Soccer Complex Opens Winnipeg Sun

Pitches playable Soccer fields finally open.

By Glen Dawkins, STAFF REPORTER

After two seasons sitting idle, the Winnipeg Soccer Complex is finally back in business.

The Manitoba Major Soccer League held its first two games at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex since the 2003 season on Wednesday night with two more games scheduled for last night.

'HAPPY FACES'

"I saw a lot of happy faces out there (Wednesday night)," said MMSL third vice-president Brent Boulter yesterday. "Everyone was happy to be in there."

The reopening came after the Winnipeg Soccer Federation and the MMSL hammered out a user agreement with the city allowing the complex's three pitches to be used by the MMSL and the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association. The agreement also allows for the MMSL Fall Classic tournament to be held again on the Labour Day long weekend in September after being cancelled for two years.

"It's very important when we have teams from out of town coming in (for the MMSL Fall Classic) that we have a proper facility," said Boulter.

As well, the third round of the Manitoba Soccer Association's MSA Cup matches will be held there on Sunday, Aug. 7.

Discussions with the city have been ongoing for the last few months, according to WSF president and chair Keith Ferbers. After suffering through a record number of rescheduled games due to the poor weather, it was agreed to open up the pitches while discussions continue on a long-term agreement.

The agreement covers the remainder of the 2005 season.

"Now we need to take some time to discuss with the city the future of the complex," said Ferbers.

While the pitches are now operational, the clubhouse and changing rooms will remain closed. A decision will be made whether to try to get the clubhouse back in shape or bring in temporary changing rooms.

The complex was initially shut down because overuse was destroying the fields. Since then, the MMSL has played its Premier Division games at other pitches around Winnipeg putting a strain on those facilities.

The time off has allowed the soccer complex to bounce back.

"It became a good soccer pitch on its own," said Guffei

Selkirk soccer club scoring, winning games in bunches-

Making moves

Selkirk soccer club scoring, winning games in bunches
By Mark T. BussFriday July 29, 2005


A Raggazzi defender fails to stop the progress of Selkirk’s Paul Gadient.

Photo by Mark T. Buss

Selkirk Journal — The Tri-S Men’s Div. 2 soccer team is the hottest thing in the Manitoba Major Soccer League.The Selkirk club has found both their scoring touch and the win column in recent weeks as they’ve strung together a six-game winning streak that has elevated the team into second place with a 7-3-1 record.“We’ve started scoring now and that has been the main factor,” said Selkirk coach Ken Semperl. “Where shots used to go off the post or wide, they’re starting to go in.”Leading the way for Selkirk is Jon Coutts who currently sits second in division scoring with six goals in nine games. In Selkirk’s home game against F.C. Ragazzi Tuesday night, Selkirk dominated in a 2-0 win. Coutts scored both goals in the first half.In a similar 2-0 win over Pescara a week earlier, Coutts scored a brilliant goal from 20 yards out as he played the ball with his back to the keeper before turning and shooting the ball off the post and in.Coutts is not alone however as three other Selkirk players join the speedy striker in the leagues top 25 scorers. Kelly Kowalchuk and Rob Markevich are currently tied for 13th spot with three goals each while Corey Hargreaves sits in 24th with two goals.“Jon has found his scoring touch and we knew he always had it,” Semperl said. “And the other guys on the team are certainly making their contributions.”While Selkirk has been able to find the back of the net, their defensive play has kept the ball out of their own goal. The six wins have been accentuated by five shutouts with keeper Kyle Swystun giving up just one goal in the process, that coming in a 3-1 win over IPAC Ukraine July 24.“We’ve only given up 12 goals in 11 games so our defence has been solid,” Semperl said. “The guys really understand that defence starts at the forward position by not allowing the other teams any easy passes and keeping the pressure in their end.”Semperl said Selkirk’s recent success can also be contributed to their new found ability to leave the game on the field and not get caught up in the trash talk and questionable conduct of others.The coach said that recently acquired skill will come into play Friday when they take on Spitfire F.C. in Transcona. Spitfire defeated Selkirk 4-1 earlier in the season and Semperl said the loss was a classic case of his team not able to keep their heads in the game.“We didn’t know how to walk away from a confrontation and that is an ingredient you need to play this game at a high level,” Semperl said. “There are going to be bad calls but if you focus on that, you’re not going to be able to play the game. You have to be able to play on.”Selkirk’s next home game will be Aug. 5 when they host the Chilean Selects at 7 p.m

