic half-volley from the corner of the penalty area, a shot that found the back of the net. That seemed to be the wake-up call the Wolves needed as they started to take over the reins of the match with some excellent ball control. However, the Westside defenders---led by James Possee and Brian Reems, as well as goalkeeper Rowan Anders—stood up to the challenge and kept the vaunted Metro-Ford attackers off the scoresheet for the remainder of the first half. In the second half, the insertion of veteran midfielder Oliver Heald paid huge dividends for the Wolves as he notched his first goal of the season after a clever passing play involving Alfredo Valente, Emilio Bottiglieri, and Russel Huggon. At this point, Westside FC seemed content to defend and counter-attack and managed to keep the first-place Wolves off the scoreboard for the rest of the match. In fact, it was Westside that almost scored the winner in the dying moments of the game as John Stonehocker—after having received a great pass from Indy Khabra—drilled his close-range shot over the crossbar. It should be mentioned that youth call-up Paul Clerc played extremely well in the Metro-Ford backline throughout the entire contest. The Wolves now share first place with the Surrey United Firefighters, although the Firemen have a game in hand.

SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  -  SAPPERTON ROVERS  2-0:  On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the Firefighters rebounded from last week’s embarrassing defeat to the Metro-Ford Wolves by beating the Sapperton Rovers and thus regaining a share of first place in the Premier Division standings. It must be said, however, that the Rovers extended Surrey United to the limits with a typical gritty and strong-battling performance. Even though the Firemen enjoyed the territorial advantage, it was Sapperton that looked very dangerous on counter-attacks and only two great saves by goalkeeper Drew Smiley—on shots by Jason Pierotti—prevented the home team from taking the lead during the first half. However, it was Surrey United’s midfield maestro—Tyler Rosenlund—who had the best scoring chance in the first half as he cheekily tried to chip the ball over goalkeeper Ken Waechter only to lob the ball directly into the arms of the thankful keeper. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with the Firemen doing most of the pressing and the Rovers—led by defenders Sidd Achuthan and Ted Ullrich—defending with a lot of determination and counter-attacking very dangerously. Once again, Sapperton came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but shots by Jason Pierotti and Reyhan Ismail bounced off the post and out of danger with goalkeeper Drew Smiley well-beaten. Midway through the second half, Surrey United took the lead when a well-placed corner kick by Tyler Rosenlund found second half substitute Angus Burke all alone at the top of the box. Burke proceeded to deftly chip the ball over Waechter’s outstretched hands and into the top left corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Five minutes later, Burke linked up with veteran Jeff Skinner who streaked down the left flank before firing a perfect cross to a wide-open Rizal Ganief who had not trouble whatsoever in converting it into the insurance marker. All in all, a very well-played match between two teams at both ends of the table—proof positive of the amazing parity in the VMSL’s Premier Division!!!

COLUMBUS FC  -  RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  2-1:  Also on Saturday, at Minoru Oval in Richmond, Columbus FC got back in the running for promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League by edging the last-place Hibs by a 2-1 margin. The underdog home team got off to a great start and applied a lot of pressure on the Columbus defence during the early part of the first half. The Hibernians were finally rewarded when Brad Caldwell sent Chase Wickham down the left flank with an impeccable through ball. Wickham proceeded to beat a couple of Columbus defenders before unleashing a far post shot that was inadvertently deflected into his own net by Jonathan Poli. After the goal, Richmond FC continued to press in search of what might have been the insurance marker and came close on a couple of occasions on missed chances by Brad Caldwell and Tim Sowerby. The second half told a totally different story as the ‘Italians’ bounced back with grit and determination in search of a positive result. Columbus was finally rewarded at the 10^th minute mark when Steve DeBlasio set up veteran Tiernan King with a perfectly-placed cross that King converted into the tying goal. Ten minutes later, Columbus’ King and DeBlasio reversed roles as King became the provider and DeBlasio the finisher on a well-executed passing play that also involved Nathan Quan. Midfielder Scott McEachern also played very well for Columbus, while Richmond midfielders Graeme Poole, Mike Revelle, and Alan Chivers worked tirelessly throughout the contest, albeit in a losing cause.

