First-place showdown
P.E.I. F.C. hosting Fredericton for a pair of weekend games
SoccerStop P.E.I. F.C.’s collision course with the Fredericton Reds comes to a head today in Cornwall.
P.E.I. F.C. (9-0-0) leads the McCain New Brunswick Premier Soccer League by three points over second-place Fredericton (8-2-0).
Island striker Jared Murphy said players try not to look at the standings.
“If you start looking ahead . . . you start to lose focus of the game at hand and that’s what you don’t want to do,” he said.
The teams play today at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Both games are at the Terry Fox Sports Complex in Cornwall. After this weekend P.E.I. has two games remaining and Fredericton one.
The Island squad can clinch the title this weekend.
“It’s not a big thought at this point,” Murphy said. “It’s a goal to finish the season as best as possible, but, as always, it’s one game at a time.”
P.E.I. has won back-to-back league titles and three of the last four.
Murphy to the players who have worn the P.E.I. F.C. jersey over the years and the injection of youth it annually adds to the roster.
P.E.I. defeated Fredericton 2-1 on June 25 in the New “Both teams are well balanced and have some great AUS players and former AUS players. Both teams are always going to respect each other.” Brunswick capital in the only meeting between the two clubs this season. Both squads were missing key players due to weddings.
“We had a lot of the younger players getting more minutes that game. I think it’s good for them to get that experience against one of the best teams in Atlantic Canada,” Murphy said.
Max Maund is attending a wedding and won’t be available to play today while Nacho Sanchez and Cullen Mullally are day-to-day for health reasons.
P.E.I. has allowed four goals in nine games while Fredericton has given up eight in 10 games. The Island squad leads the five-team circuit with 38 goals while Fredericton is second with 25.
“Both teams are well balanced and have some great AUS players and former AUS players,” Murphy said. “Both teams are always going to respect each other.”
Evander Chatara leads the Island squad with eight goals in five games while Murphy is second with six in five games.
Liam Bitar has four clean sheets in six games while Nathan Ford has two in three games.
P.E.I. F.C. completes the regular season at home with games July 30 and 31 against Fundy United. Mike Plantinga focuses on the ball during a round-robin match in the SandJam professional beach volleyball tournament Friday at Green’s Shore in Summerside. Action continues today. Capital District and Mid-Isle are 2-0 after the first day of play at the Baseball P.E.I. peewee AAA elimination tournament at Central Fields in Charlottetown. Western is 1-1 while Eastern and Summerside are both 0-2. Organizers have decided to move games ahead due to the weather forecast. Capital District plays Eastern at 9 a.m. and MidIsle at 11:30 a.m. Western plays Mid-Isle at 9 a.m. and Summerside at 2 p.m. Summerside and Eastern meet at 11:30 a.m.