Galileo could be returning to championship form after pushing one of the top teams in the Howe Sound Men's Soccer League (HSMSL) to the limit on Sunday (Nov. 13).
The defending champions played Sikh Temple hard and the two teams ended in a 2-2 draw at Quest University field. According to Galileo's Adrian Oreamuno, it was an important result for the team, which has had an up-and-down season.
"It was a good outing for us," he said. "It was pretty chippy out there but that's what it's always like for us against these guys and Khalsa."
Oreamuno said it was Galileo's ability to respond that helped the team stay in the game.
"We knew what we had to do," he said. "We only had a few subs out today so it's pretty big for us to get a tie against these guys."
Galileo fell behind early when Sunny Kang got Sikh Temple on the board but Oreamuno tied the game about 25 minutes later with a beautiful shot from 20 yards out. The two teams continued to trade chances and the game remained knotted at one after 45 minutes.
Temple swung the momentum back its way when Chad Pereira scored a late goal to give his team a 2-1 lead but in the dying moments of the match, Galileo's Robbie Nahanee tallied on a prayer of a shot to even the score yet again.
It was a step forward for Galileo, which lost to Sikh Temple 4-0 on Oct. 18 and has seen a bit of a turnaround in the past few weeks. With the tie, Galileo remains firmly entrenched in third place with a record of five wins, four losses and one draw. Sikh Temple fell slightly with the result, dropping to second place with a record of eight wins, one loss and one tie.
Also on Sunday, Khalsa took over sole possession of first place with a 5-1 win over the Ellis Moving Eagles. Russell Adams scored a pair, while Jared Bir and Rory Fulber added singles in the win. The Eagles suffered an own goal to add to the team's misery, while Alec Macrae was the lone Eagle to get on the scoreboard. With the loss, the Eagles slipped to fifth place, with a record of three wins, six losses and one draw.
The day's final game saw Automind continue its impressive recent run by blanking Zephyr 5-0. Charlie Robinson and Alex Golouch scored two apiece, with Istvan Richter adding a goal. Automind has now won two of its last three games and moved into fourth place in the HSMSL.
This week's games will feature the Eagles taking on Zephyr, Khalsa battling Galileo and Sikh Temple tangling with Automind. It will also be the final week for the league before breaking for the winter. League play will resume on Feb. 12.
For more information on the HSMSL, visit www.howesoundmens.snappages.com.
