Youth Men’s Team:
Sunshine Coast Fire 10 v SWQ Thunder 2
The Fire started with intensity and a commitment to press high from the first minute. Great positioning from the wide players created plenty of room for the central three while the front players showed strength to hold up the ball and bring other players into the attack.
Tosh Togatia opened accounts for Fire with a goal from a free-kick in the 6th minute. Ten minutes later James Verdin slotted in a penalty to extend the lead. Towards the end of the half Bryce Cuschieri smashed in a 25-yard screamer, before Ryan Garratt finished a great team effort to put Fire ahead 4-0 into half-time.
Fire returned to the field to deliver a stunning performance in the second-half, led by an impressive man-of-the-match performance from Cuschieri. He scored early in the half from a Verdin assist to bring the score to 5-0, before SWQ Thunder fought back and scored in the 52nd minute. Fire was quick to quash any hope of a come-back with another Cuschieri goal in the 53rd minute, wrapping up his hat-trick.
Jed Zanos was next on the scoresheet to bring the score to 7-1 to Fire. The boys lost a bit of structure in the 67th minute and conceded again, however with a quick word from Coach Craig Hawkins and Technical Director Kevin A’herne-Evans, the Fire returned to game-mode and finished the game with goals from Bryce Cuschieri (who bagged a total of five goals) and James Verdin.
Man of the Match: Bryce Cuschieri
Under 18 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 4 v SWQ Thunder 2
The Fire boys found it hard to settle into the game in the blustery and cold conditions, producing a very lethargic first-half performance.
The Fire did not really get out of first gear and conceded to a long ball from SWQ Thunder in the 20th minute. Four mintues later a Ryan Garratt through-ball found Jacob Fulluck unmarked. He went 1v1 with the Thunder keeper and slotted the ball in to draw level 1-1 at half-time.
Fire started the second half strongly, with Nik Taylor putting in a Man of the Match performance and Lewis Reibel also having a great game. On the 60th minute the boys’ hard work paid off when Brandon Lee latched on to a loose ball and blasted it into the net to take a 2-1 lead. However, on the 75th minute some sloppy defending saw Thunder level the score.
Five minutes later an unmarked Rhyan Cook produced a powerful shot from inside the box to restore Fire’s lead. On the 82nd minute Jacob Fulluck sealed the Fire’s win with a gutsy run to bring the final score to 4-2.
Coach Paul Arnison said he was happy with the result and the opportunity for some of the boys to increase their match fitness with a full 90 minutes.
“This third consecutive win takes us to second spot on the ladder ahead of a big game against Olympic next week,” he said.
“A special thanks to the parents who travelled and provided plenty of vocal support.”
Man of the Match: Nik Taylor and Lewis Reibel
Under 16 Boys:
Written by Brett de Chastel
Sunshine Coast Fire 3 v SWQ Thunder 4
In freezing and windy conditions at Toowoomba, the Fire had the opportunity to go top of the table with a win against a much lower ranked team. Unfortunately, Fire was unable to take advantage of this opportunity and lost focus in the first-half.
The Fire actually started quite well with three opportunities to score in the first 8 minutes, however good goalkeeping and wayward shooting kept the score at nil all.
At the 16 minute mark, Thunder turned the game on its head. Taking advantage of a free-kick on the right-hand side, a high-ball into the penalty box saw a diving header at the far post result in Thunder taking a shock 1-0 lead. Worse was to come with a penalty awarded against the Fire 6 minutes later following another high-ball into the box from a free-kick. The penalty was duly taken and Thunder took a 2-0 lead.
The cold weather, long trip and windy conditions were obviously taking their toll on Fire. At 32 minutes Fire lost the ball in the midfield and Thunder’s centre forward ran between defenders to shoot and score at the near post. Thunder 3-0. Another free-kick was awarded to Thunder in the 35th minute with another high-ball into the penalty box for a free header.
With five clean sheets in previous games and only five goals conceded in eight games, the Fire found themselves 4 -0 down at half time.
After a stern half-time address, the Fire players applied themselves more strongly in the second-half. In the 52nd minute, Timi Adu provided a high cross into the penalty area for Alex van Kampen to challenge in the air – the ball fell to Sean de Chastel who clinically took the chance.
In the 60th minute, Fire scored again. After a good interchange of passes between Cameron Nairn and Adu, Adu beat his player in the midfield and made a killer pass to van Kampen. Van Kampen took one touch and slotted the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal to bring the score to 4 -2.
In the 68th minute Fire scored again with a similar combination. Timi provided a diagonal through-ball to van Kampen who checked the advancing goalkeeper and gave Fire some hope that they could pull a result back to salvage some points.
However, the Fire ran out of time despite creating several more chances. The damage from the first half was too much to overcome. Dealing with cold and windy conditions was a learning experience but a strong recovery in the second-half showed good character.
Man of the match – Alex van Kampen
Under 15 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire 5 v SWQ Thunder 0
The Fire girls started well, maintaining the majority of possession and pressuring SWQ Thunder from the first whistle. It was this pressure which led to the Fire’s first goal, as Fire won the ball as SWQ played out from goal. A good shot from Michelle le Roux from the front of the 18-yard box put Fire ahead 1-0.
Some sloppy playing out from Fire allowed SWQ a shot on goal, but Fire keeper Katie Offer covered it easily. The Fire had a further two opportunities with shots on goal, but the SWQ keeper made two good saves.
