 |
|
2010-09-27
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 5
The Metro-Ford Wolves, aided and abetted by arch-rivals West Van FC, claimed sole possession of first place by defeating the struggling Croatia SC by a 2-0 margin in a game played on Saturday afternoon at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam. West Van’s assistance arrived a day later as the former Trollers disposed of the aspiring Columbus FC by a narrow 2-1 margin in a match played at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver. At the other end of the table, the Punjab Hurricanes remained mired in last place as a result of yet another heart-breaking loss—a 1-0 defeat to ICSF Inter.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS - ICST PEGASUS 2-1: On Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park, the Firefighters climbed closer to the top of the standings by edging the struggling, and somewhat unlucky, ICST Pegasus in what might be called the ‘Surrey Derby’. Once again, the Firemen had to come from behind to claim all 3 points and thus climb up the ladder and near the top of the standings. Surrey United had the better scoring chances in the early going but were unable to convert as both Rizal Ganief and Rob Wilson missed the net by inches. Ironically, it was Pegasus that took the lead late in the first half when an unmarked Azad Palani headed home the opening goal, and his fourth of the young season. The insertion of a couple of veterans in the second half paid enormous dividends for Surrey United as former professionals Jeff Clarke and playing-coach Niall Thompson turned the game around as their experience proved to be instrumental in their team’s success. At the 65th minute mark, the Firefighters were rewarded for their hard work when a low, right-wing cross from Stefan Leslie found Jeff Clarke at the top of the penalty box. The former Whitecaps’ captain proceeded to slip by a defender before firing an unstoppable low shot into the corner of the Pegasus net. A few minutes later, Pegasus’ Jag Sajjan was ejected from the match for a serious foul play infraction, reducing the home team to 10 men. Soon thereafter, Surrey United took the lead as Niall Thompson’s brilliant cross was acrobatically volleyed home by Rizal Ganief. To their credit, the Pegasus lads never gave up and tried desperately to get back into the match, despite the fact that they were playing short-handed. However, Surrey United defended well and preserved the narrow margin of victory till the final whistle. The defending champions thus improve their record to 3-0-1, while the underachieving ICST Pegasus is now near the bottom of the table, with an unenviable 1-1-3 record.
ICSF INTER – PUNJAB HURRICANES 1-0: On Saturday afternoon, at Adanac Park in Vancouver, ICSF Inter edged the unfortunate Punjab Hurricanes by a 1-0 margin thus leaving the newly-promoted Hurricanes all alone in last place in the Premier Division standings. Inter had an early goalscoring opportunity when Andrew Corazza delivered a well-placed cross to midfielder Joseph Marrello who placed his shot high over the crossbar. The Hurricanes replied in kind and, shortly thereafter, also came close to taking the lead but a shot by Joti Thind was cleared off the line by Inter defender Ryan Zaharija. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first, with both teams attacking in search of the all-important 3 points. Rupi Birring came close to giving the Hurricanes the lead early in the second half but misfired his shot wide of the net with goalkeeper Dennis Kindel well beaten. At about the 65th minute mark, Inter took the lead when a brilliant passing play between Dom Delli Santi and Mike D’Agostino resulted in D’Agostino crossing the ball into the danger area where forward Brian VanSchagen rose above the Hurricanes defenders and headed the ball home for the game’s lone goal. Late in the match, Sunny Dhaliwal came very close to knotting the score but Inter’s defender Jesse Dhami rose to the occasion and prevented the goal with a well-timed tackle. The Hurricanes continued to press, but some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Dennis Kindel kept them off the scoresheet. It should also be mentioned that Inter’s defensive quartet—Jesse Dhami, Bevan Footman, Ryan Zaharija, and Mike Tempesta—also played a huge part in their team’s hard-fought victory. For the Hurricanes, defender Pami Birring and midfielder Rupi Birring were outstanding throughout the contest, albeit in a losing cause. Inter’s record thus improves to an even 2-1-2, while the Hurricanes remain mired in last place with only 2 points from 5 games.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 2-0: Also on Saturday afternoon, at Minoru Park in Richmond, the Hibernians remained in the middle of the pack by defeating the visiting White Eagles by a 2-0 margin. The early part of the contest saw both teams trying hard to establish control of the match. The White Eagles had the best opportunity to break the deadlock at about the 10th minute mark when Sidd Achuthan latched onto a through ball by Sunny Bains and proceeded to send a very dangerous cross into the Richmond FC penalty area where is was handled by Alan Chivers, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. Goalkeeper Brad Caldwell proceeded to pull off a semi-miraculous save on Miso Rakita’s well-struck penalty kick. Shortly thereafter, Caldwell once again denied Rakita, this time on a wicked, long-range free kick, leaving the match scoreless until the 40th minute mark. At this point, Richmond midfielder Craig McMillan converted an excellent pass by Erik Olson into what proved to be the winning goal from close range. It should be noted that Olson had been originally set up by an excellent, defence-splitting through ball by midfielder Masumi Turnbull. The second half belonged entirely to the Hibs as they took control of the game and created numerous excellent goalscoring chances. At about the 60th minute mark, the Hibernians doubled their lead when a long throw-in by Geoff Salt was headed back to the top of the 18-yerd box by Mike Revell and finished off by Conor Radil’s brilliant volley into the top corner of the White Eagles’ net. Richmond FC had several other chances to increase their lead but efforts by Alex Orasa, Taj Sangara, Peter Chivers, and Conor Radil all went awry, leaving the scoreline at 2-0 till the final whistle. Goalkeeper Brad Caldwell, midfielders Mike Revell and Conor Radil—as well as striker Taj Sangara—played extremely well for the Hibs, while goalkeeper Aaron Young, defender Andrew Malumara, and midfielder Sunny Bains performed admirably for the struggling White Eagles. The victory improves Richmond FC’s record to 2-2-1, while the White Eagles remain near the bottom of the Premier Division table, with only 3 points from 5 games.