Storm remain unbeaten - Winkler Times

Storm remain unbeaten

By Steve Martens
Friday July 29, 2005

Winkler Times — The Winkler Storm remained the only First Division team without a loss following a 2-1 defeat of Grant Mill Sword in Winkler last Friday.A second half goal from Nico Nickel and a late penalty stop by keeper Ben Plett enabled the Storm to hold off the visitors and improve their season record to 7-0-3.The Storm deserved the three points as they controlled the ball for most of second half but could only convert on one of their dozen shots at goal. Their sustained pressure was finally rewarded in the 57th minute as Nico Nikkel headed home a David Doerksen cross from four metres out, outjumping a Sword defender and the charging keeper. It was Nickel’s tenth goal of the season, second best in the First Division. The visitors’ chances to equalize were few and far between, but their best opportunity came with just seven minutes left, when a penalty kick was awarded when the Grant Mill striker was hauled down in the box. But they wouldn’t steal the point as Plett stretched full out to his right to stop the shot. The visitors would not seriously threaten the rest of the way.The teams had been tied at one at the half as Winkler’s Justin Thiessen and Tope Bammeke traded markers. Doerksen had hit the post soon after the re-start and Vitali Bauer had an apparent insurance goal in the 69th minute, as he was on the receiving end of an Eddie Wiens corner, but it was cleared off the line with just inches to spare by a blue-shirted defender. Two days earlier at Crocus Park in Transcona, the Storm drew 2-2 with New Youth United with goals from Doerksen and Bauer.Those results left the Storm in second place in the First Division, two points back of Eritrean, but Winkler stills holds two games in hand. The Storm’s plus-22 goal differential is tops in the division primarily because they have surrendered just five goals in their ten outings. The Storm begin a three game homestand July 29 when they host Britannia, followed by games with Hanover August 2 and Scotia United August 4.

Aeros charred by Spitfire grill - DAILY GRAPHIC

Aeros charred by Spitfire grill

BY JOEY PAYEUR

Friday July 29, 2005

SOUTHPORT — One shudders to think what would have happened if Spitfire F.C. had had all hands on deck for the entire game.Though the Winnipeg squad was two men short for the entire first half and faced a barrage of shots from Southport Aeros, the host side survived to take a 1-0 lead into half-time before scoring twice after the break to cruise to a 3-1 win in Second Division action in Manitoba Major Soccer League.Southport (3-6-3, 12 points) will see its eight-game winless streak (0-5-3) end officially tonight by no doing of its own.Chilean Selects (2-9-1), against whom the Aeros picked up their last win on June 6 in a 4-2 victory, announced their intention last night to default tonight’s scheduled rematch at Southport Recreation Centre, handing the Aeros an automatic 3-0 victory. That moves them into an eighth-place tie with IPAC Ukraine (3-5-3), which holds a game in hand on Southport.But back to the Spitfire situation, and what might have been.“The play was all in their end, and we had five or six glorious chances to score,” said Aeros player/coach Danny Brooks, pointing to Ben Wettlaufer’s missed penalty shot in particular, which the rookie Aeros forward sent wide of the net.“We did everything but score. Then in the second half, their players started filing in slowly, and when they got their 11th man with 15 or 20 minutes to go, they got two goals on us in a hurry.”Spitfire (7-1-1), which sits in a tie for second in Second Division with 22 points, connected for its only goal of the first half against the Aeros on a play Brooks wishes he had back again.“There was some sloppy defence on the part of me and Cam (Scott),” said Brooks, who couldn’t prevent the Spitfire attacker from beating Aeros goalkeeper Bill Maluzynsky. “But, really, even with that, it still should have been 5-1 for us at the half. Their last two goals were soft, fluky goals.”Bringing some sunshine into Southport’s gloom was Duane Chaves, who in his second game back since recovering from life-threatening injuries in a May 6 work accident, connected off a deflected free kick for his first goal of the year in the final minutes of the contest.“Duane had a pretty good game,” said Brooks. “He had lots of chances to score.”The Aeros return to action on Tuesday, when they head to Winnipeg to tackle the sixth-place Kildonan Cavaliers (5-3-1, 16 points, sixth place). Southport’s next home game is on Aug. 10 against the Cavaliers.

