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

 

Report on games played May 20th 1999

It was a group of tired Awakeri Draintech Diggers players that left the field following their 6th grade soccer game against Whakatane White. Both teams played very well and it was full on action. All the Diggers played well, with Kararaina Kingi named player-of-the-match. Diggers ran out the winners 2 - 1.

Also in the 6th grade, Awakeri Hurricanes produced a well supported tam effort in their game with Whakatane Pokemons. Hurricanes went close to scoring a number of times. Player-of-the-match Jemma Shaw scored the goal in a 1 - 1 draw. Leah Sheather made some very good saves in goal and covered the ground well when she was in the outfield. Mark Morrison also worked hard for Hurricanes.

Awakeri Blues had a close 7th grade game with Saints. The game was locked at 2 - 2, before Blues scored a winner with five minutes to go. Robert Sonntag and goalkeeper Selena Shaw shared the player-of-the-match award for their efforts. Sonntag and Devon Swart were the goalscorers.

Peter Clark Ltd Awakeri stuck to their task well in their 7th grade game against a strong Ohope team. Lindsey Cotter was named player-of-the-match, following the coach’s advice he defended well and made some very tackles in the second half. Joshua Mower had a good game in goal, diving boldly at the oppositions’ feet to gather the ball. Matthew Richmond had another good all-round game too. Ohope took the game 8- 0.

In the 8th grade, Total Power Services Awakeri Rangers met a well-organised Saints team. Despite losing 4 - 0, Rangers held together well, with the girls in particular fully involved in the play. Both Bretsche Tacoma and Vikki Lowndes made good saves in their turns in goal. Emma Barr and Indiana Brown played very well, with Barr being player-of-the-match for her strong game in midfield. Saints won the game 4 - 0.

8th Grade Awakeri Magic had an exciting game with Ohope. This was a very intense game with both sides defending well, but with both sides also having lots of attacking opportunities. Matthew Reeves was named player-of-the-match for his determined tackling. He also scored a nice goal in the first half. Others to stand out for Magic were Steven Law, for his defence, and Finn Kamphorst who made some excellent runs. Amy Falwasser and Chelsie Pettinger also put in good performances, in what was Magic’s best game of the season.

David da Silva Awakeri Autos 9th grade side played Whakatane White at Whakatane. The teams fielded 11 players each. Autos worked well together with good passing and support and had the most ball possession. Bradley Turner, Nicholas Knight and player-of-the-match Russell Sisam each scored. Autos won the game 3 - 0.

In the 11th grade B division, Adamson’s Amcal Pharmacy Awakeri Athletic remain unbeaten. Although they had a two goal advantage at half time against Saints, the game ended at 2 - 2. Ben McPherson scored a good goal after a run from half way and Kelly Stanton scored, firing in a shot from a goal mouth scramble. Saints came back in the second half, one of the goals was a beauty, scored after a nice break. Matthew Adamson and Mark Ernest worked well together up front for Athletic. Max Butler was well involved in the game and was named player-of-the-match. Katie Collins had her best game so far, contributing some useful kicks.

Awakeri Store Strikers were up against the powerful Otakiri side in the 13th grade. After a shaky first ten minutes, when they conceded two goals, Strikers woke up. They defended well, and had some useful attacks. Otakiri, despite some excellent saves by keeper Cody Hancox, led 4 - 0 at the break, and eventually won 7 - 0. Strikers worked very hard and never gave in, and it took two very good saves by the Otakiri keeper to keep them scoreless. For Strikers, Nicholas Haslam and player-of-the-match Rebecca Geddes did well marking difficult opponents. They grew in confidence as the game proceeded and made many good intercepts and tackles. Up front Mitchell James put good pressure on the defenders when they had possession.