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.