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Report of games 9 August 2003
Some hard fought draws were featured in Awakeri’s soccer
results on Saturday.
In the Junior High School girls league, Awakeri’s young team battled hard
against the
strong top of the table Opotiki College side. Good defence and outstanding
goalkeeping from player of the match Ashley Cunningham kept Opotiki at bay in
the
first half. Opotiki did score in the second half, but Danniella Palmer continued
her hot
run of form, to score late in the game and earn a 1 - 1 draw. This is a result
the girls
can be proud of, and it sees this team’s unbeaten run stretch to four games.
Awakeri Mysterios travelled to play Opotiki in the 15th grade. Opotiki’s
speedy
forwards grabbed them an early goal. Nicholas Law dropped into defence to nullify
this threat and did a splendid job. An excellent chip from Croydon Little found
Render Buikema in front of goal and he scored from close range. In the second
half,
Mysterios gained the upper hand more and more. A strong shot from Buikema was
blocked by Opotiki’s keeper Russell Hitchcock, but the striker bundled
the rebound
into the goal. At this stage Awakeri were looking comfortable, but an unsavoury
incident in the midfield had Little off injured, not to return. Opotiki scored
with five
minutes to play, from a well hit volley. Player of the match Matt Ward thought
he had
won the game in the last seconds with a spectacular overhead kick that came
down
off the underside of the crossbar, but the referee decided it hadn’t fully
crossed the
line. The score ended at 2 - 2.
Another excellent team effort saw 13th grade Awakeri Adamson’s Pharmacy
dominate play in the first half against a well-organised Ohope side. Awakeri
forward
Ben McPherson opening the scoring ten minutes in, with a powerful shot past
the
Ohope keeper. A couple of minutes later outstanding right back Mark Ernest ran
from
his own goal, beating six players and put a great cross to McPherson, who put
it into
the back of the net. Bradley Turner was next to score after continued pressure
on the
Ohope goal. Turner put a loose ball beyond the keepers reach. McPherson scored
his
third after skilful play from Daniel Goodhew and James Wilson.
Ohope stepped the pace up a notch in the second half with excellent communication,
tight defence and good ball forward. McPherson and Hayden Te Moana put together
some nice shots on goal for Awakeri with good assistance from Kelly Stanton
and
Russell Sisam. Ohope finally broke the Awakeri defence mid way through and scored
a deserved goal.
Max Farmer was named player of the day for his 100% defensive play. The final
score was 4 -1 to Awakeri.
A very determined 11th grade Awakeri Aces side took to the field against an
equally
determined Edgecumbe side. Aces came away with a 5 - 2 win. It was a top
performance by all the team, with passing and working together creating space
for the
strikers to go all the way and score goals. When needed, there were some good
individual performances too, which kept the spectators entertained. Robbie Sonntag
and Chris Johnston made some amazing saves in goal to keep Edgecumbe out. Player
of the match went to Wade Matchitt for some great defensive work.
The 11th grade Total Power Services Awakeri Rangers came away with a 3 - 0 win
in
their game with Whakatane. Rangers had lots of chances, through some excellent
defence and good work in the midfield. Once again though, scoring the goals
proved
to be an obstacle, with some poor shooting and great work by the Whakatane goalie,
narrowing the final score. For Rangers, Vikki Lowndes was player of day for
her
excellent defence and no nonsense approach to the game. Scorers for Rangers
were
James Attewell, Chris Stanton and Vincent Sheather. Sean McLean and Mathew
Richmond played well in goal, keeping the opposition scoreless.
Awakeri Hurricanes lost their 10th grade game against James Street 2 - 0. Lindsey
Cotter’s commitment in defence saw him named player of the match for Hurricanes.
Kane Wakefield and Destrii Prout also had good games.
In the 9th grade, Awakeri Draintech Diggers had an exciting 1 - 0 win against
Otakiri
Ratbags. The game was played in good spirits and was enjoyed by all. Taylah
Bateson
put on an energetic display and was named player of the match. Gareth Rowlands
managed to get the only goal past the Otakiri keeper, who was excellent in his
work.
Logan Munro also impressed, with some powerful play.
Da Silva Awakeri Autos all played well in their 9th grade game against the young
Thornton side. Joel Ingle was Autos’ player of the match. Stephen Glassbrook
(3),
Keanu Carter (2), Jayden Haddock (2) and Guy Kamphorst all scored goals in what
was an 8 - 0 win.
In the 8th grade, Private Asset Management Tigers found the going tough against
a
strong Ohope team. In the second half Tigers played much better, scoring a goal
and
putting more pressure on the Ohope team. Ben Fretwell was outstanding in goal,
and
restricted the Ohope scoring. Caleb Sheather was the goal scorer for Tigers,
while
Cameron Elmsley was player of the day, for his best game of the season.
Awakeri Steelers had an excellent game with Saints in the 8th grade. Thomas
Attewell’s hard running all game earned him player of the match, but it
was a very
good whole team performance. Mark Morrison knocked in the goal to grab a 1 -
1
draw, and Khyron Prout was strong in defence.
The Awakeri Kingz had a very even 7th grade game against Opotiki. Tautari Merito
scored in the last minutes to secure a 1 - 0 win for Kingz. Player of the match
James
Muncaster played very well in the midfield. Christopher Walker and Blake Cossey
also had top games.
7th grade Awakeri Rockets played against Kawerau and lost 2 - 0. Player of the
match
Samuel Burgess was great in defence, clearing the ball well. Kurt Turpie and
Isaac
Martin played well on attack.
The Awakeri 6th grade played a fantastic game against the Ohope Gunners. The
six
team members played hard, with no subbing. Cameron Morrison once again played
well and scored Awakeri's two goals. Ollie Richmond and Sam Holani played well
in
goal and on the field. Sam McPherson and Konar Jarrett went hard out, well
supported by Jennifer Cram. It was Konar's 'never-say-die' attitude that won
him
player of the match. He also came off as the muddiest player of the day! Ohope
won 3
- 2.