Around the Grounds
It was another spectacular weekend of weather for Round 3 fixtures and our Westside teams enjoyed success both at home and on the road.
Some of our Junior teams have been working extremely hard at training and the efforts put in during the week are starting to show on the field as their gameplay is coming together and plenty of goals are being scored in attack.
U6 Tigers
The Tigers match for this week was at home against Dayboro Red. The Tigers had another stellar performance dominating the possession of the ball and controlling the match from start to finish.
The team showed once again great scoring ability from a variety of players including some great passing to each other. This match had plenty of goals with Max S started the scoring for the Tigers with his first goal of the season and then finding the back of the net another 5 more times. Ryker and Asher added to the scoring tally with 2 and 1 goals respectively, with Theo topping the scoring with 7 goals.
Another entertaining match for the parents to watch with a 16-1 win for the Tigers. The Player of the Day awards this week went to Maxi S, Asher and Frankie.
U7 Goannas
We had a great game against the Westside Chameleons in the first derby match of the Season.
There was some great passing, excellent team work and chasing down the ball. Everyone played really well – it was a tough game and the Goannas nearly came away with a win – the final score being a nail biting 5-6.
Player of the Day awards went to Lachlan H – for attacking the ball, being a great team player by looking for his team mates to pass to and Charlie – for great running onto the ball, dribbling skills and passing to his team mates. Great work boys!
Looking forward to seeing the team work on Saturday and most importantly having fun playing the game!!
U7 Chameleons
U8 Wasps
The Wasps took flight to Wilston in Round 3 for their first away game against Brisbane City FC Macuace.
Sergio took goals in the first half and it was a big challenge as City came out firing. Pierre and Lenny had an excellent first half, working hard to tackle and recover possession whilst getting in amongst Brisbane’s attack.
Alex covered a lot of ground but the first half really had the Wasps on the back foot with some nice teamwork from City.
Changes after the break saw Zavier try his hand at goalie for the second half with Sergio taking his place in the field. The team started to gel in the second half with a lot more spreading out, playing off the ball and pushing forward. Bailey made some solid breakaway runs with the ball and both Rowan and Levi supported in defence with a number of goal saving tackles, including a nice slide tackle at one point.
Whilst the score didn’t go the Wasps way this week, the team showed a ‘never give up’ attitude and worked hard in the back half of the match to improve their position, structure and teamwork.
Player of the Day awards went to Fletcher for his commitment, focus and active participation at training and to Zavier for an outstanding performance in goals on Saturday.
U9 Raptors
Another hard shift put in by the Raptors this week away to Taringa Rovers. The boys were strong in the opening passages of play, and the Taringa keeper pulled off some good saves to deny us going ahead early.
Despite some good defence from Will T, Toby and Leo, Taringa kept up the fight and stabbed one in from an awkwardly weighted through ball. Mika threatened with some dangerously taken corners, but we went to the break trailing by one.
After conceding again, the Raptors lifted their intensity, with Toby unlucky with a long-range effort going just wide. Patty, Max and Jaxon began to break down the Taringa line through some excellent first touches, with Beau, Magnus and Will A supplying some quality ball from the midfield.
The Raptors finally broke through after a driving run and shot from Jax was saved and Magnus and Max both pounced on the scraps to pull it back to 2-1. Was it Magnus’s right foot, or Max’s left? The video evidence isn’t conclusive, but the score sheet said GOAL!
In what seemed like a replay of last week, with only minutes remaining Magnus pounced on a loose ball and beat the charging keeper to ping in the equaliser off the post. Raptors once again playing hard to the final whistle, and earned another draw that felt like a win.
Lots of candidates again for the Player of the Day award, but a head above the rest was Jax who took the gong this week for his relentless attacking. Training award went to Beau for two excellent sessions this week. As coach Jason says, train well, play well!
U9 Falcons
The U9 Falcons Round 3 fixture was away against Taringa Rovers Lizards. The Falcons came out very pumped for this match as redemption for the loss from last week.
