ANNA MARIA – With youth soccer taking the week off for fall festivities, the adult co-ed recreational soccer league was the only play on The Center’s pitches last week.
Four exciting and competitive games last Thursday night were played by the eight teams whose members fought hard for seven weeks in the regular season. The teams that finished in the bottom half of the rankings did not make it easy on their opponents, leading to two shootouts in overtime.
In a close match-up, Gulfview Windows & Doors, led by captain Keith Mahoney, battled it out against a worthy adversary, team Sato Real Estate. Josh Sato, captain for Sato Real Estate, worked with his friends and teammates for two halves of quarter-final soccer only to come up short in the end.
The Sato squad finished the regular season in fourth place, just ahead of Gulfview. With nine saves in the game, keeper Ben Sato and the team’s defensive efforts let one too many in the goal.
Giving B. Sato time to run on the field, J.D. Webb took over as goalie for a short stint. One Gulfview shot got by Webb, contributing to Mahoney’s team’s victory.
Raul Loera saved nine shots as the goalie for Gulfview, while offensively Leo Gonzalez secured a goal and made an assist to Jesus Martinez. Martinez finished the game with a hat trick, pushing his team to the next level of playoff battle.
Amy Ivin and James Noblett played tough offensively for Sato Real Estate, each scoring a goal to close out the season for the team. J. Sato was credited with an assist.
Game two of the night was a defensive battle royale with a final score of 1-1 at the end of timed play. Between three goalies on two teams, 20 goals were saved in the 44 minutes of official regulation play.
For Ross Built Custom Homes, keeper Max Gazzo made 13 recorded saves, while Chris Klotz and Nate Welch shared the goalie responsibilities with three and four saves, respectively, for team Pool America.
Scoring goals was a struggle for both teams. Daniel Hampton scored Ross Built’s only goal during timed play off of team captain Greg Ross’ assist. Opponent Murat Akay scored the only goal for Pool America during the two halves of the game.
Pool America’s team captain Eduardo Schlueter kept his team’s head in the game leading to the night’s first shootout in overtime. Out of five assigned penalty kick shooters for each team, there was only one winner.
Under the pressure of taking the PK shots, Ross Built shooters Ethan Hampton and Andrew Ross both made the first two shots for the team, and that was all that was needed to move their team forward to another week of soccer.
Nate Welch was the first kicker for Pool America and the only shooter for the team to successfully make a PK attempt.
The 8 p.m. game started a bit late but proved to be worth the wait. In the final seconds of the game, team captain Kevin Roman proved why he is a clutch player in the league, controlling the soccer ball and striking the game-winning shot.
Roman’s much-needed goal gave him another hat trick in the season, finishing with three points in the game. Heilo Gomez’s single goal helped make the Gulf Drive victory possible, along with Javier Rivera’s assist and the team’s strong defense.
Once again, goalkeeper Charles “Tuna” McCracken saved the day with nine huge stops. McCracken’s counterpart, Robb Marshall, had a strong season and game with eight saves for the Sandbar Seafood & Spirits team.
Led by Jake Parsons, the Sandbar squad finished low in the rankings, but fought hard all season and made the quarter-final playoff game an exciting nailbiter.
With the crowd cheering with every shot, John Cruz, Justin Fields and Alex Villanueva each got the Sandbar supporters roaring with their goals. Scoreless last Thursday, Sandbar’s Matt Staggs had two assists, contributing to the W.
Those who stayed for the fourth and final round one playoff battle were happy they did. The action-packed game between first-place Moss Builders and last-place Slim’s Place did not disappoint and led to another shootout.
Both team’s goalies, team captain Ryan Moss for Moss Builders and Steve Oelfke for Slim’s Place, finished regulation play with six saves.
Coming off Gerardo Urbiola Bolanos’ pass, Moss Builder’s Erica Nielsen scored the only goal for her team, while Kris Yavalar put the only point on the scoreboard for Slim’s Place.
At the final whistle, signaling the end of regulation time, Slim’s Place’s captain, Yuri Pereira, pulled his shooters together.
Dean Hinterstoisser and Urbiola Bolanos were the first two shooters for Moss Builders. Both players made their shots, perceivably setting the tone for future PKs, especially after the missed shot by Steve Adair, shooting first for Slim’s.
The three subsequent Moss Builders misses, along with goals made by Slim’s Place’s Thomas Mangotic and league founding players Damir Glavan and Yavalar sealed the deal for the underdog team’s rise to the semifinal bracket.
To start the playoff action this week, Slim’s Place will face #5 Gulfview Windows & Doors on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. In the second semifinal game, third-ranked Ross Built Custom Homes matches up against the No. 2 regular season finishers, Gulf Drive Café.
The final two that survive Thursday night’s battles on the Island soccer field will play to see who takes home the Hayward Cup honors on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
This week’s soccer play leads up to the “smiledeep” soccer tournament on Saturday, Nov. 11 at The Center, honoring Paul “Ace” Hayward, of the Hayward Cup. The tournament is a fundraiser benefitting the community center’s soccer programs. The day’s soccer action will start at 9 a.m. with open play to watch with friends and family if you are not part of the action.
SUN SCOREBOARD
NOV. 2 – ADULT CO-ED SOCCER
QUARTER-FINAL PLAYOFF GAMES
#5 Gulfview Windows & Doors 4
#4 Sato Real Estate 2
#3 Ross Built Custom Homes 1 winner in overtime PKs (2-1)
#6 Pool America 1
#2 Gulf Drive Café 4
#7 Sandbar Seafood & Spirits 3
#8 Slim’s Place 1 winner in overtime PKs (3-2)
#1 Moss Builders 1
