Under 12 Boys – Sunshine Coast FC (5) v Brisbane Strikers FC (4)
*Not Submitted
Under 13 Boys – Sunshine Coast FC (4) v Brisbane Strikers FC (4)
After a disappointing result last week but increasing team confidence, Fire started the game strongly with several combinations and some great passing. Strikers took control with a shot going just over the bar, and then another shot blocked resulting in a corner, only to finish with the first goal going to Strikers at the 5th minute from a good cross.
Fire rallied hard with great defence coming from “Mr Reliable” Todd Camm and Connor Evans to put an end to the Strikers attack. Evans has shown great improvement recently and proved this again today. Then came a lovely combination starting with Liam MacMillan, through to Jack Williams, then Aaron Smith and on to Jake Debbage to result in a corner. Strikers cleared the ball and battled back with a great run up the flank and slipping the ball through a tiny gap on the right side in the 8th minute.
There was more end to end play in the following minutes, one ending with a great save by Hugh Williams to deny the Strikers a third.
It was Fire’s turn to take control again. Matt Toye shot a great ball to Alex Patterson who shot cleanly at goal, only to be denied by a great save by the Strikers keeper.
In the 15th minute, a great shot by Jack Williams which hit the crossbar and landed back in the pack, only for Alex Paterson to be in exactly the right spot to slot the rebound past the keeper.
A great through ball from Jack Williams to Patterson for a one on one was eventually blocked by the keeper for a corner.
At the 30 minute mark, confusion reigned as the referee called for half time, but then decided to continue play. The disruption gave the Striker the first advantage, with their 6” tall midfielder easily slotting their third into the back of the net.
Fire was not to be denied and with some dogged work in the midfield and some terrific runs out of defence, a determined Smith rallied to regain possession, a quick 1-2 with Williams, a run up the middle of the park, only to be fouled about 10m out from goal. A free kick was awarded and an extremely accurate kick by Patrick Simpson sailed over the keeper into the back of the net.
The second half started a bit slower, most likely due to the very warm May conditions, with fairly even possession. Strikers were pressing hard to convert another, with shots going wide and high, a save by Hugh and a frantic clearance by Patrick Swindles to deny the Striker their fourth.
Fire turned it around again with some great play coming from the back line, another run by Aaron Smith ended in a foul and a Fire free kick. A short pass to Jake Debbage who superbly curved the ball into the top right hand corner evened the score at 3-3.
Fire showed more intensity, with clever passing around the edge of the box. A precision cross in from Patterson to Matt Gaske, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, gave Fire the lead for the first time in the match.
It was again the Strikers’ turn to fire back, with a five minute onslaught to finally give them the equaliser they were after. Both teams continued to test each other until the last minute of the game.
Player of the Match: Alex Patterson. Alex was excellent in attack and caused headaches all morning for the Strikers defence. He was equally as good in defence showing an amazing work rate for a #9 and never allowing the Strikers to play out from the back easily.
Under 13 Girls – Sunshine Coast FC (4) v University of Queensland FC (1)
Fire started very sluggish and let UQ play very easy football around them. Fire found it hard to hold possession and string passes together but in the 11th minute Emily Roach put the ball through the UQ defensive line to Jordyn Weckert, Jordyn struck the ball which hit the post and deflected into the goal. Fire leading 1-0.
UQ were strong from the restart but were denied by Tia Vela and Sommer Jordan in defence. Fire were awarded with a corner in the 21st minute, Jordyn fired the ball deep into the penalty area where the keeper was unable to hold on to the ball, Courtney Brunner was there to finish the ball and put Fire up with a 2-0 advantage.
Drew Aiken was subbed on for Mikayla Wrigley shortly after UQ restarted play and began to play the ball forwards to the attackers quickly and effectively. Despite Fire having a better 5 minutes of play, UQ came back with a goal which was easily put past both our goal keeper and defensive line. The half time whistle blew and Fire lead 2-1.
As the second half commenced, Fire struggled to find momentum and still couldn’t find their feet with their passing. At this point, Drew was the main player who responded to the attacking and defensive matters well and managed to keep up with the switches with her clever reading of the game.
Fire gained some focus and kept the possession in the attacking half and had a few shots but they were all either off target or easy for the keeper to react to. The UQ goal keeper made a huge error by playing the ball out in a dangerous area which made Emily able to run on to the ball and place it past the goal keeper. Fire leading 3-1.
Shortly after, UQ tried to push Fire defenders back but Sommer reacted well, took it up on herself to have a run, dribbled past every player in her path and smashed the ball past the goal keeper and found the net with ease. The final whistle blew and Fire managed to finish the game at 4-1 with their 7th straight win.
Player of the Match: Drew Aiken
Under 14 Boys – Sunshine Coast FC (3) v Brisbane Strikers FC (2)
Fire dominated right from the start with Ezi Hawkins and Luke Varga producing a number of attacking moves down the right wing and getting the ball in to the centre each time.
Jacko Haynes received a cross from Hawkins in the 2nd minute and had a shot from the edge of the box, but was saved by the keeper.
Brok Ross unmarked, went to meet another cross from the right wing, but lost his footing. Ross had a second chance in the 12th minute, receiving the ball from the midfield and had a shot that went over the cross bar.
