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

July 29th 2000

Awakeri’s soccer teams were involved in some hard fought games on Saturday, as witnessed by the number of drawn results.

In the 6th grade, Awakeri Draintech Diggers had a close game against Edgecumbe and did well to come away with a 2 - 1 win. All the Diggers players were keen for their first game back after the holidays. Kararaina Kingi earned player-of-the-match for her good effort. Riki Roia and Sydney Jones scored the goals.

Awakeri Hurricanes played Opotiki Volcanics in the 6th grade. It was an even affair, although Opotiki ended up winning 3 - 0. The Hurricanes players impressed with their effort and the development of their passing. Hannah Hudson was named player-of-the-match. She has shown steady improvement all season and is using her ball skills well. Sam Schuler had a brilliant game in goal, coming off his line well to stop a number of attacks. Rhys Cram also did well in his turn in goal. Leah Sheather covered a lot of territory for Hurricanes.

In the 7th grade, Awakeri Blues had a very tight game with James Street. Player-of-the-match Robert Sonntag and Jordan Panasewych worked very hard, tackling and marking their opposition players well. Kane Wakefield and Waylon Skipps knocked in the goals to gain a 2 - 2 draw.

In a very good team effort, Peter Clarke Ltd Awakeri had a heartstopping 7th grade game with Saints. Awakeri spread out well and took the lead, through Matthew Richmond. He was later named player-of-the-match for his determination in chasing the ball. Saints equalised after half time, and the Awakeri supporters were kept on edge, as their team battled to a 1 - 1 draw. It was a good way to farewell Madison Constantine, whose skills on the field will be missed.

Indiana Brown earned the player-of-the-match award for 8th grade Total Power Services Awakeri Rangers. She went on an excellent run, nearly scoring, as Rangers and James Street One played out a 0 - 0 draw. Vikki Lowndes and Nicholas Schuler did well in their turns in goal, while on the field, James Attewell, Ben Hancox and Emma Barr all did their jobs well.

In the 8th grade, the Awakeri Magic team had a good 2 - 1 win against Saints. Vincent Sheather scored first with a long shot which went over the keeper’s head. This was followed up with a goal from Jade Cossey, who had a very good game. Player-of-the-match was Stephen Law, who is really thinking about his positional play. He also combined well with Paul Haslam and Amy Falwasser. These three made some great runs, but also defended well.

David da Silva Awakeri Autos had a hard game in the 9th grade against a strong, fit Opotiki team. It was Autos’ hardest game of the year and they were down to a walk by the end of it. Hayden Reeves earned player-of-the-match for his performance in goal. He stopped some very good shots. Jonathan Hudson and Russell Sisam made some good runs for Autos, but the Opotiki defence kept them out to earn a 3 - 0 win.

Gould Contracting Awakeri Hotshots played very well in their 11th grade A division clash with Whakatane. Hotshots got out to a 2 - 0 lead, but in a real battle Whakatane came back to grab a 3 - 3 draw. In fact, Jonathon Dawson saved the day for Hotshots, hooking one goal bound shot off his goal-line. Neil Sax’s all-round play saw him named player-of-the-match. Ian Sisam, Wayne and Darren Groom scored the goals for Hotshots.

Adamson’s Amcal Pharmacy Awakeri Athletic found it hard to come back from four weeks without a game. They went behind to two early goals in their 11th grade B division game against Ohope. Athletic created some good chances throughout the game, but some especially good goalkeeping kept them out. The Ohope keeper was quite prepared to charge off his line to protect his goal. Matthew Adamson made some strong runs down the right side of the field. He linked well with his forwards and was named player-of-the-match. Jordan Macdonald’s outstanding defence kept his team in the game at times. Up front, Ben McPherson, Mark Ernest and Sarah Macdonald combined well, while Adam Rutland made some tricky runs up the left wing. Ohope won the game 4 - 0.

In the 13th grade, Awakeri Store Strikers played Edgecumbe. Strikers put some good passing moves together, with left half Kate Ernest and centre midfielder Nicholas Law in particularly good form. Strikers went ahead, after Liam Fitzgerald collected a goal kick at half way. He ran the length of the field before slipping it past the keeper. Edgecumbe went within a whisker of equalising just before the interval. Carrington Brown’s appearance in the second half made an immediate impact. His speed took him down the right wing many times and a number of chances were made. This inspired his team-mates. Nicholas Haslam won the ball in the Edgecumbe penalty area and slipped it to Jamie Stanton who scored with her left foot. Haslam then put a good pass through for Brown who blasted it past the hard-working Edgecumbe keeper. Late in the game, Brown scored again, to secure a 4 - 0 win. Defender Matthew Barr did a good job in snuffing out any likely breaks, earning himself player-of-the-match.