Storm settle for tie with Rovers - Winkler Times

Winkler Times — After 6 wins and 2 losses, the Winkler Storm added a 1-1 tie to their record after a game against the Britannia Rovers July 6.
The one point gave the Storm a first division best 19 points, one clear of the NKMB Saints and Lusitania as of Tuesday. The Rovers have 17 points.
Tight defence and sharp goalkeeping kept the game scoreless during the first half, but the Storm drew first blood in the second half. Jacob Lepp scored on a penalty kick after Nico Nickel was taken down by the Rovers’ goalkeeper in the penalty box. The lead was short-lived, however as Britannia responded with the game-tying goal about a minute later.
The Storm return to action on July 17 at 7:30 p.m. when they play a home game versus the NKMB Saints. They follow that with another home game against Polonia S.C. on July 25.

Kickers stomped
The Hanover Kickers (in white), suffered their worst defeat in their seven-year history as they fell 9-0 to F.C. Lusitania in Manitoba Major Soccer League First Division play last Thursday in Steinbach. The Kickers host Grant Mill Sword on Tuesday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. at A.D. Penner Park

Aeros can’t solve AC Slater defence

By Julie Horbal
The Daily Graphic
Tuesday July 11, 2006

It was not a win, but last night was one step closer to a winning attitude for Southport Aeros.
The Aeros (0-7-1), who have struggled with lackluster efforts over the past few weeks, dropped a 2-0 decision to AC Slater (2-2-4) last night at Southport Recreation Complex soccer pitch.
According to Aeros coach Mitch Walker, the lack of offence is a going concern, but the Aeros will take whatever improvement they can get.
“It was a much better effort than our last game. It’s the old adage: coming slowly but surely,” Walker said. “We’ve got to put balls in the back of the net if we want to win games. You don’t win many games if you don’t score any goals, but it was a much better effort.”
Slater took a 1-0 lead courtesy of Gavin Cornelius before 30 minutes were gone in the first half, then nabbed a two-goal lead on a failed clearing attempt just prior to halftime.
After an Aeros defender missed getting the ball out of the Southport crease, goalkeeper Glen Pauch made a great save, but fumbled away the ball to Slater’s Jon Beardsley, who tucked it into the empty corner of the net.
The marker temporarily deflated the Southport players, who slunk through the rest of the half without much energy or gusto -- and with a bit of frustration Walker summed up to feeling a lack of luck.
“We just aren’t getting the bounces. (Slater’s) goals, you don’t want to say they were fluky, but they’re drawing on the spots,” Walker said. “Unfortunately, luck is a certain factor and luck hasn’t been coming our way.”
Southport came out with a score to settle in the second half and -- at the very least -- to leave AC Slater’s score unchanged. They succeeded in the latter.
The Aeros communicated better with each other and put up a mighty fight, but couldn’t put the shots where they needed them.
They were, however -- unlike the past few games -- consistently moving about the field, an encouraging sign for their coach.
“We’re getting guys into more positional play. Before it was helter-skelter, just trying to figure out where guys should play,” Walker said. “Now if we’re sending guys out, we know where they’re going and they go there.”
Despite only a few shots reaching the Slater net, Southport’s more organized attack showed signs of good things to come. Though passes were not always reaching their destination and players not always reaching their targeted location, practice should soon make progress, if not perfect.
“There’s more substance to our attack and I think we just need to practice getting ourselves more scoring opportunities,” said Walker, whose squad next faces United Football Club (3-4-1) on July 18 in Winnipeg.
“We need to start letting our legs go. Start shooting. Don’t worry about the perfect shots, just getting any shot.”

Winkler Storm added a 1-1 tie to their record

Winkler Times — After 6 wins and 2 losses, the Winkler Storm added a 1-1 tie to their record after a game against the Britannia Rovers July 6.
The one point gave the Storm a first division best 19 points, one clear of the NKMB Saints and Lusitania as of Tuesday. The Rovers have 17 points.
Tight defence and sharp goalkeeping kept the game scoreless during the first half, but the Storm drew first blood in the second half. Jacob Lepp scored on a penalty kick after Nico Nickel was taken down by the Rovers’ goalkeeper in the penalty box. The lead was short-lived, however as Britannia responded with the game-tying goal about a minute later.
The Storm return to action on July 17 at 7:30 p.m. when they play a home game versus the NKMB Saints. They follow that with another home game against Polonia S.C. on July 25.

