MATCH OF THE ROUND
The Entrance 3 – 1 Kariong
The Reddies finally get their first victory of the year after a strong start to the match saw The Entrance pick up all 3 points over Kariong in the Round 7 Match of the Round.
Unlike in recent weeks when it has taken Patrick Zwaanswijk’s side to concede before they start to play to their ability, this past Sunday the Entrance got off to a fantastic start and after only five minutes an error from Kariong resulted in them conceding a penalty when the Kariong goalkeeper committed a foul on dangerous speedster Ashton Hurley. Mitchell Landini stepped up for the Reddies as he coolly slotted home to give his side the advantage. Ten minutes after grabbing their first, the Entrance doubled their lead through Ashton Hurley who once again speed past his defender and perfectly crossed it for an easy tap in from Jack O’Callaghan.
After some tactical changes and a change in mentality, Kariong was well aware of the task ahead and how difficult a comeback would be. However, not long into the second half, a defensive error from the Entrance allowed Chris Lennon to provide a superb left-foot finish to give the Cougars their first and hope for a comeback. Kariong looked to push and dominate possession as they searched for an equaliser but were unable to break through the Entrance defence. As the rain continued to play a massive part on the field and ultimately the game, another quick counterattack led By Ashton Hurley who bolted past his defender, this time to gift the Reddies veteran Zac Anastas who put the game to bed to give The Entrance their first win of the year.
Ryan Finch commended the Entrance side who were able to pick up their first win of the year with a terrific performance. “The Entrance can be proud of their performance and the way they dug in to get their first win of the season.”
Entrance’s Patrick Zwaanswijk stated it was a great feeling to get the win against very tough opposition. “It was a great win against a strong Kariong side that has a lot of quality up front.”
Woongarrah 3 – 5 Terrigal
Terrigal win in back-to-back weeks for the first time this season after defeating Woongarrah in an 8-goal thriller at Hamlyn Terrace.
An extremely wet afternoon at Hamlyn Terrace would make for a hard to play surface as defensive errors would prove costly. Terrigal did well to dominate possession in the early stages of the match, but the Woongarrah defence remained solid. That was until a cheap turnover just outside the 18-yard box would allow Terrigal’s Stuart Adams to set up Mahkye Brownlie who drilled home into the top corner to open the scoring. Another error from Woongarrah saw Mark Partridge cut in from wide on the right and perfectly curl the ball past the opposition goalkeeper and into the bottom corner to double the O’lads lead. The goal scorer then turned provider when Partridge’s cross found his opposite winger Ben Flakus who rifled home into the bottom corner to extend his side’s lead to three heading into halftime.
As to be expected and to Woongarrah’s credit, they came out fighting in the second half as substitute Jamie Witherspoon weaved into the Terrigal box only for Ryan Pearce to foul Witherspoon and concede a penalty. Ashley ‘AJ’ Henderson would step up and convert to give Woongarrah their first of the day. Ten minutes later, Stuart Adams was brought down in the box at the other end of the field as he made no mistake from the spot to restore Terrigal’s 3-goal lead. Woongarrah continued to pile on the pressure as they chased the game and were able to grab their second when Myles Donnelly headed home from a corner. Terrigal once again was the next to reply as a quick counterattack saw Ben Flakus grab his second of the day with a venomous volley. With just five minutes of play left, Kyle’s Harvey volley would take a deflection and beat the Terrigal goalkeeper to score the game’s final goal as the fixture ended 5-3 to Terrigal.
Luke Rogers praised young Kynan Johnson post-match who did an exceptional job coming on as a substitute for his first-grade debut. “Terrigal is well organised, and you have to be playing at your best if you are going to take points off Martyn’s side. You can’t gift a team like Terrigal a two-goal head start and expect to win the game. Positive of the day was the performance of sixteen-year-old Kynan Johnson who played well when introduced off the bench for his first-grade debut.”
Killarney 2 – 0 Berkeley Vale
Killarney’s exceptional start to the season continues as the Terriers capture a strong victory in front of a home crowd against Berkeley Vale.
