Ten just not enough - Winkler Times

Forced to play all 90 minutes of their quarter-final against Britannia Rovers with ten men due to injuries, the Winkler Storm saw their MMSL season end with a 2-0 loss. Winkler did well to hold Rovers off the scoresheet in the first half, opting for a lone striker. The Storm’s David Doerksen (above) just misses getting to a free ball in front of the Rovers keeper in the opening half. Britannia finally scored from a throw-in early in the second half and added an insurance goal with ten minutes left. The final week of the regular season’s flurry of make-up games had seen the Storm drop to a fourth place finish with a 13-6-3-1 record and 42 points, ten back of champions United Weston. In other MMSL action the Carman Kickers were bounced from the Fourth Division post-season with a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Triumph.


Photo by Steve Martens

Kickers ousted from playoffs -Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still
Friday September 30, 2005

Carman Valley Leader — The Carman Kickers 2005 season came to an abrupt end last Saturday in Winnipeg. Playing in their first-ever playoff game, the Kickers were defeated 5-1 on Sept. 24 by the favoured Winnipeg Triumph. The defeat officially eliminated the Kickers from playoff contention. Carman Coach William Hoogerdijk said the Kickers didn’t get off to a very good start. “At first I thought we respected them a little too much,” Hoogerdijk said. “Plus we had some ‘jitters” at first with it being the first playoff game for this team. “They (Triumph) don’t defend passively either. They come right after you.” The slow start proved costly on the scoreboard as the host Triumph built up a 2-0 lead before the match was 25 minutes old. Carman settled down soon after the second goal and played their opponents evenly. Improved play“We actually held them off pretty well after their first two goals,” Hoogerdijk said. But the Triumph ended up scoring just before half-time to essentially put the contest out-of-reach with a commanding 3-0 lead. And the host squad from Winnipeg scored twice more in the final frame before Peter VanKerkhof recorded the Kickers’ only tally of the day late in the contest to make it a 5-1 final. Hoogerdijk said while it was a disappointing outcome, he noted that they were facing a very talented squad that finished third overall in the league standings with a 12-6 mark. “The guys (Kickers) played well, played hard. That’s definitely a positive,” Hoogerdijk said. “But full credit to them for the win. They earned it.” Despite the final score, the coach noted his netminder came up with a stellar effort for the Kickers. “Rich Vanderveen played a marvelous game. We can’t fault him on any of the goals.”

It'll be a soccer-filled weekend as playoffs take local spotlight

Wed Sep 28 2005

By Allan Besson

SOCCER fans can fill their boots this weekend as championship play takes centre stage at John Blumberg Soccer Complex and the Winnipeg Soccer Complex on Waverley Street.
Beginning Saturday, the big guys of the Manitoba Major Soccer League Premier Division will be playing their semifinals at Vince Leah Community Centre. The winners advance to the final, Sunday at 3:45 p.m. at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex on Waverley.
Also beginning on Saturday and extending into Sunday, with games at John Blumberg Soccer Complex and the Waverley Soccer Complex, is the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association Cambrian City Championships.
Ital-Inter takes on Sons of Italy Lions and Lucania faces Maples Juventus in the MMSL semifinals. Both games begin at noon.

Lucania assistant manager Roman Pniowsky says they are not going to take Maples Juventus lightly. "The last time we played they were up 2-0 and we just managed to tie the game."

Sons of Italy Manager Gerald Olin isn't looking past Ital-Inter. "I think one of the things we look to is that we need the whole team to play as a unit and finish on the opportunities we get." "I don't think we had any rain at all for the fall season," said executive director Harry Harwood yesterday, predicting the warm weather would last throughout the weekend. "We have 64 games featuring all age groups from nine to 18 in both boys and girls."

The bulk of the games will be played at John Blumberg Soccer Complex, with games in the premier divisions going at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Games at Blumberg begin at 9:30 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday and run until 3 p.m.

allan.besson@freepress.mb.ca

Kickers looking for an opening playoff Triumph - Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still

