LONDON - Columbia had beaten St. Marys both games last season and each time St. Marys Juggernauts felt hard done by, but not this season.
Here Saturday, Juggernauts finally sent Columbia crashing to defeat with a well-deserved 2-1 Second Division victory under hot conditions and a muddy field due to all the rain.
Juggernauts knew they had to work hard to beat a stubborn Columbia side which had St. Marys’ number. Columbia needed desperately to win to keep in contention with the league front-runners so the motivation was there for both teams.
In the absence of coaches John Flanagan and Gord Moylan, Glenn Voyce looked after the coaching duties and the players took care of getting the win.
Juggernauts were wasteful with their limited opportunities in the early part of the first half as free-kicks from midfielders James Flanagan and Mike Luna were put in dangerous areas, but evaded everyone in black and white inside the 18-yard box.
Columbia’s best effort came at 27 minutes when a striker, who turned well on the edge of the box before firing a powerful drive just under the crossbar, but keeper John Stuart made a brilliant save to spoil the party and keep his team from losing any momentum.
The first half was marred by a horror tackle by a Columbia player on keeper Stuart and the player was lucky to escape with just a yellow card. The Columbia striker’s lunge on Stuart caused tempers to flare, and the referee needed to exert strict control to keep the game from boiling over.
It was a different story late in the first half, however, as the Juggernauts played with the intent which was lacking in their opening half display.
They stamped their authority on the game by dominating possession and the deadlock was broken when striker Kevin Thompson broke in alone and after the goalie came out, Thompson was very patient to step around him and calmly put the ball in the back of the net.
The tough striker met an excellent delivery from midfielder Mike Weersink with a well-directed run as the Columbia defence was caught unaware of the powerful acceleration from Thompson.
Columbia replied shortly after on a well-constructed play to get the ball into the St. Marys goal, and with bodies flying everywhere it some how found the back of the net. With the previous incident on Stuart, it was evident that he wasn’t getting any protection from the official.
It took just two minutes for the Juggernauts to put the game to bed as midfielder Korey Graham sent a diving header into the net from a Kevin Thompson throw-in to the far side of the net—sending the team to the half-time whistle up 2-1.
The second half saw Juggernauts’ strikers Kene Mills and Shane Ryan both miss a chance to get the insurance marker. The St. Marys midfield and back-line of Derek Hartman, Evan Doupe, Harm Vosters, Sjoerd de Wit, Stephen Treadway and Trevor Voyce but a padlock on Stuart’s goal area and delivered a fine display of keeping the game within St. Marys’ control.
“The whole team played hard and never gave up in any part of the field,” reported coach Voyce. “The Columbians were technically skilled and knew how to get away with fouls for many parts of the game.
“We held our cool for the majority, but did concede a couple of yellows . . . silly really. The game saw the return of Nick Martin to action so the team is getting close to a full squad which will be needed as we head into the summer vacation period. Very pleased with the result as it is a tough place to play at and we did what we had to do,” Voyce added.
The win puts St. Marys’ record at 3 wins, 1 tie and 1 defeat, and in third place with games in hand on the league leaders.
Upcoming: Next up for Juggernauts is Middlesex this Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. in Strathroy. Strathroy is one of the teams in front of St. Marys so it will be a game that may have a bearing on the final standings.
The Second Division Cup game against Marconi last Wednesday, June 17 was postponed due to the rain and is yet to be re-scheduled.
Juggernauts’ next home game is Sat., July 4.