|
|
Awakeri Soccer Club... the Greatest Junior Soccer Club in New Zealand
Report on games played September 4th 1999.
Excellent results for Awakeri’s youngest soccer teams showed their older counterparts the way on Saturday.
Awakeri’s 6th grade side had a 1 - 0 win against Ohope, thanks to a good goal from player of the match David Ernest. Fenton Murray made some good saves in goal for Awakeri. Maddison Constantine, Jordan Panasewych, Matthew Reeves and Nathan Hughes all had their usual strong games. Hannah Hudson played well up front, and Daniel Martin and Thomas Williams got into the action too.
Da Silva Awakeri Autos had an end-to-end 7th grade game with Ohope, with both sides showing good skills and positional play. Amy Falwasser’s good performance earned her player of the match. Ben Hancox made some good tackles, while Joe Burke stuck to his position well. Vincent Sheather was unlucky with some shots at goal. The game ended at 1 - 1.
Gould Contracting Awakeri Hotshots had another great game, winning their 8th grade encounter with Ohope 3 - 0. All the Hotshots were playing up to their best, a good reward for the big effort they have been putting in at training. Matthew Davies played an awesome game, scoring two goals and attempting many others. He was never far from the ball all game. James Wilson played well, attacking with a vengeance and passing skilfully. Jonathan Hudson and Russell Sisam played well, the latter scoring a goal. Jonathan Hunt defended extremely well, with some big kicks and well placed passes, which earned him player of the match. The team were grateful for Bradley Turner, who helped out in the first half.
Adamson’s Amcal Pharmacy Awakeri Super Sonics played Kawerau 1 in the 9th grade, at Kawerau. It was a fast game due to the hard pitch. Awakeri played well with good attacking plays and defensive cover. Neither team had the upper hand, but Awakeri were a mite unlucky when the Kawerau goal keeper was beaten but there was a defender standing on the line who just cleared the ball. Kawerau had their opportunities as well, with the ball hitting the upright in one instance. The skill level for this age group is very encouraging for the future. It was a team effort with all making a contribution. Reihana Soutar-Finch was named player of the day.
Also in the 9th grade, Barney Gray’s Awakeri Rockets had a tight game against Ohope. A Mark Ernest goal gave Rockets the lead for much of the match, but Ohope equalised in the last seconds to snatch a 1 - 1 draw. Liz Moore made some good tackles, and prevented an Ohope goal, and was named player of the match. All the Rockets players contributed well, with Daniel Goodhew leading the way, setting a good example to his team mates.
In the 11th grade B division, eighth placed Total Power Services Awakeri Rangers were always going to be up against it in their play-off with top ranked James Street. Rangers put in a very good effort, holding their opposition to a 4 - 1 win. Jared Pettinger played superbly for Rangers, scored a goal and earned the player of the match award. Jono Dawson and Ian Sisam did well in their turns as keeper. Kate Ernest and Lisa Lowndes also performed with credit.
It was a case of so near, yet so far, for a depleted Awakeri Store Stingers team in their 11th grade A division match with Ohope. Stingers dominated the game territorially, but couldn’t score. In the second half they let the fast raiding Ohope forwards get away twice and paid the price. Lance Robison showed tremendous determination for the whole game, as did Rebecca Geddes, who was always first to the ball. Geddes was Stingers’ player of the match. Simon Turner and David Church worked hard, but the normal good linkage with the forwards didn’t happen very often. Stingers were grateful to Gareth Cossey and Johan Severinsen, who filled in capably. Ohope took the game 2 - 0.
Brogden Contracting Awakeri Aces had another one-sided game in the 13th grade, against Whakatane Steelers. Player of the match Tristan Gray had another excellent game in defence. Lauren Morton played very well in the forwards, ably assisted by Nigel Timbs. Steelers won by a considerable margin. The soccer season is drawing to a close, with one more round of games for most teams, then the club break-up on the 18th of September.