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First report of the new season, I don't think I saw a single mention of a young veteran 
Does Sheppy really need more pizza?
2014-09-09
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 1
All six Premier Division games were played on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. Most of the matches were highly contested and evenly played. The one big exception was the opening match between two of the top teams from last season’s standings: CCBRT United and the Metro-Ford Wolves. The young Wolves totally dominated the one-sided match and walked away with an unprecedented 9-2 victory.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – CCBRT UNITED 9-2: The first Premier Division match of the season was played between last season’s runners-up—CCBRT United—and the third-place finishers—Metro-Ford Wolves. At the end of 90 minutes of one-sided play the young and inexperienced Wolves claimed all 3 points as a result of a rather embarrassing 9-2 victory. The Coquitlam team took the early lead—at about the 5th minute mark—when newcomer Titouan Chopin raced in on goal on a breakaway after Carlo Basso and Sang Hwang had played a clever one-two in the middle of the park. Chopin raced in on goal and calmly deposited the ball into the back of the CCBRT net. Ten minutes later, Sang Hwang became the finisher as he took advantage of a brilliant build-up by Carlo Basso and Lucas Krivak before blasting an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area into the CCBRT net. Then, at about the 23rd minute mark, Carlo Basso scored his first of 3 goals as he easily tapped the ball into the CCBRT net from close range after Sang Hwang and Titouan Chopin had created havoc to the CCBRT backline with their clever passing. Ten minutes before the halftime whistle, Titouan Chopin added Metro-Ford’s fourth goal when he was set free with an exquisite through ball from Lucas Krivak.Chopin once again raced in a goal on a breakaway and once again clinically placed the ball into the back of the CCBRT net. Early in the second half, the Wolves scored their fifth goal, once again on a breakaway. On this occasion, Lucas Krivak won the ball in the middle of the park and proceeded to set up Carlo Basso with an immaculate through ball. Basso made no mistake on his final touch and easily scored his second goal of the match. CCBRT responded positively and almost narrowed the margin soon thereafter, when Yassin Essa raced in on goal on a breakaway, rounded the Metro-Ford goalkeeper but inexplicably missed the net with his final shot. At the 60th minute mark, CCBRT United narrowed the margin on a well-executed goal when Yassin Essa’s fine cross was headed back by David Hill, onto the path ofDerrick Bassi, whose subsequent volley found the back of the Wolves’ net. A couple of minutes later, Metro-Ford re-established its 5 goal lead when Vito Iacobellisand Sang Hwang played a brilliant one-two that resulted in Hwang finishing off the play with his second goal of the contest. Once again, however, CCBRT bounced back and managed to narrow the margin—at the 70th minute mark—when Ruben Castelblanco sent David Hill on a breakaway. Hill made no mistake as he rounded the Metro-Ford goalkeeper an easily slotted the ball into the empty net. Soon thereafter, Titouan Chopin and Sang Hwang once again combined to set up Carlo Basso, whose brilliant curling shot—from the edge of the penalty area—found the back of the CCBRT net, thus completing his amazing hat-trick. Late in the game, the Wolves added two more goals to their impressive margin of victory as James Kim—an Under 21 call-up—picked up a rebound—after Sang Hwang’s shot had hit the goalpost—and easily scored his first Premier Division goal. Then, just before the full-time whistle, Titouan Chopin and Sang Hwang combined to set up Juan Sanchezwho calmly proceeded to place the ball into the back of the net. The entire Metro-Ford team played remarkably well, but special mention should be made of Carlo Basso, Hwang Sang, and Titouan Chopin for their amazing goalscoring prowess and remarkable passing skills. Despite the embarrassing loss, CCBRT’s defendersKyle Knees and Danny Chahal played remarkably well, while midfielders David Hill and Jorge Angel-Mira also deserved special mention for their hard work. It should be mentioned that CCBRT United played the game without several of its regular starters.
