Under 18 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire defeated The Gap/Brisbane City 7-1.
Goals: Madison Phelps (1), Chloe Hobelt (1), Clair Glackin (1), Samara Christmas (2), Sienna Tucker (1), Grace Wilkins (1).
Coach Francis Lynch said the Fire girls started the game with a high line pressing Brisbane City into its defensive third. The girls moved the ball with speed and created shooting opportunities for Grace Glackin and Martha Bensted to finish, giving the Fire a 2-0 advantage.
The Fire continued to play out from the back as goal keeper Savanna Bowtell-Harris released Madison Phelps and Chloe Hobelt to move forward and square the ball into the Brisbane 18-yard box.
This constant pressure allowed Glackin to force an error from the Brisbane goal keeper and deliver a quality finish 1v1 just before half-time.
The Fire kept up the pressure in the second-half and Samara Christmas was rewarded with a composed goal.
Brisbane also started the half with intent and secured its first goal against the run of play, bringing the score to 1-4.
The Fire kept composure as the central defenders played back to Bowtell-Harris to distribute the ball. Midfielders Amy McGlynn and Kayla Moore played killer passes to turn the Brisbane backline, allowing Christmas to shoot the ball into goal.
The Fire continued to capitalise on every opportunity; Siena Tucker played some quality first-time touches and shots around the 18-yard box and was rewarded with a quality goal. Mia Radda was unlucky to hit the cross-bar after Lucy Froud squared the ball across the six-yard box, before Grace Wilkins scored a goal to finish the game at 1-7.
Lynch was pleased with his team’s efforts.
“Well done to the girls, it is good to see we are finishing off excellent build-up play.”
Under 18 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire lost to Brisbane Strikers 2-0.
Coach Paul Arnison said the game started slowly with neither team able to gain a foothold and no real opportunities at goal.
However, the Strikers soon took advantage of an opportunity when they got in behind the Fire’s defence down the left-hand side and crossed the ball. Fire goal keeper Damien Cox could only parry the shot and a Strikers player reacted quickest to the rebound. He was then able to place the ball into an empty net with no pressure.
The Fire responded from kick-off as Jack Johnson played a great ball over the left back’s head for Chris Jancevski to run on to and cross. The cross fell to Steve Lawrance who beat two opposing players and calmly placed the ball into the back of the net. This brought the score to 1-1, where it stayed until half-time.
In a disappointing second-half the Strikers closed down on the Fire eliminating scoring opportunities.
The Strikers gained the lead after Steve Lawrance caught a player from behind while making a play for the ball in the box and the Strikers were awarded a penalty.
The Fire we struggled to get back into the game. An opportunity to level came when a Ryan McMaster corner was met with a bullet of a header from Jared Moore, only for the ball to bounce back off the bar. A few minutes later Strikers scored their third goal and then a fourth when the Strikers left back made a good run and found himself free in the Fire’s box to shoot the ball past Cox.
“Over-all it was a poor second-half from us but there were some positives from the game and we will be working hard in training this week to put things right for Sunday.”
Under 15 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire defeated Brisbane Strikers 4-1.
Goals: Cameron Nairn (2), Timi Adu (1), Jordan Irwin (1).
Assistant Coach John Whiting said the game started at a fast pace as the Fire created scoring opportunities from kick-off.
The Fire’s Cameron Nairn had a narrow miss in the fifth minute and then Timi Adu put the Fire on the score board with the ball on the edge of the box. The goal keeper rushed out and Adu placed the ball in the bottom corner to make it 1-0.
Ten minutes later the Strikers managed to get a penalty, which they converted in the bottom-right corner.
However in the 19th minute the Fire regained the lead with a wonder-goal from Cameron Nairn.
Tyler Morse lofted a through-ball for Nairn to volley over the goal keepers head into the bottom corner.
There was a mix of possession for the rest of the half, with both sides creating chances on the ball.
The Fire gained more possession in the second-half and were able to create goal scoring opportunities. In the 59th minute Timi Adu received the ball outside on the wing, and crossed it into the back post for Jordan Irwin to score with his weaker right foot.
