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