ICST PEGASUS  -  DELTA UNITED  1-0:  On a rainy and windy Sunday, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, ICST Pegasus climbed into a 4^th place tie with Delta United by defeating the visiting team by a narrow 1-0 margin. Pegasus scored very early in the match—on a great long-range drive by Meysam Soltani—and then defended very well during the remaining part of the game. It should be mentioned that Paul Bahia set up Soltani after capitalizing on an unusual defensive blunder by John Blair. The entire Pegasus backline—composed of Andrew Reed, Jag Sajan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and veteran Rob Hall—played extremely well during the entire game, while goalkeeper Andy Singh rose to the occasion several times by punching away countless crosses and sliding out regularly to cover dangerous through balls. The entire second half was dominated by Delta United as the visitors came very close to knotting the score on several occasions. In particular, Mike Gomes—after receiving a great pass from Harpreet Khakh—drove a wicked shot towards Singh’s goal only to watch it ring off the goalpost. Soon thereafter, Khakh headed a John Blair cross towards the goal but Singh made a miraculous save to maintain his team’s lead. Pegasus midfielder Paul Bahia and Delta defender Steve Millar should also be mentioned for turning in excellent performances during the entire match.

CROATIA SC  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  2-1:  Also on Sunday, at Vancouver Technical School,  Croatia SC climbed out of last place by defeating the visiting former Eagles by a narrow, but well-earned, 2-1 margin. The Croatians took the early lead at the 12^th minute mark when Marinko Maras took advantage of a defensive blunder and powered his way towards the Norvan goal before slotting the ball home. Soon thereafter, Maras became the provider as he set up teammate Ryan Zaharija who had his shot brilliantly saved by veteran goalkeeper Steve London. Early in the second half, Croatia’s Cristian Tropeano beat a defender down the left flank and played a square ball across the goal area to an onrushing Chris Craveiro who did well to place it behind Steve London for what proved to be the winning goal. Midway through the second half, Norvan narrowed the margin when young Kyle Guay picked up a loose ball at the right corner of the penalty area a let go a blazing left foot drive that found its way to the back of net, despite goalkeeper Allan Connor’s fine effort. Norvan forwards Blake Burgon and Matt Harwell worked tirelessly throughout the match, albeit in a losing cause, while Croatia midfielder Marinko Maras was a going concern for the entire 90 minutes.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  ICST PEGASUS for its gutsy performance in defeating the highly favoured Delta United by a narrow 1-0 margin. Led by the excellent play of defenders Rob Hall, Jag Sajan, Carlos Dhaliwal, and Andrew Reed, Pegasus was able to keep the vaunted Delta attackers off the scoresheet throughout the entire 90 minutes. It should also be mentioned that goalkeeper Andy Singh turned in an exceptional performance while Meysam Soltani scored what might qualify as the goal of the season with a brilliant long-range shot.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Croatia SC’s midfielder MARINKO MARAS for his outstanding performance in his team’s 2-1 victory over Norvan Pacific. Not only did Maras score his team’s first goal—on a fine individual effort—but his set up numerous other goalscoring opportunities as he never stopped frustrating Norvan’s defenders with his pace, skill, and immeasurable work ethic.  For his excellent performance, MARINKO MARAS will  receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-03.

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WEEK #9—2009-11-09

One major upset took place this past weekend as Westside FC continued to climb up the ladder as a result of its surprising 4-1 victory over the frustrated Columbus FC. Meanwhile, the Metro-Ford Wolves reclaimed possession of first place by soundly defeating the aspiring Surrey United Firefighters by a 3-0 margin, while the young Norvan Pacific got out of last place by holding the visiting ICST Pegasus to a 2-2 tie. In another big match, Delta United was held to a 1-1 tie by ICSF Inter, thus spoiling Delta’s hopes of remaining in first place in the highly competitive Premier Division.

WEST VAN FC – SAPPERTON ROVERS  1-0:  On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the former Trollers continued their 3-game unbeaten streak with a narrow, but well-deserved, 1-0 victory over the visiting Rovers. Sapperton began the game in a very defensive manner and relied heavily on counter-attacks as West Van applied a lot of pressure in search of the all-important opening goal. Despite its clear-cut territorial advantage, West Van was held scoreless for the first 70 minutes of the match, due mainly to some solid defending on the part of Sapperton’s Ted Ullrich, Brody Phillips, and Woody Bradford. It should also be mentioned that goalkeeper Garth Lagasse also played brilliantly throughout the contest, despite dislocating his shoulder in the early going. However, at about the 70^th minute mark, the defending VMSL champions finally took the lead when veteran Paul Dailly found a wide-open Robbie Giezen with one of his patented long-range passes. Giezen controlled the ball with poise and composure and then drilled it into the Sapperton net for the game’s lone goal. Late in the match, Sapperton’s Jason Pierotti almost levelled the score as his shot from close-range—after having received a great pass from Shawn Blakeway—sailed just over the crossbar. West Van’s young  Alan McIndoe once again demonstrated a remarkable work ethic  as he controlled the middle of the park throughout the entire match. As a result of the victory, West Van FC is now in fourth place in the Premier Division standings, while the loss drops the Rovers into a last-place tie with Croatia SC and Richmond FC Hibernians.