The Fire sealed the game in the 74th minute with a fourth goal from Nairn. He gained the ball on the right side and took a low driven shot into the bottom left hand corner.
“It was a great performance from us after a disappointing result last week against Brisbane City,” Whiting said.
Under 14 Boys:
Sunshine Coast FC lost to Brisbane Strikers 2-0.
The Fire’s watertight defence was broken for only the second game this season in their match against Brisbane Strikers.
The first goal came from an indirect free-kick from inside the box as goal keeper Marcus Worthington picked up a back-pass from Henry Hore. Coach Ben Cahn said the confusion and sloppy nature of the goal was an accurate summary of what was to follow for the rest of the afternoon.
The second goal was equally as scrappy. A lack of communication saw the Fire backline fail to clear the ball and the strikers were able to tuck a shot home.
“Neither team created many chances or even had particularly dominant spells,” Cahn said.
“The Strikers were a little bit more determined to get the result and in the end it paid off for them.
“The work rate was there in patches, but the intensity, organisation and shape that had been there for the last six or seven weeks just was not there. We have to work hard to consistently perform at this highest level. We can all take responsibility for the performance and the result. That includes the players and myself as the coach.
Football is about learning from mistakes and working hard to correct them. I have no doubts that we will all bounce back and be stronger for it next Sunday!”
Under 14 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire defeated Moreton Bay 12-0.
Goals: Kirsty Clifford (5), Michelle Le Roux (4), Madi Warren (1), Lisa van Hooijdonk (1) and Tayla Gesch (1).
Coach Tom White said the Fire girls were fantastic in this game. From start to finish the Fire dominated the game and punished every mistake made by Moreton Bay.
Quality finishes from Kirsty Clifford and Michelle Le Roux allowed the Fire to gain an advantage in the match. The girls played great football; they were able to play their way out of tight areas and always looked to create space. Midfielders Aimee Scott, Maisie Berry, Michelle Le Roux, Madi Warren, Lisa van Hooijdonk, Melissa Taft and Tayla Gesch played a great passing game and took control of the match.
Aimee Scott was awarded girl of the match after she showed her development into a great footballer during the game.
“Her vision on the ball and her killer passes were an asset to the team,” White said.
“I was pleased to see her play well.”
“Clifford and Le Roux’s movement in the final third was impressive and their finishing was clinical.”
“The back four and goal keeper Katie Offer were solid and our midfield was a different class. I am very pleased as to how we reacted after an average performance last week and was thrilled with how well we played out from the back and how good our movement was in the final third.”
White said the girls should also be commended on their sportsmanship after encouraging the referee to overturn a decision against Moreton Bay. During in the second half with the score at 11-0 the Fire was awarded a penalty and the opposition keeper sent off. The incident was simply a good save from the Moreton Bay goal keeper and should not have been a red card or penalty. The Fire girls spoke to the referee and were able to have the decision overturned.
White congratulated the girls on representing Sunshine Coast FC in a great way.
Under 13 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire lost to Brisbane Strikers 4-2.
The Fire boys knew they would be in for a tough match against the top of the table Brisbane Strikers on Sunday.
Coach Alex Barlow said after a disappointing loss to Brisbane City last week the boys worked hard in training to put things right.
“The Fire showed more heart and a will to work for each other, and even though we lost 4-2 I was impressed with the performance. Once again we did not get broken down, we worked together in the press which helped a lot.”
Strikers took the lead against the run of play in the first-half after capitalising on too many touches from the Fire’s midfield. A Strikers player placed a shot in the top corner which Fire goal keeper could not save.
Just before half time the Strikers broke down the left and were awarded a penalty for a tackle from Fire defender Max Footitt.
The Fire were now 2-0 down but unlike the Round Nine match, they came out buzzing for the second half and pressured the strikers at every opportunity.
The Fire was rewarded with a goal, however the Strikers soon increased their lead to two goals again.
The Fire worked to create more chances and managed to put another goal away, setting up for a thrilling end to the match.
The Fire pushed up high, trying to equalise, and this allowed the Strikers to counter and seal the game at 4-2.
Barlow said he was proud of the Fire boys’ efforts.
“We showed today that we can play and once we cut out our little mistakes we will be hard to beat,” he said.
