Final scores:
Game 1: St. Lawrence : 5 - Feildians: 0
Game Report courtesy of the NLSA
A foggy, drizzly day at King George V greeted a good crowd of 800 plus for the 1st vs. 2nd place match between the defending Challenge Cup champions St. Lawrence and Feildians. The drizzle turned into heavy rain as play got underway but the weather had little effect on playing conditions - the advantages of an artificial turf field – but certainly tested the commitment of the fans.
Line ups; St. Lawrence
Goal: John Douglas, Andrew Perrott, Ryan Slaney, Marc Pittman, Paul Slaney, Darren Pike, Rudy Norman, Jeremy Brenton, Clinton Edwards, Richard Kelly, Mike Howlett
Feildians: Mike Organ, John Acreman, Ryan Sheppard, Colin Browne, Steve Howell, Chris Roche, Liam Kelly, Ian Power, David Webb, Chris Burry, Zach Hynes
It was an open game to start with, both sides forcing corners in the first 10 minutes but St. Lawrence slowly started to dominate mid-field. After 15 minutes Richard Kelly opened the scoring, as a long ball from Douglas found Mike Howlett, who made a great run to the by-line, cutting the ball back leaving Kelly an easy finish.
St. Lawrence pressure resulted in a second goal after 32 minutes as the ball was played in to Richard Kelly’s feet inside the penalty area. He fell but managed to lay the ball back to Paul Slaney whose low right footed shot from 20 yards was partially saved but crept in by the post.
Feidlians continued to struggle to put pressure on the St. Lawrence defence, and left themselves open to the break. Marc Pittman, charging forward from defence was taken down on the halfway line by Steve Roche, who was cautioned by referee Rob Antle
Second half
St. Lawrence continued where they left off in the 2nd half as Rudy Norman found Jeremy Brenton in space down the right. Brenton followed a strong run into the box with a good right foot finish to make it three after 53 minutes.
Feildians pushed forward and forced several corners but looked vulnerable on the break. After 64 minutes a clever ball from Howlett freed Rudy Norman for a strong run through mid field, and freed up Sean Edwards for a shot. Mike Organ saved well from point blank range but Edwards bundled home the rebound to make it 4-0. The rain was torrential at this point but the fans stayed put. The final goal came after 74 minutes as a powerful run by Norman followed by a nice ball to Sean Edwards led to a near post cross, well finished by Johnny Pickett.
With the outcome decided, both sides made substitutions, with Zach Hynes and Colin Browne picking up cautions.
Coach's Corner Game Predictions:
Game One: 1st seed vs. 2seed: St. Lawrence vs. Feildians
This will be a very one-sided affair, with the Laurentians blowing the Feildians away.
Predicted Score: St. Lawrence 5 - Feildians 0
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Game 2: Mount Pearl: 1 - Holy Cross : 0
Game report courtesy of the NLSA
Mount Pearl & Holy Cross proved to be a closely fought encounter, it was tied scoreless at the half. The weather improved slightly later in the evening but persistent rain and drizzle meant less than ideal conditions. Although the first half had no goals there were good scoring chances, the best falling to Mount Pearl. After 19 minutes Cross keeper failed to hold a hard low shot and the rebound was put over the bar from inside the goal area. Pearl had another excellent chance as the half wound down as a great through ball put Justin Pickford in on the keeper but Scott Edwards made a great save. Cross had some god chances on the break, and failed to take advantage of two free kicks in excellent positions.
Cross came out strong in the 2nd half and put some pressure on Mount Pearl for the first 10 minutes. Their best chance of the game came following a good run and cross from the left and a diving header- only to be foiled by an excellent save from Gerald Connolly. Mount Pearl broke quickly and Ryan Caines had the ball in the net for a 1-0 lead. Zach Wade missed a glorious scoring opportunity minutes later, blasting over the bar from 10 yards out, but that was as close as Cross got. Mount Pearl survived a couple of scares but held on fairly comfortably to earn a place in tomorrow's semi-final against Feildians
Coach's Corner Game Predictions :
Game Two: 3rd seed vs. 4th seed: Mount Pearl vs. Holy Cross
You could flip a coin and make this call. I realize this game could go either way, but I will give the edge to Holy Cross. I wouldn’t be shocked if this game went to overtime.
Predicted Score: Holy Cross 2 - Mount Pearl 1
Note: At the point in time I wrote the article I did not know that Jeremy Babstock would not be playing for Holy Cross. As I referred to, he is their heart and soul.
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