NORVAN PACIFIC – ICST PEGASUS  2-2:  On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, the former Eagles held the hot-and-cold ICST Pegasus to a 2-2 tie after an exciting and well-played 90 minutes of non-stop action. Norvan dominated proceedings in the first half and took a well-deserved lead at the 30^th minute mark when young Nathan Harte picked up a loose ball at the edge of the penalty area, cut inside and unleashed a wicked left-foot drive that found the back of the net. Norvan could have added to its margin during the first half of play but Colin Soo’s great shot hit the cross-bar, while Blake Burgon watched agonizingly as goalkeeper Paul Sandhu made a great save on a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. Early in the second half, Nathan Harte added his second goal of the match on a well-taken free kick from well outside the penalty area, a shot that curled into the top corner of the Pegasus net. Norvan’s second goal appeared to be the wake-up call that the visitors needed as they started to take over the reins of the match by exerting a lot of pressure on the young Norvan defenders. Midway through the second half, Maysam Soltani narrowed the margin on a long-range missile of a shot that could easily qualify as the goal of the season! With 20 minutes remaining in the game, Ryan Green tied things up as he finished off a two-way passing play involving Rob Hall and Jag Sajan. Amazingly, Norvan fought back and almost regained the lead in the late stages of the match but a breakaway opportunity by Blake Burgon was thwarted by another phenomenal save by veteran—and newly-signed—replacement goalkeeper, Paul Sandhu. Pegasus’ Chetan Jhooty played extremely well, particularly in the second half as he led his team’s comeback with his indomitable work rate. Norvan’s Mark Kryss and LaVere Corben Ong should also be mentioned for their outstanding defensive performances throughout the entire match. The single point was more important to Norvan  than Pegasus as it helped the young North Shore team climb out of last place, while the visitors have now dropped to 6^th place in the Premier Division standings.

WESTSIDE FC  – COLUMBUS FC  4-1:  Also on Saturday, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, Westside FC continued to surprise and impress as a result of an upset 4-1 victory over the heavily-favoured ‘Italians’. Once again, the Westsiders invited the opponents to pressure by using a very strategic 4-5-1 formation and, once again, the tactic worked perfectly. Columbus dominated the first 30 minutes of play, creating numerous goalscoring opportunities that went awry, mostly due to some fine goalkeeping on the part of Rowan Anders and some poor finishing by its attackers. In particular, Anders pulled off a couple of great saves, the first one on a close-range header by Steve Frazao  and the second on a long-range free kick by Ylya Malek. Also, a header by Kozo Manome—on a well-taken free kick by Aaron Keay—went just wide of the far post, while Steve DeBlasio’s brilliant long-range shot also barely missed the net. But, as luck would have it, it was Westside FC that took the lead shortly thereafter as Ian Sandilands took advantage of a goalmouth scramble—as a result of a corner kick—and found the back of the net with a well-placed shot. The second half saw Westside FC—led by the excellent performances of Sam Wallace, Ian Sandilands, James Brown, and Cedric Lunel—defend very well as the visitors were trying desperately to restore parity. At the 60^th minute mark, Jay Kent-Hume chipped the ball over the head of Columbus’ goalkeeper Thomas Lindley after having raced in from the middle of the park on a counter-attack for his team’s second, and winning, goal. Westside’s third goal was scored shortly thereafter on a brilliant, unstoppable shot by James Brown. The Westsiders added insult to Columbus’ injury at the 70^th minute mark as Ian Sandilands neatly converted a corner kick by slotting the ball into the top corner of the net. After Westside had been reduced to 10 men—due to the expulsion of Graeme Webber for a serious foul play infraction—Columbus finally scored a late goal when Ben Hunt finished off a fine cross by Robbie Cairns to spoil Rowan Anders’ shutout. The upset victory—Westside’s third in the last four games—lifts the underdog Westsiders out of last place and into the middle of the pack, only one point behind Columbus FC.

COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS  3-0:  The third Saturday game was played at Cloverdale Athletic Park between two of the top teams in the Premier Division: the Surrey United Firefighters and the Metro-Ford Wolves.  Both teams needed a victory to lay claim to the top spot in the standings and, as a result, the match was a hard-fought and highly-contested affair. After Surrey had tested Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper Mathew Bird a few times in the opening minutes, the Wolves scored with virtually their first attacking foray of the game as Azad Palani created a bit of space for himself at the top of the penalty area and hammered home an unstoppable shot. Midway through the first half, the Wolves doubled their lead when veteran Joey Scigliano did well to evade a defensive tackle and neatly slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net. In the second half, the Firefighters fought back tenaciously in search of their all-important first goal but were thwarted by some excellent defending on the part of Kingsley Jones and Brook Scott. In fact, both Metro-Ford central defenders were virtually flawless as they kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers—Cam Wilson and Rizal Ganief—at bay throughtout the match. Metro-Ford’s goalkeeper, Mathew Bird, must also be commended for earning his 5^th shutout of the season with a brilliant performance. In particular, with the Wolves defending their 2-0 lead, Bird came up with an incredible save on a close-range header by Lucas Barrett, a header that appeared destined for the back of the net. Late in the match, Metro-Ford inserted 3 youth call-ups—Domenic Delli Santi, Paul Clerc, and Carlo Basso—into the line-up and, once again, the young lads acquitted themselves remarkably well. In fact, Basso scored his second goal of the season for the Wolves in the late going as he raced in all alone after picking up a loose ball near the middle of the park. The central midfield partnership of Andrew Veer and Oliver Heald also worked tirelessly in controlling the overall tempo of the match. The result catapults the Wolves over the Firefighters into first place in the Premier Division standings.

DELTA UNITED – ICSF INTER  1-1:  On Sunday, at John Oliver Municipal Park in downtown Delta, the red-hot Delta United was held to a 1-1 tie by the visiting ‘Italians’. The game was very evenly played and the tie was a fair result as both teams battled hard throughout the contest. Inter almost took the lead in the early going as GOLDEN BOOT AWARD leader Tino Cucca was robbed by a great save on the part of  Delta’s goalkeeper, Brian Brum. However, early in the second half, Delta took the lead as Harpreet Khakh made a fine run down the right flank  before crossing the ball onto the path of CJ Greenside who proceeded to blast it into the net, giving goalkeeper Giancarlo Martino no chance whatsoever. Inter fought back tenaciously and finally tied things up at the 78^th minute mark as Sheldon Maistry and newly-signed Paul Bolina combined to set up Tino Cucca for the equalizer. It should be mentioned that it was Cucca’s 9^th goal of the season! Both goalkeepers—Inter’s Giancarlo Martino and Delta’s Brian Brum—came up with great saves very late in the match to preserve the tie for their teams. Defensively, playing-coach Steve Millar and Brian Fowler played extremely well for Delta United, while midfielder Mike Winter and defender Liam Smith turned in outstanding performances for ICSF Inter. The tie is a disappointing result for both teams as they are both trying desperately to gain promotion to the BC Premier Soccer League and need to be in the top 4 positions to achieve that goal.

CROATIA SC – RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  2-1:   The second Sunday game, between two struggling teams—Croatia SC and the Richmond FC Hibernians—was played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver and ended in narrow 2-1 victory for the Croatians. The first half was controlled almost entirely by the home team, while the Hibernians bounced back in the second half and dictated the pace of the match, albeit to no avail. Croatia SC took the lead at the 30^th minute mark when Ryan Zaharija made a perfect late run to the back post and impeccably slotted home Chris Craveiro’s perfectly-placed low cross. Ten minutes later, the Croatians doubled their lead on a goal by Marinko Maras as he chipped the ball over the Richmond goalkeeper—Valerian Wiebe—after having been sent in all alone on a great pass by Brad Haga. Shortly thereafter, newly-transferred Philip Koiter almost put the game out of the Hibs’ reach but his hard, low shot was brilliantly saved by Wiebe. The second half told a totally different story as Richmond FC tried desperately to get back into the contest by demonstrating a great deal of grit and determination. The insertion of midfielder Graeme Poole and striker Erik Olsen made a huge difference as the Hibernians took control of the match and finally got on the scoreboard at the 65^th minute of play. A brilliant 3-way passing play—involving Jon Bula, Brad Caldwell, and Alan Chivers—was converted into Richmond’s goal by Graeme Poole. The Hibs continued to press for the equalizer and came close on a few occasions, but some poor finishing—as well as some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Allan Connor—kept the score at 2-1 in Croatia’s favour till the final whistle. The result leaves both teams tied for last place—along with the Sapperton Rovers—in the Premier Division standings.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:  WESTSIDE FC for its excellent performance in upsetting Columbus FC by a clear-cut 4-1 margin. This is the third upset victory for the Westsiders as they have climbed out of last place with a vengeance after a very poor start to the season. Using their patented 4-5-1 formation, the underdogs defended tenaciously throughout the contest and counter-attacked lethally on several occasions.  It should be noted that Ian Sandilands scored twice in leading his team to the all-important victory.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Metro-Ford Wolves’ central defenders KINGSLEY JONES and BROOK SCOTT for their majestic performances in guiding their team to an all-important 3-0 victory over the Surrey United Firefighters. Jones and Scott kept the vaunted Surrey United attackers—Rizal Ganief and Cam Wilson—at bay throughout the match, and helped immensely as goalkeeper Mathew Bird recorded his 5^th clean sheet of the season. For their excellent performances this past weekend, KINGSLEY JONES and BROOK SCOTT will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2009-12-03.

