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Awakeri Soccer Club... the Greatest Junior Soccer Club in New Zealand
Report on games played August 21st 1999.
Only two of Awakeri’s soccer teams got to play on Saturday, due to the unpleasant weather. Awakeri Store Stingers made the most of playing in the rain in their 11th grade A division game against Otakiri. Stingers all worked very hard and won a lion’s share of the possession. They pressed down at their opponents goal, but were kept out by good defence, excellent goalkeeping and some misfortune. Stingers won a penalty early in the game for a hand ball, but the shot narrowly went over the bar. A good number of shots from outside the penalty area well capably dealt with by Otakiri’s keeper. Otakiri had one break in the half and managed to draw the Stingers defence to the right before finding a free man who scored. Awakeri were stunned by this. However they battled all the way through, coming very close when a well hit shot cannoned into the back of one of their own strikers in front of the Otakiri goal. In the final five minutes Stingers finally gained some small reward for their play, when the ever dangerous Mark Petersen beat two men and then put away a good shot. Awakeri Store Stingers 1, Otakiri 1. Player of the match was Suzanne McIntyre, who has developed well as a defender. She won a good number of challenges and produced a memorable header. Nicholas Law was another to perform well. His covering was excellent and he had his usual hard working game around the field.
Total Power Services Awakeri Rangers played Saints in the 11th grade B division. They were short of players and were glad that 9th grader Daniel Goodhew could fill in for them. It was an end-to-end game, with Rangers having lots of possession and quite a few shots, but they just couldn’t score. Unfortunately for Rangers, Saints’ luck was better and they managed to put one in, to win the game 1 - 0. All the girls in the Rangers team played well, with Kate Ernest being named player of the match. Troy Jansen also had a top game, showing good determination. Defenders Harrison Brown and Lisa Lowndes also did their job very well.