The Howe Sound Men's Soccer League finished up its final week of action in 2010 on the frozen tundra of the Brennan Park fields and players did their best to remain warm.
Some wore gloves, others toques but the cold weather didn't seem to affect the Dyer Straits, who blanked Zephyr 4-0 on Sunday (Nov. 21).
"Our passing was great today and for once we got off to a good start," said Straits head coach Dave Harrison. "It was really cold out there but I think both teams played pretty well considering the weather."
The Dyer Straits started off strong, attacking Zephyr early on, but Zephyr goalkeeper Steve Berezowski was up to the task. Berezowski did get a lot of help from his posts and crossbars as the Straits hit two early on and wound up hitting six overall for the game.
A handball inside the penalty area midway through the first half gave Dyer Straits the opportunity they needed and Austin Sweeney connected on the penalty kick to put his team up 1-0. Minutes later, Istvan Richter tallied from just outside the penalty area to put the Straits up 2-0.
Zephyr managed to fight back in the late stages of the second half but Straits goalie Sam Dunkley shut the door. The half concluded with the Straits up 2-0.
It was more of the same in the final 45 minutes as the Straits controlled the play and added two more goals. Joe Davidson put them up 3-0 and Charles Carter scored on a header from a corner kick to secure the 4-0 win.
The first half of the season has been a learning experience for Zephyr, who sit in last place with zero wins and 10 losses, but Harrison said he thinks Zephyr has shown a lot of growth as the season marches on.
"They're definitely improving," he said. "They've got some good players and gave us a battle today."
Zephyr's Peter Cox was disappointed by the loss and said his team is lacking some offensive punch.
"I thought we did pretty well out there today but we just couldn't finish," he said. "I think we're improving incrementally but we still have new guys coming out every week."
With the win, the Dyer Straits improve to five wins, three losses and two draws on the year and sit in third place heading into the break. Harrison said he's pleased with his team's play in the first half of the season.
"We're really happy with the way we've looked so far," he said. "We're over .500 and I think the guys are pretty confident."
In other HSMSL action, the battle for first place in the league ended in a draw as Khalsa and Galileo played to a 1-1 draw. Adrian Oreamuno scored for Galileo while Rory Fulber replied for Khalsa. Galileo remains in first place heading into the break, with a two-point edge on Khalsa.
The late game saw the Ellis Moving Eagles defeat Lilwat7uhl 5-1. In the greatest single-game individual showing this year, the Eagles' Todd Rippon scored all five goals for his team. Peter Cooper scored the lone goal for Lilwat7uhl. Heading into the break, Ellis sits in fourth place while Lilwat7uhl is in fifth.
The HSMSL is now off until Feb. 13, with games resuming that weekend at Quest University field. For the full standings and goal leaders from the league, visit the Scoreboard section of The Chief.
