ANNA MARIA – With the sun’s heat pounding on The Center of Anna Maria Island’s field, the two teams slated to play the week’s opening soccer match walked onto the pitch looking for their first win of the season.
Both the Sandbar Seafood & Spirits and Slim’s Place teams were defeated in week one action.
After more than 40 minutes of play, both teams walked off the pitch still seeking a victory. Ending in a 3-3 tie, team captains Jake Parsons and Yuri Pereira will take their squads into the third week of Island soccer ready for a win.
Spreading out the scoring among the Sandbar team, Justin Fields, Matthew Staggs and Parsons put up a goal each for their team. Fields is also given a tick mark on the score sheet for an assist.
On the other side of midfield, Pereira’s team saw points put up by Kali Richardson, Helio Gomez, and Lindsey Styka for Slim’s Place. The team’s recorded scoring assist came from Richardson.
Team goalies Robb Marshall and Steve Oelfke helped keep the score tied with amazing stops and aggressive play. With six and 11 saves respectively, the two veteran keepers showed why they are a hot commodity in the league.
In 7 p.m. soccer action, Gulf Drive Café and Pool America also started the week looking for a W. Like their opponents before them, the game ended in a 3-3 tie, resulting in a four-way points tie for last place.
Missing the first week, Gulf Drive Café’s captain Kevin Roman was the high scorer in the second game of the night with two goals. Teammate Eliza Faillace, returning this season after a brief break, scored the additional point for the Gulf Drive team.
Charles “Tuna” McCracken made 13 huge saves in the game showing his quick reflexes and reaction time. Roman finished with two saves.
Team Pool America showed a different side of the team after a volatile first showing last week. With emotions in check, the team’s three goals came off the boots of Murat Akay, Landon Ellis, and Luca Vecchio. Austin Nutting and Akay were credited with assists in the game.
The four squads at the bottom of the ranks go into the third week of play to fight for a win.
Pool America starts the plight against Sato Real Estate. The Sato team sits in first place with a 2-0-0 record with a win against Gulfview Windows & Doors, 9-2. In the blowout victory, Amy Ivin knocked out four goals in the game, topping teammate James Noblett, who had a hat trick.
Jamal Duzgun and goalie and team captain Josh Sato had solo goals against Gulfview. With three saves, Sato shared the duties with Daniel Tonkin. Tonkin had a single save in the game.
Team captain Keith Mahoney shot and scored both points for his team. Keeper responsibilities were shared by Gulfview’s Raul Loera, with eight saves, and Curtis Bickler, stopping five shots.
Sandbar goes up against team Ross Built Custom Homes this week in the second game of the night. Ross comes off a big loss against the Moss Builders team. With the final score of 8-3, the team played without their captain Greg Ross.
In the final game of the night last week, Daniel Hampton got the soccer ball across the line for two points for Ross Built, while Nicola Manni had a goal of her own.
Max Gazzo, playing goal for the team again last Thursday night, had eight nice saves against the tough Moss Builders offense.
Two hat tricks for the Moss team helped secure the big win. Erica Nielsen and Gerardo Urbiola Bolanos each scored three goals in the 40-minute match.
Rex Kesten and Brandon Rolland hit the other two strikes that got past Gazzo. Team captain Ryan Moss held down the defense in goal, stopping seven Ross Built shots.
Rounding out three plays, Gulf Drive Café meets Sandbar and Gulfview matches up against top-ranked and undefeated Moss Builders, hoping to shake things up in the standings heading into the October schedule.
SUN SCOREBOARD
8- TO 10-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE
WEEK 1
Moss Builders 2
La Creperie 0
Isola Bella Italian Eatery 0
AMI Coconuts 0
Adrian Griffin Interiors 2
Solid Rock Construction 0
11- TO 13-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE
Solid Rock Construction 7
HSH Design 4
Cheesecake Cuties 5
The Gitt Team – KW On The Water 0
SEPT. 14
ADULT CO-ED SOCCER
WEEK 2
Sandbar Seafood & Spirits (0-1-1) 3
Slim’s Place (0-1-1) 3
Gulf Drive Café (0-1-1) 3
Pool America (0-1-1) 3
Sato Real Estate (2-0-0) 9
Gulfview Windows & Doors (1-1-0) 2
Moss Builders (2-0-0) 8
Ross Built Custom Homes (1-1-0) 3
