It was another big afternoon for the Graduates on Richmond Adult Soccer Association’s Super Sunday at Minoru Park.
The Graduates captured the Don Taylor League Cup for the third consecutive year with an entertaining 2-1 victory over the All Blacks in front of an appreciative crowd.
All the game’s scoring was done in the opening 45 minutes with the Graduates breaking a 1-1 deadlock just seconds before the halftime whistle. They had several excellent chances to add to their margin in the second half but failed to convert while still dealing with some dangerous All Blacks’ counterattacks.
Chris Rowley was named the game’s MVP.
The Graduates also clinched a berth in the upcoming Keith Millar Provincial “B” Cup playdowns. They will be joined by First Division champion AC Richmond (15-1-2) who enjoy a comfortable nine-point cushion on the Graduates (12-3-2) at the top of the table.
Ironically the two sides meet on Friday in regular season play and will see each other again in the Division One Cup final on March 20.
Flying Beaver is the only side to disrupt the Old Blacks’ dominance in Masters Cup play and they did it again Sunday, producing a 3-1 win.
It was Flying Beaver’s first win in four tries against their rival this season after dropping a trio of one goal games.
Since the Masters Division was launched in 2011, the Old Blacks had captured the cup each year except for Flying Beaver’s first triumph in 2018.
Old Blacks did earn regular season honours with an unbeaten 15-0-2 record.
In the race for promotion, the Phantoms (14-2-1) sit atop the Second Division with a slim lead on the Young Bloods (13-3-1).
