CITY'S UNLIKELY HERO
Kathy Rumleski, Free Press Sports Reporter 2003-07-04 03:37:32
First, Erik Elmauer gets the winning goal to lift London City to its first win of the Canadian Professional Soccer League season. Next, he scores the golden goal to put City in the third round of the CPSL's open Canada Cup.
In back-to-back games, the Windsor native has been the hero and he's enjoying the status.
"I'm usually the unlucky player," the 23-year-old striker said. "I'm glad it worked out. I'm glad I'm fitting in."
Elmauer really is an unlikely hero. He wasn't scouted or recruited. London coach and GM Harry Gauss had never heard of him when Elmauer called Gauss before the season. "Harry said, 'Sell yourself to me.' "
He made quite a jump in level of play when he was added to the roster. The highest level he's played is college soccer with St. Clair and Seneca, but he was an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association all-star. Last season, Elmauer played with the Tecumseh Soccer Club before landing a job at a soccer camp in Pennsylvania.
He said he's always wanted to play at a higher level and just decided this year would be the time to give it a try.
Once he got the word he was on the squad, he packed up and moved to London. Luckily, he got a transfer from the Scotiabank branch he was working at in Windsor to one in London.
It couldn't have worked out better for Elmauer.
Gauss gave Elmauer his first chance in a game against the Vaughan Sun Devils two weeks ago. He came on late in the game with the score tied 1-1 and he scored in the 78th minute off a free kick for the 2-1 win.
His powerful strike went through a wall of Vaughan players and into the net.
In last Monday's Canada Cup game, Gauss called on Elmauer again at the 74-minute mark with his team down a goal.
Elmauer didn't disappoint.
City striker Andrew Loague tied the game in injury time to force overtime and it only took three minutes of extra time for Elmauer to work his magic.
"I just saw the ball a couple of yards away from me. I saw four or five people inside the goal. I didn't know what to do. I just said, 'I've got to hammer this ball as hard as I can and roof it.' If it's toward their heads, they're going to move out of the way."
The ball hit the crossbar, came down and curled in for a 2-1 victory over Toronto Peniche.
Elmauer's father Erwin was in the stands.
"He's always so proud of me. He and I hugged for a couple of minutes after the game," Erik said. "My mom usually comes. Even my old coach from high school will be coming to a couple of games this year."
Elmauer has definitely become the go-to guy on the City squad.
Gauss struggled to find a striker who could finish and his first impression of Elmauer wasn't great. "I wasn't overly impressed. But he's got lightning speed, a powerful shot, a great throw-in and he's aggressive."
Desperate for a win, Gauss took a what-have-I got-to lose approach and gave Elmauer a shot. "It panned out as I described . . . coming off the bench to do a job," Gauss said.
Elmauer is still learning and that makes him work hard. "I hope (Gauss) has got trust in me."
City (1-2-1) plays the St. Catharines Wolves (2-1-1) tonight at 8:30 at Cove Road Field.
Copyright © The London Free Press 2001,2002,2003
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