There are few sporting events that are as eagerly anticipated as the over 35’s soccer league at the CGC.

Maybe the Masters at Augusta, the Super Bowl or the Football World Cup is on par, but after the first round of games they pale into insignificance as Kurno Kunovic’s Chieftain lost 2-1 to Miles Humes’ Yukon info.com outfit in the first game of the season.

Hume’s team looks powerful on paper, but games are played on artificial grass and this game was close all the way through.

Hume picked up the first goal of the season, but this was quickly cancelled out by the big German Matthias Hartmann.

Hume scored again and it looked like Yukoninfo.com would forge ahead, but a few things happened next. The first was the defensive duo of Brian Bruckman and Andrej Jablonski, who were superb in shutting down numerous attacks.

The other was that both teams realized that this game represented the first exercise they had done in five months and they were in a massive oxygen deficit. For many it was like playing in a vacuum.When the final whistle blew there wasn’t much of a celebration, more a thanking of their lucky stars.

Zuccarini fires Driving Force
to win

The second game of the morning saw Keith Welch’s Driving Force team test themselves against Danny Macdonald’s Pepsi outfit.

It turned out to be a very entertaining game, as Pat Zuccarini was in imperious form, scoring two fine goals, setting his team on the way to a solid victory.

Zuccarini was aided by Sandy Gross, who looked in a determined mood to make up for his heartbreak last season, as the two of them pulled the strings, allowing the team to run out 5-2 victors.

Graham Sim opened up the scoring for Driving Force as they put Pepsi under pressure from the word go. The Force scored at regular intervals throughout the game, and it wasn’t until Franklin Fru’s double that Pepsi sprang into life and started to play the way that Macdonald wants his team to play.

However, as with the first game age, fitness and gravity came into play as the game slowed almost to a stop to allow Driving Force a win. A win that Welch will cherish, as he begins his second year at the helm.

The other scorers for Driving Force were Mick Marceau and Keith Maguire.

Chandler inspires comeback win
for Klondike Office Systems

Mark Chandler is one of the best players in the league and now he has added being captain to his resume.

His style of play helped his team overcome a stubborn Yukon Brewing team 5-1 in the final game of the morning.

League debutant Michael Hamilton scored first for Yukon Brewing. With Chris Harwood outstanding in goal, they were able to deny KOS any goals in the first half.

The second half was a different story, as KOS poured forward with Chandler as the keystone. He scored two goals, and his play allowed the team to express themselves.

Returning legend Marcello Gortari benefited from the space he was allowed and scored a smart goal.

Huy Nguyen and a comedic own goal by Pete Mather sealed the win for Klondike Office Supplies.

For Yukon Brewing, they missed their captain Cirain Connolly who is away for two weeks as he tries to find a moose somewhere in the Yukon. The last known sighting of him was when he was spotted buying a Hunting for Dummies book at Macs.

– submitted by ANDY TODD