Mighty Shane won the annual Keelung Ocean Cup on Sunday in dramatic fashion as they beat Black Kite FC on penalties in the final.
The lads were up bright and early for 7:30am registration out at Keelung's National Taiwan Ocean University.
Running on coffee, Red Bull, and whatever beer was left in their systems from the night before, the Shane boys took to the pitch at 9:00am for their first game vs BaDouZi FC.
After a nippy start to the game, the goals started to flow.
Shane ran out 4-0 winners, with Dan Swift, Big Sam, and Norway Alex among the goal scorers.
In our second game of the group stage, we lined up against Black Kite FC. The opposition was much improved this game, and goals were hard to come by.
Late on, Dan "Soup of the Day" Swift broke the deadlock with a cheeky finish as Shane grabbed another win to ensure passage into the knockouts.
We finished the group stage in a dead rubber vs NTOU's B team. The goals flowed once more, and Dan Swift and Big Sam duly padded their stats.
The timeless Diego Ballesteros also bagged a goal with a slick finish.
And even Shane's mascot, sponsor, and cautionary tale personified, Patty Swandell, got on the scoreboard.
The boys next battled through the lack of sleep and tired legs to contest NTOU's A team in the tournament semifinal.
And it was a night and day difference between this game and the previous game, as NTOU could play.
In windy and rainy conditions typical of Keelung, Shane battled through a difficult opening period to score a few goals late on.
Dan Swift decided to stop pulling out of challenges during the game, which buoyed the rest of the team.
And the moment of the tournament came from Mr. Aura himself, Peter Balconio, who made a game-deciding save with an unorthodox back-first tackle.
Onto the final, where Shane once again met Black Kite FC.
They were out for blood and revenge this time, flying into tackles and wildly throwing elbows.
And the refs just let it happen.
Their new-found aggression and Shane's lackluster start paid off for them early, as they went up 1-0 in the first minute of the game. This would end up being the only goal Shane conceded all tournament thanks to Peter Balconio and emergency stand-in Charles Bergman.
The early deficit lit a fire under the Mighty Shane, and we went at them with more pace, aggression, and bravery than we had all day until that point.
But despite our best efforts, the equalizer eluded us.
That is, until team pipsqueak, Dan Swift, blundered a loose ball into the back of the net on a misstep to keep the team's Keelung Ocean Cup dreams alive.
Not long after the equalizer, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.
Pens.
There was no shortage of volunteers, demonstrating the spirit and will to win in this Shane side.
In the end, Pat, Jayke, Dan Swift, and Big Sam stepped up.
Pat, surprisingly Dan Swift, and Big Sam buried theirs. While Charles made himself big in goal, saved one pen, and caused another to go wide.
Shane win the penalty shootout 3-1. The home crowd were not pleased, and Shane celebrations fell on deaf ears.
No bother.
And the boys lifted their second trophy in less than a month.
We could get used to this.
The rest of the day was filled with beers and the regaling of moments from the tournament at Aye Taipei.
Sunday for the boys indeed.
Next up, the Mighty Shane travel to Vietnam to add the Saigon 7s 2024 trophy to their rapidly filling cabinet.
Up the Shane.
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