METRO-FORD WOLVES – CROATIA SC 2-0: The third Saturday game was played at Coquitlam Town Centre and featured the hosting Metro-Ford Wolves and the visiting Croatia SC. At the end of a well-played and exciting 90 minutes, the home team walked away with a well-deserved 2-0 victory, much to the chagrin of the numerous Croatian spectators. The game was very well played and heavily contested, with both teams displaying a lot of skill and composure. The Wolves took the lead midway through the first half when two veterans—Emilio Bottiglieri and Russel Huggon—combined to set up young Jovan Blagojevic who proceeded to hammer home what proved to be the winning goal from just inside the Croatia penalty area. The home team could easily have added to its lead before the halftime break but Andrew Veer and Emilio Bottiglieri—two standouts throughout the match—were denied by some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Didar Sandhu. In the second half, the Croatians came roaring back in search of the equalizer but some excellent defending on the part of Matthew Besuschko and youth call-up Sam Coulter kept the visitors off the scoresheet. In particular, the always dangerous pair of Johnny Sulentic and Chris Craveiro drove the young Metro-Ford defenders to distraction with their dangerous forays. In fact, on a couple of occasions, Sulentic found himself all alone in front of the Metro-Ford goal, only to be stymied by goalkeeper Mathew Bird. Midway through the second half, the Wolves put the game out of the Croatians’ reach when Jovan Blagojevic scored his second goal of the contest, this time on a great pass from Dalobar Plavsic who had raced down the left flank before setting up Blagojevic with an impeccable pass. The victory elevates Metro-Ford to sole possession of first place in the Premier Division standings, while the Croatians find themselves near the bottom of the table with a disappointing 1-0-4 record.
WESTSIDE FC - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-1: The fourth, and final, Saturday match was played at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster and ended in a 2-1 victory for the visiting Westside FC over the Sapperton Rovers. The undefeated Westsiders got off to a slow start and paid the price at about the 10th minute mark when a well-placed cross by Andrew Celenza was redirected into the Westside net by Trevor Todd for the match’s opening goal. That appeared to be the wake-up call the visitors needed as they bounced back tenaciously in search of the equalizer. Cedric Lunel and James Brown, in particular, had excellent chances to level the score but were both unable to convert their breakaway opportunities. As luck would have it, however, the tying goal—at the 35th minute mark—came when two Sapperton players—Jay Gangnes and Jeff Rogers—combined to score an own goal! In fact, a long throw-in by James Brown was deflected by Gangnes onto the path of Rogers, whose attempt to head the ball out of danger ended up in the back of the net for the equalizer. Both teams tried hard to break the deadlock in the second half with the Rovers coming very close to scoring on a couple of occasions on efforts by Jason Pierotti and Stefan Schmidle. Both times, however, the goalpost got in the way and the game remained tied till the dying moments. Just before the final whistle, Westside FC was able to secure all 3 points when Daniel Gazzola scored the winner after having received an immaculate pass from Sebastian Crema. Michael Campion turned in yet another stellar performance in the Westside backline, while Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone was the talisman in the middle of the park for the winning team. For the Rovers, young Chris Attadia and veteran Ted Ullrich played extremely well in their defensive roles, while Trevor Todd was a tower of strength in the midfield. The victory—coupled with Columbus’ loss—places Westside FC in second place in the Premier Division standings, while the loss drops the Rovers to ninth place.
