Cashmere Technical players brought out their special victory chant as their after match huddle took on a life off its own.
The Cashmere players danced in unison with raised arms and vertical fist pumps as they triumphantly celebrated a dominant 3-0 Chatham Cup quarterfinal victory over Dunedin Technical at the Caledonian Ground yesterday.
Cashmere Technical coach John Brown was full of praise for his team.
''I thought we controlled the game from start to finish. The second half especially, when our pressure was turned into goals with some quality strikes on target.''
A fast start by the visitor had Dunedin Technical defending with composure during the first half hour. Cashmere never let Dunedin settle on the ball and the host struggled to string passes together that would enable players to grow in confidence.
On too many occasions, pressurised clearances bypassed the midfield and left Dunedin Tech striker Taylor McCormick chasing million-dollar long balls that turned into lost causes. Dunedin Technical held the visitor at bay for the first hour but was destined to succumb to Cashmere's dominant share of possession.
The deadlock was broken in the 63rd minute, when Cashmere attacked down the left flank. Dunedin Tech keeper Tom Batty did well to palm away a strong shot on goal.
Cashmere's midfield maestro, All White Aaron Clapham, was the recipient of the keeper's partial save and used his control and balance in a crowded penalty area to rifle in a deflected shot off the crossbar to score the opener.
Like many good teams, Cashmere exerted more pressure straight after scoring. Clapham pushed further forward and looked to create more chances, while Dunedin Technical aimed to strike back.
The host's best chance of the game came in the 81st minute, when David Hayman hit a long range speculator which cannoned off the crossbar, with the Cashmere keeper well beaten.
Cashmere's second goal effectively sealed its progression into the cup semifinals, when an 83rd minute corner was partially cleared by Dunedin.
The ball was crossed back to the far post, where Andy Barton controlled it and attacked the goal, before unselfishly laying off to team-mate Ash Wellborn, who stroked the ball into the net from 8m.
Dunedin Technical's miserable afternoon was completed in the 89th minute, when Cashmere attacking midfielder Shawn O'Brien won possession after a Dunedin Technical defender's slip and attacked the penalty area.
Dunedin keeper Batty closed down the angle, O'Brien measured his accurate pass to 16-year-old team-mate Oscar Evans to slide home Cashmere's final goal and confirm its opportunity to retain the Chatham Cup.
In Premier League matches played during the weekend, Caversham left its shooting boots at home but still managed a 1-0 victory over University at Forrester Park.
Queenstown Rovers maintained their recent good form with an entertaining 2-2 draw against visitor Mosgiel.
In the final game, Green Island and Northern played out a 0-0 draw at Sunnyvale.
By Wilson James.