United at risk of relegation - DAILY GRAPHIC

Kildonan visits tonight
BY JOEY PAYEUR
Thursday July 28, 2005

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — Big games demand big efforts. Small efforts can lead to big-time punishment.So it was for Southport United, which lost a 1-0 decision at home to Reservoir Dogs in Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division play in a game which may come back to haunt them at season’s end.“I was not happy at all,” said United coach Karl Seidlitz, whose anger at his team’s lacklustre play translated into a postgame session of running laps for his troops. “There were some good efforts, but collectively, there was not enough. They suffered my wrath.”And how much wrath did they feel?“Let’s say enough to make them pretty tired,” stated Seidlitz, whose team is now in real danger of being relegated from Fourth Division, thanks to the folding of another squad in the 12-team group.Southport entered the game in 10th place with an official record of 1-7-2 for five points, three ahead of the 11th-place Dogs, which were 0-4-2.The bottom two teams in the division are automatically relegated to the next lower division at the end of the season.The three points for the victory put the Dogs even with United for the time being. With Boni Vital Inferno dropping out of the league recently, leaving them officially in last place in the season standings, that meant only one other team would join them in moving down the league ladder to Fifth Division.But the Inferno’s withdrawal also led to a ruling all points received by other teams in games against them this season would be taken away. Southport’s only win of the year came against Boni Vital, which means it will drop to just two points once the ruling officially goes into effect. Meanwhile, the Dogs, who tied the Inferno earlier in the year, will lose only one point and remain two ahead of United.Furthermore, the Dogs have four games in hand on Southport, which made the defeat on Sunday even more devastating.So with approximately 10 games left in the campaign, is it a case of referring to each outing from here on in as a must-win game?“I think we’re almost at that point now,” said Seidlitz. “We have to get results and soon. We’re getting desperate.”Defender Trevor Kehler was the lone Southport player to draw positive reaction from his coach.“We put Trevor in there about 25 minutes into the first half in the stopper position, and he stayed in there because he did so well,” praised Seidlitz. “He was quite effective.”Seidlitz’s search for a spark has led him to implement some mysterious inspiration.A former United and Southport Aeros player, whom Seidlitz wouldn’t name on the record, is scheduled to make his return to United for tonight’s battle with Kildonan.“He could be a surprise to the guys. He’s a player from our past,” hinted Seidlitz. “He can play forward, midfield or defence. He’ll be in the lineup, as long as his player card is signed and returned (to the league executive) in time.”SUNDAY SORROWUnited played evenly with the Dogs in last Sunday’s affair, and was victimized by a foul call against it midway through the second half which gave the visitors a direct free kick from just outside the 18-yard box.“The call was a little questionable, but it was more our failure to respond to it which hurt us,” said Seidlitz.“Our wall was not set up at the right location, and it made it easy for them by leaving the left corner open. We could see it coming from the bench.”The subsequent kick evaded Southport goalie Steve Assenmacher, who had to leave the game shortly thereafter in favour of backup Cory Thiessen due to aggravating a groin pull he suffered against Carman Kickers on July 21.“I don’t believe so,” said Seidlitz when asked if Assenmacher would be available for action against Kildonan.“Steve didn’t practice last night, but if he’s not ready, Cory’s ready to jump in.”Before the goal, the United coach thought his team was playing on par with the Dogs, something which didn’t tickle his fancy.“It was even, but it shouldn’t have been,” said Seidlitz. “We should have been leading. The other team wasn’t doing anything special.”United has been shut out in its last three regular season games and six times overall this season, accumulating a meager seven goals in 12 games and scoring more than one goal only once in a game -- against Boni Vital in a 3-2 triumph on June 18.Tonight, the Aeros take on archrival Kildonan Fusion (3-7) at Southport Recreation Centre at 7:30 p.m.

