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August 20th 2005
Good defence was a feature of the day for many of Awakeri's soccer teams on
Saturday.
Awakeri Tigers continued their good season in the 6th grade, winning 2 - 0 against
Ohope. James Thompson's hard work and two goals earned him player of the match.
Liam Sanson showed good sportsmanship by playing well for the opposition, who
were short of numbers.
The Edge Swim School Awakeri Bullets faced a formidable Whakatane Sharks team
in the 7th grade. The hard fought battle ended with the Sharks as final 7 -
0 victors. Brilliant goal keeping by Tiaan Brownless (player of the day) and
Dillon Murray, along with determined defence by players such as Shane Hope and
Nikoli Christensen kept the game interesting to the last second.
In the 8th grade Awakeri Jets put in a good team effort, losing to Kawerau 1
- 0. Joshua Klein-Ovink had an excellent game and was named player of the match.
Agritech Trailers Awakeri Knights all played hard in a physical 9th grade game
against a strong Ohope side. Rory McGregor continued to impress in goal, while
Jesse Ingle was named player of the match after good work in defence.
In the 11th grade C division, Awakeri Diggers played one short against Allandale
Aces. However, they gained plenty of possession but they couldn't find the net.
Player of the match Sam Schuler had some powerful shots. Aimee Jones and keeper
Miles Saitta did their bit in defence, but Allandale won the game 2 - 0.
In the 11th grade B division, the CJ McIndoe Builders Awakeri Dragons had a
great tussle with Whakatane Wasps. Dragons played most of the game one player
short, and being three goals down at half time, things weren't looking good.
A great second half effort though, saw them score four goals, and eventually
lose 6 - 4. This was an excellent game for the spectators, who were treated
to some good goals from both sides. All Dragons players played at their best,
but Clive McIndoe was named player of the day for his efforts both as goalie
and in defence. The quality of passing and individual skills by all players
was a feature of the game. The goal scorers for Dragons were Mark Morrison and
Ben Fretwell.
In the A division of the 11th grade, Da Silva Awakeri Autos and their Ohope
opponents had an end to end battle. The game was locked at 0 - 0 at half time.
Autos' defence of Gemma Orr-McKeown, brother Matthew and player of the match
Zoe Johnston were in great form. Jayden Haddock managed a late goal to win the
game for Autos.
Total Power Services Awakeri Rangers had a good share of possession in their
13th grade game with Allandale and their 0 - 6 loss does not reflect that. Harry
Cotter put in a huge effort on attack and was named player of the match. With
no subs to call on, everyone had to work hard, as shown by Destrii Prout's second
half in the midfield.
Hot on the heels of a loss last week, Private Asset Awakeri Aces were keen to
get a win under their belts in the 13th grade A division. They faced off against
Opotiki and there was some very skilful play from both teams, making for a game
played up and down the field. Matthew Reeves scored the first goal, which gave
Awakeri a real boost and they scored twice more through Chris Johnston and Matthew
Bateson. This brought the score to 3 - nil at half time. The second half saw
more good team work, resulting in two more goals including a hat trick for player
of the match Matthew Bateson.
Not to be shut out, Opotiki scored a late goal with the game finishing at 5
- 1 to Awakeri.
A depleted 15th grade Awakeri side faced a committed and well-structured Whakatane
Black Hawks side in a fast paced match at Whakatane. The first half saw both
side with plenty of possession and opportunities to score but the Black Hawks
took the lead just before the break.
Awakeri again dominated in the second half with 13th Graders Chris Stanton and
Matthew Reeves getting accurate ball through to the strikers. After a couple
of fouls against Awakeri players with the ref unsighted, two of the Awakeri
players were sidelined for back chat. The Black Hawks took advantage and put
two more into the back of the net.
The Awakeri backs had a lot of work to do near the end, but, full credit to
player of the day Michael Greenwood, Anthony Sykes and Jamie Emms, they held
their ground.