DELTA UNITED - AKAL FC 5-1: On Sunday, at John Oliver Park in Delta, the struggling Delta United bounced out of its early season slump with a vengeance and soundly defeated the visiting Akal FC by an elaborate 5-1 margin. The home team took the lead early in the match when Brian Fowler picked up a rebound from a Mike Gomes shot and calmly deposited the ball into the back of the Akal net. Late in the first half, Delta United added two goals in rapid succession to take a 3-0 halftime lead. First, Brian Gebbie sent Phil Lensky flying in on goal with a superb long ball. Lensky dribbled around a defender and the Akal goalkeeper before slotting the ball home. Then, Lensky added his second goal of the contest when he converted a Mark Gomes corner kick into his team’s third goal. The visitors didn’t give up and came storming back in the second half and narrowed the margin at the 70th minute mark when Jas Atwal finished off a brilliant individual effort by BJ Rockson from close range. Shortly thereafter, however, Akal’s Harry Lakhan was ejected from the match for a serious foul playing infraction, reducing his team to 10 men for the remaining 20 minutes. Delta United took full advantage of the situation to score 2 late goals to seal the victory. At the 80th minute mark, Brian Fowler and Mike Gomes reversed roles from the first goal as Gomes became the finisher and Fowler the provider when Fowler’s fine cross from the right flank was one-timed into the net by a sprinting Gomes. Finally, at the 85th minute mark, Phil Lensky completed his hat-trick when he skillfully made his way around several Akal defenders before depositing the ball into the back of the net. It should be mentioned, that despite the one-sided score, Akal FC’s goalkeeper Gursher Kajla made a few sensational saves, particularly in the second half. Notably, shots by Shawn Blakeway, Mark Gomes, and Amar Mander were brilliantly saved by the young Under 21 call-up. Delta United’s victory improves its record to 2-0-3, while Akal FC slips to 1-2-2.
WEST VAN FC – COLUMBUS FC 2-1: The final Premier Division game was played on Sunday afternoon at Andy Livingstone Park between two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division—Columbus FC and the visiting West Van FC. At the end of the day, West Van FC knocked the ‘Italians’ out of first place with a narrow 2-1 victory. Midway through the first half, Columbus FC took the lead when Devon Greenside was deemed to have been fouled by West Van defender Kevan Cameron inside the penalty area. On the ensuing penalty kick, Steve DeBlasio blasted the ball into the net, past goalkeeper Marco Durante. Shortly thereafter, another penalty kick was awarded, this time at the other end of the pitch as West Van’s Jesse Fetterley was allegedly fouled inside the Columbus 18-yard box by Columbus’ Nathan Quan. Veteran Paul Dailly stepped up to the plate and placed the ball behind goalkeeper Thomas Lindley for the equalizer. Near the end of the first half, Fetterley had a golden opportunity to give the former Trollers the lead but was stymied by Lindley on a clear-cut breakaway that had begun with a great pass from Kevin Crouch. Just before the final whistle, the visitors took the lead on a lethal counter-attack as substitute Marko Mayer raced down the field and placed a low cross onto the path of a streaking Kevin Crouch who made no mistake in scoring the winner with his 5th goal of the season. All in all, a rather disappointing performance by both teams, considering the fact that they are both near the top of the Premier Division table!
TEAM OF THE WEEK: DELTA UNITED for it impressive performance in defeating Akal FC by an elaborate 5-1 margin. Led by an amazing 3-goal performance on the part of Phil Lensky, Delta United broke out of its slump in fine fashion and totally dominated the match from start to finish. Defenders Brian Fowler and Woody Bradford also played an enormous part in the well-deserved, and very important, victory.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Delta United’s PHIL LENSKY for his incredible hat-trick performance in his team’s 5-1 victory over Akal FC. Throughout the match, Lensky demonstrated enormous qualities, qualities seldom seen in the VMSL!!! For his excellent performance, PHIL LENSKY will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-10-14.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
2010-09-20
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 4
Columbus FC, as a result of its 0-0 tie with Westside FC, failed to retain sole possession of first place in the Premier Division standings as the Metro-Ford Wolves were able to catch the ‘Italians’ as a result of their 2-1 victory over the Punjab Hurricanes. In the meantime, the defending champions—Surrey United Firefighters—drew nearer the top of the table by defeating ICSF Inter by a 3-1 margin. At the bottom of the standings, Croatia SC and the Serbian White Eagles registered their first victories of the season—against Delta United and the Sapperton Rovers respectively—and thus climbed out of last place.
