Match report

Match report

The Hahndorf under 17 team put a very hard effort against Stirling, as extremely strong wind conditions made it hard for both teams to play at the Summit. The game kicked off at 9:00am, with the wind against Hahndorf’s goalpost. Some early pressure from Nicholas Brown and Oscar Johnson kept Hahndorf in possession of the centre. For the first 24 minutes both teams were even, with equal numbers of opportunities, however, after an unfortunate goal from the penalty area Stirling had the lead by 1-0. Even with the wind against him, Thomas Boekel was able to pull off some amazing saves keeping Hahndorf in the game. But two quick goals from Stirling saw Hahndorf down 3-0. All hope was not lost, as a free kick from halfway by George Papakostas fed Stefan Panic in the right wing, who was able to assist Toby Thomas for a goal, bringing Hahndorf back up to 3-1. 

With Hahndorf kicking off the second half, a solid defence along with lots of sprinting from Rhys Davies and Gabe Aylen kept the team in the game. Mitch Stribley was able to give the team some chances on the wing, however, the team couldn’t adapt to the windy conditions. This affected the team’s corner kicks, taken by both Papakostas and Thomas. Lots of opportunities from both teams kept both keepers busy, but after one last save from Boekel, the game ended with a 3-1 defeat to Hahndorf. Although the team lost, they showed a lot of improvement.