The Lizards started the match strong and managed to sneak a quick goal past the Falcons early. The Falcons displayed great resilience once again by attacking and forcing the play in the Lizard’s half until Braxton found an opportunity to shoot on goal, then followed through to capitalise on the rebound to find the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
The Falcons continued their great effort in the second half with some players showing their dribbling skills to get around the Lizards defence. The Falcons appeared determined to get ahead in the match with fantastic passing to each other and great effort pushing forward with a few good attempts on goal.
An unfortunate hand ball in front of the keeper gave the Lizards a penalty kick, putting them ahead once again. The Falcons continued with the offensive until Ned equalised the match for his first goal of the season. The final score of the match was 2-all.
The Player of the Day awards this week went to Oliver, Archie and Harper.
U9 Vultures
After a couple of tough first games, the Vultures hunger was growing as they hosted Moggill for an early 8:30am kick-off on a beautiful morning for football.
With a full team, the Vultures started full of energy which saw early breaks down the wings for Elijah & Archie, and good support up front from James.
In defence Leo, Theo, and Ellis held firm against some tricky Moggill attackers. Some fantastic passing from Theo at the back to James, then a training pass out in front for Archie had placed the Vultures in the opposition half. The hunger showed when Archie pounced on a loose ball to score with a well taken shot just outside the box. The Vultures were up 1-0!! Fletcher, Leo, and Ellis celebrated our first goal with hugs and jumping on halfway.
Likhet, Archer, and Henry were soon involved continuing the attacking raids and maintaining the energy. In goal Edgar threw his body on a dangerous loose ball in our box on halftime to preserve our lead.
Watermelon halftime recharge.
The Moggill Gunners came out firing in the second half and continued applying pressure – great defending from Leo and Theo kept their shots out. But an unmarked Moggill player in the box received a nice cross to equal, 1-1. The Vultures remained positive and kept their energy up, with Henry defending off some more Moggill attacks and Ellis making some key saves.
At the other end Archie, Likhet, James and Archer continued to attack. A break from Archer found Archie, and eventually the ball back to Archer resulted in a great shot from distance that hammered the post .. but.. out for a corner… and so the match ended 1-1.
A very exciting game for the spectators who weren’t used to the heart pumping thrills of such a close game! The Vultures have improved each week, and it was pleasing to see their hard work at training pay off as they continue to stalk the Quokka Division.
Well played boys!
U10 Dingoes
The Dingoes dominated The Gap FC with a convincing 11-0 victory. The team showed great spirit both on and off the field, with the coach leading a good warm-up and getting the players to huddle together before the game started.
Braxton was named captain and led the team with great encouragement from the coach.
The Dingoes displayed excellent teamwork, finding space to receive the ball and spreading out to utilize the bigger playing field. A lot of through passes resulted in goals, especially between Braxton and Toby.
Although Noah didn’t play, he showed his support for the team by coming to the game and cheering his team mates.
Zane displayed his hunger for the game by chasing the ball and keeping an eye on the game.
Vinny and Daniel both displayed effective defending, with Daniel running back to stop the other team from scoring multiple times. Both players were successful at clearing the ball away from the goal.
With the help of the entire team, the goal scorers were Braxton, Toby, Harlem, Diego, and Joel.
Although the Dingoes had a healthy lead at halftime, JP directed the team to remain focused, and they did. At the end of the game, they cheerfully congratulated The Gap FC.
See more of the action here:
U10 Brumbies
Round 3 was against Peninsular Power – a team the Brumbies hadn’t played against previously.
Right out of the gate, Power dominated the field with well-structured attacks and a striker that was fast! The Brumbies stepped up their defense, with Chloe and Lily getting their steps up with some solid running! Lucy was first half goalie and became a wall against relentless goal attempts from Power – saving most!
Second half the team pushed hard with some great running by Lucy, Lily, Ruby and Piper and some solid defense from Freya, Bella and Amber. Quinn fought hard in goalie before she literally put her body on the line taking a hard ball to her stomach and winding her.
Despite the valiant efforts the Brumbies went down 7-nil, with Lucy and Bella receiving our Players of the Day awards – amazing play ladies!
U11 Wallabies
In a thrilling and closely contested match, the Wallabies took on Moggill FC at home. The match kicked off with an early goal by Moggill FC, but the Wallabies fought back and managed to equalize with a goal from Remy, making the score 1-all.
