14th May 2011



Those Awakeri soccer teams, that were able to play yesterday, enjoyed getting their seasons under way. The Awakeri grounds were closed, but six teams had away games.
In the 11th grade 1st division Murphy Brothers Awakeri Mud Dawgs played Otakiri. The Mud Dawgs were too strong and had an 8 - 2 win. Good passing set up player of the day Taylor Harte for a five goal haul.
Get Fresh Awakeri Dragons had a first up heavy defeat to the Whakatane Magpies. Whakatane put a lot of pressure on restarts and their defence was also solid. Jamie Findlay and Jaspreet Dharmet had some nice touches for the Dragons. Isaiah Davidson, playing in goal, made some good saves amongst all the action. The Dragons' coach asked for a more spirited second half and certainly got it from player of the day Lauren Baxter, who simply wouldn't give up tackling and fighting for the ball even after a heavy knock early on.
Awakeri Wild Cats had a very pleasing result winning 2 - 0 against Whakatane Panthers in the 9th grade 1st division. Emily Julian got the two goals. Jenae Brownless was player of the day for her continuous work around the field, making tackles and carrying the ball forward down the wings. Linette Lengeek was solid in goal in the second half, snuffing out a few potential second half attempts at goal.
In the 8th grade premier division, despite not having many training runs due to the recent weather, the Awakeri Store Comets team played very well together in their opening game against James St Gunners. Kevin Paulsen scored the opening goal of the season for Awakeri to lead 1 - 0 at half-time. Corisa Johnstone thought that she had extended the lead in the second half but her effort was disallowed for offside. James Street kept applying pressure and player of the day Ben White made several good saves in goal (As he had done in the first half) but was eventually beaten near the end of the game. A very good opening game of the season with honours shared in an entertaining 1-1 draw.
Also in the 8th grade premier, Da Silva Autos Awakeri Aces were a bit rusty in their first half against Saints. However, they got their act together in the second half and were close to scoring a number of times. Player of the day Tessa Dodson attacked well and was denied by the Saints goalkeeper. Saints won 4- 0.
In the 7th grade, Awakeri All Stars lost 1 - 2 against Edgecumbe. The All stars showed great team work and enthusiasm. Player of the day went to Jack Elliot for scoring the first goal of the season.




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