Morning Star Staff
The North Enderby Timber took the first half to set the tone and the second half to seal the deal as they grounded Turn-Key Controls 4-0 in a North Okanagan Soccer League showdown Wednesday night at the Greater Vernon Athletics Field.
It was Turn-Key’s first loss after winning eight straight. The Timber improved to 7-1-1.
The first half ended scoreless with both teams creating chances with some good, clean physical play.
The second half was a different story as NET kept their composure playing textbook soccer from the back line to the forwards.
NET’s first goal came all the way from the back as Menno Burnet laid the ball off to keeper Victor Gouchee, who played a 60-yard long ball to Mike Bennett.
Bennett looked more like Lionel Messi with his first touch, turning the Turn-Key defence inside out and then playing a sweet through ball to speedster Brent Poulsen, who ever so calmly slotted the ball under the charging keeper.
The Timber second goal came from a similar play as Jesse Knight found Poulsen, whose speed was unmatched as he blew past the last defender to find only the keeper to beat.
The Timber kept pressure up as blonde bombshell Finley McPhie beat more Turn-Key players than you can count on one hand on a 40-yard run to lay the ball off to Poulsen for his third goal in just over 10 minutes.
NET’s final goal by Bennett was off a penalty kick after the dribbling wizard was hauled down inside the 18 in the final minutes.
Gouchee had a great game, keeping the Turn-Key defenders on their toes with his booming goal kicks.
Turn-Key thought they had pulled the game to 3-1 midway through the second half when they scored off a set piece but had the goal called back due to incidential contact in the box.
In other action, Alberto Gomez scored once and dominated all night as Monashee Surveying FC shut down Peters Tirecraft 4-0 at MacDonald Park.
In games next Wednesday night, Monashee visits the Salmon Arm Outlaws, while the Timber face Courvas and Tirecraft takes on the Revelstoke Stallions, also in the Shuswap.