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WEEK #8—2009-11-02

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WEEK #7—2009-10-26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WEEK #6—2009-10-19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WESTERN CANADIAN MASTERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP

Columbus FC travelled to Edmonton to represent British Columbia in the Masters’ Western Canadian Championship. After an exhausting week of non-stop action, the Columbus lads returned home with the championship trophy after having won 3 games and having tied one.

In the first game, against Manitoba’s Grant Hill, Columbus relied heavily on Victor Montagliani’s goalscoring prowess as the veteran dictated much of the play from his midfield position and managed to score both goals in the 2-2 draw. The second game, against Saskatoon Arsenal, saw Columbus dominate most of the play and eventually walk away with a 2-0 victory. Young veteran Joey Giovinazzo scored both Columbus goals and played superlatively throughout the contest. Salvatore Cuccione was also instrumental in the victory as he displayed his amazing work rate on the right flank.  Game 3 saw Columbus face the home team, Edmonton Arsenal. Even though a tie would have sufficed to gain a place to the final, Columbus managed to gain a well-earned 1-0 victory against the very tough Albertans. The lone goal of the match was scored midway through the second half when Victor Montagliani set up another veteran, Domenico DeMarco, who proceeded to beat two Edmonton defenders before slotting the ball into the back of the net. Some excellent defending on the part of Danny Pecile, Frank Ciaccia, Dino Piccolo, and Vito Lore—as well as some great goalkeeping by Trevor Jones—kept the vaunted Edmonton attackers off the score sheet.

As luck would have it, the final was played against the Alberta champions—Edmonton Victoria—the same team that Columbus faced in the last game of the round-robin series. The game was extremely hard fought and very evenly played as both teams exhibited a lot of skill and an incredible desire to win. Midway through the second half, Columbus’ Gino Gaita headed home a brilliant cross from teammate Danny Pecile for the game’s lone goal. The entire team played extremely well, but special mention should be made of Sean McLaughlin, Gino Gaita, Danny Pecile, Trevor Jones, Joey Giovinazzo, and Dino Piccolo for their superlative performances.

The VMSL would like to congratulate all the Columbus members for their remarkable victory!

Players: Trevor Jones, Danny Pecile, Frank Ciaccia, Dino Piccolo, Vito Lore, Sal Cuccione, Frank Lore, Vic Montagliani, Sean McLaughlin, Kevin Colbow, Joe Giovinazzo, Rudy Gasparac, Angus Sewell, Peter Battistin, Carlo Alberti, and Rob Mascitti.

Coach: Rob Alberti

Trainers: Craig Richards, and Gord Lakovic

WELL DONE BOYS!!!!!!!!

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WEEK #5—2009-10-12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

West Van FC got off to a great start in the Canadian National Championships--held in Saskatoon--by defeating Toronto Real by a narrow, but well-earned, 2-1 margin. After trailing 1-0 for most of the contest, West Van scored twice in rapid succession near the end of the match to secure the all-important victory. Young Robbie Giezen and veteran Paul Dailly scored the goals for the VMSL champions.

Unfortunately, on Thursday, West Van FC dropped a heart-breaking 1-0 decision to Hellas SC, the Manitoba champions. The game had to be played in an indoor facility due to the heavy snow fall in Saskatoon!

On Friday, our representatives were unceremoniously bounced out of the competition by virtue of a 3-1 loss at the hands of the defending Canadian champions, the Calgary Callies. Thus ends West Van's attempt to capture the National Championship!

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WEEK #4—2009-10-05

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WEEK #3—2009-09-28

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WEEK #2—2009-09-21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WEEK #1—2009-09-14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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