Lucania's quick strike helps seal men's title - Winnipeg Free Press

Mon Aug 29 2005
By Allan Besson
IT was a tight battle at the half as Lucania led 3-1 over APM Sweatshack in the senior men's Manitoba Soccer Association championship final at St. Vital Memorial Park last night. But that all changed in the second half when Lucania scored three goals to completely dominate and win the title 6-1.
Herb Blackwood paced the winners with a goal in the first half and two more in the second. Rob Gale had two in the first half, and Jordan Goetting scored Lucania's other goal in the second stanza.
Alex Esteves scored the lone Sweatshack marker.
"Three goals? that's pretty good," said Blackwood after the game. "I'll take that. It should have been four, but I'll take three."
Tempers flared after Blackwood's third goal as both teams questioned the officiating which saw a flurry of yellow cards in the second half and a red card (ejection) to Sweatshack's Joao Lovatel, who nearly came to blows with a couple of Lucania players.
"It was (chippy) from the beginning," said Blackwood. "Guys kept jumping on guys' backs, and the referee didn't call it. Then in the second half he started pulling out the cards trying to get it under control." Both teams have one more meeting this year in Manitoba Major Soccer League Premier Division action, and Blackwood says it could be interesting.
"They were a bit nervous in the first half, but they settled down," said Lucania coach Paul Clarke of his boys. "They've been there before."
Clarke said his game plan was to attack right off the opening kickoff, and that is basically what they did, eventually wearing down their opponents.
"I told the boys we've attacked all season and I like attacking football," said the coach. "So we continued to attack, get the ball wide, get it across and we finished today. We played very well.
"Both Blackwood and Gale took the chances when they had them," said Clarke in praise of his top goal scorers. "But it was a team effort right from the back to the midfield. Everyone did their part. They (Gale and Blackwood) were at the end for the scoring chances, and that was all there was too it."
Clarke doesn't want to think of the national championships in Calgary next month just yet. "We have the league to win next. That is my priority," he said. "We have about four league games left to play. After that we can get ready for the nationals."
"We tried our best," said a composed Sweatshack coach Jose Viera. "We've played some of the top teams I guess and it wore us out a bit. And that is pretty much all I can say."
Viera refused to point to officiating as being a problem. "I don't want to comment on the refereeing, because it is not my position to comment. He tried his best, that's all I can say.
"We got the league to play yet and the Manitoba Major Soccer Tournament here on the weekend."
allan.besson@freepress.mb.ca

Two for one soccer-Winkler Times

Friday August 26, 2005 Soccer fans get a two for one chance to catch the local sides Sunday afternoon with the MMSL’s Winkler Storm and WWSL’s South Central Hurricanes going back-to-back at the Parkland pitch in Winkler.The day gets started at 2 p.m.with the Storm, who went unbeaten through the first three months of the season but have dropped three of their last five, in critical match-up with United Weston in the battle for first place in the First Division. The first place Storm have seen their lead trimmed to just one point with the top four teams separated by only five points, and all the pursuing teams have at least two games in hand on Winkler. Weston is in fourth place, five points back. The Storm also host third place United Weston Aug. 26. There won’t be any standings implications in the 4 p.m. game between the women of the Hurricanes and Lightning. Unbeaten South Central has proven itself the class of the Fourth Division and the only drama remaining is if they will complete an unbeaten and untied regular season. In an earlier meeting in Winkler, the Canes blanked the Lightning 4-0.

Kickers drop tough decision to Colo Colo - Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still
Friday August 26, 2005

— It may have been a different game but it was a similar story to the way many of their contests have gone this season for the Carman Kickers.In the thick of a battle for a post season berth in the Manitoba Major Soccer League's Fourth Division, the Kickers travelled to Winnipeg on Monday for a match-up with Colo Colo.Despite carrying much of the play and having numerous scoring opportunities, Carman came up short in their bid to not only solidify their playoff position further, but improve their post season positioning."I thought we definitely outplayed them," said player-assistant coach Mike VanderVelde. "We had at least a half-dozen quality scoring chances."But it was like many of our other games this year, we haven't taken full advantage of our opportunities."Hampering the Kickers' efforts was the fact that they had a goal called back because it was ruled offside in a close call.Following a scoreless first half, Colo Colo got the only goal of the game in the final half. The host squad held on to record a 1-0 triumph and as a result moved one point ahead of Carman into seventh place in the standings with a 4-9-1-1 record.The defeat left the Kickers with a 3-10-2 mark that was still good enough to remain in the eighth and final playoff spot, three points ahead of the Reservoir Dogs. However, Reservoir did have four games in hand as of press time.Kickers' Notebook: Carman's next home game is August 31 at 7 p.m. versus Reservoir Dogs.