Carman Kickers fall to Southport United

Carman Kickers fall to Southport United


By Gene Still
Friday July 14, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — The end result may have been the same as their previous three defeats, but the Carman Kickers could not be accused of getting off to a slow start.
"They did much better in the first half. They were really strong," said Kickers' Coach William Hoogerdijk.
Carman hosted Southport United on July 6 and came out on the losing end of a 3-0 final.
Despite the loss, Kickers' Coach William Hoogerdijk said the club actually got off to a solid start in the opening half battling Southport to a scoreless tie at the break. What made that performance even more impressive was the fact Carman played the entire contest short one player.
"It's not that we didn't create. We had our chances in the first half," Hoogerdijk said. "But we played the whole game a man down so by the second half we started to get a little tired.
"But the guys played a heckuva game. They worked well."
However Southport got the contest's opening goal about thirty seconds into the second half and that seemed to deflate the undermanned Kickers.
"It kind of set the guys back because we played so well in the first half," he said. "That first goal hurt us a bit."
And that turned out to be the game winner as Southport added two more markers in the final 25 minutes of regulation to secure the victory.
Carman lose for the second straight time by a 3-0 final, but the coach said defense isn't his major worry.
"Defensively, it doesn't look good when you lose 3-0 and 3-0. But defense hasn't really been the concern. It's more about getting rewarded on offense. We need to cash in when we get a chance to score," Hoogerdijk said. "We definitely have got to fine tune part of the offense because we might be pressing too much and maybe need to relax a little when we get a good shot.
"We're creating chances but we've got to start capitalizing on them so it shows up on the scoreboard."
Kickers notebook: The loss dropped the Kickers' record to 2-5 and tied for last place in the Black conference. Carman's next home appearance is at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 17 when the St. James Hurricane come to town.

Ndima, Pescara knock around Aeros - The Daily Graphic

Ndima, Pescara knock around Aeros


By Julie Horbal
The Daily Graphic
Wednesday July 05, 2006

Southport Aeros did not need Eric Ndima to rub a poorly-played game in their faces.
But the Pescara striker did just that -- over and over again.
Ndima hammered Southport for four goals in a 5-2 win for Pescara (1-5) last night at Southport Recreation Centre soccer pitch, with the Aeros (0-5-1) not doing much to help their own cause.
Despite controlling much of the play for the half, the last-place squad in Manitoba Major Soccer League’s Second Division Black Group could not follow through on passes nor buy a goal to save their lives.
“That’s been the story this year. The bounces aren’t going our way and we’re just lacking in effort,” said a frustrated Southport coach Mitch Walker.
“It seems like we’re not pacing ourselves and the effort just isn’t being put forth when it’s needed.”
Southport came out of the gates with razor-sharp intensity and agile legs, allowing few shots to reach keeper Glen Pauch. But by halftime, the Aeros were visibly worn and could barely hold the ball in front of the Pescara net.
And that just won’t do, according to the coach.
“You’ve gotta have the ball in order to shoot the ball and score the ball,” Walker said.
“We’re not putting the effort to score and gain possession. We don’t have the effort to support each other in passes. The effort in passing itself isn’t there either and that shows when we’re not working to the target.”
Southport’s Dylan Wiebe and Duane Chaves each had several good chances, but none which could elude Pescara keeper Nick Fortier to keep the game scoreless through the first half.
Pescara came out with a vengeance in the second half and took the lead early in the session when Ndima launched a hard shot off a cross from Pauch’s left side, pulling the keeper too far out of the net to be able to recover.
The go-ahead goal deflated Southport’s momentum instantly and Ndima beat Pauch again during a goalmouth scramble less than 10 minutes later.
Southport’s Ben Wettlaufer collected a nice pass from Nick St. Goddard and hammered a floater past Fortier midway through the half to cut the lead to 2-1.
But the majority of his squad did not raise its effort level to tie things up, as Pescara maintained continual possession of the ball and eventually scored on an Aeros’ mistake.
In an attempt to pass back to Pauch, Southport defender Cam Scott misplayed a header in front of his own net and Pescara’s Josh Frankel found the ball before the goalkeeper.
A breakaway shot by the striker gave Pescara a 3-1 lead and for the most part the Aeros just shook their heads and watched after that.
Desperation kicked in a few minutes later, but it was too late for Southport, and Ndima found the net twice more before the contest was done.
Matt Bernard sandwiched a Southport goal between Ndima’s last two markers, but the effort was not enough to sustain any sort of offensive attack.
In Walker’s opinion, the game was just another in a long line of subpar efforts this season and both he and co-coach Roger Fooks are at a loss as to what to do now.
“I don’t know what it is. We’re working hard at practicing. Practices are well attended. It just doesn’t translate to effort at game time,” Walker said. “There is just no desire to win and I’m not getting that winning vibe when they go on the field. I don’t know what we can do other than go out there and do things for them.”
Last night’s loss was especially hard to take, since Pescara and Southport were neck-in-neck on the bottom rung of the Second Division Black Group standings.
It was no secret to Southport, which sees its next action at home on July 10 against A.C. Slater (1-2-4), how much weight was attached to the game.
“(Last) evening would have been the victory for us. One win is what it’s going to make the difference because not one team in our group has a pile of wins,” said Walker.
“I don’t want to use the old adage of the critical victory, but if we win (last night), with our tie from the opener we get three points and we’re right into the middle of the pack.”

