[ SOCCER ]
Aloha United loss
leaves Hawaii
without a title
The men of Aloha United came ready for their fourth match in as many days in the 55-and-over division of the National Veteran's Cup soccer tournament at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park.
For the second consecutive season a Hawaii team, the only one of 13 in this competition to reach a final, was seeking a national championship trophy.
Yes, there were tired legs and sore knees and no cloud cover to block the sun in yesterday's mid-morning match. The same was true for the Georgia Selects, who had fallen to Aloha United 1-0 in the preliminary round.
The wind was strong and Aloha United elected to have that advantage at their backs the second half. The strategy almost worked.
With the score 1-1 and the final minute ticking off the referee's watch, Georgia's Gary Bilyk worked the ball to the end line on the left, forcing United goalkeeper Terry Farley to make a move, then crossed to Samir Jordak, who merely had to direct the ball into an open goal.
"Dang" said United fullback Mark Kane.
United coach Vic Peters, understandably down after such a turn of events, said, "It's just the way we lost. At least we represented Hawaii well as the only local team in the finals."
Georgia used the wind advantage to control the first half, especially the midfield, where Bilyk and Tim Patton roamed freely much of the time, gathering loose balls to keep pressure on the United defense.
Farley, who is from Lihue, played a strong game between the pipes, stopping everything else Georgia fired at him except a penalty kick in the 30th minute.
United got its second wind with the wind in the second half and began to create scoring opportunities. Wendell Staszkow sent a curling shot from the right side from 10 yards out that was headed for the upper corner of the goal at 21 minutes only to see Georgia goalkeeper George Bezkorovainy deflect the ball out of bounds with his left hand at the last possible moment.
Staszkow sent a direct free kick toward the left corner at 31:42, only to have a Georgia defender flick the ball away with a well-timed head save.
Kane made a run up the left side minutes later, sent a ball toward the goal that Dennis Fern redirected with a quick touch, but Bezkorovainy reacted to make a diving save.
At 40:09, Brian Tilley was taken down in the penalty box and Staszkow converted to even the score at 1-1.
The Georgia players had enough left in their legs to move the ball into the United end for the winning goal.
"We put this team together about a year ago and played in the under-50 division last year. In May we split into two teams," said Georgia coach Rick Skirvin.
United's Frank Doyle said, "This is a great team. I just wish we had won the damn thing. I hate to lose. But I'll bet they'll all want to play again next year."
One United player who will be back is Tilley, a Massachusetts resident who found a spot on the roster through the Internet.
"I'm coming back and making Aloha United my primary team," said Tilley who fit in quickly despite not having played with United previously.
"There is a period of adjustment where you have to get time on the field to prove yourself. Each time I went in, I got more and more playing time."
Tilley also will be back in April, when Aloha United travels to Gold Coast, Australia, for the world championships.
In other matches, Shear Power (Wash.), the only defending champion in a final, won its second consecutive title in the women's over-50 division by beating the Lone Star Strikers (Texas) 4-1 on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 0-0 tie through 90 minutes of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods.
Copa di Vida (Wash.) got a goal from Brooks Holman in the 44th minute to edge Northwest Connection (Wash.) 1-0 in the women's over-40 final.
In the women's over-55, Seattle Sounder Select (Wash.) beat Shear Power II (Wash.) 1-0. In the men's over-40 first division, Akron Arsenal (Ohio) defeated I.O. United (Iowa/Oregon) 3-2 in overtime. In the men's over-40 premier division, Tri-Alliance '02 (Wash.) beat the Greek-Americans (Calif.) 2-1. And in the men's over-50, the Golden State Oldies (Calif.) beat the Texas Wanderers 2-1.