Rangers whitewash United - PDG

Southport United’s Michael Chaves, left, fights for a loose ball with the Rangers’ Dinen Subramanian, as the Rangers handed United a 4-0 loss yesterday at Southport Recreation Centre.
Staff photo by Ryan Dixon









Rangers whitewash United

Inconsistency hurts hosts
BY RYAN DIXONFriday August 19, 2005
SOUTHPORT — The Rangers were running the show.The club scored two goals in each half to earn a 4-0 win over Southport United during Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division action last night at Southport Recreation Centre.Martin Kampos (ninth of the season) and Dave Herbert (fifth) each beat United keeper Steve Assenmacher in the opening frame, before Mike Bozek (16th) and Dorian Cosgrove (fifth) closed out the scoring in the game’s final half.“We stuck to our positions and covered our players well,” said Rangers coach Gavin Bozek.“We made some good, quick passes, moved into open spaces and took our chances.”United coach Karl Seidlitz said inconsistency, a disease which plagues many clubs, once again wreaked havoc with his group.“All teams go through that. It’s just that we tend to go through it way more than normal,” stated Seidlitz, who felt Southport (0-9-4) was robbed on several occasions during the first half by the Rangers keeper.The boss said, at its best, United had the look of a motivated team.“We were playing aggressive, and we were communicating. That was the biggest difference,” he remarked.“And when we stopped doing that, we stopped playing aggressive. We stopped talking. All of a sudden, they just kept coming to us and we had to chase them. And that’s just it. You can’t chase a team.”Seidlitz thought the Rangers’ first tally, which went off Assenmacher’s hand and over the line, was one the keeper would usually handle, while blaming the second goal for the visitors on a breakdown in Southport’s defensive coverage.However, the coach said there was no doubt the visitors earned their second-half goals, though he did believe the Rangers (10-2-1) benefited from what he viewed as some non-calls on the part of referee Brian Maxwell.“They were playing, maybe a little over-aggressive at times, and getting away with it, so they kept doing that,” Seidlitz commented.“But they are a skilled team as well, so between those two things, that was the big difference in this game.”Both teams were assessed one yellow card by Maxwell, and while tempers on each side teetered on the brink at times, everybody managed to keep their cool.According to midfielder Dylan Wiebe, who was dubbed Southport’s player of the game by Seidlitz, United also needed to maintain some focus, noting mental breakdowns led to lapses in play.“We had no support on the front,” said Wiebe, who has now played three games with Southport.“Our defence kind of lacked a little bit, but we played better than some of the games I’ve played with them.”Because Boni Vital Inferno and Sudan-Nile have already been kicked out of Fourth Division this year, Southport cannot be demoted to Fifth Division this season, despite the fact its four points is the least amount of any team remaining in the division.But Seidlitz said the club’s sole focus remains on improving itself, not what is happening with other teams.United will take on Res-ervoir Dogs in Winnipeg on Monday, before returning home to host Lusitania Revolution on Thursday at Southport beginning at 7 p.m.

Rangers whitewash United - PDG

Southport United’s Michael Chaves, left, fights for a loose ball with the Rangers’ Dinen Subramanian, as the Rangers handed United a 4-0 loss yesterday at Southport Recreation Centre.
Staff photo by Ryan Dixon









