Southern Cross Strikers Round 4 Match Report

 

 

U13 Boys

 

Southern Cross Strikers verse Eastern FC.

 

What a game this was. Once  again the SCS played a very technical game which had Eastern FC working hard to match SCS boys in the first half. SCS midfield made up of Jesse Bartlett, Brandon Lauton and Jalil Regague worked tirelessly. The first half score nil all. The second half saw the sense of urgency increase by both teams with many shots on goal and Eastern scored first after an attacking move by SCS which nearly saw Marcus Parini score a goal. Shortly after Jalil Regague scored for SCS and the tempo of the game once again picked up. Unfortunately tired legs could not keep up with Eastern who finished the game with 3 goals. Final score Eastern 3 - Souther Cross Strikers 1.

 

Southern Cross Strikers verse Rivers.

 

Ball movement and running to position was the strategy for the day for SCS. An evenly matched team in Rivers provided good viewing for the spectators with many forward moves by both teams and a display of some very strong defending by Will McLoughlan , Mitch Rolston and Jesse Lloyd in goals. Again the SCS midfield worked hard but struggled to push the ball through in the first half. First goal came to Rivers again after a SCS forward move. Half time score Rivers 1 - SCS 0. Second half  was again an arm wrestles with some very good technical skills displayed by both teams and an increase in pace by SCS saw them take a number of shots on goal unsuccessfully. Final Score Rivers 3 SCS 0.

U13 Girls

 

SCS 5   Eastern 0

SCS 3    Rivers 2

 

U14 Boys

 

SCS 5   Eastern 2

SCS  7    Rivers 1

 

U15 Boys

 

The Shepparton Gala kicked off with the boys facing Eastern FC on Saturday in a fantastic game.   It was a much more consistently attacking team today with the ball being  pushed forward again and again relentlessly.  With Jake Selby hitting the goals twice and more close shots from Dejan and Hunter, they finally found the net when Hunter managed to cross one in at the 20 min mark.  More great passing by the boys saw Rhys joining the near misses  and left it 1-1 at the break.  The second half  they again dominated the play with excellent passing and team work to keep the pressure on .  It seemed just a matter of time for the score to increase for us with more shots on goal including Jake hitting the post again ,  but despite being the stronger team on the pitch, Eastern  did better at getting the ball into the net giving them a 3-2 win.

Sunday the boys faced Rivers FC in an early match. The great work from the day before seemed ready to continue when Isaac found the net only 2 minutes into the game ( no posts today thanks ! ) There was plenty of hard work being done by both teams, with everyone tackling hard and fighting to get control of the play. Dejan went down ( with a bit of help) in the box, earning him a penalty shot which he calmly slotted perfectly into the net. Half time we were up 2-0, but Rivers came out firing and managed to score 2 goals in the first 10 minutes to even things up.  Never ones to give up, our boys fought back like champions.  There was plenty of positive play but no more scoring for the game leaving us with a 2-2 draw.

Despite this, it was great weekend with plenty of sunshine, fun & friendly  atmosphere and of course,  some very impressive soccer – well done guys!

 

U15 Girls

 

Last weekend saw the Under 15 Girls Southern Cross Strikers travel to Shepparton for the Gala weekend.

Saturday’s match was against Eastern FC and our girls made a very good start to the game by playing out from the back and keeping the ball wide. The half time score was 0-0 with Strikers dominating much of the play and unlucky not to score. The girls started the second half feeling confident that they could notch up their first win of the season. An early goal by Eastern against the run of play meant that we had to redouble our efforts and find the equaliser. This was done and we looked good to finish the game off but two quick goals late in the game saw us go down 3-1.

 

Sunday’s game was against Northern Allstars who fielded a physically bigger side. Despite this our girls started well and continued to play the game as directed by coach Charlie throughout. The combination of a stronger opposition and some tired legs after Saturday meant that we went down 5-0. Despite this the team maintained a strong effort until the final whistle.

 

U17 Boys

 

The Southern Cross Strikers played two matches in a Gala Weekend at Shepparton last weekend under clear blue skies and warm conditions.

The U17 Boys showed a lot of class and skill on Saturday in their fixture against Eastern FC. An early trio of goals knocked the wind out of Eastern who were consistently under attack. The final scoreline of 14 -1 showed the complete superiority of the team. Harley Bosher and Michael Trigger both kicked 4 goals each.

On Sunday, the boys came up against a determined Rivers FC who had obviously studied the game of the Southern Cross Strikers. Their determined defence continually thwarted the Strikers attacks, even though the Strikers had most of the play. Bryce DeKort scored one goal and narrowly missed another when his shot bounced off the crossbar. Another goal opportunity from Stefan Nigro beat the keeper but deflected off the upright. The Strikers defence stood up well for most of the game against a game plan of bombing long balls across the back of the defenders. A fast break and an unfortunate converted penalty was enough to see the Rivers team secure a surprise 2-1 victory over the Southern Cross Strikers.

 

U17 Girls

 

SCS 8   Eastern 3

SCS  3    Rivers 1