WEST VAN FC - ICST PEGASUS 4-0: On Friday evening, at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, the former Trollers came out of their mini-slump by clobbering the visiting Pegasus squad by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Despite the fact that the visitors had most of the play in the first half, West Van FC took a 2-0 lead as captain Leo Nash took advantage of a couple of Pegasus’ miscues to give his team the lead. At about the 20th minute mark, a long-range free kick by Nash bounced awkwardly over the outstretched hands of Pegasus goalkeeper Andy Singh and into the net for what proved to be the winning goal. Late in the first half, a long throw-in by Austin Lowrie found a wide-open Nash who redirected the ball into the net with a well-placed header. The second half told a totally different story as the home team controlled proceedings from start to finish. With about 15 minutes remaining in the contest, West Van FC put the game out of Pegasus’ reach when one of Paul Dailly’s patented corner kicks was converted into the third goal by Alan McIndoe who blasted the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Late in the match, McIndoe became the provider as he set up a darting Kevin Crouch with a brilliantly-placed through ball. On the ensuing breakaway, Crouch made no mistake in placing the ball into the back of the net for West Van’s fourth and final goal. West Van’s back four—composed of Leo Nash, Drew Gelley, Geoff Buchanan, and Tim Perry—played extremely well throughout the match, while newly-signed goalkeeper—Tyler Silvestre—recorded his second shutout of the season. The victory elevates West Van FC into 5th place in the Premier Division table with an even 2-0-2 record. ICST Pegasus, on the other hand, slip to 9th place with a disappointing 1-1-2 record.
WESTSIDE FC – COLUMBUS FC 0-0: On Saturday afternoon, at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver, two top contenders—Westside FC and Columbus FC—met in what promised to be the ‘Match of the Week’. As luck would have it, however, both teams had to settle for a scoreless tie after a rather uneventful 90 minutes of play. Both teams appeared to be very tentative in the early going and, as a result, very few goalscoring opportunities were created in the first half. The best one came when Columbus’ Kozo Manome miskicked the ball from close range, allowing goalkeeper Rowan Anders to make a rather easy save. Columbus changed its tune in the second half and started to press hard in search of the winning goal. However, some excellent defending on the part of the Westside backline—led by Sam Wallace, Chris Mehuys, and Brian Reems—as well as some brilliant goalkeeping by Rowan Anders, kept the game scoreless till the final whistle. In particular, Anders made an unbelievable save on Steve DeBlasio’s wicked free kick. Columbus’ newly-signed Stefano Pannu also came very close to scoring but a game-saving tacking by Sam Wallace prevented Columbus from taking the well-deserved lead. In the meantime, the Westsiders relied mainly on counter-attacks and nearly scored on a couple of occasions on efforts by Dan Gazzola and Joe Bhegani. Columbus’ midfield trio—Kozo Manome, Devon Greenside, and Nathan Quan—worked tirelessly throughout the match, giving Westside very little space and few goalscoring opportunities. The result leaves both teams undefeated after 4 games and near the top of the standings.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – ICSF INTER 3-1: Also on Saturday afternoon, at Cloverdale Athletic Park, the Firemen climbed near the top of the table with a well-deserved 3-1 victory over the visiting ‘Italians’. Shortly after Surrey’s Rizal Ganief had missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring, Inter took the early lead at about the 10th minute mark on a lethal counter-attack that resulted in Andrew Corazza scoring on a wicked left-foot shot from outside the penalty area. The home team responded positively and knotted the score at the 18th minute mark when Ganief made amends for his previous faux pas by brilliantly setting up teammate Andrew Proctor who proceeded to slot the ball into the back of the Inter net from just inside the box. Shortly thereafter, Surrey midfielder Mason Webb came close to notching the lead but his shot sailed over the crossbar. However, at the 28th minute mark, Surrey took the lead when an Andrew Proctor’s cross was headed home from close range by Angus Burke. Inter tried hard to equalize before the halftime break, but chances by Joseph Marrello and Lui Pantusa went awry. In the second half, both teams took turns attacking in search of the all-important next goal. Andrew Proctor and Rizal Ganief came close to putting the game out of Inter’s reach, but some superb goalkeeping on the part of Erman Ozkan kept the scoreline respectable. At the other end of the pitch, Domenic Delli Santi, Joey Audia, and Bevan Footman also came close to scoring, but their shots were brilliantly saved by Surrey goalkeeper Drew Smiley to preserve his team’s narrow lead. Late in the game, the Firefighters scored the clincher when the ever-dangerous Rizal Ganief was brought down from behind by Inter’s defender Matt Judd. Judd was expelled from the game for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity and Ganief converted the ensuing penalty kick by hammering the ball into the net. It should be noted that Inter’s coach—Joe Marrello—was also sent off for arguing the call on the basis that Ganief was not tripped inside the penalty area. Needless to say, Ganief was a going concern throughout the contest as he drove the Inter defenders to distraction with his speed and skill. Surrey midfielder Vince Stewart should also be mentioned for his tireless work during the entire game. For Inter, midfielders Mike D’Agostino and Colin Streckmann also played very well, albeit in a losing cause.