Rangers whitewash United

Inconsistency hurts hosts
BY RYAN DIXONFriday August 19, 2005
SOUTHPORT — The Rangers were running the show.The club scored two goals in each half to earn a 4-0 win over Southport United during Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division action last night at Southport Recreation Centre.Martin Kampos (ninth of the season) and Dave Herbert (fifth) each beat United keeper Steve Assenmacher in the opening frame, before Mike Bozek (16th) and Dorian Cosgrove (fifth) closed out the scoring in the game’s final half.“We stuck to our positions and covered our players well,” said Rangers coach Gavin Bozek.“We made some good, quick passes, moved into open spaces and took our chances.”United coach Karl Seidlitz said inconsistency, a disease which plagues many clubs, once again wreaked havoc with his group.“All teams go through that. It’s just that we tend to go through it way more than normal,” stated Seidlitz, who felt Southport (0-9-4) was robbed on several occasions during the first half by the Rangers keeper.The boss said, at its best, United had the look of a motivated team.“We were playing aggressive, and we were communicating. That was the biggest difference,” he remarked.“And when we stopped doing that, we stopped playing aggressive. We stopped talking. All of a sudden, they just kept coming to us and we had to chase them. And that’s just it. You can’t chase a team.”Seidlitz thought the Rangers’ first tally, which went off Assenmacher’s hand and over the line, was one the keeper would usually handle, while blaming the second goal for the visitors on a breakdown in Southport’s defensive coverage.However, the coach said there was no doubt the visitors earned their second-half goals, though he did believe the Rangers (10-2-1) benefited from what he viewed as some non-calls on the part of referee Brian Maxwell.“They were playing, maybe a little over-aggressive at times, and getting away with it, so they kept doing that,” Seidlitz commented.“But they are a skilled team as well, so between those two things, that was the big difference in this game.”Both teams were assessed one yellow card by Maxwell, and while tempers on each side teetered on the brink at times, everybody managed to keep their cool.According to midfielder Dylan Wiebe, who was dubbed Southport’s player of the game by Seidlitz, United also needed to maintain some focus, noting mental breakdowns led to lapses in play.“We had no support on the front,” said Wiebe, who has now played three games with Southport.“Our defence kind of lacked a little bit, but we played better than some of the games I’ve played with them.”Because Boni Vital Inferno and Sudan-Nile have already been kicked out of Fourth Division this year, Southport cannot be demoted to Fifth Division this season, despite the fact its four points is the least amount of any team remaining in the division.But Seidlitz said the club’s sole focus remains on improving itself, not what is happening with other teams.United will take on Res-ervoir Dogs in Winnipeg on Monday, before returning home to host Lusitania Revolution on Thursday at Southport beginning at 7 p.m.

Soccer group makes pitch for new fields - The Carillon

A Steinbach Soccer Complex fund-raising committee made a presentation to Steinbach City Council Tuesday asking the city to proceed with the construction of three new pitches at land previously set aside for the project at the west end of Steinbach on land adjacent to L.A. Barkman Park.
Two years ago the city made 40 acres at the site available for the new project with the proviso that the Hanover Kickers soccer group spearhead the fund-raising for the new complex.
Committee spokesperson Royden Loewen told council they launched their capital fund-raising project this summer and is confident they can generate $100,000 in pledges over the next six months or so. In the meantime the fund-raising committee asked the city to complete the final drawings for the project, which will cost about $20,000.
Loewen acknowledged that the "initiative has stalled a bit," since discussions on a new complex started about four years ago. "The requirement for a soccer complex is still there, the need is even more acute now." He pointed out there were 513 children playing soccer in Steinbach this year, and those numbers rose to more than 600 with the adult teams.
Loewen appeared before council with fellow committee member Curtis Krahn, both soccer parents and volunteer coaches, and Hanover Kickers president Norman Anderson, who has been the driving force behind the mushrooming growth of soccer in the community. There were a total of 45 teams in Steinbach this year with about 90 volunteer coaches in total.
The fund-raising group is essentially asking council if they could start the project as early as this fall by moving dirt at the site so the fields could be used by next fall. City engineer Phil Kalyta estimated the cost could be as high as $75,000 per field but Loewen feels it could be done for less money with donations in kind. This would be phase one of a proposed three-phase project that could include as many nine soccer pitches.
"This is doable in this community, there is strong support to get this done, I think the community is now ready for another sports initiative," said Loewen.
Properly constructed soccer pitches would stand up better to the rain that has plagued the short soccer season the past two years, including this summer where as many 50% of games had to be cancelled or postponed because of wet fields.
Council will study the matter at a study session in three weeks time and will then report back to the fund-raising committee. However, there appeared to be support from council for the project if they can find kind room in their budget to get the project off the ground this fall or next summer.

Storm rebound - Winkler Times

Friday August 12, 2005

Winkler Times — Rebounding from their first setback of the season, the Winkler Storm returned to their winning ways this week, beating Scotia United 5-2 in the final outing of a three game homestand August 4, allowing them to stay atop the First Division.Two days earlier, the Storm had suffered a 5-1 setback at the hands of the Hanover Kickers, their first loss of the campaign. At midweek, their record of 10-1-3 and 33 points left them just one clear of Eritrean and four up on Southend Celtic, who held a game in hand.With eight games remaining in the season, four teams remain in the hunt for first place at nine points out of first but with three games in hand. Meanwhile in the Winnipeg Women’s League the South Central Hurricanes kept their spotless Fourth Division record intact, winning their 14th straight game by a 2-1 score over the Terrors Monday night.With seven games left in the regular season, South Central enjoys a 15 point lead over second place All-Saints and owns an unbelievable plus-73 goal differential. This week the Canes host the second from the bottom APM Loadrunners Sunday, August 14 at 4 p.m. The Storm opened the first of a three game stretch on the road Wednesday against Britannia. Their next homedate is Aug. 26 when South end Celtic visits Winkler.

