The Shady Rest O45 soccer side rolled out its second straight win to start the season on Sunday with a resounding 4-buz blanking of Nanaimo.
According to longtime Shady Jim Cameron, keeper Ian Miller earned the shut-out “with a commanding performance,” that saw him make two clutch saves early in the game and control the penalty area on Nanaimo’s corner kicks.
Played out at QB Rec Fields under ideal fall conditions, Terry ‘bomber’ Brown started the Shady onslaught 20 minutes in when he converted on a great through ball from Jim Mitchel, and 10 minutes later Brown fed Eric Duivenwoorde who buried a low shot to the corner for a 2-nil Shady lead which is how it stood at the half.
Dubbed ‘the flying Dutchman,’ by his teammates, Duivenwoord, said Cameron, “caused constant problems for the Nanaimo defence with his speed down the wing.”
The Shadies picked up where they left off in the second half, carrying the action to a tiring Nanaimo side.
Duivenwoorde gained an assist when he turned a cross from Aaron Collery into the path of Russ Hannay, who scored from the top of the 18 to up the lead to 3-0.
Brown nailed down the win in the dying minutes of the match thanks to some great work by the midfield with his second goal of the day and third of the season.
According to Cameron, the Shadies back line, marshalled by Kevin Newton and supported by Brown, Mark Davies and Rav Mirabeer, “was outstanding, controlling the game from the back and shutting down the dangerous Nanaimo strikers.”
Newton was the man of the match for Shady Rest.
GAMES ON
The 045 Shadies travel to Courtenay in two weeks, while the 035s and the elder statesmen, the 055s, are both home at QB Rec Fields this Sunday at high noon.