WEST VAN FC – INTER FC 2-0: Last season’s Premier Division champions—West Van FC—disposed of Inter FC by a hard-fought 2-0 margin after a rather evenly-played 90 minutes of action. The defending champions controlled most of the play during the first half as they had most of the possession in the middle of the park, mostly due to the outstanding play of midfielders Cathal O’Connor and Farzad Balandari, who was making his Premier Division debut. Midway through the first half, West Van FC took the well-deserved lead when veteran Jesse Fetterley headed home a great free-kick by Cathal O’Connor. West Van FC continued to press and came close to doubling its lead on a few occasions, but efforts by Jesse Fetterley, Desmond Tachie, and Jacob Lensky went awry. Inter FC bounced back tenaciously and nearly tied things up late in the first half when Liam Miller—after having controlled a great pass from Andrew Lipton—blasted the ball towards the West Van net. However, goalkeeper Steve Welle—making his Premier Division debut—rose to the occasion and pulled off a semi-miraculous save. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as West Van FC did most of the attacking, while Inter FC defended well and counter-attacked dangerously. At the 60th minute mark, West Van FC scored the insurance marker, with Jesse Fetterley once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Fetterley played a brilliant one-two with Dave O’Connor and finished off the play with a wicked left-foot shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Inter FC refused to give up and came close to narrowing the margin late in the game when newcomer Cesar Mylan blasted a long-range shot barely over the cross-bar. Defensively, Colin Phillips, Max Baessato, Leo Nash, and Mike Winter were rock-solid for West Van FC as they kept the Inter attackers at bay for most of the match. Needless to say, forward Jesse Fetterley turned in a remarkable performance as he scored two excellent goals and drove the Inter defenders to distraction during the entire match. For Inter FC, forwards Liam Miller and Cesar Mylanworked extremely hard, while midfielder Andrew Lipton and defender Jordan Michael also played remarkably well, albeit in a losing cause.
ICST PEGASUS – VANCOUVER OLYMPICS 1-0: The very talented ICST Pegasus narrowly defeated the newly-promoted Vancouver Olympics by a 1-0 margin after a very interesting 90 minutes of non-stop action. The first half was very evenly played with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. Early in the match, the Olympics had their best chance to open the scoring when Gianluca Zavarise’s effort was cleared off the line by Pegasus’ defender Brendan Campbell. ICST Pegasus replied in kind and came close to scoring on a few occasions, but efforts by Azad Palani, Javid Khan, and Chetan Jhooty were well saved by goalkeeper Amraj Lally. At the other end of the pitch, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh pulled off a miraculous save to deny Frank Randazzo a golden goalscoring opportunity. However, the Pegasus lads kept pressing and created a couple more scoring chances but, once again, were unable to find the back of the net on shots by Diaz Kambere and Adam Costley. Also—at about the 35th minute mark—Pegasus’ Omari Aldridge found himself all alone in front of the Olympics’ net, but his final shot was once again brilliantly saved by Amraj Lally. Late in the first half, the Vancouver Olympics created yet another golden opportunity to open the scoring when Gianluca Zavarise’s wicked shot was brilliantly saved by Andy Singh. Just before the half-time whistle, it was Pegasus’ turn to miss the opportunity to open the scoring, when the Olympics’goalkeeperAmraj Lally made a wonderful save on a shot by Javid Khan. The second half was mostly controlled by ICST Pegasus, but the scoring chances were kept to a minimum, mostly due to the fact that the Vancouver Olympics defended tenaciously. However, Pegasus was finally compensated at the 65th minute mark when Brendan Campbell made an excellent run down the left flank before crossing the ball into the Olympics’ 18-yard box. Sahil Sandhu was then able to flick the ball into the top corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal of the match. The entire ICST Pegasus team played extremely well, but special mention should be made of left back Brendan Campbell for his outstanding defensive and attacking work. For the Vancouver Olympics, goalkeeper Amraj Lally deserves special mention for his incredible performance as he kept the scoreline respectable with some excellent saves. Also, defender Carmine Pannozzo and midfielder Carlo Graziano turned in rock-solid performances.