Kickers start slow but end on a winning note-Carman Valley Leader

Answering shutout with a shutout
By Gene Still

Friday July 29, 2005
— The Carman Kickers had a busy seven day stretch recently playing four games during that time as the club looked to make up ground lost due to postponed games because of poor, rainy weather this season. Lusitania 4 Kickers 1 Carman travelled to Winnipeg on July 19 for a match up with the Lusitania Revolution. “It was a very even first half,” said Kickers’ Coach William Hoogerdijk. However it was the host Revolution squad that went into the break with a 2-1 lead. Despite being down a goal, Carman came out strong in the final half, matching Lusitania on the field. Things were looking up for the Kickers’ early in the frame as their top scorer Lyle Vanveen was awarded a penalty kick. But it wasn’t meant to be as the Lusitania goalie managed to stop Vanveen and preserve what was at the time, a slim one goal lead. “Your heart drops a little when that happens,” Hoogerdijk said, about their top scorer being stopped when the opposing goalie “guesses right” about which side of the net to dive for when attempting a save on a penalty kick. And the Revolution made them pay as they scored just a few minutes later to take a two-goal lead. They put the game away for good with just over ten minutes remaining in regulation to record a 4-1 victory. Kickers 0 Southport 0 After dropping their previous match, the Kickers were looking to cash in on home field as they returned to Carman two nights later to entertain Southport. Despite the fact that no goals were scored, wasn’t a true indication of what was an evening of offense – or at least offensive scoring chances. “The final score didn’t reflect the play. It was an exciting game,” Hoogerdijk said. “It started like two teams desperate for a win.” The Kickers proved to be the more desperate of the clubs on this night at least when it came to overall serious scoring opportunities. But they weren’t rewarded for their efforts on the scoreboard. “Their goalie was outstanding,” Hoogerdijk said. “We ‘outchanced’ them by around ten to one.” Despite having to settle for a draw, Carman’s coach was happy with the continued improvement of his squad, even if it hasn’t necessarily added up to goals for or points in the standings. “I have to give our guys credit. We’re moving the ball around and playing together,” he said. “I told them, ‘if we continue to play as we have been and keep improving, those chances we’ve been getting will start going in’.” Kildonan 4 Kickers 0 In what was a battle for the eighth place wasn’t much of a contest as the Kildonan Fusion shutout visitors from Carman 4-0. The Kickers went into the July 23 contest leading the Fusion by a single point in the Fourth Division standings. But Kildonan ended up taking the victory and along with it, an important three points in the standings and as a result, a one point lead (at the time) over Carman. Kickers 4 Colo Colo 0 On Monday the Kickers looked to bounce back as Colo Colo came to town. And that’s exactly what happened. Carman came through with an inspired effort to shutout Colo Colo 4-0. Hoogerdijk, who was unable to attended their previous contest with the Fusion said, “The character of a team is shown by how you respond after a game like that (loss against Kildonan).” “We owned most of the play in the first half.” However much like many of their outings this season, it didn’t reflect on the scoresheet as both clubs went into the intermission in a scoreless tie. “They came out much better (to start the game) – but I thought we were just a little too relaxed on defense, not playing as aggressive as we could’ve. “But we corrected that at half-time.” Lyle Vanveen opened the scoring about 20 minutes into the frame with what turned out to be the game winner. Hoogerdijk said while the shot may have bounced off a Colo Colo defender into the opposition’s net, Carman was long overdue for a break like that. Tyson Kamminga made it 2-0 about five minutes later. Vanveen registered his second of the evening ten minutes after Kamminga’s to give the Kickers’ a commanding 3-0 lead. Colo Colo then started to take some chances and went to work trying to apply offensive pressure to get back into the game. But instead, it was first-year player Peter Van Kerkhof who scored at the end of regulation to put an exclamation point on Carman’s 4-0 triumph. Ian Bergsma got the shutout in net. Kickers’ notebook: The win left Carman with a 3-6-2 record good enough for eighth place in the Fourth Division, two points ahead of Kildonan who have a game in hand. Their next scheduled contest was another home date, this time with Ragnarok on July 28. Results were unavailable as of press time.

Royals christen new trophy with tourney title- Kenora Daily Miner

Royals christen new trophy with tourney title

Local squad wins Kenora Men’s Invitational Soccer tournament

By Peter James

Kenora Daily Miner and News Monday July 25, 2005

A new trophy was handed out at the Kenora Men’s Invitational Soccer tournament and it could herald in a new era for the sport in town.The Wiley Point Royals captured their first ever tournament championship Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 win over Minnedosa, going undefeated in five tournament games.The Royals took the play to Minnedosa in the early going, scoring in the first minute and then again 10 minutes later. Both the goals came off the foot of striker Jeff Richards. In each case he raced down the left side of the field out running the Minnedosa defenders and slipping the ball past a charging goaltender.Richards said his team noticed the Minnedosa defense were backing off a bit and he decided to go for the quick strike early.The quick lead provided a spark for the Royals, but they weren’t content to sit back on their heels. Twice in the weekend tournament they held two goal leads only to see them evaporate.“After we got the two we knew we needed to keep going. We knew we would need three for victory,” Richards said.The back breaking goal came in the 23rd minute when team captain Linden Penner came down the left side and crossed the ball to Eric Brown. The Minnedosa keeper made the stop but the ball bounced right to Ryan Bowen who had a wide open net to aim at.The Royals went up 4-0 in the 67th minute when a Minnedosa player headed the ball into his own net off a Royals free kick. The visitors got on the board late in the game when Ryan McLean beat Royals goaltender Jeff Goodman on a penalty kick.Goodman was solid in net otherwise for the Royals, who played well defensively in the second half.Not only was the win big for the team because it gives them a tournament title, but it helps to bust the perception that they can’t win the big games. After winning the league title in 2001, the Royals have lost in the final twice (in 2003 and 2004) and last year’s tournament final.With Sunday’s win under their belt the team has set an even higher goal, the Kenora soccer triple crown.“That was our goal at the beginning of the season,” Penner said. “We want all three.”To attain that they would have to win the regular season points race and the challenge cup in the playoffs. The last team to finish off the crown was the Solid Construction Stingers in 2003.The Royals win was also significant in that it wrests control of the tournament title from the Stingers. The dynastic team has won the title four times in the past 10 years and over that span no other local squad has tasted victory.“This good not only for our team but for the league to have someone other than the Stingers win the tournament,” Richards said.In fact the Royals had to get through the Stingers earlier Sunday in semi-final action. The Wiley Point boys scored twice to open the scoring, but two quick goals late in the second half by the Stingers forced extra time. The Royals were victorious after scoring the golden goal.The Stingers went on to lose the third place match 5-3, in penalty kicks to the defending champion Spitfire team from Winnipeg. Dave Hewitt had the lone goal for the Stingers in regulation play. In the penalty kicks the Winnipeg team connected on all four of their shots, while the Stingers only put two of their four chances in the net.In the consolation final Lusitania out of Winnipeg, one of the most skilled teams in the tournament, beat the Plaza Fury 3-1.The tournament featured 16 teams, eight of them from Kenora. The visitors came from Fort Frances, Dryden, Minnedosa and Winnipeg.This year’s event was more competitive than ever. In the round robin portion of event three of the four pools featured a tie for first place that needed to be broken using goals for and against. The Stingers, Spitfire and Royals all benefited by moving to the A-side playoffs while the Fury, Lusitania and Fort Frances were all relegated to the B-side despite having unbeaten records.back