Another dominant display from Killarney is most definitely now instilling them as the competition favourites for this year’s competition. The game opened up quite evenly but when an early injury forced Berkeley Vale’s Troy Mumford off the field, Mark Pratt had to reshape, and this allowed Killarney to gain control of the game. Midway through the first half, Ethan Hall found himself on the end of a Killarney counterattack as his cross found his brother Matt who finished nicely from 6-yards out to open the scoring. The score remained locked at 1-0 as the halftime whistle sounded.
It did not take long in the second half for Killarney to double their lead, in the 50th minute a Lachy Wallace corner found Sam Kirk who powerfully headed home to extend the Terriers’ lead. Being down by two, Berkeley knew they had to be the next on the scoresheet, but it was not to be for the Wombats who remained scoreless in all three grades on Sunday. Killarney almost found another goal through Lachy Wallace who hit the post from 25-yards out. The game finished 2-0.
Mark Pratt credit the opposition coach and his side who despite losing some valuable and key players seem to be better than ever. “Congratulations to Chris and the Killarney team, they have had some changes in the roster but are as strong as ever and will be very difficult for anyone to get close to this year.”
Ackerley stated that despite the weather his team did a great job to get the win over tough opposition as they now focus on keeping their unbeaten run alive against next week’s opposition. “It was a pleasing result given the conditions and it extends our good start to the season with another hard game against Woongarrah to come next week.”
Avoca 2 – 3 Kanwal
Despite conceding first, Kanwal came back and turned things around to get back to winning ways with a precious 3-2 over Avoca this past Sunday.
With a significant injury toll mounting each week for Kanwal, a game that was supposed to be played at Erina High School was transferred to Hamlyn Terrace, a short stroll away from the Kanwal home ground. In a match that was as close as the results suggest, Avoca started the fixture brightly and came our strong looking to take it to the opposition whilst Kanwal for the second week in a row would start the game relatively slow. The Kanwal goalkeeper made two excellent saves in the first 15-minutes to keep the score level. Kanwal started to build into the game with a number of chances of their own, however, Oliver Chippendale eventually opened the scoring for the Sharks in the 25th minute when he would strike home from a corner. For the next ten minutes, both sides would create several half-chances, looking for that next important goal. Kanwal’s Logan Moore in the 35th minute would break down the line and play a low cross into Adam Kwasnik who made no mistake and converted the chance from close range. The score would remain 1-1 going into halftime.
A tight first half allowed both teams to come out for the second half with the confidence that they could walk away with a win. As both sides looked to grab the go-ahead goal, it was Adam Kwasnik who would once again be in the right spot to convert a Zac Johnson cross. Not long after setting up their second goal, Johnson would get on the scoresheet himself after teammate Logan Moore created space down the line and crossed for Zac who calmly converted to give Kanwal a 3-1 lead. However, a determined Avoca would not lie down as they looked to get themselves back in the contest with many goal scoring chances but once again Kurtis Mahon continued to pull off several excellent saves. Avoca would finally grab their second through Josh Menzies, the Sharks would give everything they had to find an equaliser that they probably deserved. It would be a very nervy last five minutes for Ryan Walker and his men who fortunately were able to hold on for a 3-2 victory.
Neal Hide commended the durable opposition that his side faced on Sunday. “Full credit to Kanwal, they’re a tough, experienced side that will trouble every team. Avoca needs to try to find a way of getting results quickly.”
Ryan Walker was ecstatic with the result and efforts of his players. “We had a significant number of key players out today and the boys who stepped in did a great job. It is great to have depth across the squad this year. It is showing with all grades performing well at the moment. Congratulations to Avoca who we always seem to struggle against and who gave us a good battle today. It must be difficult not to be playing your home games at home and having to travel every week.”
Golden Boot Standings –
| 4 | Andy Klijn (Killarney) Adam Kwasnik (Kanwal), Stuart Adams (Terrigal), Jack O’Callaghan (The Entrance) |
| 3 | Ethan Hall (Killarney, Jack Ellwood (Southern), James Draper (Kariong), Tyler Wade (Avoca), Ashley Henderson (Woongarrah), Mahkye Brownlie (Terrigal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
DIVISION 1
Round 7 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
