A delayed match report for our Round 13 match against Augustines. The only other team to have moved up from Div 2, Augustines have continued to show their quality and proved yet again to be tough opposition that are hard to break down. Both grades played some fantastic football that was worth watching and fine margins split both teams. Last game against Avalon next weekend and a guaranteed third place finish for the First Grade! A brilliant achievement in our first year of AL1s.
FIRSTS
Man of the Match: Isaak Badyari
2 points: Jeremy Green
1 point: Jordan Daly
Goal Scorer(s): Isaiah Vumbaca
Like every other match against Augustines, both teams came out firing from the off. Both teams created several opening chances and after 15 minutes, the Raiders lads settled in and started to dominate possession. The opening goal came 20 minutes into the half, just after Lachy was fouled 20 yards out. Isaiah stepped up and launched one in with pace. A whole bunch of bodies in the way and the ball bounced through and into the goal! A fantastic yet controversial opening goal that was triple checked for off-side. Whilst Isaak was deemed off-side, he wasn’t deemed active in the play and the goal stood. Throughout the remainder of the half, both keepers were absolutely solid and all further shots were dealt with.
The second half started with Augustines switching keepers, their dependable reserves keeper taking over from their first grade keeper who had innocuously injured himself during the first half. The second half was an equally cagey affair, with both teams playing with aggression and intensity. Whilst the Saints piled on the pressure and started to dominate possession around our goal area, the yellow warriors held strong in the defensive line, and when we started to press the Augustines team back, we ended up creating more chances.
But the story of the entire day was the quality of goal keeping for both teams. No matter what was thrown at these men, they held strong and made several quality saves. The game wrapped up with a solid 1-0 win for the mighty raiders to keep us in the hunt for a top 2 finish.
RESSIES
Man of the Match: Corey Pullinger
2 points: Daniel Noble
1 point: Jordan Daly
Goal Scorer(s):
The Ressies got off to a flying start against Saints creating several chances in the opening 10 minutes, forcing the Saints keeper to make a few fine saves. During one move, Ryan was set free down the right flank, getting in behind the Saints well-organised defence, and faced the keeper one-on-one … Ryan drove a shot low and into the opposite corner, and in the moment of the match, the keeper made a diving finger-tip save to keep the scores at 0-0. Several more chances for both teams ensued, and despite creating several great opportunities, we were unable to break through and the scores ended 0-0.
Unfortunately, Saints started to dominate the second half and within the first 20 minutes of the second half, took a 2-0 lead with two goal, one of which was top-shelf quality, a spectacular own goal and second of the season for Jakey Carder. The second goal that Saints scored themselves, without too much help from the Raiders, was scrappy. Despite being limited with the number of chances they took, fortune favoured the school boys.
Hats off to the Saints goal keeper who was the difference for both teams and the reason that Saints went on to win the match 2-0.
league table
ROUND 13 RESULTS
