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26th May 2012
A first win of the season for Awakeri's all girls 9th grade team,
improved showing by several teams and more wins by Comets and Rangers were the
football highlights for Awakeri on Saturday.
Solid defence was the foundation for the first win by the Awakeri Small Blues
in the 9th grade 1st division. Whakatane Town Panthers put the pressure on but
the backs kept them out, and in the second half Sadie van Beekhuizen scored
to give the Small Blues a 1 - 0 win. Tessa Dodson's good work in the midfield
saw her named player of the day, while Taylor Skipps and Olivia Sheaff also
impressed with their work on the wings.
In the 9th grade premier division, Da Silva Autos Awakeri Comets had another
win, but were made to work for it by an Opotiki team who showed some great skills.
Awakeri chose to experiment with some different positions for players in this
game, and had to wait until late in the first half before Campbell Forsyth opened
the scoring. In the second half, he scored again to double the Comets lead,
only for Opotiki to reply with a great individual goal. Forsyth restored the
two goal lead by completing his hat-trick and the game finished 3 - 1 to Awakeri
Comets. Kevin Paulsen was named player of the day for his excellent team-work,
always looking to see how he could get other players involved in the game, as
well as making some excellent solo runs of his own. Comets will look forward
to a top of the table clash next week, away to Kawerau who beat Whakatane today.
Barringtons Motor Lodge Awakeri Wild Cats lost 2 -0 to Thornton in the 11th
grade 1st division. It was the best game Wild Cats have played this season,
with loads of commitment from all of the players. Emma Paine was outstanding
making tackles all day. Keely Forbes was player of the day. She is taking on
a lot of responsibility, doing corners, goal kicks and playing in the midfield,
where she makes a lot of tackles and distributes the ball well. Ngaio Wilson
had a good game as goalie.
In the 11th grade premier division HTL Spreading Awakeri Dragons were away to
Kawerau. Dragons gave a good account of themselves in an entertaining match.
The home side started strongly and was rewarded with the lead early but this
spurred the Dragons to redouble their effort. With a more thoughtful passing
outlook, they started to force themselves into the game. The right side pairing
of Jacob Davis and Renske Brabant worked well, absorbing Kawerau's attacks then
creating Awakeri's own raids on the flank. Midway through the half the energetic
Korben Wilson picked up a loose ball, beat his opposite and shot hard and low
to even up the game. It was end to end stuff with supporters caught up in the
excitement. Just before the break Kawerau managed a second goal, to go 2 - 1
into half time. Unfortunately the break cooled Awakeri a bit too much and the
reds snuck two quick goals early after the whistle. The Dragons woke from their
slumber to compete really well for the remainder, going close but not getting
any more goals. Isaiah Davidson was player of the day with a huge amount of
work at centre back. The whole team took great strides in attitude and accuracy
with Finn Spod and striker Sarah Sheaff making crunching tackles, then looking
for more work. Monique Ruiter again performed solidly in goal, with left half
Ryan Magee becoming more threatening as the season progresses.
Get Fresh Awakeri Sharks played well in patches against Whakatane Town Galaxy
in the 13th grade. The Sharks have a number of first season players and are
improving against teams that have been established for years. Player of the
day Jared Turvey was strong in defence. Sam Cook impressed with his work in
goal too. Galaxy won the game 8 - 0.
In the youngest age group, it was another fun day for the 6th grade Awakeri
Grasshoppers. Emma Thompson was player of the day. Mitchell Du Toit scored an
awesome goal and is taking on the leadership role for the team.
Mainstream Engineering Awakeri Tigers also enjoyed their 6th grade football.
After the three skill based games, they played a 15 minute game where defender
Jamie Hawkes was named player of the day.
In the 7th grade, R. Mahy Contracting Awakeri Warriors were unlucky to go down
to Saints Swordfish. Warriors' sole goal was scored by Jamie Julian. Oliver
Forsyth was awarded player of the day for some fantastic attacking and awesome
defensive work.
The Awakeri Rockers played against Ohope Jets in the 7th grade, and went close,
losing 1 - 0. Their player of the day was Mia Sutton for improving a lot and
showing confidence in the game.
In the 8th grade, the Awakeri Atoms went down 2 - 1 to Opotiki Prentice &
Brown. It was a close game. Atoms had only 5 players turn up, so they had no
subs, but it was an outstanding effort from the ones who did to play the whole
40 minutes. Ben Davey- Emms had a fantastic game and again got player of the
day, with Liam White taking the most improved player award.
Mags & Tyres Awakeri Rangers got caught napping in the first couple of minutes
of their 8th grade game with Whakatane and allowed the opposition to open the
scoring. That woke them up and they quickly replied with a goal through Hayden
Baxter, who went on to get a hat-trick. They then took control of the game and
ended up with a comfortable win. Keaton Turvey was named player of the day for
his goals and his tenacity in defence. It was a very pleasing performance for
the coach, who saw some great passing moves and team work.