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22 August 2015
There were lots of exciting battles in Awakeri's football games on Saturday.
Private Asset Management 13th Grade Awakeri Comets were away to Whakatane Force. In a very even game the lead changed several times before Whakatane scored two late goals to win 7-5. A hat-trick from Kevin Paulsen and two more from Tom Kloppenburg provided Awakeri's goals but the lack of any substitutes was really the difference between the two teams as Comets were missing three regular battlers. Player of the day Connor Hedderwick had an outstanding game in attack, putting a lot of pressure on the Whakatane defence which led to some of the goals. A second player of the day award went to Olivia Sheaff for some great tackling and team work.
Also in the 13th grade, Awakeri Blue Strikers had a home game against Saints Storm losing 6-1, with Lilly Du Toit scoring a great goal. There was some excellent defence by Rylee Looney and Daniel Brown. Brodie Nathan was named player of the day for consistent effort throughout the game.
In the 11th grade 1st division, SLH Contracting Awakeri Warriors had a deserved win against the higher placed Opotiki Orcas at home. The Orcas took an early lead with a well taken free kick and then put further pressure on the Warriors' defence in the first half. However when Kaleb Muggeridge was tackled close to goal, a penalty was awarded. He blasted his penalty past the goalie and evened up the scores. In the second stanza the tide turned and the Opotiki goalie did very well in saving numerous shots on goal. With five minutes to go Kaleb Muggeridge scored again with a tap in after a goal line scramble. The Warriors player of the day was Keegan Jones who provided some outstanding defence. This win puts the Warriors into 2nd equal place on the table with Orcas.
Designline Kitchens Awakeri Dragons were meant to have a game, but the Edgecumbe team defaulted as only 5 of their players turned up. They used some ring in's from our other 11th grade team to have a funsy game. They still had fun and Kaylia Best was named player of the day anyhow for showing heaps of determination.
Was a beautiful day anyway so everyone was in great spirits.
In the 9th grade, the two Awakeri teams met each other in a great contest. Both the EBOP Plant Services Awakeri Aces and the Awakeri Titans put in a lot of effort and energy and showed a lot of determination. Aces went on to win. Their player of the day was Kohen Laurent, who scored the first goals and used awesome attacking skills. With no subs Titans did well. They defended well in the first half with Isak Tootell having a great game in goal. The second half took its toll and Titans called on Mitchell Bragg to help out, he had a great game going everywhere. Ollie Fort kindly swapped teams in the second half and scored a couple of well-earned goals. A big mention to Jade Moloney who played the best game ever for Titans and made some good kicks up the field. Titans' player of the day went to Bianca Turner for her work in defence.
The Eastern Bay Curtains 4U Awakeri Ninjas had a great battle against the Ohope Snappers in the 8th grade. There was excellent supporter turn out from both sides. The Ninjas snuck a win, with the final score 2:1. Brad Yuill scored both the goals from outside the box, which is becoming his trademark. Leon Mahy and Cody Parsons had a really high work rate both on attack and defence. However the standout player of the day was Lucien Horn-Christensen who was a tower of strength in defence.
Also in the 8th grade, Awakeri Avengers had a 4 – 2 win against Whakatane Town Snappers.
Awakeri Panthers 7th grade all girls team had three games, winning two and losing one. Paige Short was the player of the day with great defensive and attacking skills, she scored a goal too! There was a great turn out of parents, being so supportive and encouraging on the sideline.
Awakeri Magic played an awesome couple of games in the 6th grade, everyone giving it the best they had. It was hard choosing player of the day and in the end it went to Jayden Grindrod.
Shed Boss Awakeri Phoenix had three games in the 6th grade. First up was against Allandale midgets. Phoenix lost 3 - 1. Alex Whiteman scored the only goal and Isla Thompson defended well. The second game was against Ohope Dolphins, with Phoenix winning 1 - 0, Alex Whiteman again the scorer. Finally, against Piranhas the Awakeri team won 4 - 0. Alex Whiteman got a hat-trick and Tyler Wardlaw scored one. Well done to Nate Parsons, who played a good attacking game and was named player of the day.
6th grade Awakeri Athletic delivered one of their best performances to date on Saturday. They defended their undefeated run since the start of the season and scored plenty of goals. Game one was a 2-0 win with both goals coming from Arran Dominick. Game two was a 2-1 win, goals coming from Eli Tootell and Arran Dominick. Game three was a 4-1 win, with three goals from Aramia Hanlen and one from Kyle Hennessy-McKay.