Friday September 23, 2005

— The Carman Kickers were thinking upset heading into their opening round playoff contest with the Winnipeg Triumph. Unlike past seasons when Carman came up just short in securing a playoff berth, the Kickers not only qualified for the playoffs, they finished in sixth place overall with a 5-10-3 mark (the top eight clubs make the post season tournament). Carman Coach William Hoogerdijk was obviously pleased with the fact his club earned the right to compete in the playoffs. “It feels pretty good. We knew we were in but we didn’t know who we’d be facing,” Hoogerdijk said. “Now, it’s a single game, knockout tournament. “If any team has a good game or a bad one – any one can move on.” In this case, Carman’s opposition will be the Winnipeg Triumph. And beating the Triumph won’t be easy. They finished third overall in the standings with a solid 12-6 record. “The Triumph have come on the last part of the season. They’ve really come on strong,” Hoogerdijk said. He pointed out their speed at the forward position and their skill at controlling the midfield, as two of their strengths. But the coach was quick to add that anything can happen in the playoffs. And they have a lot of respect for their opponents, Capitalize on offence“When we play our games and play the way I know we can, we have a chance,” Hoogerdijk said. “The key for us is going to be that our offence capitalizes on their chances.” The coach added that among the key players for Carman will be forwards Lyle Vanveen and Jordan Vanderveen and they’ll need another strong showing from netminder Rich Vanderveen if they hope to move onto the next round. The game with the Triumph was scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24 in Winnipeg.

Results were not available as of press time.

Soccer complex campaign afoot - The Carillon

Soccer complex campaign afoot


Soccer complex fund-raising committee members, from the left, Curtis Krahn, Royden Loewen and Norman Anderson review plans at the 40-acre site where the soccer complex will be built.








The fund-raising committee for the new Steinbach Soccer Complex have announced a fund-raising campaign for the project that will get underway immediately.
Committee members Royden Loewen, Curtis Krahn and Norman Anderson made the announcement Tuesday at the site of the new 40-acre complex in the west end of the city near L.A. Barkman Park.
Fund-raising committee chair Royden Loewen stated in a news release "we are elated that City Council has provided leadership, first in designating land for the Complex and then recently deciding to move ahead with engineering plans for the Complex."
Two years ago the city made the land available for the soccer complex but wanted the local soccer community to initiate fund-raising for the project. Recently the City decided at their study session to proceed with the engineering plans for the site, which will cost $15-$20,000 to complete.
Steinbach mayor Les Magnusson says although he believes a complex such as this is good for the community, "it is too early to say at this point to what level the city will get involved in the project beyond the engineering plans." City council will again review the project at their February study session.
Loewen says their committee is "committed to raising a portion of the funds required to have a full nine-field state-of-the-art complex built, one on which the more than 500 Steinbach children and 100 adults can enjoy a full season of play." Added Loewen, "we hope the time of scattered poorly drained fields will soon be in the past and that the enthusiasm for this healthy, inclusive and thrilling sport of soccer can grow even further in the community."
Estimated cost to finish the entire project is as much as $700,000 and Loewen says they hope to raise at least 10% of that total. They are hopeful construction on the new complex can get underway next spring or summer.
Loewen notes that in their fund-raising efforts to date they have been encouraged by the positive responses from local businesses and parents. The Hanover Kickers Soccer Club, which oversees all soccer in the community, is also involved in the fund-raising effort. Fund-raising letters are being sent to all parents and individuals involved in soccer in Steinbach this past year. Donations are being made through the City of Steinbach so an income-tax receipt can be issued.
Initial access to the new soccer complex will be through the new Southland Church parking lot. Eventually Woodhaven Street will be extended along past L.A. Barkman Park, which will be the access to the Steinbach Soccer Complex from the city. The park will also be accessible by bicycle and walking paths.
Different fund-raising options are available such as monthly donations with post-dated cheques. Donation levels are: Community Platinum ($1,000), Community Gold ($500), Community Silver ($300) and Community Bronze ($100). A parallel corporate fund-raising drive is also underway.
Rounding out the Steinbach Soccer Complex fund-raising committee are Paul Reimer and Ken McAllister.

Sunday doubleheader will decide Storm’s fate — Winkler Times

Friday September 16, 2005

A pair of games at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex Sunday afternoon will determine the Winkler Storm’s fate in the chase of the MMSL’s First Division championship. Winkler meets both Eritrean and Southend Celtics in make-up games on the second to last day of the MMSL season. As of Tuesday, all three teams were tied for second place with 42 points. Southend (13-5-3) has one game remaining, while the Storm (13-4-3) has two and Eritrean (13-3-3) three. Winkler kicks off against Southend at 2 p.m. and then meets Eritrean, who also play an early game against Scotia United, at 4:00. A pair of wins would guarantee Winkler at least a second place finish.At midweek, United Weston held first place by four points of the three second place clubs. While the Storm and Eritrean both had mathematical chances to finish first, one of Weston’s three remaining games is with last place AC Slater, an almost guaranteed three points that would clinch the title. In their previous meetings with their Sunday opponents, Winkler blanked Southend 2-0 back on Aug. 26 and beat Eritrean 1-0 in early July. No matter where they finish in the top four, the Storm will be in action when the First Division post-season cup chase begins with quarter-final games Sept. 25 at the WSC.

