Awakeri Soccer Club... the Greatest Junior Soccer Club in New Zealand

Report on games played May 13th 1999.

The slippery damp conditions were thoroughly enjoyed by those Awakeri soccer teams who were lucky enough to play on Saturday.

All the Awakeri Draintech Diggers turned out for their 6th grade game against Whakatane. Guy Kamphorst was named player-of-the-match for his excellent efforts in defence. Riki Roia made some brilliant saves in goal, while Victoria Newdick did her bit in stopping some shots too. Whakatane ran out the winners 5 - 1.

Awakeri Blues showed good sportsmanship in helping their Ohope opponents get enough players on the field for their 7th grade game. Devon Swart and Carlene Steer both volunteered to have turns playing against their own team. Swart produced a rare feat in scoring a hat-trick for his team in the first half and then a goal for the opposition in the second! Matthew Fulton was the Blues’ player-of-the-match, his non-stop running was another highlight.

The David da Silva Awakeri Autos 9th grade played Allandale at Awakeri. The teams were evenly matched, the game resulting in a 0 - 0 draw. Leonard Sonntag and James Wilson both made some excellent saves in their turns in goal. Up front the forwards worked well together with some good attacks not quite ending with goals. Mitchell Warne had a great game and was player-of-the-match.

In the 11th grade B division, Adamson’s Amcal Pharmacy Awakeri Athletic had a good battle with Edgecumbe. Both teams tried hard and reached a fair result, a scoreless draw. Jordan Macdonald had an outstanding game. He did lots of covering, and went on some good runs up the wings. He also saved a certain goal, kicking the ball off the line after it had beaten the keeper. He was deservedly named player-of-the-match. Athletic’s strikers Kelly Stanton and Sarah Macdonald both had good games, while Simon Barr controlled things at the back. Goalkeeper Sytse Tacoma made some very good second half saves to ensure the draw for Athletic.

It was a team effort as Gould Contracting Awakeri Hotshots fought their way to a 4 - 3 win against Ohope in the 11th grade A division. Hotshots put together an excellent first half, using the space well. They went out to a 4 - 1 half time lead, through goals to Ian Sisam, Darren and Wayne Groom and Lance Robison. Ohope came back in the second half to make it a close game. Sisam’s hard work made him player-of-the-match, Michael Etter and Rink Tacoma also impressed.

Awakeri Store Strikers played very well, although the score might not suggest it, in their 13th grade game against Opotiki. Strikers had to defend against a good attacking Opotiki forward line and they did so determinedly. Strikers also had a fair share of possession, but could not create many scoring chances. Opotiki eventually won 5 - 1. For Strikers, Cody Hancox had an excellent game in goal. Jamie Stanton, Lisa Lowndes, Sonya Pettinger and Mathew Barr all stood out in defence. Player-of-the-match went to midfielder Nicholas Law who covered huge amounts of territory on attack and defence. He also provided a lovely pass for speedster Carrington Brown to run on to to score. Harrison Brown was another to play up to his best for strikers.