METRO-FORD WOLVES – PUNJAB HURRICANES 2-1: On Saturday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, the visiting Wolves climbed back into a first place tie with Columbus FC by edging the hard-working, but luckless, Punjab Hurricanes. The newkly-promoted Hurricanes demonstrated a great deal of speed and skill and totally dominated proceedings during most of the first half. As luck would have it, however, it was the Wolves that took the lead midway through the first half when former Whitecap Alfredo Valente latched onto a loose ball inside the Punjab penalty area and cleverly chipped it over the onrushing Hurricanes’ goalkeeper, Jason Blakely. Early in the second half, the Hurricanes were able to knot the score on a brilliant counter-attack orchestrated by midfielder Cam Hundal. Hundal picked up a loose ball at the edge of his own penalty area and dribbled it down the field—all the way to the edge of the Metro-Ford 18-yard box. At this point, he cleverly set up Joti Thind with an immaculate pass that Thind converted into the tying goal with a blistering shot. At this point, the Wolves took control of the match and came close to taking the lead on a few occasions but efforts by Alfredo Valente, Emilio Bottiglieri, and Russel Huggon all went awry. With about 15 minutes remaining in the match, Bottiglieri was able to score the Metro-Ford winning goal on a great solo effort that gave Blakley not chance whatsoever. Metro-Ford defenders Matthew Besuschko and Connor Ayre—and Under 18 player on a youth permit—were rock solid throughout the contest, while Under 21 pick-ups Devin Phelan and Brayden Gant worked tirelessly in the middle of the park. For the young Hurricanes, midfielders Ryan Dhillon and Cam Hundal—as well as central defender Joey Brar—performed admirably throughout the match, albeit in a losing cause.
CROATIA SC – DELTA UNITED 2-0: On Sunday afternoon, at Adanac Park in Vancouver, Croatia SC came out of its 3 game losing streak with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over the visiting Delta United. The first half was played in a very cautious manner by both teams, both of them obviously being afraid of losing all 3 very important points. An early goal by Croatia SC in the second half seemed to change things as Delta United threw caution to the wind and started attacking in search of the equalizer. The first goal was scored at the 52nd minute mark as a result of a great 3-way passing play that started when Mirko Maras played a clever through ball to Gustavo Argueta on the right flank. Argueta then did well to play a perfect square ball across the goal area to a streaking Philip Koiter who blasted the ball home from close range for what proved to be Croatia’s winning goal. After the initial goal, the Croatians sat back and allowed Delta United to take control of he match. The visitors created numerous goalscoring chances and only some poor finishing and some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Didar Sandhu prevented them from knotting the score. In particular, playing-coach Steve Millar was denied a glorious opportunity to even the score by a sensational save on the part of Sandhu. Shortly thereafter, Delta’s Shawn Blakeway hit the crossbar from close range after having been set up by Phil Lensky. Midway through the second half, in rapid succession, Mark Gomes was robbed twice by the red-hot Sandhu. Very late in the game, on a lethal counter-attack, the Croatians solidified their lead when two veterans—Johnny Pashalidis and Chris Craveiro—combined to put an end to Delta’s aspirations. Pashalidis, after having been set up by Philip Koiter, sent a perfect cross into the Delta box onto the path of Chris Craveiro whose diving header sealed the visitors’ fate. The victory, the Croatians’ first of the season, elevates them out of last place in the Premier Division table.
AKAL FC - RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS 1-1: On Sunday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, two middle of the table teams—Akal FC and Richmond FC—settled for a 1-1 tie after a very physical and fast-paced 90 minutes of action. The visiting Hibs got off to a great start and only some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Akal’s Nuno Jesus—with saves on shots by Alan Chivers and Peter Chivers—kept the game scoreless till the 30th minute mark. At this point, the visitors took the lead when a long clearance by goalkeeper Brad Caldwell was skillfully gathered by Alan Chivers who was subsequently fouled by Akal’s Surinder Janda, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded. On the ensuing spot shot, Peter Chivers—coincidentally Alan’s brother—easily scored giving his team the well-deserved lead. Near the end of the first half, Akal FC knotted the score when Harbinder Chohan sent Emmannel Ayiku in on goal with an exquisite pass. Ayku levelled the score with a well-placed low shot into the far corner of the net. The second half was more or less a carbon copy of the first, with Richmond FC controlling most of the play and creating several golden goalscoring opportunities. Geoff Salt, Tom Brook, and Alan Chivers all had glorious chances to score the winning goal for their team, but once again Nino Jesus rose to the occasion and preserved the hard-earned point for his team. It should be noted that Akal FC defended courageously throughout the second half, particularly after the expulsion of Arash Afrooze—for a serious foul play infraction—at around the 70th minute mark. Richmond FC and Akal FC thus remain in the middle of the pack in the Premier Division standings, each with a 1-2-1 record.
SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES - SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-0: The final game was played on Sunday evening at Burnaby Lake West Complex between the winless White Eagles and the unbeaten Rovers. Needless to say, the final 2-0 result in favour of the White Eagles can be considered a huge upset! After a scoreless first half, the home team took the lead early in the second half as defender Miso Rakita converted a well-taken free kick by Sunny Bains with an unstoppable header that gave goalkeeper Simon Postma no chance whatsoever. A few minutes later, Rakita doubled the score with a virtually identical header, this time on a cross from David Hill. Sapperton’s young goalkeeper, Simon Postma, rose to the occasion several times, to keep the score respectable. In the first half, Postma pulled off a couple of great saves in rapid succession on shots by Dalvir Mahli and Sidd Achuthan. Mahli was also denied twice in the second half by spectacular saves on the part of Postma, while at the other end of the pitch, Serbian goalkeeper Richard Goddard preserved his shutout with a late save on a shot by young Matthew Rosenlund. The Rovers had come close to narrowing the margin a few minutes earlier but veteran Jeff Rogers agonizingly watched his shot hit the crossbar with Goddard well-beaten. The White Eagles’ Miso Rakita not only scored both goals but also played extremely well in his defensive role, alongside Sava Miljanic and Andrew Malamura. Midfielders Joel Malouf and Justin Sidhu also performed admirably in leading their team to its first victory of the season.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WEST VAN FC for it impressive performance in defeating the visiting ICST Pegasus by an elaborate 4-0 margin. Led by young captain Leo Nash, the former Trollers controlled most of the game against the very talented Pegasus squad. Not only did Nash lead the way defensively, but he also scored two great goals in the early going to set the pace of the match.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Croatia SC’s goalkeeper DIDAR SANDHU for his brilliant performance in his team’s 2-0 victory over the visiting Delta United. Sandhu stood on his head time after time to deny the visitors their numerous goalscoring opportunities and thus earn a very valuable victory for his team. For his excellent performance, DIDAR SANDHU will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-10-07.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
2010-09-13
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 3
Columbus FC took over sole possession of first place in the Premier Division table by virtue of its third consecutive victory in defeating the newly-promoted Serbian White Eagles by a 3-0 margin. The Metro-Ford Wolves, Westside FC, and the Sapperton Rovers also remained unbeaten despite the fact that they had to settle for ties against ICSF Inter, ICST Pegasus, and Akal FC respectively. At the bottom of the table, the Serbian White Eagles and Croatia SC are still searching for their first point!
ICST PEGASUS – SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 3-0: On Wednesday evening, in a make-up Day 2 game played at Vancouver Technical School, ICST Pegasus bounced back from its Day 1 defeat to newly-promoted Akal FC by defeating the Serbian White Eagles by an elaborate 3-0 margin. Newly-signed Azad Palani opened the scoring very early in the match as he latched on to a brilliant through ball from veteran fullback Rob Hall before calmly slotting the ball home. Soon thereafter, Pegasus added to its margin as Ryan Powell finished off a clever pass from Goldy Takhar. Midway through the second half, Meysam Soltani put the game out of the Serbians’ reach as he scored the clincher from close range. The entire Pegasus backline—composed of Rob Hall, Jag Sajan, Gurj Dhaliwal, and Deep Toor—played extremely well throughout the contest while goalkeeper Andy Singh.recorded his first shutout of the season.
DELTA UNITED – PUNJAB HURRICANES 4-3: On Friday evening, at John Oliver Municipal Park in Delta, Delta United bounced back from its shaky start by edging the newly-promoted Punjab Hurricanes by a 4-3 margin. Midway through the first half, veteran Shawn Blakeway set up newly-signed Phil Lensky for Delta’s first goal of the match. Shortly thereafter, John Blair’s well-taken free kick was headed home by playing-coach Steve Millar for Delta’s second goal. The Hurricanes narrowed the margin just before the halftime whistle when Joti Thind converted a brilliant pass by Gary Badesha into the much-needed first goal. In the second half, the Hurricanes continued to press and scored two goals in rapid succession to take a 3-2 lead. Substitute Jag Gill scored both goals, the first off a rebound on Gary Badesha’s shot and the second on a fine individual effort. Delta United, however, bounced back and tied things up at about the 75th minute mark when yet another brilliantly-taken free kick by John Blair was headed into the Punjab net by Jeff Hodgson. Just before the final whistle, Delta United’s Steve Millar once again demonstrated his enormous skills by dribbling past 3 defenders before blasting a shot off the crossbar. Shawn Blakeway picked up the rebound and easily scored his fourth goal of the young season, thus giving his team the badly-needed 3 points. It should be mentioned that Delta’s newly-signed goalkeeper—Steve London—pulled off a few sensational saves, particularly at the beginning of the match.
ICST PEGASUS – WESTSIDE FC 1-1: Also on Friday evening, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, Pegasus and Westside settled for a 1-1 draw after a hard-fought 90 minutes of non-stop action. Westside almost took the lead early in the game when a blistering half-volley by Cedric Lunel bounced off the Pegasus crossbar and out of danger. Both teams defended brilliantly for the remainder of the first half and the game remained scoreless till the halftime whistle. Pegasus took the lead at about the 65th minute mark when Azad Palani scored his third goal of the season as be pounced on a loose ball inside the Westside penalty area and volleyed the ball home for the go-ahead goal. Just before the final whistle, the visitors were able to tie things up as Andre` Herath took advantage of a Pegasus defensive error—on a dangerous cross by Ian Sandilands—and slotted the ball home for the equalizer. Pegasus’ midfielder Azad Palani, as well as second half substitute Omari Aldridge, played extremely well for the home team, while Westside defenders Michael Campion and Cam Kochorek kept the vaunted ICST attackers at bay for most of the match.