COLUMBUS FC – LANGLEY FC HURRICANES 1-1: The highly-favoured Columbus FC had to settle for a 1-1 tie against the Langley FC underdogs. In fact, the ‘Italians’ could consider themselves somewhat lucky since the Hurricanes created the majority of goalscoring chances, especiallyin the first half. In particular, former Toronto FC player Nick Soolsma drove the Columbus defenders to distraction with his speed and skill. Very early in the match, Soolsma beat 2 Columbus defenders before driving what appeared to be an unstoppable shot towards the net. However, goalkeeper Giordan DiPalma rose to the occasion and pulled off a phenomenal save. As luck would have it, it was Columbus FC that took the early lead when defender Stefano Bortolussi made a great run down the left flank before crossing a dangerous ball into the Langley penalty area. Kazunori Kikuchi then proceeded to head the ball into the net from close range, thus giving his team the early lead. Moments later, Columbus FC almost doubled its lead when Steve DeBlasio sent Kikuchi racing towards the Langley net on a semi-breakaway. However, goalkeeperPratap Sandhu came up with a brilliant save thus keeping the score at 1-0 in Columbus’ favour. The Hurricanes responded in kind and almost tied things up at the 30thminute mark, once again on a shot by Nick Soolsma, a shot that was once again brilliantly saved by Giordan DiPalma. Late in the first half, Langley FC was finally able to knot the score on a sensational individual effort on the part of Manvir Brar, who raced in on goal from the middle of the park, beat a few Columbus defenders, and calmly deposited the ball into the net, giving DiPalma no chance whatsoever. The second half was almost totally dominated by the Hurricanes as they created numerous goalscoring chances. However, efforts by Harp Khakh and Pavi Dhillon missed the target, while Manvir Brar was denied a glorious goalscoring opportunity by goalkeeper Giordan DiPalma as he pulled off another miraculous save. Very late in the match, Columbus FC almost added insult to Langley’s injury when youngRenato Curak picked up a loose ball in the Hurricanes’ penalty area and proceeded to blast the ball over the cross-bar from close range. The entire Langley FC team played remarkably well but special mention should be made of midfielders Manvir Brar and Amar Mander—as well as forwards Nick Soolsma and Harp Khakh—for their superlative efforts. For Columbus FC, forward Kazunori Kikuchi, midfielder Gordon Chin, and goalkeeper Giordan DiPalma played extremely well throughout the contest.
CROATIA SC – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 1-1: Two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division—Croatia SC and Surrey United—settled for a 1-1 draw after a hard-fought and very exciting 90 minutes of non-stop action. Surrey United almost took the early lead at the 10th minute mark when Angus Burke raced in on the Croatian goal on a semi-breakaway. However, goalkeeper Simon Cohen stood tall and was able to thwart Burke’s opportunity with a fine save. Shortly thereafter—at about the 15th minute mark—it was Croatia SC’s turn to almost take the lead when Eddie Tsen’s fine cross was headed just wide of the Surrey United net by David Malmura. Ten minutes later, Malmura once again came close to scoring the opening goal when he was sent on a breakaway by Goran Vitic. On this occasion,Malmura’s excellent, low shot was brilliantly saved by veteran goalkeeper Paul Shepherd. Soon thereafter—at about the 30th minute mark—Surrey United opened the scoring when fullback Andrew Reed and newcomer Dylan Sheehan combined to set up Tommy Lowndes at the edge of the penalty area. Lowndes proceeded to beat a Croatian defender before cleverly curling the ball into the top corner of the net for the game’s opening goal. Croatia SC responded positively and almost tied things up near the end of the first half when young veteran Johnny Sulentic received a splendid pass from Eddie Tsen. However, Sulentic’s final shot bounced off the goalpost and out of danger, with goalkeeper Paul Shepherd well-beaten. Croatia SC continued to press tenaciously during the entire second half in search of the equalizer. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Paul Shepherd—particularly on shots by John Stonehocker and David Malmura—kept the Firefighters in the lead till late in the game. At about the 85th minute mark, Croatia SC was finally able to knot the score when a Johnny Sultentic corner kick found a wide open Dan Davidson at the top of the 18-yard box. Without a moment’s hesitation, Davidson fired an unstoppable, low shot into the bottom corner of the Croatia net for the equalizer. Just before the final whistle, Croatia SC almost scored the winning goal but goalkeeper Paul Shepherd once again rose to the occasion as he denied David Malmura yet another excellent goalscoring opportunity with a fine save. For Croatia SC, centre-back Moh Xiderbagi, as well as central midfielders John Stonehocker and Goran Vitic turned in excellent performances. Needless to say, however, Surrey United’s goalkeeper Paul Shepherd deserves ‘Player of the Match’ honours for his incredible performance as he kept his team in the game with numerous fantastic saves.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – EDC BURNABY 3-1: The newly-promoted Richmond Hibernians got off to a flying start to the 2014-15 season with a clear-cut 3-1 victory over EDC Burnaby. The heavily-favoured Burnaby team took the early lead—at about the 10th minute mark—when Rizal Ganief converted a well-taken corner kick by Ylya Malek with an unstoppable header. The Hibernians almost equalized a few minutes later when Erik Olsen’s fine cross was headed towards the Burnaby net by Garret Kusch, only to have goalkeeper Hugo Vasquez pull off a fantastic save. Soon thereafter—at the 25th minute mark—Richmond FC knotted the score when Lucas Barrett finished off a brilliant play between Erik Olsen and Garret Kusch with an easy tap-in from close range. The Hibernians then took the lead at the 35th minute mark when Erik Olsen converted a penalty kick in fine fashion. The PK was awarded when Lucas Barrett was fouled by Gustavo Ramirez inside the penalty area. The Chileans responded positively and came very close to equalizing near the end of the first half, but Rizal Ganief’s blistering shot hit the goalpost and sailed out of danger. Early in the second half, EDC Burnaby was reduced to 10 men when Ylya Malek was sent off for having committed a serious foul play infraction. Richmond FC took advantage of the situation and scored what proved to be the insurance marker when Peter Chivers unleashed an unstoppable shot from well outside the penalty area into the far, bottom corner of the EDC net. To make matters even worse, EDC Burnaby’s Vanja Vukovic was sent off at the 65th minute mark for having committed a violent conduct infraction, thus reducing his team to only 9 players. Needless to say, the Hibernians continued to press and came close to adding to their lead on a couple of occasions, but efforts by Erik Olsen and Peter Chivers barely missed the target. To their credit, the Chileans didn’t give up and created a few goalscoring chances of their own, but efforts by Habib Mohammed, Vladimir Vukovic, and Chris Kyd were well-saved by goalkeeper Jason Roberts. The entire Richmond team played quite well during the entire match, but special mention should be made of the midfield quartet, composed of Peter Chivers, Mike Miller, Lucas Barrett, and Erik Olsen, as they controlled the middle of the park with poise, skill, and composure. Despite the loss, EDC’s midfielders Vladimir Vukovic and Ducivan DeSouza played remarkably well, while forwards Rizal Ganief and Habib Mohammed also performed admirably, albeit in a losing cause.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: COQUITTLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES for their incredible 9-2 victory over CCBRT United. Led by the goalscoring prowess of Carlo Basso, Sang Hwang, and Titouan Chopin, the Metro-Ford Wolves recorded the most lop-sided victory in the history of the VMSL’s Premier Division!
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Surrey United’s veteran goalkeeper Paul Shepherd for his incredible performance in his team’s 1-1 tie against Croatia SC. Time after time, Shepherd denied the vaunted Croatian strikers glorious goalscoring opportunities, thus enabling his team to capture a 1-1 tie. For his amazing performance this past week-end, PAUL SHEPHERD will receive a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2014-09-28.
Does Sheppy really need more pizza?