Aeros downed in Chaves comeback - Portage Daily Graphic

“It’s tough when you’re still recovering from playing on Monday, and you’re going up against a good team on a smaller pitch.” — Aeros player/coach Danny Brooks

BY JOEY PAYEUR
Friday July 22, 2005

For 1970s television comedy fans, Welcome Back, Kotter was a laugh riot.On the other hand, Wednesday night’s episode of Welcome Back, Chaves brought grimaces rather than grins to the faces of Southport Aeros.Striker Duane Chaves, who made a miraculous recovery from a horrifying workplace accident in May, returned to the lineup and played the entire second half for the Aeros on Wednesday night in Manitoba Major Soccer League Second Division action against Roma S.C. in Winnipeg.But not even his presence could inspire a fatigued group of South-port kickers who had played only 48 hours earlier, as the local side fell 4-0 in a makeup game which was held after a June 12 postponement.“I want to play them again on our field,” said Aeros player/coach Danny Brooks, still stinging from the defeat a day later. “Maybe we can catch them playing their second game in two nights.“Was fatigue a factor? Yes and no. (Roma) certainly had the jump on us, being that it was their first game of the week. It’s tough when you’re still recovering from playing on Monday, and you’re going up against a good team on a smaller pitch. We struggled again with our ball control, and the sun was in our faces a lot, although that was the same for both teams.”The game was one of 277 in MMSL so far which have had to be rescheduled due to the copious amounts of rainfall which have plagued southern Manitoba this summer. That total blows the previous league record of 169, set last year, out of the water.The Aeros (2-5-3) are on a seven-game winless streak, going 0-4-3 since their last win, a 2-1 defeat of United Football Club on June 15. In that time, the team has managed only nine goals, and only have 15 in 10 games this year.The loss kept them in ninth place in Second Division, while Roma (3-2-5) moved five points ahead of Southport and into a fourth-place tie with Selkirk at 14 points.Last night, Roma vaulted to a 2-0 halftime lead on a pair of less than picturesque goals against goalkeeper Jay Barbour, who filled in for starter Bill Maluzynsky, who Brooks believed to have injured his knee during an accident at home.“The first one was a direct free kick, which Jay had in his hands and it just slipped through,” said Brooks.“The second one, they fired it across the box, it deflected off one of our guys right to one of theirs and it was in the net.“The third and the fourth were just breakdowns. It seemed every time we would get something going, we would have one little breakdown and, boom, we paid for it.”One ray of positive light for the Aeros was the re-emergence of Chaves, who spent just more than two months recovering from being hit twice with a metal shaft he was trying to insert into a lathe while working at Hi-Tec Indus-tries.Despite a diagnosis of an injured heart, lungs, spleen and broken arm and a possible prognosis of never playing again, the 20 year old beat the odds and jogged out after halftime to see his first action of the season.“It’s been a long time since he played, and it was good for him to get out there and run around a bit,” said Brooks.“We weren’t expecting too much from him. It’s going to take him a couple of games to get comfortable out there again. But from a fitness standpoint, he seemed OK.”With only one substitute player available, Southport had to bite the bullet and allow rookies like Jordan McAllister and Dawson Ogilvie to play the entire game.“They’re doing well, but you have to expect they’re going to make some mistakes,” Brooks said of the rookies. Southport will need not only Chaves to start feeling better, but the whole offence, as well if it plans to make any charge at the top two spots in the division to earn a promotion to First Division for next season.Those spots are currently held by league-leader F.C. Lusitania (9-1-1, 28 points) and Southport’s next opponent, Spitfire F.C. (6-1-1, 19 points), who beat the Aeros 4-0 at Southport Recreation Centre on May 30.“Spitfire’s another fast, aggressive team,” said Brooks. “We haven’t been getting our breaks around the net. We have to keep plugging away and earn those breaks.”BYE-BYE, BONI VITALIn MMSL Fourth Division news, Boni Vital Inferno S.C. jas flickered and died for at least this season.An announcement on the league website confirmed the Inferno has withdrawn from the league, with all future games involving the team cancelled. All results from previous games involving the Inferno will be removed from the standings, and Boni Vital will officially finish the year in last place in the 12-team division, which includes Southport United.That means only one other team, the second-to-last place finisher, will face relegation to Fifth Division after this year.The website added teams will be credited for scheduled games not yet played against Boni Vital.The news is important to Southport’s chances at avoiding relegation, as the Inferno had a record of 0-5-2 and were in 11th place, only two points back of 10th-place United, which was 1-7-1 for four points heading into last night’s game against Carman Kickers (2-5-1) in Carman.The score of that game was 0-0, improving United’s record to 1-7-2 for five points.

