This weekend saw only five of our teams in action with the mens Premier and Division One games postponed for personal reasons. In the remaining five games we recorded 3 victories, one tie and a loss.

The Under 21 team kicked the weekend and followed up last week’s 12-0 win with a narrow 2-1 win over local rivals Surrey Pegasus. United started strongly and within twelve minutes had built up a two goal lead. The first goal came in the fifth minute when Sean Kelly volleyed home a great cross from close range. The only surprise in the early going was that it took United ten more minutes to increase their lead through lee Grant who scored from the penalty spot after Kelly had been brought down in the box. For the vast majority of the match United dominated play but continued to squander some glorious scoring chances. The home side Pegasus team, to their credit, kept battling and their efforts were rewarded when they capitalized on a well taken free-kick to score from close range at the 75 minute mark. The pattern of the game still remained the same with United missing three good scoring chances to ice the victory but the resurging Pegasus also missed two chances to tie up the game. In the end United recorded the all important win but United’s poor finishing might easily have cost them a victory in a game that in reality should have been a much more emphatic victory.

The divison two mens team held onto their top spot despite surrendering a late goal to Club Ireland that earned the visitors a tie. In fact, the visitors had opened the scoring in the game early in the first half but United replied when midfielder Ezra Fenwick hammered home a Dave Morris cross. In the second half Avi Yakub gave United the lead which looked as though it would stand up as the game winner until late goal by the Irishmen.

In Mens masters actions, United got off to a slow start and were lucky not to be two goals down in the first fifteen minutes against the Langley All Blacks (who for some reason play in red). Langley thought they had scored when the fierce close range shot beat United keeper Angelo Bonato but somehow out of nowhere United midfielder Steve MacNicholl appeared to clear the ball acrobatically off the goal line. Five minutes later, MacNicholl turned out to be the hero once again, this time conceding a penalty kick when the opposing centre-forward seemed certain to score. However, the visitors centre-forward trying some trickery with the spot shot but only succeeded in dragging his kick well wide of the target. United’s old seasoned warhorses certainly know how to respond and within two minutes Murray Howes hammered home a lethal shot that visually deflated the hitherto optimistic visitors. Former premier skipper Kelly Bey still looking superbly fit running all over the pitch and his pace was two much for Langley when he burst through the defence to grab United’s second five minutes later.

From that point on the result was never in doubt and United added further goals from Harkisson, Bey and Marini before Langley notched a late consolation goal to spoil Bonato’s shut-out bid. Bey’s two goal romp and outstanding performance earns him this week’s player of the week award. Each Weekly Winner will have their name entered into a random draw for the month for Dinner for Two.

In ladies divison one action suffered a set-back in their recent climb up the league ladder by losing 2-0 away to Pitt Meadows who avenged their early season loss to United. Surrey started strongly led by Kaitlen Clarke who has been a major force in recent games. Virtually from the opening whistle she broke clean through but then watched in agony as her shot clanked off the post. Shortly after Clarke went in on goal again after a nice set-up by Nicole Gertsen but saw her rising shot sail over the cross-bar. The home team encouraged by these let offs and backed by a strong wind began to take over the game and after some sloppy marking in the United defence Pitt meadows opened the scoring when a fierce shot from the edge of the penalty area flew into the top of the net. Pitt Meadows then struck again when a failed high clearing attempt by United hit a wind wall and landed fortuitously at the feet of the pitt Meadows player who tapped the ball into the net. United had the strong wind at their backs for the entire second half and enjoyed a major territorial advantage but were unable to breakthrough the home team defence to register on the score-sheet.

In Ladies Premier action at Cloverdale the United gals overcame a plucky Westside team to register a 3-1 win. Surrey enjoyed plenty of possession in the early going but there attacking ideas seemed to be stifled in the final third. United did open the scoring midway though the first half when Megan Blaker outpaced the Westside defence to latch onto a long clearance by keeper Wendy Hawthorne. Blaker, steadied herself, and then calmly lobbed the ball over Shannon Anderson’s head (the Westside keeper and also Surrey United PCSL) and into the net. United’s lead was relatively short lived and Westside tied up the game ten minutes later finishing off a well executed play. Shortly after, the interval United regained the lead somewhat fortuitously and thanks to a Westside defender who hammered a back-pass to Anderson in the goalmouth. Being unable to handle the ball Anderson blocked the effort with her body but United substitute Martina Holan had anticipated the play and rushed in to tap the loose ball into the net. Ten minutes later another United substitute provided the insurance marker when she hammered home a left foot drive into the top corner of the net from some twenty five yards out giving the visiting keeper no chance on the play. Throughout the game United’s defence held the opposing strikers in check with Sadie McLure and Andrea Sumner having strong outings.