Players and spectators were treated to blue skies and sunshine when Strathfieldsaye hosted the Echuca Vikings on Saturday.
Echuca, led by captain Sophie Millar, came out firing from the start, taking control of the ball and pushing forward at every opportunity.
Aarav Bhatia, Cameron Peirce and Jed Guinan impressed early, each having shots at goal and putting plenty of pressure on Strathfieldsaye’s defence.
Echuca’s persistence paid off with a great set-up from Enrique Dos Santos, presenting Bhatia with an opportunity to score and he didn't disappoint.
The second half saw Echuca continue to dominate, with Peaches Starritt setting up the first score of the half for Shewan Silva.
With all the momentum from Echuca, Edward Melville proved too quick for his opponents, moving the ball deftly from the middle of the pitch to score the goal of the day. As Strathfieldsaye lifted and started attacking, Echuca’s Jesse Nye and Caden Saunders were never far from the action, keeping the pressure on in the centre and making it difficult for Strathfieldsaye to get the ball forward.
Mitch Edwards and goalkeeper Riley Frazer were brilliant in defence, thwarting the efforts of Strathfieldsaye’s hardworking strikers. Finishing on a high, Silva scored two more quick goals, resulting in a great 5-0 win for Echuca.
Under-12 Border Raiders vs Castlemaine Black
Round two saw the Border Raiders under-12s head to Castlemaine to take on Castlemaine Black in perfect, sun-bathed conditions.
The match was competitive from the start and the teams couldn’t be separated in the first 15 minutes of play.
A great team effort resulted in a goal from Nate Murphy. Some terrific goals from Ben Anthony and Matthew Maxwell followed. The defence stood strong and Xavier Stewart, Oscar Dawson and Finn Murphy ensured the ball was kept in the Raiders’ front half.
Tommy Quirk slotted one before half-time to have the Raiders enter the break leading 4-1.
In the second half, speedster Billy Quirk gave plenty of run from the wing and Jack Gibson continued to create chances with his ever-reliable left boot.
Tommy Quirk converted from the spot and Ben Anthony added another one to his total with the Raiders playing some great team football. Long runs through the midfield from Daniel Barry and Edik Jegan had the crowd on their feet.
When resident goalkeeper Jack Dunne was brought on into the striker position, it paid dividends as he found the back of the net.
Castlemaine Black scored three late goals, playing hard until the final siren.
The Raiders came away with a 9-4 win and look forward to a home game next week.
Under-16 vs Epsom
In perfect conditions this week the under-16s faced up against a strong Epsom outfit in round eight, in Epsom.
The Border Raiders started strongly, with our backline of Aiden Bruffell, Brayden Hull, Blade Bawden and Matt Whyte constantly denying Epsom attackers the chance to break through.
Seb Jouault-Thomas was provided with an opportunity to score early on, narrowly missing. Charlie Mundie in goals this week made plenty of saves, however Epsom broke down through the wings with speed and got past to score.
Half-time saw the Border Raiders 7-0 down.
After the break, our midfield brigade of Paddy Barry, Jye Dos Santos, Lottie Pickles, Brydie Davidson and Marco Maxwell stepped up and pressured their opponents into making a mistake, putting Jouault-Thomas through to score from long range.
The Raiders fought hard, but without any players on the bench, it was hard to run out the game and they eventually went down 11-1.
If there are any new under-16s players interested in playing soccer, it’s not too late to join the team. Please come along to training at Jack Eddy Oval, Moama, held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30pm.
– All reports courtesy of the Border Raiders
20°C