In the 10th minute le Roux again had a shot on goal which was saved, forcing a corner. Le Roux took the corner for Madi Warren to slot into goal. Just five minutes later steady pressure released Lisa van Hooijdonk down the left side to go 1v1 with the SWQ Thunder keeper to slot the ball in to the bottom left of goal. In the 33rd minute van Hooijdonk won the ball at half-way to sprint down the left and cut the ball back to Michelle who controlled the ball and then slotted it to the keeper’s left.
After the restart the Fire kept the majority of possession and concentrated on good, open football. The girls created a number of chances including corners in the fourth, 14th and 27th minutes were saved well by the Thunder keeper. SWQ Thunder was kept to chance which also came from a corner, which Offer saved.
In the 50th minute steady build-up and pressure led to Warren delivering a great through-ball to Van Hooijdonk to go 1v1 with the keeper and score to the keeper’s right, bringing the score to 5-0.
Blustery conditions and tiredness caused a drop in intensity in the final quarter, but the girls maintained control until the end of the game.
Player of the Match: Maddy Colam and Madi Warren
Under 15 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 4 v SWQ Thunder 3
Fire created chances from the first whistle and capitalised early as Kobe Fuller neatly finished after some brilliant build-up play in the 4th minute. Fire continued to dominate possession until Fuller was given a red card in the 12th minute. Fire then had to adjust to having ten men on the field and SWQ Thunder scored two goals from corners which weren’t dealt with properly. Loose marking from Fire led to a third SWQ Thunder goal before half-time.
Fire re-set and returned to the field a much improved side. The boys created numerous chances for Ty Dawson, Jack Bowen and Kye Chapman. Fire had to play a lot deeper and looked to play on the counter. In the 60th minute good combination play in the middle allowed Oli Blackmore to deliver a great pass to Chapman, who drove towards the box and placed a shot over the stranded SWQ keeper.
Chapman’s goal lifted the boys again but it was SWQ Thunder who scored against the run of play to put the game out of reach for the Fire. Abe Reeves scored a late goal after a powerful run from the right side and a strong finish to bring the final score to 4-3 in Thunder’s favour.
Coach Daniel Carew said he was much happier with his team’s second-half performance.
“The boys showed great character to get themselves back in the game; it is difficult playing with ten men for 70 minutes but they all worked hard and we nearly got a point out of it,” he said.
“It goes to show that in football not everything goes to plan and you get some harsh decisions but you just have to get on with the game.
“We spoke at half-time about conceding those two early goals from corners, and the team responded well and were much stronger in the second-half.”
Man of the Match: Oli Blackmore – rose to the challenge and was instrumental in midfield, created chances and defended well.
Under 13 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire 0 v SWQ Thunder 0
Both teams started slowly, but as the first half went on the Fire girls gained the majority of possession without creating many opportunities. The small pitch and sheer size of the SWQ Thunder players made play difficult; the Fire girls found it hard to find space and get forward.
In the second-half was just as tight as the first for both teams. SWQ Thunder has a shot on goal but Live Bjorklund made a great goal-line clearance. The Fire looked dangerous at times but took a few too many touches.
The girls battles right to the end but neither side managed to score.
Coach Tom White said the game was great for the girl’s development.
“It was a tight match, I think we just need to learn to win ugly sometimes,” he said.
Player of the Match: Melissa Taft
Under 12 Boys:
Written by Coach Peter Higginson
Sunshine Coast Fire 3 v SWQ Thunder 2 at Toowoomba
After a long journey to Toowoomba the Fire players were greeted with cold and windy conditions. Fire knew the conditions were going to be as difficult to overcome as the opposition.
The players put the conditions to the back of their mind and worked hard to get the ball down and play. But the first 15 minutes were difficult as both teams adjusted. The dry pitch meant pass precision and speed, together with good first touch, would be more important than ever.
The last 15 minutes of the half saw Fire start to take control with the midfield dominating. Movement off the ball helped Fire to keep more possession, then move the ball wide. It was this period which proved influential as all the players worked hard for each other.
Jack Beardsley opened the scoring with a floating shot over the Thunder goakeeper after good work on the edge of the box. The second goal came soon after as Beardsley once again placed a right-foot shot into the far corner of the goal leaving the GK with no chance. Then came the goal of the game; a sweeping move from midfield down the right to Luke Varga who had been causing problems for the defence. Beardsley received the ball just inside the box and thoughtfully laid the ball back to the on-rushing Harry Arnison, who hit it first-time from the corner of the 18 yard box, and the ball flew into the roof of the net like an arrow. Thunder grabbed a late first-half goal and it was 3-1 at half-time.
The second-half was very similar to the first with the teams working hard to play quality football. The Fire had better interchanges as the boys played out from the back and kept the ball down more effectively. Numerous chances came and went for the Fire, however with the wind behind them, it was Thunder who scored. A good corner and a lot of traffic for Fire goalkeeper Ben Potter to get through saw the ball go straight into the net.
The Fire played out the game with the one-goal lead, continuing to attack and try to play correctly despite the conditions.
Coach Peter Higginson said he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“There were great performances all over the pitch today; Jack Beardsley had a great game, Brodie Boyce and Joel Tuite were strong at the back, Harry Arnison, Sam Fleming and Josh Croft were great in midfield while Sam Aitken and Luke Varga did well on the flanks. An all-round team effort.”