Kickers kicked by Fusion - Carman valley leader

Kickers kicked by Fusion The Carman Kickers took on the Kildonan Fusion on Tuesday night, but the visiting team proved too much for the Kickers, defeating them by a score of 4 - 2. For more on the Kickers, please see next week’s Valley Leader.






Photo by Heather Baril

Selkirk soccer teams stood up - Selkirk Journal

Selkirk soccer teams stood up
Friday August 12, 2005

Selkirk Journal — Selkirk’s two mens soccer teams remain near the top of the standings in their respective Manitoba Major Soccer League divisions after a week of trouble finding someone to play.The Tri-S Div. 2 team won by default (a recorded final of 3-0) over the Chilean Selects Friday. Three days later however, in a surprise outcome, the Selects fielded a team for the return engagement and were able to topple Selkirk 2-1 earning the 11th place Winnipeg club just their third win of the season. Jon Coutts scored the lone Selkirk goal.With the win and loss, Selkirk’s record stands at 8-5-2 securing their hold on third place behind Spitfire F.C (10-1-1) and frontrunners F.C. Lusitania (12-1-1).Selkirk’s next home game will be 7 p.m. Aug. 15 when they host the Kildonan Cavaliers at the Selkirk Rec Complex soccer pitches.The Tri-S Div. 5 team had an easier time of it as they won by 3-0 default over the eighth place Silver Bullets Monday.In an actual game Aug. 1, Selkirk defeated Scorpions 4-1 on goals from Ian Dixon, Tyler Finney and Jeremy Burda while Chris Spicer picked up his league leading 20th goal of the season.Carrying the two victories, the Div. 5 squad remains firmly in second place with a 10-2-1 record behind only the undefeated Sparta F.C. who sport a perfect 12-0 record.The next Tri-S home game will be Aug. 18 when they host the Scorpions.

Aeros hold tight for victoryCavaliers’ rally fails - PDG

BY RYAN DIXON
Thursday August 11, 2005

SOUTHPORT — What’s a win without a little sweat?Southport Aeros may have gained a few gray hairs in the process, but the club was able to stave off Kildonan Cavaliers for a 3-2 victory in Manitoba Major Soccer League Second Division action last night at Southport Recreation Cen-tre.The Aeros (5-6-4) blasted out to a 3-0 lead by halftime, but Kildonan (6-5-3) got on the board early in the second frame when Gio Blazevic notched his eighth of the season to narrow the gap.Sterling Johnson then pulled the Cavaliers to within one with his brilliant header off a corner kick, making things a little tight under the collar for the home side.However, Southport keeper Bill Maluzynsky held tough in goal while his defenders did their best to rid the 18-yard box of any juicy rebounds, as the Aeros scratched out a victory.Southport fullback Cam Scott said the manner in which his club earned the win is becoming very familiar.“It seems like the last four or five games we’ve played pretty hairy in the last 15 minutes of the game,” he chuckled.“But we held our own back there, so I’m happy with the result, that’s for sure.”It was certainly clear sailing for Southport in the first half, as striker Duane Chaves continued his torrid scoring pace, notching his fifth goal in as many games this season.“I think we were playing real good in the first half, passing and communicating well,” said Chaves, who scored his goal after taking a pass from Jake Stecher at the top of the 18-yard box before rolling the ball into the right side of the net.Before Southport could pad its lead, Aeros defender Gary Bergen was nailed for hauling down the Cavaliers’ Kris Huth inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty shot.Had Huth found the range, the game may well have ended in a draw, but instead, he rang the ball off the post behind Maluzynsky.Southport went right back to work, as Lyle Dueck made good on his second crack at a rebound to bag his third goal of the year to make it 2-0.Stecher would contribute the final Aeros marker, drilling a shot from close into the back of the net for his second of the campaign.Kildonan player-coach Jeff Hiebert said the Cavaliers’ slow start was by no means out of character for the club.“We’ve been having that problem all season,” he stated, noting Kildonan dug a 2-0 hole for itself the first time it played Southport this season, but battled back for a 2-2 draw.According to Hiebert, its always a spirited game when his team collides with the Aeros, though Southport has not been a friendly place for the Winnipeg squad to visit of late.“Southport has always given us a tough game. It’s been a couple years since we’ve won out here,” Hiebert said, noting with a grin Kildonan is still ahead of the Aeros in the standings, as the Cavaliers sit in fourth place with 21 points while Southport is tied for sixth with F.C. Ragazzi at 19 points.“We like coming out (to Southport), but at the same time, we dread the drive because we usually leave here with a loss.”Southport played without the services of player-coach Danny Brooks, as well as midfielder Chris Carson, as both players had other commitments.Scott credited Southport United captain Glenn McCulloch, whom the Aeros called up from his usual Fourth Division side for the match, with playing a strong game, along with forward Michael Chaves, who played alongside his brother, Duane, in the second half.The Aeros are home to F.C. Lusitania on Sunday, with the kick off set for 7 p.m. in Southport.In related team news, the Aeros have bid farewell to Evan Sudul, who has completed his flight training at Southport this summer.Sudul tallied two goals in seven games for the club.

