Mike Norman Realty battles back to 1st place

This week’s Sun sports Game of the week was a battle for first place between Autoway Ford and Mike Norman Realty. These two teams have been battling it out all year. The last time Mike Norman’s team was in first place was back on Oct. 13 when the two teams shared the lead. This week it was time for their team to take the top spot all alone. The Autoway team started the game off strong and took a very early 2-0 lead. Autoway’s first goal was a perfectly executed give-and-go pass from Sydney Cornell to Neil Carper, back to Sydney’s left foot and into the back corner of the net. Two minutes later, Neil Carper got the team’s second goal by a strategically placed long kick to the upper right corner.

After the first half’s water break and a good pep talk from Coaches Monica Simpson and Mike Greig, Mike Norman Realty was revived. Morgan Greig made a beautiful pass to Michael Duffman, who split the defenders and scored their first goal. Thirty seconds later, Morgan Greig stole a pass and booted a long ball off the right post and in for the tying goal. With the momentum on their side, one minute later Duffman returned the favor with a sweet pass to Greig in front of the net for his second goal. In a matter of two minutes Mike Norman’s team was now ahead 3-2.

The score remained that way for nearly the rest of the game. Both teams battled back and forth. With 10 minutes left, Lauren Sapienza blasted one in off the hands of the goalie, which gave the Mike Norman team the insurance goal it was looking for. Logan Reiber was everywhere on defense, showing his speed and making sure he got to every loose ball. Goalie Cooper Hardy kept the Autoway team from scoring the rest of the game. The final score was 4-2 and gave Mike Norman Realty first place in the division. It should be fun to watch how the rest of the season plays out.

Check out the Sun sports Game of the Week every week as we feature game play from around the leagues.

Division III (8-9-year-olds)

Fran Maxon Realty clinched first place and remains the only undefeated team in the entire 30-team recreational league. Fran Maxon shut out Connie’s Landscaping 5-0. Jim Class led all scoring with two goals, Taro DeHaan, Sean Quattromani and Reese Bell all added one goal each. Jessie’s Island Store and Connie’s Landscaping will battle it out for the second place spot in the next two weeks. Jessie’s and Fran Maxon have three games remaining and Connie’s has two left.

Division II (10-11-year-olds)

Three out of the four teams in this division still have a chance for first place so every win is important. Sparks Steel Art picked up a win 5-2 over Wash Family Construction. Tyler Yavalar continued to shine, getting another three-goal night and Dylan Joseph added the other two goals for Sparks. Michael Datolli and Cortni Wash each had a goal for the Wash Family team.

Division I (12-13-year-olds)

Mike Norman Realty helped secure first place this week with another win over The Gathering Place 7-2. Morgan Greig led all scoring with three goals, Lauren Sapienza scored two, Michael Duffman and Logan Reiber each added one in the victory. For The Gathering Place, Blaine Jenefsky, who usually plays goal, scored one goal and Kieran Grumley chipped in another goal. There are three games left in the season and first place is still up for grabs. Mike Norman Realty has one game left; Autoway Ford and The Gathering Place each have twogames left. If Mike Norman and Autoway each win out their games, there will be a tie for first place at the end of the regular season.

Premier (14-17-year-olds)

West Coast Surf Shop jumps into a tie for second place by defeating Wash Family Construction 10-3. Chandler Hardy was unstoppable and scored seven goals and Helio Gomez added another three-goal performance to secure the win for West Coast Surf. Garrison Clark scored two goals and Elijah Clay-Chapman added one for the Wash Family team. The Beach Bistro and Wash Family Construction teams each have three games left and the West Coast Surf team has two left. West Coast Surf is out of the race for first place, but is playing great soccer now and can still be the spoiler leading into play-offs. The Beach Bistro and Wash Family teams will battle it out in the next two weeks for the division lead.

Adult Co-Ed (21-Up)

The Fish Hole takes over first place in the division defeating The Island Sun 4-2. Josh Sato led all scorers with three goals, and Brent Moss headed in the fourth goal to secure the lead for The Fish Hole team. Damir Glavan and Zoran Kolega each scored one goal for the Island Sun. Back Alley upset last week’s first place team Sarasota Veterinary Emergency Hospital in a very exciting 4-3 game. Zach Gilliland scored two goals, David Green and Justin Noyes each added one goal for the Back Alley victory. Danielle Moore, Toby Wickland and Kris Yavalar each scored one goal for S.V.E.H. In a high scoring, back and forth, “nail-gunning” shot out, Beach to Bay Construction tied 7-7 with Ross Built Construction. Teddy Louloudes led all scoring with five big goals for Ross Built and Rich Bell and Greg Ross each added one goal. Enrico Beissert scored three goals, Scott Eason had two, Josh Bernett and Sasha Torres added one goal each for the Beach to Bay team.

The parity in the Adult League seems to be showing as any team can win on any given night. There is a three-way tie for third place, and only a few points separate them from the leaders. Only the top four teams make it to the play-offs so it should be interesting to watch as they all fight for those top spots in the division.

This week’s action:

Instructional (4-5-year-olds)

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 6 p.m. Island Dental Spa vs. LaPensee Plumbing
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m. West Coast Air Conditioning vs. Air & Energy
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 6 p.m. Air & Energy vs. Anna Maria Oyster Bar
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m. Island Dental Spa vs. West Coast Air Conditioning

Instructional (6-7-year-olds)

Friday, Nov. 5, 6 p.m. Winner of Nov. 1, 6 p.m. vs. Island Real Estate
Friday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. Winner of Nov. 1, 7 p.m. vs. Beach Bums
Monday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m. Winner of Nov. 5, 6 p.m. vs. Winner of Nov. 5, 7 p.m.

Division III (8-9-year-olds)

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 5:30 p.m. Jessie's Island Store vs. Fran Maxon Real Estate
Friday, Nov. 5, 6 p.m. Jessie's Island Store vs. Connie's Landscaping

Division II (10-11-year-olds)

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m. Sparks Steel Art vs. Mr. Bones BBQ
Friday Nov. 5, 7 p.m. Sparks Steel Art vs. Southern Green
Friday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m. Wash Family Construction vs. Mr. Bones BBQ

Division I (12-13-year-olds)

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 6 p.m. Mike Norman Realty vs. The Gathering Place
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m. The Gathering Place vs. Autoway Ford

Premier (14-17-year-olds)

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. Wash Family Construction vs. West Coast Surf Shop

Adult (21-Up)

Thursday, Nov. 4, 6 p.m. Ross Built vs. SVEH
Thursday, Nov. 4, 7:20 p.m. The Fish Hole vs. Beach To Bay Construction
Thursday, Nov. 4, 8:40 p.m. Back Alley vs. Island Sun