|
|
Awakeri Soccer Club... the Greatest Junior Soccer Club in New Zealand
August 18th 2001
Closely fought games were the order of the day for a number of Awakeri’s
soccer teams.
In the very even 11th grade A division, Adamson’s Amcal Pharmacy Awakeri
Athletic
had their third draw in a row, against Allandale this time. Athletic had marginally
the
better of the game, but couldn’t convert their half chances into goals.
Max Butler earned
player of the match for his total involvement in the midfield play. Many others
also
performed to their best. Jonathan Hudson had an outstanding game in defence.
Mark
Ernest kept up his good form with a strong game and some good passes. Up front,
Darren
Groom and Ben McPherson created several chances, but good positioning by the
Allandale keeper kept them out. The score was 0 - 0.
It was a top of the table clash in the11th grade C division, when David da Silva
Awakeri
Autos met Edgecumbe. Edgecumbe were skilful and determined opponents, but Autos
converted their chances into goals and defended with commitment. Philippa
Haslam’s
performance in the midfield saw her named player of the match. James Wilson
grabbed a
good early goal and led from the front. Hayden Te Moana and Russell Sisam chimed
in
with goals too, to secure a 3 - 0 win for Autos. Sisam also excelled in his
half as
goalkeeper, twice throwing himself at the feet of opponents to save certain
goals.
In the 13th grade, Gould Contracting Awakeri Hotshots entertained United. United
had
the majority of possession, but found the Hotshots defence very hard to break
down.
Wayne Groom and Jeremy Hawkes were strong in the centre of defence, and Matthew
Shaw made a number of intercepts at right back. In the end, United’s fitness
saw them
through, scoring three goals in the final ten minutes. Player of the match Lance
Robison
was outstanding in centre midfield. He also covered well at the back, saving
a couple of
situations with acrobatic blocks. Keeper Cody Hancox also performed well. United
won
the game 3 - 0.
Awakeri Total Power Rangers ninth grade played Opotiki Eagles and had a great
game.
The final score of 4 - 1 to Opotiki did not reflect the pressure that Awakeri
put on their
opponents. Total Power Rangers played well as a team and showed how they can
hold
their positions. Brechtsje Tacoma scored Rangers goal, set up by James Attewell.
Nicholas Schuler had a busy and successful first half in goal with Mitchell
Warne
following up in the second half. Emma Barr also played well and was awarded
player of
the day for her efforts.
A well drilled Opotiki Sharks side scored a 3-1 win over the Private Asset Management
9th grade Aces. All the goals came in the first half. Aces tightened up their
defence in the
second half, holding Opotiki scoreless, and being unlucky to score themselves.
Finn
Kamphorst and Jordan Panasewych played well in defence, while Devon Swart and
Waylen Skipps tried everything to score. The whole team shared the player
of the day
trophy, for their excellent attitude.
Awakeri Chiefs kindly lent their 8th grade opponents Otakiri some players to
even their
numbers up. It turned out to be a bunched up sort of game, but both teams enjoyed
it.
Mathew Gooch was named player of the match for putting in his best effort.
Brent
Gurran was another to do well. Otakiri won the game 2 - 0.
In the 7th grade, the two Awakeri teams enjoyed playing each other. It was a
closely
fought game, played in good spirit, with both teams showing good passing and
skills.
Awakeri Blue Stingers lent players to DrainTech Awakeri Diggers and they played
very
well, scoring goals against their own team! Kararaina Kingi earned player
of the match
for Stingers after scoring a nice goal. Jayden Haddock also scored twice. Rhys
Cram was
Diggers’ player of the match, while Sam Schuler also played well. Gareth
Rowlands
added two more goals to make the score 5 - 0.
The 6th grade Alfresco Court Motel Awakeri Tigers played two games against
Whakatane Two at Awakeri. One game was drawn, while in the second game Tigers
came out on top 6 goals to nil. Player of the day went to Mikaela Hancox,
who chased the
ball well with great commitment. Liam Richards and Alex Christensen were the
goal
scorers. Others to go close in scoring were Leah Sheather and Vinnie Luca, as
did Te
Naawe Tupe (when he wasn't falling over). Jaime Clarke continues to improve
each
week. Overall it was a very entertaining game for spectators.