SAPPERTON ROVERS – AKAL FC 1-1: On Saturday, at Queen’s Park Stadium in New Westminster, the Sapperton Rovers were held to a 1-1 tie by the newly-promoted Akal FC. The visitors took the lead midway through the first half when BJ Rockson converted a penalty kick that was awarded when Rockson himself was fouled inside the penalty area by veteran Sapperton defender Ted Ullrich. Late in the second half, the Rovers knotted the score when midfielder Jeff Rogers capped off an excellent individual performance when he brilliantly volleyed home a well-taken free kick by Stefan Schmidle. Defender Colin Phillips and goalkeeper Garth Lagasse also played very well for the Rovers., while Akal’s BJ Rockson was a going concern throughout the contest.
ICSF INTER – METRO-FORD WOLVES 2-2: Also on Saturday, at Adanac Park in Vancouver, ICSF Inter and the Metro-Ford Wolves battled hard for the entire 90 minutes of play and eventually settled for a 2-2 draw. Metro-Ford took the lead very early in the match when young veteran Emilio Bottiglieri took advantage of a defensive blunder and volleyed the ball into the net from close range. Inter came storming back and tied things up shortly thereafter on a fine goal by Mike D’Agostino who converted Mike Tempesta’s fine cross into the equalizer. At about the 20th minute mark, Inter took the lead when Ray Ismail found D’Agostino with a fine cross. D’Agostino’s subsequent header was mishandled by Metro-Ford goalkeeper Mathew Bird and opportunistically driven home by a wide-open Sheldon Maistry. At about the 75th minute mark, the Wolves knotted the score when youth call-up Connor Ayre sent a magnificent cross into the Inter penalty area, a cross that was converted by recently-signed Brayden Gant. Both teams came close to getting the winning goal in the late going, but a great save by Mathew Bird—on a shot by Inter’s Lui Pantusa—and a missed opportunity by Metro-Ford’s Emilio Bottiglieri kept the score at 2-2 till the final whistle. Mike D’Agostino and Colin Streckmann played extremely well in the ICSF midfield, while Metro-Ford’s young midfielder Devin Phelan performed admirably in his senior soccer debut.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – CROATIA SC 2-0: The third Saturday game was played at Minoru Oval between the Richmond Hibs and the visiting Croatia SC. After a well-played and hard-fought 90 minutes, the home team walked away with a 2-0 victory. The first Richmond goal was scored at the 73rd minute of the match by Mike Revell who converted a great pass by Tim Sowerby into what proved to be the winning goal. Very late in the contest, Richmond striker Hamzah Gurung put the game out of the Croatians’ reach as he dribbled by 3 defenders before unleashing an unstoppable shot that gave goalkeeper Didar Sandhu no chance whatsoever. Croatia’s best goalscoring opportunity came midway through the first half when former professional Johnny Sulentic blasted a vicious long-range free kick towards the Richmond goal. Goalkeeper Brad Caldwell, however, rose to the occasion and pulled off a sensational save to keep the game scoreless till the halftime whistle. It should be mentioned that midfielder Rory Gattens also played extremely well for Richmond FC.
SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS – WEST VAN FC 2-1: The fourth, and final, Saturday match featured the two top teams in last season’s Premier Division: Surrey United and West Van FC. The defending champions, Surrey United Firefighters, narrowly defeated the North Shore visitors by a 2-1 margin to earn their first victory of the season. The Cloverdale-based club started strongly and took the early lead when a well-taken corner kick by Jeff Skinner was skillfully controlled by former Whitecaps skipper Jeff Clarke who then proceeded to hammer the ball into the West Van net. The home team could easily have added to its lead, but breakaway chances by Angus Burke and Clarke were bravely thwarted by West Van goalkeeper Marco Durante. However, very late in the first half, the Firefighters deservedly added another goal to their lead when Jeff Clarke sprung Rizal Ganief on another breakaway. This time the Surrey striker was able to hammer the ball past Durante go give his team a well-deserved 2-0 halftime lead. West Van FC responded well after the break and took control of the game in a desperate effort to get back into the match. Finally, at the 70th minute mark, Alan McIndoe was able to reduce the deficit when he was able to beat Surrey goalkeeper Paul Shepherd with a hard, low shot from just inside the penalty area. The visitors then enjoyed their best spell in the closing minutes and earned a succession of corner kicks and dangerous throw-ins but Surrey United defended well and held on for the victory.