Strikers looked dangerous in the 24th minute when their tall #9 was running onto a through-ball with only the keeper to beat, but Fire keeper Croft beat him to the ball clearing it safely. The difference appeared to be the Fire defence who rarely let the ball past the halfway line and kept feeding it wide to both wings.
Beardsley was threatening with the ball on the edge of the box, sidestepped a defender but got caught in traffic and couldn’t get a clean shot away.
Fire were finally rewarded in the 29th minute from an Ezi Hawkins free kick from half way between the penalty box and the right sideline. It went past the pack in front of the goal mouth where Brodie Boyce in front of the far post caught it on the volley looping it over the keeper’s head for the first goal of the match.
Strikers’ #9 appeared to trip as he tried to take the ball past Ewan Gordon, however Strikers were awarded a free kick, in the centre of the pitch and 25m out from goal. The free kick was chipped high gliding in slowly just under the cross bar out of reach of the Fire keeper Josh Croft for Strikers to equalise in the 31st minute.
Beardsley and Varga worked well together down the right wing, creating a number of opportunities. Fire were finally rewarded in the 55th minute when Luke Poulton on the half way line, pushed the ball out to the right to Luke Varga. Varga took it up the wing and sent a perfect cross into Jack Beardsley, Jack was under some pressure but eventually in the resulting broken play got the ball into the net for Fire’s second goal.
Fire’s winning goal came in the 61st minute when Jack Beardsley received the ball on the right hand side just inside half way from a throw in, went forward in some space, when Boyce called for the ball as he made a run behind the defensive line. Beardsley put it through with perfect weight and Boyce beat the defender to the ball and hooked it above the head of the advancing keeper and under the cross bar.
Strikers scored a goal in the 69th minute from a free kick 22m from the goal line to the right of centre. This time the kick was well struck going straight in under the cross bar.
Player of the Match: Ezi Hawkins with excellent defence and some great overlapping runs down the wing is man of the match.
Under 15 Boys – Sunshine Coast FC (1) v Brisbane Strikers FC (3)
*Not Submitted
Under 15 Girls – Sunshine Coast FC (0) v University of Queensland FC (1)
*Not Submitted
Under 16 Boys – Sunshine Coast FC (3) v Brisbane Strikers FC (4)
*Not Submitted
Under 18 Boys – Sunshine Coast FC (0) v Olympic FC (7)
In a game which was always going to be difficult for the Fire 18s with no substitutes and three 16s backing up from an earlier game, things could not have begun worse when from the kick off. A blatant free kick to the Fire was ignored by the referee and play immediately swept up-field and Olympic scored. Ex-Fire player Matt Cann for Olympic was through on goal but the advancing Josh Wall saved the shot, only to see the ricochet fall fortuitously to Lachlan Burt who slotted into an open goal.
In a situation similar to so many of the Fire games this year, they had to fight their way back into the game having conceded an early goal. After weathering the storm of enthusiasm from Olympic for the next few minutes after they scored, Fire did fight their way back into the game lead by solid work by Ollie Blackmore and Jez Lofthouse in the midfield and Liam Burns in defence.
In the 12th and 15th minutes Lofthouse had goal bound shots saved by Dakota Sprange in the Olympic goal before leaving the field in the 20th minute for treatment for a knock. Fire played the next five minutes a player down with Lofthouse sidelined but he was in the action again in the 27th minute after a weaving run past several defenders saw his shot hit the post.
Fire could have also scored in the 30th minute when Abe Reeves used his pace to get in behind the Olympic defence on the right and a good cross found Matt Alberts in front of goal, but his shot cleared the crossbar.
Lofthouse was continuing to create danger for the Olympic defence with his long runs forward, and although Fire were not playing well as a team, could have been in front at half time.
Fire came out in the second half determined to continue where they left off in the first half but two minutes in and fatigue was already showing when the ball was easily given away in the Fire defence and Olympic forced Fire into conceding a penalty. At 2-0 down it was the Fire’s worst nightmare all over again.
At the 50th minute Olympic forced another penalty but Wall saved the shot and saw the rebound blasted high over the bar by the Olympic player.
There was not much joy to write about for Fire in the second half with defensive errors allowing Olympic to score in the 55th minute, and again in the 63rd when Angus Hughes for Olympic was rewarded for his determination in a run forward as the ball appeared to pin ball, luckily for him, off numerous Fire defenders on his run through and he finished with a good shot to make it 4-0.
Despite the good individual efforts of a number of Fire players the team had lost its cohesion and did not threaten the Olympic goal until the 65th minute when Lofthouse forced Sprange to turn his shot away for a corner.
Olympic scored again in the 70th and 81st minute when tired legs could not clear the ball from the Fire defence. At 6-0 down it was not the same Fire team that was up 3-1 against Olympic in the first round and had to fight to come from behind to salvage a 4-4 draw. They were looking at their seventh straight, and heaviest, loss of the season.
In the 83rd minute Kye Yamaoka-Chapman in a run down the left put a good cross into Terone Wattegedara whose challenge in the air forced Sprange to drop the ball, but he was able to regather it before Wattegedara could pounce.
In the final minutes the Fire defence stopped running when a free kick was played through on the right and Joe Lin for Olympic in a free run into the box slotted home the ball unchallenged to make it 7-0.
Player of the Match: Jez Lofthouse