United coach rankled by defeat against Triumph - PDG

BY RYAN DIXON
Wednesday August 10, 2005

SOUTHPORT — Southport United didn’t have much to offer last night. Just ask its coach.“We lacked aggression, we lacked confidence, we lacked cohesiveness. We lacked a lot of things,” seethed United boss Karl Seidlitz in describing his team’s 5-1 loss to Winnipeg Triumph during Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division action last night at Southport Recrea-tion Centre.His players may have come up short, but Seidlitz was nowhere near running out of fiery displeasure in recounting his view of the match.“I was embarrassed by that display. The execution was pathetic,” he fumed.“I’m so disappointed and embarrassed. I am very embarrassed. I expected 10 times more effort than that.”Southport (0-9-3) started giving its coach cause for concern very early on, as Winnipeg’s Tim Fulton (first of the season) put the visitors up 1-0 with a goal roughly 10 minutes into the game.“We just self-destructed,” Seidlitz stated. “We let in one bad goal in the beginning of the game … and they just fell apart.”Triumph sniper Ryan McLean was the biggest beneficiary of United’s demise, as he proceeded to rack up a natural hat trick to provide Winnipeg (7-5) with a 4-0 lead at halftime.“I was just getting open and they were getting me the ball,” said McLean, who now has nine goals this year.The first of McLean’s strikes was indicative of Southport’s lazy approach to defence, as he was untouched while weaving through a swarm of United defenders before putting the ball past a helpless Cory Thiessen.The Southport keeper certainly did everything he could to stop the bleeding last night, including stonewalling the Triumph’s Morgan Proven on a penalty kick midway through the first half.McLean’s second goal of the frame came only after Thiessen made two point-blank stops, but failed to get any support from his teammates when it came to clearing the juicy rebounds.Munna Zaman became just the third Southport player to find the net this season, as he scored his first goal of the year late in the second half, before Winni-peg’s Trent Skatch (first) added his club’s final tally.While United played a tighter defensive game over the final frame, the team’s inability to move the ball briskly to its forwards limited the amount of offensive chances Southport could generate.“It looks on paper like our midfield has all the skill and speed that it needs,” noted United captain Glenn McCulloch.“But then when we play a game (we’re) too indecisive, and when we do get the ball, we just kick it away, put long balls through to nobody. It just seems to be right up through the middle.”Under normal conditions, relegation to Fifth Division would be a virtual lock for Southport, but extenuating circumstances may yet prevent the team’s demotion.Boni Vital Inferno, the only club Southport has beaten this season, has disbanded, meaning one Fourth Division club has already been chopped. Because Boni Vital has folded, any victories earned against the Inferno by other Fourth Division clubs, including Southport, have been revoked. Squads do get to count any goals scored against Boni Vital for a possible goals-for-and-against tie-breaking scenario.Meanwhile, a second Fourth Division club may be expelled from MMSL, as sixth-place Sudan-Nile (5-1-1) has been temporarily suspended after three of its players attacked a referee.The league is currently deciding whether it will banish the entire club, or just the guilty players.If MMSL opts to kick Sudan-Nile out of the league, Southport is safe from relegation because no more than two clubs can be demoted in a given year.However, if the league suspends only the players, United will have to turn its ship around in a hurry if it wants to remain in Fourth Division.Presently, Southport occupies last place in the division with three points, one less than Reservoir Dogs, which holds four games in hand on United.“My feelings on it are that we just aren’t ready mentally and we have to find a way to fix that because we’re basically running out of time,” said Seidlitz.“We almost have run out of time now.”Southport will try to straighten things out in its next match versus Colo Colo in Winnipeg on Monday.The squad then returns home for another key tilt against the Rangers on Aug. 18 in Southport beginning at 7 p.m.