Once~Twice~Three Times for Laurie |
Cataraqui II 4 vs Team Tallack 0
Under the watchful eye of Jim Kennedy, the boys in black got their 2008 campaign off to a flying start on Tuesday night against Team Tallack, newcomers to the league. The Novelis field was in very good condition for the season opener, and the weather was perfect for good soccer.
The team settled quickly, and took control of the midfield in the first half. Rapid fire back-to-back goals from Dino Laurie gave the fans something to cheer about early on, and took all the pressure off for the rest of the team. Well, actually it put the pressure on for more folks to score. Tiago Caldas, seemingly off-side no matter where he stood, came close, as did Warren Tutty and Ross Corcoran. Jonathon Baldwin was through on a couple of occasions, and only very good goal-keeping kept him off the score card. It was Dino Laurie completing his hat-trick that put the game well beyond the reach of Team Tallack.
The defense adapted to the three man back line fairly well, but will require a few more games to get it completely right. James McIntyre was solid in the centre, with excellent help from Rob McDonald, Ross Morton and Ben Bowen at full backs. Joel Badour covered a lot of ground in midfield, hustling back on several occasions to make timely tackles, as well as laying off some nice passes up front.
Team Tallack mounted more of a challenge in the second half, but really never looked like scoring a goal. The midfield proved equal to the task of supporting the defense, with Bernie Harpell, Peter Boyle, Dave Rossborough and Kevin McEleny breaking up any semblance of threats from the opposition. Tyson Boehme came close to making it four nil, but it was Ross Corcoran who eventually tucked in the final goal of the night.
Rick Pierce was solid and loud in nets (just the way the defenders like it) and collected a well deserved clean sheet.
All in all, a good start. There is no room for complacency, however. Coach Kennedy has pointed out that the team could stand to lose 200lbs (collectively) over the first half of the season. The next match is a late kick-off (9:00 pm) against The Keg under the mosquitoes at Willy Pratt field in Amherstview.
Ross Morton
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