Mixed performances and results for Kickers-Carman Valley Leader

Mixed performances and results for Kickers

By Gene Still
Friday July 22, 2005 — A subpar performance added up to a point in the standings.But a significantly improved performance in another went unrewarded as far as moving up the Fourth Division soccer standings were concerned for the Carman Kickers. Kickers 1 Reservoir 1 Carman hit the road for Winnipeg on July 11 to take on the Reservoir Dogs. Kickers’ Coach William Hoogerdijk said they went into the match with high hopes because the Dogs were winless and mired near the bottom of the standings. However, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to gain three points in the standings with a victory, the visitors were forced to settle for a single point. That result was courtesy of a tie due to a gritty effort, by a determined Reservoir squad. “This should have been three points for us to take, but we weren’t able to do that,” Hoogerdijk said. “It’s an automatic thing that you think when you’re going up against the bottom teams in the standings.” However, right from the start, the visitors were in a battle with their opponents. “We made some head way into their zone and had a few scoring chances,” Hoogerdijk said about his club’s first half performance. “At the same time, we gave them too many opportunities to score themselves in the opening half.” Both clubs went into the intermission deadlocked in a scoreless tie. In the final half, it was Reservoir who got the evening’s opening goal with about 20 minutes left in the contest. It remained that way until the Kickers’ Adrian Fraijo evened things 10 minutes later. And while Carman did come on somewhat in the last part of the match, so did Reservoir. We picked it up a little and tried to get that last one in,” Hoogerdijk said. “But we also gave up a couple of good chances to them at the end of the game as well. So it could’ve gone either way.” The coach added, that they are capable of playing much better. “Overall, I wasn’t too impressed. We played well enough defensively that all we needed was our offense just to capitalize on one chance,” he said. Ragnarok 3 Kickers 0 Returning to friendlier confines of Carman Collegiate field featured a better on-field performance. But that improved play was not rewarded where it counts – on the scoreboard. Hoogerdijk said while they may have been shutout 3-0, it was actually a much better showing as compared to the Reservoir game. “We actually played well for the whole game. We may have lost 3-0 but after talking with most of our team afterwards, they were ‘happier’ about how they played,” Hoogerdijk said. “It’s just that we weren’t rewarded with any goals. “But there was a definite development in improving our play.” Ragnarok demonstrated why they’re among the top four teams in the league standings. They cashed in on the few scoring chances they had on this night. “We had three (defensive) lapses and they basically all went for goals,” Hoogerdijk said. Ragnarok led 1-0 at the half and fired home two more in the second half to go home with the shutout win. “We didn’t take advantage and they did. That was the difference,” Hoogerdijk said. Despite the loss, Carman remained in the final playoff spot. “We’re still clinging to eighth place so all is not lost,” he said. “There’s still a lot of games left to play but you’ve got to get points out them.” Kickers’ Notebook: Carman had a 2-4-1 mark and will have a busy couple of weeks with five games scheduled. On July 19 they were to head for the city to face Luisitania Revolution and on July 21 they were to entertain Southport. Results of those games were unavailable as of press time. In addition, on Saturday, July 23 they were to head for Winnipeg to meet the Kildonan Fusion and then on Monday, July 25 they were set to host Colo Colo. Finally it was back on the road as Carman was going to meet Ragnarok.back

