In the match to determine south Coast soccer supremacy, the two Gibsons sides met at Shirley Macey, where United went down 5-2 to the Pigs. Eoin Ross scored two, his first a cheeky chip over United's keeper. His second goal was less graceful as he kicked at the ball while lying on his back on the ground in front of the goal mouth.
Dave Nanson and Dean Forbes also got singles, as did Brian Mcallister, who is back to the league after a knee injury from seven-a-side. United's goals came from scorers Sean Whalen and Neville Judd. United still waits for the return of midfielder Tony Duffy, who has been sidelined since the summer's seven-a-side, when he pulled his groin.
Pender Bananas and Coast Progressive United met at Hackett Park, where CPU eked out a 2-1 win. Both defensive lines played well as opposing fullbacks Josh Young and Shane Vernon threw their weight around, sending forwards flying. In one of his exceptional saves, Pender's keeper came out fist first on a corner kick to punch the ball back through four charging orange shirts. In the second half, Fumi Takahashi opened the scoring as he hammered his penalty kick into the side mesh.
Pender answered with a goal tapped in by forward-pushing fullback Robin Millar, on a pass from Rod Kammerle, as the Bananas split CPU's defense. With three minutes left in the game, CPU's clutch scorer Pat Braithwaite ran the ball down the right sideline and sent in a long ball from a tight angle, to sail it over the keeper and into the far corner of the net.
Xenichen Wolves and Sechelt Chiefs met at Ted Dixon Memorial, where the Wolves scrapped a 3-2 victory. Chiefs' keeper denied the high scoring Wolves time after time, but flying Ryan Paul put two past him and Trent Dixon also got one as he pounced on a loose ball to kick it over the line. Wolves were glad to see Eddie Paul back on the pitch after his knee injury from last year's tournament.
Chiefs got a goal from forward Curtis Craigan and also one from midfielder Ben Pierre who has returned to form after his three-year absence from the league. Chiefs also got good games from new fullbacks Kuna Stansin and Arden Mckenzie.
At Connor Park, the Selects took another victory and would now be in first place if they hadn't missed a meeting and lost a point. In their 5-2 win over Halfmoon Bay, the Selects got two from Glenn Coady, following the example of his scoring sons, and a pair from Paul Kushener and a single from John Nickerson. One of Kushener's goals was a long bender that found the far side of the net.
Halfmoon Bay got a goal from midfielder Jack Bryson, who ripped a long ball from 30 yards into the top of the net. Their second goal came on a penalty shot struck by Richard Getzkow. Getzkow would have a hard time explaining a miss to the Fusion women's team he coaches, after working on shooting with them at last week's practice.
In the Women's league, CAL's Crushers finally snapped out of their slump and announced their return to the standings with a solid 2-0 win over the Blazers. CAL's was led by their new players Jenna Crozier, just out of high school, and Susie Smith. Crozier got her goal against former youth league teammate Sarah Sinclair, in net for the Blazers. In other Coady family soccer news, CAL's fullback Linda Coady had the thankless job of shadowing Blazer's striker Christine Campbell, but managed well.
The Ya Yas posted another win, to make their record five for five, as they prevailed 5-0 over the Wild. The Wild utilized the offside trap effectively. Holly ran the fullback line up the field again and again, leaving the Ya Yas strikers high and dry at least six times.
The Ya Yas' forwards were relentless, though. Miranda Joe scored twice and deftly cradled the ball on her foot as she flicked it high to chip it over the charging Wild keeper. Other scoring came from Shiloe Joe, Alvina Paul and Christina Joe, who let go a hard shot, forcing Wild's keeper to make a tough save, then tapped in her rebound.
The Gibsons women's sides played after the men, but this time the Pigs got the worse of it in their 3-2 loss to the Blacks. In the fast-paced game, the Pigs put on lots of pressure, drawing fresh legs from their long line of subs. Blacks got two strikes from consistent scorer Tawny Hargraves. Her first goal came from some fancy footwork by Andrea Aleong, who dished it off to Hargraves, who put it home. Her successfully struck penalty shot followed. Trina Geisbrecht returned to the game after a seven-a-side injury. Her goal came at the end of some nice passing, which allowed a calm pass into the back of the net.
The Pigs' goalie played an exceptional game, managing to thwart the usually high-scoring Blacks' forwards. Pigs' goals came from Ellen Thomas and Alli Strom. Thomas stepped across the 18-yard line for a left-foot cracker that caught the inside of the post.
This week Fusion had the bye.
People have been mentioning that the fields are getting a little littered after the matches, so please remember to pack out your trash.
