Around the Grounds
Round 2 had ten of our Westside Junior teams at home and it was perfect weather for football – maybe even a little hot as some of our teams required some extra drinks breaks during the morning and afternoon games!
There were some tense matches through-out the age groups and some great results from our Westside teams coming through early in the Season.
Westside is also now making use of the VEO camera for Junior games and recording teams throughout the day to share the games with Coaches and parents. It is an amazing tool and hopefully, some of our Coaches can sit down with the kids to watch their matches and work on their gameplay. Keep an eye out for the green camera on the tripod hovering high in the sky!
U6 Tigers
The U6 Tigers second match was at home against Pine Hills Echidnas. The Tigers had another great performance displaying great dribbling skills, passing and kicking the ball. The Tigers dominated the game with plenty of scoring attempts but the Echidnas held up well against the Tigers repeated attack by scoring several goals of their own.
This was an entertaining match to watch but unfortunately, the Tigers went down with a loss 2-3. The Player of the Day awards this week went to Blake, Maxi and Asher.
A shout out also to first-time referee, Sam P, for the great game – parents commented that he was helping the kids on the field, and was explaining the rules with every stoppage/whistle so the kids learnt the rules throughout the game.
U7 Geckos
The U7 Geckos hosted Samford Victory in what was many of the Gecko’s second-ever match. Samford Victory was only able to field 4 players for the game. Samford was well organised and scored 5 goals in the first half.
The Geckos lent Samford a player for the second half to get more kids involved. A pep talk and sound advice from Coach Ross saw much-improved positioning and passing from the Geckos, leading to a great goal by Oskar. Whilst the game ended 1-7 to Samford, everyone had fun.
Player of the Day awards went to Oskar and Ethan for their great efforts on the day.
U7 Chameleons
The Chameleons had a great game with a 12-1 win for the vs Pine Hills Eagles. The Chameleons were practising how many times they could pass the ball to each other, along with working on one person at time with the ball – this progressed well throughout the game.
We had victory knee slides with all the goals they got and lots of smiles and dancing. Coach Jess will be proud when she hears the news as she was away this week and the Chameleons were lucky to have Coach Jason from the U9 Raptors help out for the game.
U8 Hornets
Westside U8 Hornets secured a resounding victory over Newmarket Rockets in their first home game of the season. Despite being short-handed due to the long weekend, the Hornets managed to put up an impressive performance with the help of Bailey who joined the team for the match on loan from the U8 Wasps who had the Bye.
The game started with the Hornets putting pressure on Newmarket from the get-go, with numerous shots on goal. The first goal of the match came from James, who scored a beautiful goal that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Newmarket’s goalkeeper had an excellent performance in the first half, saving more than six shots at goal, making it difficult for the Hornets to extend their lead. In the second half, the Hornets continued to dominate the game, with an early goal from Ned.
Henry and Bailey took turns as goalkeepers for the Hornets, keeping Newmarket from scoring for a long period until they managed to score a scrambled goal early in the 2nd half. However, this did little to deter the Hornets, as Ned soon scored his second goal, bringing the score to 3-1 with only ten minutes left to play. Ned continued his excellent form by scoring another goal a few minutes later, followed by another close to the final whistle, bringing the final score to 5-1 in favour of the Hornets.
Overall, it was an impressive display from the Hornets, who dominated the game from start to finish. Newmarket put up a brave fight, but in the end, they were no match for the Hornets, who showcased their skills and teamwork to secure a well-deserved victory. Mason and Liam F were awarded the Players of the Day for their determination and team spirit.
U9 Raptors
U9 Raptors played a strong first home game of the season against UQFC Blue. The opening passages of play were dominated by the Raptors with good possession and shape allowing us to push into the box on a number of occasions thanks to runs from Patty, Toby and Magnus. UQ were strong on the counter attack however, and went ahead against the run of play.
Raptors pulled level after a UQ handball, with Max burying the free kick into the back of the net. Raptors were on top of the game until half time thanks to strong work in the middle of the park from Will A, and excellent defensive work from Beau and Mika.
As the second half began, UQ continued to threaten on the counter, and despite the Raptors strong football, UQ pulled ahead off a well timed through ball. The second goal ignited UQ’s attacking flair, and Will T pulled off some big saves to keep us in the game, but UQ finally managed to push in a third.
Down 3-1 in the final 5 minutes, Raptor’s midfield play solidified thanks to some strong defence and possession from Jax, Magnus, Toby and Patty as we started to threaten the goal again.
A strong solo effort and excellent finish from Patty brought the score back to 3-2 with 2 minutes remaining, and the Raptors continued to push forward.
With a minute to go, Max took the ball down the left, got in behind the defender on the touch line and expertly placed his shot past the keeper from a very tight angle to equalise.
