It took them half an hour to finally field 11 players, but the Okanagan Spring Brewery Camels are on the points table at last.
The injury-riddled Humpbacks gained a 1-1 draw with RPM Auto of Kelowna in Capri Insurance Men’s 45+ Soccer League play Monday night at Marshall #5 Field.
The Camels, who have forfeited one game due to a lack of players, started with nine before Akbal Mund showed up near the 20th minute. Just 15 minutes later, Darren Hansen arrived and within seconds of stepping on the pitch, set up John Orton for a 17-yard low strike to tie the match.
RPM scored first at 20 minutes on a breakaway with Doug Roth smacking a low shot past keeper Ron Krause, subbing for veteran Dave Dutcher, who is out for the year with injury.
Centre back Mark Budgen and centre midfielder Rob Hulstein ran miles and shared the Red Robin Man of the Match. The Camels are 0-3-1, while RPM is 0-4-2.
Surging Bosman Accounting got two goals apiece from Rolf Hirschkorn and John Matejika in a 4-1 win over the Pushor Mitchell Rented Mules under the lights at Beasley Park in Lake Country.
Newbie James Haasdyk put the Mules ahead at 18 minutes on a broken play just outside the penalty area.
Hirschkorn buried a 27-corker free kick to the far corner six minutes later and Bosman re-gained ball possession.
Matejika had a number of Grade A scoring chances in the second half, nicely finishing after the Mules’ keeper stopped Kerry Correia and Gerard Geelkerken from in tight.
Hirschkorn mopped things up in the 83rd minute with another rocket, this time from 25 yards on the right flank, assisted by styling Barry MacKay.
Former Team Canada fullback John Hughes anchored a solid Bosman back line, while centre midfielder Dave Howes rocked everything that moved and just grazed the post from 14 yards after a feed by 55+ league call-up Kevin Mitchell. Keeper Gerson Betman recorded some dazzling stops as the Mules pressured in the late going.
Matejika, who also had one assist, took the Burger King man of the match as Bosman went to 3-2. The Mules are 1-5.
The Turn-Key Controls Ogopogos ran their winning streak to four games by ambushing Real JVL 9-0 at Marshall #4.
Fountain Tire Man of the Match Jeff Nice showed some marvellous passing skills combined with lethal finishing and ended the game with two goals and two assists.
Bryan Schenker scored three times in the first half. The goal of the night came in the second half by Ruben Cervantes, who chested down a long pass from Ian Bos before sending a bullet top corner.
Mark Wasylyk and Duane Dennis both scored once while the Pogos gained an own goal.
The 4-0 Turn-Key backline, marshalled by Steve Fitzpatrick, Steve Coombs and Jason Beck, was rock-solid. Real JVL is 0-5-1.
A hard physical game saw Mission Cleaners bounce Brandt’s Creek Pub 4-0 at Parkinson #8 Field in Kelowna.
A fast start by Brandts put heavy pressure on Mission Cleaners to start the half. The Cleaners weathered the pressure and slowly began to build control of the game leading to a 1-0 half lead. Both teams started the second with strong intensity until Mission Cleaners broke through with three more tallies.
Dave Jenkinson bagged the brace with Robin Carter and Rob Teves adding singles. Andy Joplin held the clean sheet.
Brown Benefits shut down Soccer United 6-0 in a first-place showdown at Parkinson #9 with Gord Regan earning the shutout.
Without top scorer Mike (Mr. D) Bertoia, Soccer United was in tough and Browns started strong, but United had its best chance foiled when Vinicio Delgado’s sure-goal header was saved by Regan on a spectacular dive.
Soccer United’s evening became more challenging when second-leading scorer Axel Merckx tweaked his hamstring at 30 minutes and left the game early in the second half.
Don Brown opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Steve Fagan was fouled in the box. Keeper Chris Turbitt stopped Brown’s initial shot but Brown slotted the rebound into the bottom corner. Steven Heiss doubled the advantage soon after when he bundled the ball, along with himself and two defenders, into the net from a Larry Kinakin cross.
After the break, Tony Gonzales turned in a White Spot Man of the Match performance, scoring a goal and assisting two others in a 10-minute spell. First, he set up Jim Kruiper, who fired a smoker into the bottom corner, and then set up Tim Austen to send his strike into the other corner. Gonzales then converted on a breakaway to increase the lead to five. Austen added one more to complete the scoring as the skies opened up and drenched the players but not the Browns’ spirits.
Brown Benefits lead the league at 6-0 with Soccer United second at 5-1. Penticton TC United (4-1) had the bye.
Tree Brewing moved to 2-3 with a 4-1 victory over Mind Smart at City Park.
The Brewers dominated the opening 45 but had trouble finding the back of the net, shooting high and wide or right at the keeper.
Dave Short connected just before the recess. Tree Brewing added second-half goals by Joseph Kimpian, Chris Purnell and Steve Frost. Mike Prokopetz countered for 1-5 Mind Smart in a clean, well-played game