2014-09-09
PREMIER DIVISION – DAY 1
All six Premier Division games were played on Saturday at Cloverdale Athletic Park in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. Most of the matches were highly contested and evenly played. The one big exception was the opening match between two of the top teams from last season’s standings: CCBRT United and the Metro-Ford Wolves. The young Wolves totally dominated the one-sided match and walked away with an unprecedented 9-2 victory.
COQUITLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES – CCBRT UNITED 9-2: The first Premier Division match of the season was played between last season’s runners-up—CCBRT United—and the third-place finishers—Metro-Ford Wolves. At the end of 90 minutes of one-sided play the young and inexperienced Wolves claimed all 3 points as a result of a rather embarrassing 9-2 victory. The Coquitlam team took the early lead—at about the 5th minute mark—when newcomer Titouan Chopin raced in on goal on a breakaway after Carlo Basso and Sang Hwang had played a clever one-two in the middle of the park. Chopin raced in on goal and calmly deposited the ball into the back of the CCBRT net. Ten minutes later, Sang Hwang became the finisher as he took advantage of a brilliant build-up by Carlo Basso and Lucas Krivak before blasting an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area into the CCBRT net. Then, at about the 23rd minute mark, Carlo Basso scored his first of 3 goals as he easily tapped the ball into the CCBRT net from close range after Sang Hwang and Titouan Chopin had created havoc to the CCBRT backline with their clever passing. Ten minutes before the halftime whistle, Titouan Chopin added Metro-Ford’s fourth goal when he was set free with an exquisite through ball from Lucas Krivak.Chopin once again raced in a goal on a breakaway and once again clinically placed the ball into the back of the CCBRT net. Early in the second half, the Wolves scored their fifth goal, once again on a breakaway. On this occasion, Lucas Krivak won the ball in the middle of the park and proceeded to set up Carlo Basso with an immaculate through ball. Basso made no mistake on his final touch and easily scored his second goal of the match. CCBRT responded positively and almost narrowed the margin soon thereafter, when Yassin Essa raced in on goal on a breakaway, rounded the Metro-Ford goalkeeper but inexplicably missed the net with his final shot. At the 60th minute mark, CCBRT United narrowed the margin on a well-executed goal when Yassin Essa’s fine cross was headed back by David Hill, onto the path ofDerrick Bassi, whose subsequent volley found the back of the Wolves’ net. A couple of minutes later, Metro-Ford re-established its 5 goal lead when Vito Iacobellisand Sang Hwang played a brilliant one-two that resulted in Hwang finishing off the play with his second goal of the contest. Once again, however, CCBRT bounced back and managed to narrow the margin—at the 70th minute mark—when Ruben Castelblanco sent David Hill on a breakaway. Hill made no mistake as he rounded the Metro-Ford goalkeeper an easily slotted the ball into the empty net. Soon thereafter, Titouan Chopin and Sang Hwang once again combined to set up Carlo Basso, whose brilliant curling shot—from the edge of the penalty area—found the back of the CCBRT net, thus completing his amazing hat-trick. Late in the game, the Wolves added two more goals to their impressive margin of victory as James Kim—an Under 21 call-up—picked up a rebound—after Sang Hwang’s shot had hit the goalpost—and easily scored his first Premier Division goal. Then, just before the full-time whistle, Titouan Chopin and Sang Hwang combined to set up Juan Sanchezwho calmly proceeded to place the ball into the back of the net. The entire Metro-Ford team played remarkably well, but special mention should be made of Carlo Basso, Hwang Sang, and Titouan Chopin for their amazing goalscoring prowess and remarkable passing skills. Despite the embarrassing loss, CCBRT’s defendersKyle Knees and Danny Chahal played remarkably well, while midfielders David Hill and Jorge Angel-Mira also deserved special mention for their hard work. It should be mentioned that CCBRT United played the game without several of its regular starters.
