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MCU tame Taipei Animals to win Tavern Cup final

Ming Chuan University's Li Yu-shan wins a header in yesterday's Tavern Premier League Cup final against the Taipei Animals at Dajia Riverside Park in Taipei. Ming Chuan won 2-0. PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES

After progressing through the group stages, quarter-finals and semi-finals, Ming Chuan University (MCU) and Taipei Animals met in the championship game of the Tavern Premier League Cup yesterday at Dajia Riverside Park in Taipei.

The cosmopolitan Animals line-up boasted players from Hungary, Denmark, Chad, the US, Morocco, Ireland, Japan, in addition to a Belgian coach.

The MCU side, as their name suggests, consisted of local univeristy students ranging in age from 19 to 21.

The ex-pat side started the match well with a couple of promising attacks, but both were halted when the referee penalized Animals players.

Despite the hot and humid weather, the pace of the game was fast and action switched rapidly from end to end.

The Animals looked particularly dangerous on the break with James Waring showing some nice touches up front.

In the 20th minute a first-time ball put Hamid Masai through for the ex-pats but his shot, which was low and to the left, was successfully parried by MCU goalie Yen Wen-chien.

As the half progressed, Animals 'keeper Sam Ellis was kept increasingly busy as MCU, playing neat soccer despite a difficult surface, began to dominate.

Ellis made some good saves to keep his side in contention as the half ended without any goals being scored.

It didn't take long for MCU to break the deadlock after play resumed, however, when the ball fell at the feet of Huang Kun-hwan, who flicked it into the bottom right-hand corner after 55 minutes.

It very nearly became 2-0 when a minute later Hsieh Chang-ming took the ball from Martin Larsen, only to shoot wide from a good position.

As the half wore on the Animals were increasingly exposed at the back.

The superior fitness of the MCU players really began to show as the heat and humidity began taking a toll on the Animals.

Ellis stood firm in the face of a wave of attacks but was eventually beaten in the 72nd minute when, following a quick break down the left, Wang Chin-sheng shot low to the 'keeper's right.

Ellis managed to get a hand to the ball but could only slow its progress as it crossed the line for a goal.

The Animals refused to give up and in the 75th minute a sharp turn and shot by Masai in the penalty area forced the MCU 'keeper to make a save. From the ensuing corner the ball fell to Waring, who was unlucky to see his shot fly wide.

Despite their two-goal cushion MCU, didn't sit on their lead and continued to press for a third.

It never came, but the students earned a deserved 2-0 victory against an Animals team that put up a good fight but just couldn't create enough chances to win.
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