Re: Azzi's Superlative Team & Player of the Week
A full slate of Premier Division games was played this past weekend highlighted once again by a couple of upsets. As a result, 7 VMSL teams have now earned the right to participate in the 2005 Province Cup playdowns. The Sapperton Rovers, ICSF Inter, Columbus-Clan FC and Croatia SC gained their berths via the Imperial Cup competition, while Surrey United, Westside Rino, and the Burnaby Canadians obtained their slots through the Premier Division standings. Five VMSL teams still have a chance to earn the last spot in the Province Cup competition—Trollers FC, Sporting Club, Firefighters FC, Metro-Ford Wolves and AFC Leopards.
The biggest upset of the weekend took place on Sunday at Adanac Park where a revitalized Westside Rino squad gained its berth into the Province Cup with a well-earned 3-1 victory over ICSF Inter. Inter, a team that has been at the top of the Group ‘A’ standings for most of the season, now finds itself 4 points behind the Sapperton Rovers in the battle for first place. ICSF took control of the match right from the opening whistle but was unable to take advantage of a couple of glorious opportunities. Finally, Andrew Corazza gave Inter the lead when he converted a brilliant pass from Jesse Dhami into the game’s first goal. The goal seemed to serve as a wake-up call for Rino’s boys as they came fighting back with a vengeance and eventually got the equalizer when a pair of veterans—James Prescott and Steve Dickinson—combined to put Westside on the scoreboard. In fact, Prescott’s long shot was deflected into the ICSF goal by a well-positioned Dickinson for Westside’s tying goal. In the second half Inter again came out strong but this time Westside was equal to the task and fought back in determined fashion. About half way through the second half Steve Deblasio, with one of his patented free kicks, drove a 20-metre shot past the wall into the bottom corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. About 10 minutes later, Under 21 call-up Ben Hunt found Alex Kosanin with an immaculate cross. Kosanin drove the ball towards the Inter net and found an unmarked Devin Matthews who calmly redirected it home for the insurance marker. Defensively, Jonathan Poli and Boban Aleksic had great games for Westside as did midfielders Steve Deblasio and Ben Hunt.
Also on Sunday, at Hastings Bowl, the Burnaby Canadians qualified for the Province Cup playdowns with a narrow, and rather fortunate, 1-0 decision over the snake-bitten Sporting Club. Sporting had numerous goal-scoring chances in the first half but was unable to beat a red-hot Trevor Jones in the Burnaby goal. In fact, Jones pulled off 5 sensational saves to keep the Canadians in the game. To make matters worse for Sporting, Burnaby’s goal came very late in the second half with practically the last kick of the contest. Gino Gaita scored the winner on a fine individual effort, while defensively Brian Kerr and Steve Millar turned in excellent performances for the Canadians. Despite the loss, Sporting Club is still in the running for the last berth in the Province Cup competition.
On Saturday, at South Memorial Park, Firefighters FC and Croatia SC engaged in a goalfest that eventually ended with a 6-3 victory for the Firemen. Croatia showed up for the match with only 13 players, and several of its regular starters missing. The Firefighters took advantage of the situation and were compensated with a well-earned victory. Jeff Skinner and Justin Student led the way with 2 goals each, while Greg Pears and Jeff Buchanan each added a singleton for the Firemen, while Micaheld Kovac, Niko Marcina, and Aaron Keay (with his 9th goal of the season) replied for the Croatians.
On Saturday, at Adanac Park, the Sapperton Rovers climbed into a rather comfortable 4-point lead at the top of the Group ‘A’ table as a result of a narrow and hard-fought 1-0 decision over Khalsa Sporting Club. Both teams were in desperate need to win the game and, as a result, the match was played with a great deal of intensity. Sapperton forward Luke Hogan was dangerous throughout the match, while Mike Favaro once again turned in a brilliant performance on the right flank. Favaro set up the lone goal, very late in the game, when he combined with Hogan and Matt Ormerod who finally slotted the ball home. Defensively, Sven Wagner and Brian Donald were rock solid, while the Rovers’ goalkeeper—Cory Breure—had to make 2 excellent saves to preserve the all-important victory. For Khalsa SC, midfielder Matt Mori once again turned in a strong performance, while goalkeeper Chris Johnson and defender Harry Sandhu also had excellent games. As a result of the loss—and the Trollers’ victory over Pegasus—Khalsa SC is now officially relegated to Division 1.
Also on Saturday, in a cross-over match, Trollers FC from Group ‘A’ edged Pegasus FC 2-1 in a rather sloppy affair played at Ambleside Park. Pegasus opened the scoring on a great cross from Ryan Powell that Stedman Espinoza converted into the go-ahead goal. Later in the first half, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Steve London suffered an injury and had to be replaced by veteran striker Rob Reed. In the second half, Espinoza was ejected from the game, leaving Pegasus with only 9 men. The Trollers took advantage of the situation and tied the game with Drew Lewis scoring the equalizer. Rob Reed was then replaced in goal by Paul Dailly and the Trollers’ Sean Taylor scored the winner soon thereafter. All in all, it was a very poorly played game with neither team demonstrating a real desire to win—quite a contrast from the Sapperton – Khalsa match. As a result of the victory, the Trollers are now out of relegation trouble and still have a slight chance to quality for the Provincial Cup. Pegasus, on the other hand, has been officially relegated for quite some time.