Kickers enter post season on high note-Carman Valley Leader

Club defeats Revolution
By Gene Still
Friday September 16, 2005

Carman Valley Leader — The Carman Kickers were playing a waiting game off the field as of press time. The Kickers were waiting to find out where exactly they would finish in the final regular season standings in the Fourth Division of the Manitoba Major Soccer League. However unlike previous years, Carman wasn’t necessarily left on the outside looking in as far as the post season was concerned. Instead it was a matter of what their playoff seed position would be. Regardless of where they finish and who they face in the first round of the playoffs, the Kickers are heading into the playoffs on a relative high note. Unlike previous stretch runs where Carman faded, this latest edition of the Kickers has performed strongly down the stretch. And that was demonstrated during their final home contest on September 10 when they entertained the Lusitania Revolution. Fresh off a 2-1 triumph over the Reservoir Dogs, Kickers’ Coach William Hoogerdijk prepared his squad to face the Revolution with their playoff fates – at the time – uncertain. But Hoogerdijk said the team just focused on the task at hand, defeating Lusitania. And that attitude showed by the fact that the players took an almost business-like approach to the match. “I didn’t sense any tightness or nervousness at all in the guys. It was just like; ‘we’ve got to come out and we’ve got to play well and get the win’,” he said. “We just can’t rely on somebody else ‘screwing up’ (losing). We’ve just got to go out and worry about taking care of winning our own games.” And that’s exactly what the Kickers did as they came away with a well deserved 3-1 victory. Carman opened the scoring thanks to Tyson Kamminga around the 20 minute mark of the opening half. It remained a 1-0 contest until near the end of the half, during injury time, when Lusitania’s Helder L Neto knotted the score. “We just kind of let down just a little, and they took advantage,” said Hoogerdijk. However, instead of being discouraged after carrying most of the play for the opening part of the game, he said the club was upbeat during the intermission. “We felt pretty good at the half. We had the better of the scoring chances,” he said. “We should’ve been up but their goalkeeper was standing on his head to keep them in the game.” And Carman refused to be denied as they scored twice, courtesy of Lyle Vanveen and Peter VanKerkhof, in the final half to earn the victory. “We came out at them and started creating some chances,” Hoogerdijk said. “Everybody did their jobs whether it was scoring or defending.”

Victory is United’s in season swan song-PDG

BY JOEY PAYEUR
Wednesday September 14, 2005

SOUTHPORT — Every team wants to win its last game, but there is no possible way to measure the amount of desire Southport United had to accomplish that feat.Down to its last chance to earn an official victory this season, United (1-13-4) cracked a gigantic goose egg, doubling Ragnarok (11-6) by a 4-2 count in its Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division season finale last Friday at Southport Recreation Centre.Two nights earlier in Winnipeg, Ragnarok walloped Southport 6-2 in the first half of the home-and-home series.But staring a winter of winless thoughts in the face, United rebounded for a most delicious helping of home cooking.“It’s a very pleasant feeling to pull off,” said United player/coach Peter Dueck. “If we had played like this earlier in the year, we would have a better record now.”Southport (1-13-4) had its only previous notch in the win column taken away when its victim, Boni Vital Inferno, dropped out of the league and voided any points gained against it by other teams during the season.But after a season which saw the team shut out seven times in 18 official games, United finally unholstered the offence for its biggest goal output of the year.“You should have seen how excited everyone was each time we scored,” said Dueck. “We just had a feeling coming in it was our game.”That feeling grew when Ragnarok started its backup keeper for undetermined reasons, and not even an early goal by the visitors could dampen Southport’s spirits.“Usually, after something like that, we hang our heads,” said Dueck. “But this game, there was no way.”United tied the contest on Paul Kulas’ second of the year, fell behind again and tied it again at 2-2 when Chris Assenmacher found the target for his fifth of the season.With a group of five substitutes at its disposal, compared to just one for Ragnarok, Southport started to wear down its opponent and broke the game open with two second-half goals.Kulas gave United one of its rare leads this campaign with his second goal of the game and third of the year to make it 3-2. With Ragnarok pressing for the equalizer, Michael Philippot netted his fourth of the campaign for the insurance goal to relieve what has been a much-frustrated Southport bench this year.“It was definitely a factor that we could put some fresh legs on the field in the second half,” said Dueck. “Ragnarok’s a very hard-working team. Even down 10-0, they don’t give up. But (goalkeeper) Steve Assenmacher had an awesome game.”Certainly, the numbers game wasn’t pretty for Southport this season. United’s seven points put it in 10th place, but the squad most likely avoided relegation to Fifth Division only because of the demise of Boni Vital and Sudan-Nile, which was tossed from the league for having three of its players attack a referee on July 15.For the year, Southport officially scored a league-low 17 goals in 18 games while surrendering a league-worst 53 goals.But none of that mattered last Friday, and doesn’t appear to be having any effect on next year’s plans for United.“The guys still had lots of fun and most of them have already said they’re coming back next year,” said Dueck.“Hopefully, we can keep our core guys together.”St. James Seawolves, which clinched Fourth Division against United with a 2-0 road win on Aug. 31, finished the year with a practically perfect 15-0-3 record for 48 points.They will move up to Third Division, and most likely will be joined by second-place Rangers (12-3-3, 39 points).Sparta FC (19-1-1, 58 points) captured Fifth Division to earn a promotion to Fourth Division next year, while a possible second team is still being decided upon, with Dawson Trail Bandits (44), Tri-S (43) and Croatia United (43) still fighting it out for the runner-up position.

