After taking three weeks off because of poor weather conditions, the Howe Sound Men's Soccer League (HSMSL) returned to the pitch on Sunday (March 13) with all six teams in action.
The long layoff didn't seem to affect Galileo, who defeated Khalsa 3-1 and increased its lead on the rest of the league.
"I thought it was a great battle out there," said Galileo's Cristian Oreamuno. "It took about 10-15 minutes for us to get our legs back but we felt good after that."
The weather conditions were marginal but Oreamuno said his team wasn't bothered by the state of the all-weather fields at Brennan Park.
"It was almost like playing on the beach today," he said. "But it was really a huge win for us."
Galileo came out strong, with Oreamuno getting his team on the board early. Galileo was buzzing early on and Oreamuno almost added a second goal when he booted a long-range shot that connected with the crossbar.
As the first half continued, Khalsa began to find its legs and displayed solid ball movement thanks to slick midfielders Jared Bir and Ben MacGregor. Khalsa's persistence paid off when Rich Collins got his team on the board after some great ball movement. The first half concluded shortly after the tying goal and the two teams remained locked at one goal apiece.
The tide turned in the second half, as Khalsa struggled to break through the defensive coverage of Galileo. Oreamuno added two more goals, one early in the half and one later on to secure the victory for his team. He now leads the league in goals with 18 but he was quick to point out how crucial the win was for his team.
"Those are some really important points for us," he said, noting that Galileo now sits five points up on Khalsa for first place.
It was the fourth time this season that the two teams met, with the previous two games ending in 1-1 draws. Galileo also defeated Khalsa 5-2 on Sept. 19 and with the victory, it has now nearly clinched first place in the regular season with a record of nine wins, one loss and two ties. Khalsa is five points out of first, with a record of seven wins, two losses and three ties.
In other HSMSL action, Dyer Straits defeated Zephyr 6-1. Austin Sweeney recorded a hat trick for the Straits and adding singles were Charles Carter, Joe Davidson and Ben Brearley. Ryan Quigley scored the lone goal for Zephyr.
The late game saw the Ellis Moving Eagles blank Lilwat7uhl 5-0. Nathan Ward picked up a hat trick, with Micah Cianca and Chad Guidi also tallying.
The league will resume action on Sunday (March 20) with all six teams returning to action on the all-weather fields at Brennan Park.