WEST VAN FC – INTER FC 2-0: Last season’s Premier Division champions—West Van FC—disposed of Inter FC by a hard-fought 2-0 margin after a rather evenly-played 90 minutes of action. The defending champions controlled most of the play during the first half as they had most of the possession in the middle of the park, mostly due to the outstanding play of midfielders Cathal O’Connor and Farzad Balandari, who was making his Premier Division debut. Midway through the first half, West Van FC took the well-deserved lead when veteran Jesse Fetterley headed home a great free-kick by Cathal O’Connor. West Van FC continued to press and came close to doubling its lead on a few occasions, but efforts by Jesse Fetterley, Desmond Tachie, and Jacob Lensky went awry. Inter FC bounced back tenaciously and nearly tied things up late in the first half when Liam Miller—after having controlled a great pass from Andrew Lipton—blasted the ball towards the West Van net. However, goalkeeper Steve Welle—making his Premier Division debut—rose to the occasion and pulled off a semi-miraculous save. The second half was more or less a repeat of the first as West Van FC did most of the attacking, while Inter FC defended well and counter-attacked dangerously. At the 60th minute mark, West Van FC scored the insurance marker, with Jesse Fetterley once again involved in the play. On this occasion, Fetterley played a brilliant one-two with Dave O’Connor and finished off the play with a wicked left-foot shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Inter FC refused to give up and came close to narrowing the margin late in the game when newcomer Cesar Mylan blasted a long-range shot barely over the cross-bar. Defensively, Colin Phillips, Max Baessato, Leo Nash, and Mike Winter were rock-solid for West Van FC as they kept the Inter attackers at bay for most of the match. Needless to say, forward Jesse Fetterley turned in a remarkable performance as he scored two excellent goals and drove the Inter defenders to distraction during the entire match. For Inter FC, forwards Liam Miller and Cesar Mylanworked extremely hard, while midfielder Andrew Lipton and defender Jordan Michael also played remarkably well, albeit in a losing cause.
ICST PEGASUS – VANCOUVER OLYMPICS 1-0: The very talented ICST Pegasus narrowly defeated the newly-promoted Vancouver Olympics by a 1-0 margin after a very interesting 90 minutes of non-stop action. The first half was very evenly played with both teams taking turns attacking and defending. Early in the match, the Olympics had their best chance to open the scoring when Gianluca Zavarise’s effort was cleared off the line by Pegasus’ defender Brendan Campbell. ICST Pegasus replied in kind and came close to scoring on a few occasions, but efforts by Azad Palani, Javid Khan, and Chetan Jhooty were well saved by goalkeeper Amraj Lally. At the other end of the pitch, Pegasus’ goalkeeper Andy Singh pulled off a miraculous save to deny Frank Randazzo a golden goalscoring opportunity. However, the Pegasus lads kept pressing and created a couple more scoring chances but, once again, were unable to find the back of the net on shots by Diaz Kambere and Adam Costley. Also—at about the 35th minute mark—Pegasus’ Omari Aldridge found himself all alone in front of the Olympics’ net, but his final shot was once again brilliantly saved by Amraj Lally. Late in the first half, the Vancouver Olympics created yet another golden opportunity to open the scoring when Gianluca Zavarise’s wicked shot was brilliantly saved by Andy Singh. Just before the half-time whistle, it was Pegasus’ turn to miss the opportunity to open the scoring, when the Olympics’goalkeeperAmraj Lally made a wonderful save on a shot by Javid Khan. The second half was mostly controlled by ICST Pegasus, but the scoring chances were kept to a minimum, mostly due to the fact that the Vancouver Olympics defended tenaciously. However, Pegasus was finally compensated at the 65th minute mark when Brendan Campbell made an excellent run down the left flank before crossing the ball into the Olympics’ 18-yard box. Sahil Sandhu was then able to flick the ball into the top corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal of the match. The entire ICST Pegasus team played extremely well, but special mention should be made of left back Brendan Campbell for his outstanding defensive and attacking work. For the Vancouver Olympics, goalkeeper Amraj Lally deserves special mention for his incredible performance as he kept the scoreline respectable with some excellent saves. Also, defender Carmine Pannozzo and midfielder Carlo Graziano turned in rock-solid performances.