On Sunday, at Kensington Park in Vancouver, Columbus-Clan FC kept its slim hopes of winning Group ‘B’ alive with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the AFC Leopards. After missing an early penalty kick, Joe Scigliano finished off a great cross by Craig Richards to give Columbus the half-time lead. Early in the second half, AFC tied things up on a goal by Kyle McDiarmid after applying a great deal of pressure on the Columbus goal. Second half substitute Lubo Acimovic restored Columbus’ lead on a fine individual effort. The Leopards refused to quit and came back with the second equalizer when Aaron McHardy converted a penalty kick into his team’s second goal. Late in the game, however, another substitute—Tiarnan King—beat two defenders before passing the ball to a wide-open Joe Scigliano who tucked the ball into the net for his second goal of the match, and 10th of the season. It should be noted that Scigliano is now in sole possession of the lead for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD. The victory leaves Columbus in second place, 6 points behind Surrey United, while the Leopards’ chances of qualifying for the Province Cup are now substantially slimmer.
Finally, in a game played on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park, Surrey United shut out the Metro-Ford Wolves 3-0. Shawn Blakeway gave Surrey the early lead when he took advantage of a poor clearance by a Metro-Ford defender. Soon thereafter, United goalkeeper, Paul Shepherd, made a great save on a powerful shot from Diaz Kambere to preserve his team’s lead. In the second half, Ryan Hopp scored Surrey’s second goal on a perfectly-flighted chip shot. Midfield ace Todd Stauber rounded out the scoring a few minutes later when he converted a 3-way passing play involving Hopp and Sean Crocker. As a result of the victory, United solidifies its lead in the Group ‘B’ standings, while the Wolves’ loss means that they now need a minor miracle to qualify for the Province Cup.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WESTSIDE RINO for its brilliant performance in defeating top-ranked ICSF Inter by a 3-1 score. As a result of the victory, Rino’s boys qualify for the Province Cup playdowns.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Burnaby Canadians’ goalkeeper TREVOR JONES for his superlative performance in earning a shutout in his team’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Club. Jones had to make at least five sensational saves to keep the very determined Sporting Club off the score sheet. As a result of his excellent performance, JONES will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2005-04-07. The pizza must be consumed on the premises.
A full slate of Premier Division games was played this past weekend highlighted once again by a couple of upsets. As a result, 7 VMSL teams have now earned the right to participate in the 2005 Province Cup playdowns. The Sapperton Rovers, ICSF Inter, Columbus-Clan FC and Croatia SC gained their berths via the Imperial Cup competition, while Surrey United, Westside Rino, and the Burnaby Canadians obtained their slots through the Premier Division standings. Five VMSL teams still have a chance to earn the last spot in the Province Cup competition—Trollers FC, Sporting Club, Firefighters FC, Metro-Ford Wolves and AFC Leopards.
The biggest upset of the weekend took place on Sunday at Adanac Park where a revitalized Westside Rino squad gained its berth into the Province Cup with a well-earned 3-1 victory over ICSF Inter. Inter, a team that has been at the top of the Group ‘A’ standings for most of the season, now finds itself 4 points behind the Sapperton Rovers in the battle for first place. ICSF took control of the match right from the opening whistle but was unable to take advantage of a couple of glorious opportunities. Finally, Andrew Corazza gave Inter the lead when he converted a brilliant pass from Jesse Dhami into the game’s first goal. The goal seemed to serve as a wake-up call for Rino’s boys as they came fighting back with a vengeance and eventually got the equalizer when a pair of veterans—James Prescott and Steve Dickinson—combined to put Westside on the scoreboard. In fact, Prescott’s long shot was deflected into the ICSF goal by a well-positioned Dickinson for Westside’s tying goal. In the second half Inter again came out strong but this time Westside was equal to the task and fought back in determined fashion. About half way through the second half Steve Deblasio, with one of his patented free kicks, drove a 20-metre shot past the wall into the bottom corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal. About 10 minutes later, Under 21 call-up Ben Hunt found Alex Kosanin with an immaculate cross. Kosanin drove the ball towards the Inter net and found an unmarked Devin Matthews who calmly redirected it home for the insurance marker. Defensively, Jonathan Poli and Boban Aleksic had great games for Westside as did midfielders Steve Deblasio and Ben Hunt.
Also on Sunday, at Hastings Bowl, the Burnaby Canadians qualified for the Province Cup playdowns with a narrow, and rather fortunate, 1-0 decision over the snake-bitten Sporting Club. Sporting had numerous goal-scoring chances in the first half but was unable to beat a red-hot Trevor Jones in the Burnaby goal. In fact, Jones pulled off 5 sensational saves to keep the Canadians in the game. To make matters worse for Sporting, Burnaby’s goal came very late in the second half with practically the last kick of the contest. Gino Gaita scored the winner on a fine individual effort, while defensively Brian Kerr and Steve Millar turned in excellent performances for the Canadians. Despite the loss, Sporting Club is still in the running for the last berth in the Province Cup competition.