Opportunity lostTri-S Div. 2 men unable to move up for playoff run-Selkirk Journal

By Mark T. Buss

Friday September 09, 2005
Ivar Helgason (right) chips the ball over a Roma defender.

Photo by Mark T. Buss Selkirk Journal

— The Tri-S Div. 2 mens soccer team was unable to make up any ground in the Manitoba Major Soccer League standings last week.Playing to a 1-1 tie with Roma Tuesday, the lack of a victory left Selkirk in fourth place, two points behind the third place United Football Club with just one game left in regular season play.“We probably won’t be able to get third but going into the playoffs in fourth is alright,” said Selkirk defender Paul Gadient. “We’ve got one game left and (United) has two so it doesn’t look good.”Hosting the eighth place Roma squad at the Selkirk Rec Complex pitches, Tri-S took the advantage early and held momentum for the first half of the game. Striker Jon Coutts banged home his team-leading 10th goal of the campaign banking one off the post and in for a 1-0 lead.In the second half however, Roma found their pace and were rewarded with a goal to tie the score.As the game wore on, Roma took control. If not for solid goaltending by Kyle Swystun and a game-saving clearing effort from defender Sean Legget, Selkirk would not have earned the tie.“We were lucky to get out of that one,” Gadient said. “They picked it up and we became sluggish and fell apart.”Able to pull out a 3-2 win over Ragazzi last Thursday, Selkirk has struggled over the last few weeks. Losing 3-2 to division leaders F.C. Lusitania Aug. 26, Selkirk also lost 2-0 to the Southport Aeros Aug. 21.With Southport currently in fifth place in the standings, Gadient said his club will have their hands full if they have to play the Portage la Prairie team in the quarterfinals, which start Sept. 25.“It’s not that we can’t beat Southport, we haven’t even scored on them yet this year,” Gadient joked, pointing out Selkirk defeated Portage in the playoffs last year. “We’d be happy to take on anybody else in the league but we always seem to have trouble against them.”Although debate grows on the issue of Selkirk getting a two week break before the playoffs begin, Gadient believes it may be a blessing in disguise.“We could certainly use the extra practice time right now,” he laughed.In Div. 5 action, the Tri-S club also sits in fourth place, one point behind the Dawson Trail Bandits and four behind second place Croatia United.Selkirk does have four games remaining to make up lost ground and they will need those victories after a 2-2 tie with Les Gaulois Aug. 31 and a surprise 2-1 loss to the sixth place Granite United Tuesday.

