Soccer: Goal feast as NI soccer league makes its debut

By Bob Pearce

Central and North Shore set the pace as the new North Island soccer league kicked off with a 22-goal barrage yesterday.

Central, picked as favourites to win the 12-team league, beat Manawatu 6-0 while North Shore, who have been in the wilderness since the demise of the national league, won 4-0 against Mt Wellington.

Metro provided the biggest upset, beating Napier 2-1 at Park Island, and there were also away wins for Lower Hutt and Olympic.

In Hamilton, Melville and Waitakere played out a 1-1 draw in a fairly scrappy encounter.

North Shore returned to the big time with a team liberally spiced with youth, but it was the experienced Harry Ngata who headed the scoring.

For the first half hour Shore made most of the running yet could have been a goal down if Brad Scott had not blasted the ball over the top when he found himself unmarked in front of goal.

Ngata finally broke the deadlock when he headed home after Mount had failed to clear a left-wing corner.

Mt Wellington fought their way back into the game in the second spell, thanks to the aggression of Manoa Masi and Sheik Sahib. But David Wilkinson in the Shore goal was secure and Dean Dodds tidied up well at the back.

Shore increased their lead in the 74th minute when Gerard Davis' shot was one too many for Mount goalie Heath McNeill as he kept out a barrage from the Shore strikers.

Christopher Gage added a third in the 85th minute, after a great pass from Jimmy Cudd, and Ngata added his second in the last minute.

Central were 1-0 up against Manawatu within five minutes as Ivan Vicelich made the most of a free header, but their second didn't come until just before halftime from Paul Urlovic.

The veteran Fred De Jong, who had made Urlovic's goal, scored one of his own soon after the break and Urlovic added the fourth in the 54th minute.
The last two goals came at the end of the game from Mark Elrick and a luckless Manawatu defender.

He didn't make the score sheet but Tinoi Christie was the catalyst for the last three goals in what was a very complete performance by the Central team.
Manawatu scarcely had a shot on goal and are likely to struggle at this level.
A lesser side than Metro would have been derailed by an early Napier goal from Jeremy Brown.

But the Auckland team fought back with goals from Sakdy Phommahaxay and Shaun O'Mara in the second half.

Coach Sean Hird was thrilled by his team's spirit in what is the club's first venture at this higher level.

Waitakere took the lead in Hamilton after 20 minutes when defender Ryan Dawkins, who had been a doubtful starter, scored after a corner. The home side equalised after 65 minutes when Greg Larsen scored from close range.

Both sides had chances for the win with the best falling to Waitakere's Hamish Carmody, who missed when clear in front of goal.