COLUMBUS FC – SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES 3-0: The lone Sunday game was played in very wet conditions at Adanac Park between two teams at totally opposite ends in the Premier Division table: the first place Columbus FC and the pointless Serbian White Eagles. As expected, the ‘Italians’ walked away with a rather comfortable 3-0 victory, a result that leaves them alone in first place. The first goal came early in the match as defender Jonathan Poli got behind the White Eagles defence and placed a well-struck shot in the lower corner of the net. Only some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Aaron Young kept the score respectable till the halftime whistle as Columbus created numerous chances. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as Columbus continued to dominate proceedings from start to finish. Early in the half, a perfect through ball from Steve DeBlasio found an unmarked Kaz Kikuchi who made no mistake as he chipped the ball over an unrushing Aaron Young for Columbus’ second goal. DeBlasio then sealed the game with a well-struck shot that found its way through the Serbian defenders and into the net. It should be noted that this was DeBlasio’s 4th goal of the young season!
TEAM OF THE WEEK: SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS for their hard-fought, and well-earned, 2-1 victory over arch-rivals West Van FC in Saturday’s match of the titans. Led by former Whitecaps captain Jeff Clarke, the Firefighters dominated the entire first half and held on tenaciously during the second half to record their first victory of the season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Delta United’s goalkeeper STEVE LONDON for his amazing performance in his team’s 4-3 victory over the Punjab Hurricanes. Not only did London pull off some brilliant saves in the first half of play but he did so under incredible circumstances! In fact, London’s mother had passed away only a couple of days earlier but he insisted on playing because, in his own words: ‘My mom would have wanted me to’. For his unbelievable performance, STEVE LONDON will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-09-30. Furthermore, the entire VMSL clan extends its most sincere condolences to Steve London and his family!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
2010-09-04
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 1
ICSF INTER – DELTA UNITED 4-3
Jesse Dhami (Inter-12th minute); Joseph Marrello (Inter-27th); Philip Lensky (Delta-30th); Mike Tempesta (Inter-60th); Shawn Blakeway (Delta-70th); Shawn Blakeway (Delta-73rd); Bevan Footman (Inter-79th)
COLUMBUS FC – CROATIA SC 3-1
Dave McPhail (Columbus-5th minute); Steve DeBlasio (Columbus-23rd); Kreso Bebic (Croatia-38th); Steve DeBlasio (Columbus-78th)
METRO-FORD WOLVES – RICHMOND HIBERNIANS 2-0
Alfredo Valente (Metro-Ford-70th minute); Alfredo Valente (Metro-Ford-80th)
Shutout: Mathew Bird (Metro-Ford)
PUNJAB HURRICANES – SAPPERTON ROVERS 2-2
Amar Bains (Hurricanes-50th minute); Ryan Dhillon (Hurricanes-60th minute); Matthew Rosenlund (Sapperton-70th); Stefan Schmidle (Sapperton-86th)
AKAL FC – ICST PEGASUS 3-1
BJ Rockson (Akal); Emmannel Ayiku (Akal); Arash Afrooze (Akal); Azad Palani (Pegasus)
WESTSIDE FC – WEST VAN FC 3-2
Kevin Crouch (West Van-15th minute); Kevin Crouch West Van-20th)); Cedric Lunel (Westside-40th); Joe Bhegani (Westside-70th); Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone (Westside-90th)
2010-09-06
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 2
WEST VAN FC - ICSF INTER 1-0
Kevin Crouch (West Van-80th minute)
Shutout: Tyler Silvestre (West Van)
WESTSIDE FC – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 1-0
Indy Khabra (Westside-30th minute)
Shutout: Rowan Anders (Westside)
COLUMBUS FC - AKAL FC 2-0
Jamie Olson (Columbus-80th minute); Steve DeBlasio (Columbus-85th)
Shutout: Giordano DiPalma (Columbus)
PUNJAB HURRICANES – RICHMOND HIBERNIANS 0-0
Shutout: Brad Caldwell (Richmond)
Shutout: Che Koostra-Nair (Hurricanes)
METRO-FORD WOLVES - DELTA UNITED 3-1
Kia Mirzahossein (Metro-Ford-20th minute); Shawn Blakeway (Delta-45th); Russell Huggon (Metro-Ford-60th); Alex Hoffer (Metro-Ford-75th)
SAPPERTON ROVERS - CROATIA SC 3-2
Danny Caraiman (Sapperton-3rd minute); Matt Rosenlund (Sapperton-13th); Thomas Mallette (Croatia-65th); Johnny Pashalidis (Croatia-75th); Stefan Schmidle (Sapperton-90th)
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Columbus FC’s STEVE DEBLASIO and Metro-Ford Wolves’ ALFREDO VALENTE for their brilliant performances in their teams’ double victories. They will each receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of the GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2010-09-30.