Galileo got back on the winning track, edging the Ellis Moving Eagles 2-1 during Howe Sound Men's Soccer League (HSMSL) action on Sunday (Nov. 6).
It's been an up-and-down season for the defending champions, who find themselves locked in third place in the standings. Goaltending could be one of the team's keys to climbing in the standings and striker Robbie Nahanee said it was great to see regular keeper Allan Carson back between the pipes.
"It was really good to have him back out there," Nahanee said, noting that Carson has had to miss several games because of work commitments. "He's really solid back there and he helped us get the win today."
Nahanee said it was a close game and that he enjoys the league's move from Brennan Park to the Quest University field.
"It was a really good game out there," he said. "We started off really strong but kind of let them get back into it in the second half. I think playing out here [Quest field] is a lot better. It's more fast paced and you don't have the bumps you get on the grass."
Eagles head coach Dan Ellis echoed Nahanee's sentiments.
"It's definitely a lot faster out there," he said. "The ball bounces differently and that was obvious when a bunch of guys got hand balls. But it's faster out there and I think it gives guys more opportunities to produce."
Ellis said his team had plenty of chances to draw even or take the lead, but Carson seemed to stop them on every chance.
"They always play us tough and we had trouble handling some of their forwards early on," he said. "But we settled in and came out pretty hard in the second half. We had lots of opportunities but their goalie made some huge saves."
Nahanee opened the scoring after heading in a nice set-up from Adrian Oreamuno, with the Eagles' Phil Henderson drawing even with a header of his own to close out the first half at 1-1. Kyle Smith scored the winning goal in the second half and Carson held the fort to give Galileo the win.
"It's a really big win for us," Nahanee said, noting the team lost to Automind the previous week.
As for the Eagles, Ellis said he was overall pleased with his team's performance, especially considering the last time the two teams met it was an 8-1 Galileo win.
"We finally had some guys back from holidays and injuries," he said. "We fielded what we consider our best team and I think we can now match up with them and any other team in this league."
With the win, Galileo improved to five wins and four losses on the year, while the Eagles drop to three wins, five losses and one draw.
In other league action, Sikh Temple, led by a three-goal performance from Bruno Freitas, blanked Zephyr 4-0. Ranjit Thani scored the other goal for Temple, which remains in first place with the win.
The late game saw Khalsa defeat Automind 3-1 to keep pace with Sikh Temple atop the standings. Russell Adams scored twice for Khalsa, with Gary O'Neil adding a single. Russell Joel scored the lone goal for Automind, which remains in fifth place.
HSMSL action will resume on Sunday (Nov. 20), with the Ellis Moving Eagles taking on Zephyr, Khalsa battling Galileo and Sikh Temple challenging Automind.
For more information on the league, visit www.howesoundmens.snappages.com.