On Saturday, at South Memorial Park, Firefighters FC and Croatia SC engaged in a goalfest that eventually ended with a 6-3 victory for the Firemen. Croatia showed up for the match with only 13 players, and several of its regular starters missing. The Firefighters took advantage of the situation and were compensated with a well-earned victory. Jeff Skinner and Justin Student led the way with 2 goals each, while Greg Pears and Jeff Buchanan each added a singleton for the Firemen, while Micaheld Kovac, Niko Marcina, and Aaron Keay (with his 9th goal of the season) replied for the Croatians.
On Saturday, at Adanac Park, the Sapperton Rovers climbed into a rather comfortable 4-point lead at the top of the Group ‘A’ table as a result of a narrow and hard-fought 1-0 decision over Khalsa Sporting Club. Both teams were in desperate need to win the game and, as a result, the match was played with a great deal of intensity. Sapperton forward Luke Hogan was dangerous throughout the match, while Mike Favaro once again turned in a brilliant performance on the right flank. Favaro set up the lone goal, very late in the game, when he combined with Hogan and Matt Ormerod who finally slotted the ball home. Defensively, Sven Wagner and Brian Donald were rock solid, while the Rovers’ goalkeeper—Cory Breure—had to make 2 excellent saves to preserve the all-important victory. For Khalsa SC, midfielder Matt Mori once again turned in a strong performance, while goalkeeper Chris Johnson and defender Harry Sandhu also had excellent games. As a result of the loss—and the Trollers’ victory over Pegasus—Khalsa SC is now officially relegated to Division 1.
Also on Saturday, in a cross-over match, Trollers FC from Group ‘A’ edged Pegasus FC 2-1 in a rather sloppy affair played at Ambleside Park. Pegasus opened the scoring on a great cross from Ryan Powell that Stedman Espinoza converted into the go-ahead goal. Later in the first half, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Steve London suffered an injury and had to be replaced by veteran striker Rob Reed. In the second half, Espinoza was ejected from the game, leaving Pegasus with only 9 men. The Trollers took advantage of the situation and tied the game with Drew Lewis scoring the equalizer. Rob Reed was then replaced in goal by Paul Dailly and the Trollers’ Sean Taylor scored the winner soon thereafter. All in all, it was a very poorly played game with neither team demonstrating a real desire to win—quite a contrast from the Sapperton – Khalsa match. As a result of the victory, the Trollers are now out of relegation trouble and still have a slight chance to quality for the Provincial Cup. Pegasus, on the other hand, has been officially relegated for quite some time.
On Sunday, at Kensington Park in Vancouver, Columbus-Clan FC kept its slim hopes of winning Group ‘B’ alive with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the AFC Leopards. After missing an early penalty kick, Joe Scigliano finished off a great cross by Craig Richards to give Columbus the half-time lead. Early in the second half, AFC tied things up on a goal by Kyle McDiarmid after applying a great deal of pressure on the Columbus goal. Second half substitute Lubo Acimovic restored Columbus’ lead on a fine individual effort. The Leopards refused to quit and came back with the second equalizer when Aaron McHardy converted a penalty kick into his team’s second goal. Late in the game, however, another substitute—Tiarnan King—beat two defenders before passing the ball to a wide-open Joe Scigliano who tucked the ball into the net for his second goal of the match, and 10th of the season. It should be noted that Scigliano is now in sole possession of the lead for the GOLDEN BOOT AWARD. The victory leaves Columbus in second place, 6 points behind Surrey United, while the Leopards’ chances of qualifying for the Province Cup are now substantially slimmer.
Finally, in a game played on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park, Surrey United shut out the Metro-Ford Wolves 3-0. Shawn Blakeway gave Surrey the early lead when he took advantage of a poor clearance by a Metro-Ford defender. Soon thereafter, United goalkeeper, Paul Shepherd, made a great save on a powerful shot from Diaz Kambere to preserve his team’s lead. In the second half, Ryan Hopp scored Surrey’s second goal on a perfectly-flighted chip shot. Midfield ace Todd Stauber rounded out the scoring a few minutes later when he converted a 3-way passing play involving Hopp and Sean Crocker. As a result of the victory, United solidifies its lead in the Group ‘B’ standings, while the Wolves’ loss means that they now need a minor miracle to qualify for the Province Cup.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: WESTSIDE RINO for its brilliant performance in defeating top-ranked ICSF Inter by a 3-1 score. As a result of the victory, Rino’s boys qualify for the Province Cup playdowns.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Burnaby Canadians’ goalkeeper TREVOR JONES for his superlative performance in earning a shutout in his team’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Club. Jones had to make at least five sensational saves to keep the very determined Sporting Club off the score sheet. As a result of his excellent performance, JONES will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2005-04-07. The pizza must be consumed on the premises.