Storm maintain top spot Winkler Times —

By Ashleigh Viveiros
Friday July 15, 2005

The Winkler Storm maintained their top spot in the MMSL First Division last week with a pair of wins. On July 6, the team went up against Scotia United in Winnipeg.Despite spending much of their time defending their own end of the field, the Storm managed to end the first half ahead 1-0 thanks to a goal by Vitali Bauer and strong goal-tending by Garth Thiessen.Thirty-five minutes into the second, Nico Nickel slammed one into the back of the net. That was followed by a goal by David Doerksen, bringing the final score to 3-0 for Winkler.Despite the win, coach Henry Enns said the game was a difficult one for the team.“We were dominated quite a bit,” he said. “They played a lot in our end.”Strong defence, goaltendingWith temperatures soaring on Sunday, the Storm went on to play a gruelling game against second-ranked Eritrean. The first half went like a replay of the previous week’s game, with Eritrean dominating the field and getting multiple shots on net.Once again strong goaltending and defence kept Eritrean from scoring, and when the whistle blew on the first half the score was tied at nil.In the second, Nico Nickel broke the deadlock with the only goal of the game, giving the win to the Storm 1-0.Strong defence is what has brought last year’s 10th ranked team to the top of the pack this year, said Enns.“We play more defence than we ever did,” he said. “My strategy is to play more defensively and win games.”As of last Sunday, the Storm were leading their division at 18 points, with a record of six wins, one tie, and only two goals scored against them.The Storm play at New Youth United on July 20 and host Grant Mill Sword on July 22 at 7 p.m.

Kickers shut out by Rangers-Carman Valley Leader

Rangers capitalize en route to win
By Gene StillFriday July 15, 2005

— The Carman Kickers were happy to actually get to play a game on July 6. But that relief was dampened somewhat – and not by heavy rainfall – instead it was the host Rangers who proved to be unwelcome hosts. Kickers’ assistant coach Mike VanderVelde said it was a good feeling to be able to hit the field again following a two-week layoff.“It was quite nice to just be able to play a game,” VanderVelde said. “But even then, the field was not in ideal condition with a pretty big water puddle on a piece of it.” The host team from Winnipeg didn’t make things any easier for the visiting squad from Carman as they attempted to take the play to them in the early stages of the game. “For the first ten minutes we were back on our heels a bit,” VanderVelde said. “They came out very aggressive and we tried to match that. And we did, for most of the opening half.” But it didn’t pay off on the scoreboard as the Rangers made it 1-0 with just under ten minutes remaining in the opening half when they scored on a corner kick. Despite falling behind, Carman didn’t get discouraged and came out a little stronger, especially during the early portion of the final frame. “The second half, we showed signs of improvement and were able to mount more of an offensive attack and had some scoring chances,” VanderVelde said. But failing to take advantage proved costly to Carman as midway through the final half, an unintentional poorly kicked ball by the Rangers, ended up fooling every one and landed in the Kickers’ net behind goaltender Rich Vanderveen. “It was kind of a ‘knuckleball’ that just floated over our defense and over Rich,” VanderVelde said. The Rangers held on the rest of the way to emerge with a 2-0 shutout victory. While they may have lost on the final scoreboard, VanderVelde said he saw a lot of encouraging signs from the Kickers. “We were pretty happy with our defensive effort overall, and we showed some offensive flair,” he said. “We just need more consistency on offense.” The loss dropped the Kickers record to below .500 at 2-3.Kickers’ update: Carman was tentatively set to host Ragnarok on Friday, July 15 at the collegiate soccer field.back