Moggill FC then managed to score their second goal of the match, taking the lead into half time.
However, the Wallabies refused to be deterred and came back fighting straight into the second half, with a goal from Dash, thanks to a great assist from Lysander. The Wallabies then took the lead with a second goal from Nash, less than a minute later.
The midfield played exceptionally well and both teams put up great defense – keeping the game tight and exciting. Benson saved some great goals with one fantastic diving save just before full time ensuring the Wallabies came away with the win.
Congratulations to our Players of the Day – Dash for his great crosses and Benson for his “flying mattress dive”!
U11 Wolves
There was some trepidation heading into this Round 3 fixture as in previous seasons the UQFC teams have been the most physical, and in the lower division last season UQFC were one of only two teams to beat the Wolves (2 – 1).
In training we have been working on defensive strategies and shape, as well as playing out from the back. In preparation for a physical contest, the boys had been practicing 1 v1 drills and aggressively using their body position to get between man and ball to take possession.Most of the training strategies worked well, the Wolves were the more physical team and dominated large spells of the game. Unfortunately, it was trying to play out from the back that caught us out in the first half, conceding 2 goals from their counter press. We went into half time 2 – 1 down and adjusted the game plan to play long on the goal kicks.
It was more typical Wolves style in the second half, very aggressive. We got caught on the counter attack to be down 3 – 1. Then Eli grabbed a second off the back of an excellent run and shot by Finn. The last 10 mins was all Wolves. Finn was having a great game, getting in behind the defense, making good runs and winning a lot of tackles. Teo and Eli were also excellent throughout the game, Teo hitting the crossbar toward the end of the match. Eli and Finn with some shots either saved or agonisingly close.
Noah and Alex were co-ordinating defense and attack from their midfield positions. Noah pretty much with the assist for the second goal with a great killer pass. Sam continued his excellent start, on numerous occasions containing attackers and forcing them out wide. James was the steady anchor at centre back as usual.
Both Landon and Jack still not 100% fit performed well. Landon made some critical saves earlier in the match that could have left us with a very different story.
All in all, a much better day at the office. Player of the Day went to Finn with special mention to Noah for his all-round solid game. Well done boys!!!
U12 Gliders
The Gliders took on UQFC Sapphires in their second home game of the season. The team held their own against the more experienced UQ team, defending well in the first half with the score 1-0 in the Sapphires’ favour at half time.
Once again, the Gliders demonstrated how quickly they are improving as they become more accustomed to keeping the ball in their half, listening for directions, and adjusting their positions on field mid game.
The final score was 3 – 0 to the Sapphires, who proved to be a tough opponent. Alex earnt the Player of the Day award for her dogged defending skills, not allowing anything past that came her way.
In just two weeks the Gliders have made an amazing improvement which is a testament to their enthusiasm for training and the excellent effort put in each game day. Keep it up, Gliders!
U12 Warriors
The Warriors were on the road in their Round 3 fixture against Samford Rangers Glory.
It was a nice start to the match with Theo making a nice run down the left side of the midfield and took a shot from outside the box to hit the cross-bar. Soon after Eva made a nice run on the right edge, putting some passes together with Flynn and finished off with a goal in the bottom left corner. The Warriors continued to press with some dashes down the wings from Lenox, Bryn and Dante, passing nicely to Eva and Flynn in the middle and Flynn took a third shirt within the first 10 minutes hitting the goal post and staying wide. At this stage the Warriors were holding well in defence, with Sam, Jett and Dashel controlling the back.
A couple of late goals in the first half from Samford Glory saw them take a 2-1 lead into the half-time break.
The Warriors struggled to get back into the game in the second half, and even though were able to press with some nice balls along the edges which they had been practicing at training over the past few weeks, Samfords attack ramped up and took advantage of some soft Warriors defence. Eli and Eamon tried their best at the back and Jonah saved a number of Samfords shots, however the Warriors finished the game down 7-1.
The Player of the Day award went to Lenox for his smothering defence and determination to win the ball throughout the entire match.