Late goals propel Kickers to victory-Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still

Friday September 09, 2005

Carman Valley Leader — The Carman Kickers continued their quest to secure a post season berth in the Fourth Division of the Manitoba Major Soccer League. Carman headed into their August 31 match-up with the Reservoir Dogs actually sitting in ninth place overall, just a point out of the eighth and final playoff spot. And the Kickers made the most of their opportunity and thanks to a pair of second half tallies, emerged with a narrow 2-1 victory over the Dogs. The triumph meant that Carman actually jumped – at least temporarily – into sixth place with the three points they earned for the victory. Winds, at times in excess of 50 kmh, made for less than ideal playing conditions. Not helping the home team’s cause was the fact that, fresh off an impressive 0-0 draw with the second place Rangers, Carman came out with a less than inspiring performance during the first portion of their contest with Reservoir. “We seemed to be giving up a few too many (scoring) chances,” said Kickers’ Coach William Hoogerdijk. “I was a little disappointed at the end of the first half. We let them take the play to us.” But Carman was not penalized on the scoresheet as both teams went into the intermission scoreless. Hoogerdijk said one of the keys to opening half was that the visitors were taking charge of the midfield area. And that’s something he discussed with his players during the break. “We talked about the fact that when you control midfield, you generally end up having the majority of offensive chances,” he said. The coach said the adjustments paid off in the final frame both on the field and when it came to scoring. Jordan Vanderveen gave the host squad a 1-0 lead with 25 minutes remaining in regulation time. But Carman let up slightly and it cost them as Reservoir knotted things again about five minutes later. However, instead of getting rattled and folding, the Kickers’ regrouped and were rewarded for their efforts as Joel Bilodeau’s marker with around 12 minutes left in the game, turned out to be the eventual game winner. Hoogerdijk said the Dogs applied some pressure but Carman held on for the victory and all important three points in the standings. The triumph left the Kickers two points ahead of Reservoir and Colo Colo. However, both teams have games in hand, one and two contests respectively. Carman is also a single point up on the Kildonan Fusion but they too, have a single game in hand. Hoogerdijk said they will need some help from other teams to make the post season. However, he has been encouraged by how the Kickers have been improving, especially during this mini-stretch run leading up to their final regular season match on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. when they host the Lusitania Revolution. “It’s not exactly that everything is clicking completely together against all the teams. But we’re doing better and better,” he said. “It would be nice to get some help (other teams beating Colo Colo, Reservoir and/or Kildonan) but the best thing we can do now is just go out and focus on beating Lusitania.”

Sons of Italy defend title - The Chronicle-Journal

Sons of Italy defend title

By David Trifunov - The Chronicle-Journal September 06, 2005 Nolly Sanchez scored twice as Winnipeg Sons of Italy defeated Thunder Bay Italia-Juventus 2-1 on Monday at the $8,000 Thunder Bay Invitational soccer tournament at Fort William Stadium.It’s the same trophy that the Manitoba team won last year.“We had a good game,” said Sanchez, a former pro from Guatemala. “It’s amazing how hard the boys worked. It was a great victory.”With the win also comes $4,500 in prize money while Juve collects $1,500.But Thunder Bay teams were shut out of championships after a weekend of play. The Winnipeg Phoenix defeated the Winnipeg Sweat Shack 2-1 after nine rounds of penalty kicks to decide the women’s draw.A total of 13 clubs (five women’s and eight men’s) competed. The Lakehead Express and Thunder Bay Impact both lost in the women’s semifinal stage.Thunder Bay Croatia finished third on the men’s side and collected $600.Sons of Italy’s Frank Brancore was awarded the Murray Slomke Trophy as tournament MVP.But it was Sanchez who had the opposition bewildered all weekend. Sons of Italy coach Larry Ladobruk estimated his star striker scored 10 of the team’s 18 goals. “Nolly was a dominant player,” Ladobruk said, “and teams couldn’t cover him man on man. . . . Once they had to send two guys to defend him, things opened things up for us.”While the opposition opened up for Sanchez, the Sons of Italy defence kept matters closed in the back. Goalie Steve Sawatzky backstopped his club, leaders of the Manitoba first division, to just one goal against in six games.It was much the same story in the final. Italia-Juventus spent much of the first 45 minutes defending, despite the influx of Thunder Bay Chill reinforcements.The local team welcomed seven Chill players into the lineup with Premier Development League experience this season; unfortunately, there was no consistent pressure on the Sons of Italy’s back four.Juve forwards Doco Wesseh and Ron Badanai had one or two scattered chances, but most came from outside the danger area.Sanchez enjoyed much deeper play in the Juve end. He made it 1-0 about 30 minutes into the first half. Sanchez twice blocked clearing attempts by Chill defenders. The final stop came against Juve goalie Stephen Paterson which allowed Sanchez to score into an almost empty net.The lead doubled just three minutes later. Another long pass came drifting into the goal area. Sanchez flicked it with his head behind himself and into the net.But Juventus emerged from the halftime break a more determined club. Attacking runs in the box generated a penalty kick in the 58th minute after Tony Valente was fouled.Wesseh’s effort, however, was stopped by Sawatzky diving low to his right.Juve midfielder Dave Colistro finally broke the extended shutout string in the final minute of play. Adam Augruso earned a penalty call when he was sandwiched by Sawatzky and a Winnipeg defender as the trio chased a loose ball in the area.“We were slow starting all tournament,” Colistro said, “and you can’t do that against a striker like they had (in Sanchez). . . . But we seemed to settle down and tried to push, and push and push. We just weren’t lucky in front of the net.”