Selkirk striker heads up explosive offence—Selkirk Journal

Spicing things up
Selkirk striker heads up explosive offence
By Mark T. Buss

Friday July 08, 2005

Selkirk Journal —
To say Selkirk’s Tri-S Div. 5 soccer team has simply had their way with the competition would be an understatement.Managing to squeeze five of eight scheduled games in on their rain-delayed Manitoba Major Soccer League season, Selkirk has jumped out to an undefeated 5-0 record.What has been the most surprising aspect of their current streak however is their dominance over opponents. Selkirk has scored 24 goals and gave up just four for a plus-20 rating in goals for and against.Leading the way for Selkirk has been striker Chris Spicer who has potted an astonishing 10 goals in five contests, a two-goal-a-game clip that not only has him on top in the league scoring race, it doubles the output of his nearest challengers who sit in a three-way tie for second with five goals each.“Normally we have struggled to put the ball in the net but this is the first time in my soccer career that I’ve had a true striker on the team,” said Selkirk coach Al Ganske. “And Chris is such an unselfish player that when he’s covered it opens things up for other players.”With Spicer working the right forward position, right outside half Drew Ganske has been moving the ball consistently creating a number of two-on-one opportunities with Spicer.Left forward Paul Grohowich has also benefitted playing with Spicer and has already picked up three goals on the campaign.“I’ve been playing well and I try to work hard but we’re really playing well as a team,” Spicer said. “There are 10 other guys on the field and we’re all making a contribution.”Ganske said Spicer’s skill has also caught the attention of other teams who have begun to take liberties.“In our last game he was clotheslined twice as they tried to bring him down,” Ganske said.Defensive effortWhile Selkirk’s offence has been running wild, Ganske is more than pleased with his club’s defensive effort. Goaltender Eric Rensfelt has been outstanding, as has sweeper Justin Lischynski and defenceman Ian Dixon, who at 37 brings a wealth of experience to the position.“Justin may be my best overall athlete but we wouldn’t be where we are today without Ian’s poise, direction and leadership,” Ganske said. Despite their success, Ganske said the number of rainouts has him worried the club will not be their sharpest when they play some of the sleeper teams in the division.Two teams Selkirk hasn’t played yet are second place Sparta FC, who are currently 4-0, and the Dawson Trail Bandits, who have been impressive with a record of 3-1-0. Selkirk will get their chance to take on both teams in the near future as they travel to Winnipeg July 11 to take on Sparta and host Dawson Trail at the Selkirk Rec Complex soccer pitches July 17 at 7 p.m.“With Div. 5 being an entry level division, there are some hot shots coming in and some sleeper teams that nobody is familiar with,” Ganske said. “We haven’t played much and we haven’t practiced as much as I would like so I hope we can keep our momentum going.”Selkirk’s next home game will be tonight (July 8) when they host Red Dogs F.C. at the rec complex at 7 p.m.

Kickers rally to earn victory-Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still
Friday July 01, 2005

— The Carman Kickers got back into the win column thanks to a second half rally. Carman hit the road on June 22 to face the Winnipeg Triumph. And after a less than inspiring performance during the first part of the contest, the Kickers regrouped during half-time to emerge with a 2-1 victory. Carman Coach William Hoogerdijk said his club got off to a slow start and just didn’t seem to be in sync during the opening 45 minutes. “We kind of sat back for a while and they had a bit of a ‘go’ at us,” Hoogerdijk said. “We just weren’t executing as well as we should have and they were beating us to the ball.” Sitting back proved costly as a mental defensive breakdown by Carman allowed the Triumph to record the game’s opening goal as a hard shot eluded netminder Rich Vanderveen. “It was a very well place shot,” Hoogerdijk said. “Rich played it pretty well but it was just a good shot.” Made adjustmentsIt remained 1-0 until the intermission. And the coach spoke briefly with the team during the break and they made some adjustments. “I saw some things I liked from some of the guys, but there were a few that for whatever reason, were sort of invisible during the first half,” Hoogerdijk said.Despite the adjustments, the team didn’t come out too aggressively after half-time, because as the coach pointed out, they were only down by a goal. “We played steady,” he said. “We were more confident. “But they also didn’t want to force things and give the other side a chance to score another goal.” That strategy paid off on the scoreboard as Lyle Vanveen tied it at 1-1 scoring just a few minutes before the midway point of the final half. And the tally seemed to inspire the visitors as they began to carry the play. “It was a huge boost for our guys – a big momentum thing,” Hoogerdijk said. “They really came out strong after that goal.” However the Triumph didn’t exactly fold up and roll over. Hoogerdijk said they actually had a couple of excellent scoring chances while the match was knotted at 1-1. “They (Triumph) had what was basically a two-on-one break but Rich (Vanderveen) came out and made the save for us. That was really big,” Hoogerdijk said. And after that it appeared momentarily that Winnipeg had taken the lead, but the referee ruled that the shot had hit the top crossbar and did not go in. Carman then regained its momentum and Ian Bergsma made no mistake with a cross pass courtesy of teammate Shane Termeer with about eight minutes left in regulation. The Kickers went on to earn the win and even their regular season record at 2-2. He was impressed with the way they performed in the second half. “We did a lot of the small things that we need to do to be successful,” he said. The victory put Carman in possession of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Fourth Division. The coach noted that they also have a game in hand. “We’re kind of in the thick of things with a game in hand,” he said. “And we have to try and take advantage of that.”