COLUMBUS FC – LANGLEY FC HURRICANES 1-1: The highly-favoured Columbus FC had to settle for a 1-1 tie against the Langley FC underdogs. In fact, the ‘Italians’ could consider themselves somewhat lucky since the Hurricanes created the majority of goalscoring chances, especiallyin the first half. In particular, former Toronto FC player Nick Soolsma drove the Columbus defenders to distraction with his speed and skill. Very early in the match, Soolsma beat 2 Columbus defenders before driving what appeared to be an unstoppable shot towards the net. However, goalkeeper Giordan DiPalma rose to the occasion and pulled off a phenomenal save. As luck would have it, it was Columbus FC that took the early lead when defender Stefano Bortolussi made a great run down the left flank before crossing a dangerous ball into the Langley penalty area. Kazunori Kikuchi then proceeded to head the ball into the net from close range, thus giving his team the early lead. Moments later, Columbus FC almost doubled its lead when Steve DeBlasio sent Kikuchi racing towards the Langley net on a semi-breakaway. However, goalkeeperPratap Sandhu came up with a brilliant save thus keeping the score at 1-0 in Columbus’ favour. The Hurricanes responded in kind and almost tied things up at the 30thminute mark, once again on a shot by Nick Soolsma, a shot that was once again brilliantly saved by Giordan DiPalma. Late in the first half, Langley FC was finally able to knot the score on a sensational individual effort on the part of Manvir Brar, who raced in on goal from the middle of the park, beat a few Columbus defenders, and calmly deposited the ball into the net, giving DiPalma no chance whatsoever. The second half was almost totally dominated by the Hurricanes as they created numerous goalscoring chances. However, efforts by Harp Khakh and Pavi Dhillon missed the target, while Manvir Brar was denied a glorious goalscoring opportunity by goalkeeper Giordan DiPalma as he pulled off another miraculous save. Very late in the match, Columbus FC almost added insult to Langley’s injury when youngRenato Curak picked up a loose ball in the Hurricanes’ penalty area and proceeded to blast the ball over the cross-bar from close range. The entire Langley FC team played remarkably well but special mention should be made of midfielders Manvir Brar and Amar Mander—as well as forwards Nick Soolsma and Harp Khakh—for their superlative efforts. For Columbus FC, forward Kazunori Kikuchi, midfielder Gordon Chin, and goalkeeper Giordan DiPalma played extremely well throughout the contest.
CROATIA SC – SURREY UNITED FIREFIGHTERS 1-1: Two of the top teams in the VMSL’s Premier Division—Croatia SC and Surrey United—settled for a 1-1 draw after a hard-fought and very exciting 90 minutes of non-stop action. Surrey United almost took the early lead at the 10th minute mark when Angus Burke raced in on the Croatian goal on a semi-breakaway. However, goalkeeper Simon Cohen stood tall and was able to thwart Burke’s opportunity with a fine save. Shortly thereafter—at about the 15th minute mark—it was Croatia SC’s turn to almost take the lead when Eddie Tsen’s fine cross was headed just wide of the Surrey United net by David Malmura. Ten minutes later, Malmura once again came close to scoring the opening goal when he was sent on a breakaway by Goran Vitic. On this occasion,Malmura’s excellent, low shot was brilliantly saved by veteran goalkeeper Paul Shepherd. Soon thereafter—at about the 30th minute mark—Surrey United opened the scoring when fullback Andrew Reed and newcomer Dylan Sheehan combined to set up Tommy Lowndes at the edge of the penalty area. Lowndes proceeded to beat a Croatian defender before cleverly curling the ball into the top corner of the net for the game’s opening goal. Croatia SC responded positively and almost tied things up near the end of the first half when young veteran Johnny Sulentic received a splendid pass from Eddie Tsen. However, Sulentic’s final shot bounced off the goalpost and out of danger, with goalkeeper Paul Shepherd well-beaten. Croatia SC continued to press tenaciously during the entire second half in search of the equalizer. However, some excellent goalkeeping on the part of Paul Shepherd—particularly on shots by John Stonehocker and David Malmura—kept the Firefighters in the lead till late in the game. At about the 85th minute mark, Croatia SC was finally able to knot the score when a Johnny Sultentic corner kick found a wide open Dan Davidson at the top of the 18-yard box. Without a moment’s hesitation, Davidson fired an unstoppable, low shot into the bottom corner of the Croatia net for the equalizer. Just before the final whistle, Croatia SC almost scored the winning goal but goalkeeper Paul Shepherd once again rose to the occasion as he denied David Malmura yet another excellent goalscoring opportunity with a fine save. For Croatia SC, centre-back Moh Xiderbagi, as well as central midfielders John Stonehocker and Goran Vitic turned in excellent performances. Needless to say, however, Surrey United’s goalkeeper Paul Shepherd deserves ‘Player of the Match’ honours for his incredible performance as he kept his team in the game with numerous fantastic saves.
RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS – EDC BURNABY 3-1: The newly-promoted Richmond Hibernians got off to a flying start to the 2014-15 season with a clear-cut 3-1 victory over EDC Burnaby. The heavily-favoured Burnaby team took the early lead—at about the 10th minute mark—when Rizal Ganief converted a well-taken corner kick by Ylya Malek with an unstoppable header. The Hibernians almost equalized a few minutes later when Erik Olsen’s fine cross was headed towards the Burnaby net by Garret Kusch, only to have goalkeeper Hugo Vasquez pull off a fantastic save. Soon thereafter—at the 25th minute mark—Richmond FC knotted the score when Lucas Barrett finished off a brilliant play between Erik Olsen and Garret Kusch with an easy tap-in from close range. The Hibernians then took the lead at the 35th minute mark when Erik Olsen converted a penalty kick in fine fashion. The PK was awarded when Lucas Barrett was fouled by Gustavo Ramirez inside the penalty area. The Chileans responded positively and came very close to equalizing near the end of the first half, but Rizal Ganief’s blistering shot hit the goalpost and sailed out of danger. Early in the second half, EDC Burnaby was reduced to 10 men when Ylya Malek was sent off for having committed a serious foul play infraction. Richmond FC took advantage of the situation and scored what proved to be the insurance marker when Peter Chivers unleashed an unstoppable shot from well outside the penalty area into the far, bottom corner of the EDC net. To make matters even worse, EDC Burnaby’s Vanja Vukovic was sent off at the 65th minute mark for having committed a violent conduct infraction, thus reducing his team to only 9 players. Needless to say, the Hibernians continued to press and came close to adding to their lead on a couple of occasions, but efforts by Erik Olsen and Peter Chivers barely missed the target. To their credit, the Chileans didn’t give up and created a few goalscoring chances of their own, but efforts by Habib Mohammed, Vladimir Vukovic, and Chris Kyd were well-saved by goalkeeper Jason Roberts. The entire Richmond team played quite well during the entire match, but special mention should be made of the midfield quartet, composed of Peter Chivers, Mike Miller, Lucas Barrett, and Erik Olsen, as they controlled the middle of the park with poise, skill, and composure. Despite the loss, EDC’s midfielders Vladimir Vukovic and Ducivan DeSouza played remarkably well, while forwards Rizal Ganief and Habib Mohammed also performed admirably, albeit in a losing cause.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: COQUITTLAM METRO-FORD WOLVES for their incredible 9-2 victory over CCBRT United. Led by the goalscoring prowess of Carlo Basso, Sang Hwang, and Titouan Chopin, the Metro-Ford Wolves recorded the most lop-sided victory in the history of the VMSL’s Premier Division!
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Surrey United’s veteran goalkeeper Paul Shepherd for his incredible performance in his team’s 1-1 tie against Croatia SC. Time after time, Shepherd denied the vaunted Croatian strikers glorious goalscoring opportunities, thus enabling his team to capture a 1-1 tie. For his amazing performance this past week-end, PAUL SHEPHERD will receive a pizza for two, compliments of THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`. The prize is available up to 2014-09-28.