Tri-S Div. 5 mens soccer team is still in the hunt for promotion-Selkirk Journal

Selkirk Journal

— The Tri-S Div. 5 mens soccer team is still in the hunt for promotion into Div. 4 play as Manitoba Major Soccer League regular season action winds down.The top two teams from the division after regular season play will be promoted at the start of the next season. Tri-S currently sits in fourth place with a 12-4-1 record and 37 points following a 2-2 draw against Les Gaulois Wednesday night.Earlier in the week Tri-S rebounded from an Aug. 27 3-1 loss to league-leading Sparta F.C. with a 4-0 blanking of the St. James Saints. K.C. Klym scored twice and Chris Spicer and Jeremy Burda each added markers in Tuesday’s victory.Sparta F.C. sits atop the division with 52 points, followed by Croatia United at 43 points and the Dawson Trail Bandits with 40 points.Tri-S plays Granite United Sept. 6 on the road before returning to Selkirk for a Sept. 9 tilt against the St. James Saints.The Tri-S Div. 2 mens team, meanwhile, is tied for fourth place with a 9-8-2 record and 29 points. With just a few games left in the season the team won’t be able to qualify for promotion but is looking to position itself for the playoffs.Last week Tri-S dropped its game against division leaders F.C. Lusitania by a 3-2 score. Kelly Kowalchuk opened the scoring for Tri-S but Lusitania responded with three quick goals to start off the second half. Chris Anjos buried an Ivar Helgason cross to make the score 3-2, but that was as close as Tri-S would get.The team had Ragazzi up next on its schedule with a Thursday night game in Winnipeg. The score was not available before press time.

Undermanned United respectable in defeat-PDG

BY JOEY PAYEUR

Thursday September 01, 2005PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — The result was one Southport United has seen far too often this season, but the effort was one the local soccer squad could be proud of.Granted, it was no easy pill to swallow to watch St. James Seawolves (15-0-2) clinch Fourth Division of Manitoba Major Soccer League last night with a 2-0 win over United (0-12-4) at Southport Recreation Centre.But considering Southport kept the score from getting out of hand despite being short one man the entire game while facing the first-place Seawolves, this was a loss which had some positives attached to it.“I think it says a lot about the character of our team,” said United goalkeeper Steve Assenmacher, who watched virtually the entire game played right in front of him as Southport was hemmed in its own half by the pressuring St. James attack.“Even being a man down, we played very hard. It’s a little disappointing not to have a full squad out for a home game.”An unforgiving crosswind which made the last day of August feel like October played havoc with the flow of the game, as any aerial pass slammed into the prevailing gusts like they were a brick wall.The Seawolves did all their damage in the first half, with Scott Pettit taking advantage of Assenmacher’s indecisiveness to beat the charging keeper to the ball before putting it off his hands and in for a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute. It was the only goal St. James keeper Ryan Thorkelson would need on his way to a fairly easy shutout.Sean Morgan capped the scoring in the 40th minute, outracing Southport defender Glenn McCulloch to a loose ball and firing a shot to the far side of the net.St. James’ best chance in the second half came on a penalty kick after McCulloch was called for a foul in the 18-yard box. But Nick Giancola slammed the free shot off the left post, and another shot off the rebound was stopped by Assenmacher, who believes that first official win is still there for the taking.“After we played these guys the last time, we were energized for the next three games,” he said. “I wish we could play them more often. They make us bring our level up to where it should be.”Tenth-place Southport will finish the season with a home-and-home series against Ragnarok (10-5), which is tied with Winnipeg Triumph for third place in the division with 30 points.United hosts Ragnarok in its final appearance at Southport Recreation Centre this season on Sept. 7, before heading to Winnipeg to close the year on Sept. 9.back