A strong game from the boys today, with great grit and determination to play all the way to the final whistle. This week’s training award went to Mika, and player of the match to Will A for his hard work in the midfield.
U9 Falcons
The U9 Falcons Round 2 fixture was away against Brisbane City Plusnin. The Plusnin’s started the match quickly catching the Falcons defence off guard with a very quick couple of goals.
The Falcons appeared overwhelmed, perhaps in a new environment with their first away game, and struggled to hold off the Plusnin attack ending the first half down 5-nil.
However, the Falcons displayed great resilience in the second half and had excellent performances across the pitch during the final 10 minutes of the match dominating the attack and having a couple of shots on goal.
This was a tough defeat for the Falcons ending with a 6-nil loss but the Falcons true performance was their effort in the second half, which is something the team can build upon when they play the Plusnin’s at home in August.
The Player of the Day awards this week went to Ryan, Cooper and Ned.
U10 Brumbies
Round 2 was against Toowong FC and the Brumbies first home game of the season! Playing against Toowong FC always gets the Brumbies fired up due to an early defeat from Toowong in the 2022 season.
The girls smashed it taking a 6-1 win with goals being scored by Ruby (2), Piper (2), Lily and Quinn. Everyone spread out, making great use of the field and also incorporating drills they learnt at training during the week.
Goalies for the game were Lucy and Quinn and both had numerous cracking defensive saves, stopping any attempt at goal by Toowong.
The girls definitely had to run as they are still getting used to the larger field. Nadia and Freya were our Players of the Match – great job ladies!
A big shout out to the Metro Womens team and the U13 Phoenix Girls team who come along to support the Brumbies for their match!
U10 Dingoes
The Dingoes’ second match of the season was against Brisbane City Hummels. The Hummels scored the first goal early, however, the Dingoes were eager to play. After 20 minutes, Braxton scored the first goal of the game for the Dingoes. Joel and Diego showed great defensive work by continuing to put pressure on the Hummels.
It was a tough second half without any substitutions, but the team played well, battling through the midday sun. The keeper, Ben, kept the pressure on with some great body blocks and good saves. Despite a direct kick to goal by the Hummels, the keeper’s determination remained unwavering.
The Hummels were able to score their third goal of the game. Harlem managed a great shot to goal not long after, scoring the second goal for the Dingoes. Despite being tired, the Dingoes continued to play hard, but ultimately lost with a final score of 5-2. Nevertheless, the Dingoes played a good game as they continue to come together as a new team.
See more of the action here:
https://fork-slime-4be.notion.site/Dingoes-2-5-Hummels-2023-04-29-a33871e38fc84b8a9bdade4a1ce4a1f4
U11 Wallabies
It was a tough away match for the Westside U11 Wallabies as they went up against the Virginia United Kings in their second game of the season. Despite some impressive defensive play by the Wallabies, Virginia United managed to secure a dominating 10-0 win.
Throughout the match, both teams displayed great teamwork and impressive tackling skills. The Wallabies made many goal scoring opportunities but unfortunately, the Virginia United goalie proved to be too good on the day.
Two players who stood out for the Wallabies by holding their positions well and maintaining space for their team were Eddie and Remy. Congratulations for being our Players of the Day!
U12 Warriors
The Warriors had their first home game in Round 2 and come up against a well drilled Moggill FC Kangaroo team.
Being a relatively new team and putting together their game play from what is being learnt at training during the week, the Warriors are working hard to match it with the teams in the Kangaroo Division who have been playing together for years.
A slow start from the Warriors saw Moggill take an early lead, and the Warriors couldn’t get any continuous possession or make passes stick to create opportunities in their attacking half. A lot of the game was spent in their defensive half.
Eva was able to make a strong run through the mid-field and scored a nice goal to give the Warriors some credibility, going down 5-1 in the end.
Jonah had another solid effort in goals, keeping out a number of shots which could have seen the score blow right out.
Jett received the Player of the Day award from Coach Greg for his non-stop effort through-out the match and showcasing what he has been working hard on at training. Bryn received the Training award for his efforts during the week in the scratch match against the U13 Boys team.
U12 Gliders
Westside U12 Gliders played their first away game on Saturday against Grange Thistle at Lanham Park. The Gliders showed a huge improvement this game, starting to present a credible threat to the opposition with excellent defence played by Alex and Isla in the first half.
The Gliders changed tactic in the second half moving the ball down the left side of the field creating more opportunities for shots at goal. Freya made a spectacular run for goal and played consistently well throughout the game winning the Player of the Day award.
The girls’ dedication to training is beginning to show with players confident in holding their positions and not backing down when competing for the ball. Blair once again did an excellent job as goalie saving the team from greater defeat with the final score 3 – 0 in Grange Thistle’s favour. Excellent effort, Gliders – keep up the great work!
