The IGA Selects and Sechelt Chiefs are the top seeds heading into championship Sunday, April 5.
The first stage of the men's league soccer playoffs was held last weekend, with Selects winning group A and Wolves winning group B.Coast Progressive United was second in group A followed by Halfmoon Bay Sea Kayaks and Gibsons Bruins. Xenichen Wolves were second in group B followed by Gibsons Pigs United and Pender Harbour Bananas.
Referees Jeff Shupe, Keith Julius and Mihal Krolikowski were excellent last weekend and the only reaction players could expect for their griping, pleading and cursing was a hand into the breast pocket as the ref reached for his yellow card. The tournament also showcased some stellar goalkeeping. On two occasions, strikers had their hands in the air, only to look back and see the keeper on the ground in a heap, clutching the ball. Especially great performances came from Brady Lynn against CPU, Al Stewart against Wolves, Terry Lavery against Halfmoon Bay and Adam August against the Wolves.
Select's Dino Sita literally single handedly put his team through at the top of their group - single handedly because his goal line hand ball saved a certain goal, and while it got him red-carded from the match, Selects fell back into a defensive shell with Ken Campbell punting away everything in sight. With the Selects advancing, CPU and Halfmoon Bay found themselves battling for semifinal spots. Their game winner came from Brad Jennens, who wasn't mellowed from his two years sailing in the tropics, but instead furiously shook the net, as though he was trying to shake a coconut from a palm tree. Halfmoon Bay moved their heavy artillery upfield to equalize, as fullbacks Nate Wade, Jeff Wadge and Greg Stinson advanced into scoring positions, but the clock whistled before they could score. Wolves and Chiefs looked to be lining up for a scoring shootout of basketball-like proportions, as strikers Rick Timothy and Scott Johnson did what was expected of them, but the tide turned when Wolves were denied their penalty shot opportunity, and Kevin "Air" August smacked a 20-yard left foot volley under the crossbar. In other matches, Mike Sopal's Bruins gave CPU a wake-up call, and Pigs United's John Sheehey showed some fancy footwork for a fullback as he dribbled past Chief's strikers. Pender, as expected, tactfully positioned themselves as Beer Cup frontrunners. Rumour has it that local aluminum sculptor Macho Mocellin, back from a festival in Quebec, will be designing this years Beer Cup, to be titled "Cans Across the Land."This weekend, the women's tournament will be held at Ted Dixon, while the men's tournament finals resume April 5 at Kinnikinnick at 10 a.m. See the full schedule in the sports ticker on page C2.