Southport United doubles up in the W column with a 1-0 win -The Daily Graphic

Southport United doubles up in the W column with a 1-0 win


By Julie Horbal
The Daily Graphic
Thursday June 29, 2006

Ray Chabot just might be as close to David Beckham-esque stardom as he is ever going to get.
Chabot buried the lone goal for Southport United last night in the squad’s 1-0 win over Tri-S Strike Force and -- from the moment the marker found the net to the moment the final whistle blew -- there was no bigger hero on the Southport soccer scene.
The goal got United (2-3-2) out of a five-game Manitoba Major Soccer League Fourth Division winless skid and even the humble scorer himself admitted it was nice to finally break the bank.
“It was great to get the ball rolling and finally get some wins for us,” said Chabot, who returned to the Southport lineup last night after missing a couple outings because of a concussion. “It was great to get out of our losing streak and get away from our ties.”
After 80 minutes of chipping and sliding in every attempt to break a scoreless tie, Chabot took off on a hard drive towards Tri-S keeper Eric Rensfelt, fired one shot and then stole the rebound from Rensfelt to sink the deciding goal.
The marker could not have come at a better time, as Southport was on its last and very tired legs -- but Chabot suggested the squad, no matter how exhausted, would not have settled for anything less.
“We were hungry for that goal,” he said. “We didn’t have lots of subs, but we just kept on pressing and luckily we got one.”
Though the scoreboard did not reflect it, United had the pressure on for most of the contest and was getting near-shots away in abundance.
According to Southport coach Albert Philippot, the problem up until Chabot sunk his goal was a lack of finish around the net -- though the coach was not one for nitpicking after a big win.
“When we have possession, we can’t often put the ball in the net, so we’ll have to work on that. We have to finish earlier and take better shots on the net,” Philippot said.
“We had awesome chances and we put some of those wide. But I am not going to put the guys down. It was an awesome game.”
Southport fought against some very scrappy Strike players -- two of whom were yellow-carded in the affair -- but came hard and came back after a rough first half.
“At the end of the first half, we seemed to be struggling, but I talked to the guys and told them to pass the ball a little bit more and slow down their running,” Philippot said. “It seemed to work at moments and at moments there were momentary lapses, but things can be worked out.”
United did a good job of working the kinks out through the second half, but still had trouble settling the ball and keeping possession.
Those “small adjustments” can be made fairly easily, however, said Philippot, who could not constructively criticize his glowing squad without doubling praise after the big win.
“Sure want to generate a little more offence and a little more ball control,” the coach said. “But this was a very nice victory for us. It moves us up in the standings and it motivates us and gives us more confidence. It was a huge game.”

Winkler Storm bounced back last week - WINKLER TIMERS

Goal!!!! After a pair of losses marred their so-far perfect season last month, the Winkler Storm bounced back last week, soundly defeating Scotia United 7-3 on June 29. The win brings the Storm’s record to 6 wins, 2 losses. The Storm’s next home game kicks off on July 17 at 7:30 p.m. against the NKMB Saints.

Ashleigh Viveiros/Winkler Times

Fusion extends Kickers winless skid to three games - Carman Valley Leader

Fusion extends Kickers winless skid to three games
Sluggish starts proving to be costly

By Gene Still
Friday July 07, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — Slow starts are proving costly to the Carman Kickers especially when it comes to the win-loss column.
The Kickers sluggish start on June 26 against Fusion led to the visitors jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead by half-time en route to a 3-0 victory over Carman. It marked the Kickers third loss in a row.
Carman Coach William Hoogerdijk was again left searching for answers to his club's seemingly Jekyll & Hyde performances. Starting poorly in the first part of a game only to come on strong in the second half.
"I honestly don't know. It is kind of frustrating because I see how they're capable of playing in the second half," Hoogerdijk said. "For whatever reason, it seems like they have to get their backs up against the wall before they start playing good.
(But) this was another one of those times when we didn't play as well in the first half. I don't know if it's a case of trying to be too fancy or maybe a bit lazy."
After opening the scoring on a penalty kick, Fusion added two more before the break and that was it for the scoring on this night.
However, much like their previous defeats to Sparta and the Winnipeg Triumph, the Kickers came out much stronger after the intermission.
"We carried the play a little better and did a pretty good job. We battled them to a draw in the (second) half," Hoogerdijk said. "But once again it was too little too late."
The defeat left Carman with a 2-4 record in fourth place in the Black conference of the Fourth Division.
Kickers notebook: Carman's next home game was scheduled for July 6 when they were to entertain Southport United. Results were unavailable as of press time. After that the Carman goes on the road for a July 12 match-up with the Luisitania Revolution.
The Kicker's next action at Carman Collegiate Soccer Field will be Monday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. when they host the St. James Hurricane.