Vineyard Football Association kicks-off 22nd soccer season

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Bruno Oliveira of Island Star (left) races for the ball with Coop de Ville's Tom Shockey. — Photo by Ralph Stewart

The opening match of the Vineyard Football Association’s 22nd summer soccer season will not go down for posterity as a classic.

Coop de Ville, Gilbert-Hammond Cup runners-up last season, took to the pitch Tuesday night at Veterans Park against new kids on the block, Island Star, who were making their league debut.

The scoreless match, a truculent, ugly display of the beautiful game rife with foul deeds physical and verbal (particularly from the newbies), had exactly two highlights in 60 minutes of play. Both were courtesy of Island Star keeper Jackson McBride, who made a point-blank save early in the first half and leaped to punch away Coop’s only threat in the second.

League matches are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, all at Veterans Park.

Island Copper, the local entry in the New England Over The Hill Soccer League (age 40 and over), have joined the VFA this summer and played Wednesday evening against Sports Haven. The two new entries, Island Star and the Sand Bar and Grill played in the Wednesday nightcap. The first week of VFA action concludes Thursday with a match between Sports Haven and Coop de Ville. Kick-off is 6:45.

Atlantic Football Club (AFC) had its first two matches postponed due to several players taking part in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions this weekend in Lancaster.