Match report

Match report

Prior to their Round 7 clash, both Willunga and Woodside Warriors U15 were sitting mid table, with most of their previous games being decided by a single goal. And when Willunga made the journey up to the Warriors’ Fortress the trend continued, as another game went down to the wire.

In the opening stages Woodside had the upper hand, creating 3 shots on goal in the first three minutes of play, including a well-timed header that sailed just wide. More shots followed, with the opening ten minutes being all Woodside. But when Willunga went forward, they showed their goal-scoring potential, firing a bullet on target, only to be denied by a miraculous diving save that kept the card clean and Woodside in domination. And within a minute, the Warriors had created another opportunity. This time the post got in the way to deny their striker a brilliant goal. And with this denial a level of frustration was building in the group – the score card seemed unreasonably stubborn in its refusal to acknowledge their dominance. This trend continued with the Willunga keeper being forced to make yet another pair of thrilling saves on the twenty-minute mark. Although Woodside were dominating, credit must be given to the Willunga backs for ensuring that every Woodside shot was made under extreme pressure. But for Woodside, their frustration was brought to boiling point when Willunga scored the only goal of the first half, breaking through the line and finishing in a 1 V 1 with the Woodside gloveman. Despite creating 9 shots to three and dominating the game, Woodside entered the break a goal down in a tight, low-scoring contest.

If Woodside dominated the first half, the second was as even as the number two. While Woodside maintained their level, Willunga rose to the challenge, drawing confidence from the numbers on the scorecard. The two sides now traded blows, with chances created at either end of the ground. But both defensive units held tough, putting enough pressure on their opponents to make all shots rushed, while both glovemen also excelled to keep their respective sides in the contest. As the game hung in the balance, and Woodside prayed for an equaliser, the ref found a penalty and sent them to the spot. Pressure! The penalty was hit with power and precision, flying to the right around waist high. But the keeper guessed right and deflected the bullet back into the box. Woodside pounced on the loose ball, driving it hard on target. It was saved again! A third shot was struck, and again deflected out, flying to the top of the D. Now, a well-positioned midfielder, who had bided his time patiently, hit the ball with the sweetest of strikes and beat everyone to bring the scores level! It was game-on with 25 minutes left to play! Both groups were desperate to get a result out of this one, and both played with fierce intensity and a steely willingness to make it happen. Although an equal number of shots were created by both teams, it was Willunga who snuck over the line, when a long-shot sailed high through the air, cleared Woodside’s excellent goal-keeper and stretched the back of the net. The home side was devastated to fall short after playing so well, but the visitors were jubilant, with a tight game finally going their way.

And while the players were either jubilant or dejected with the outcome, both coaching groups and all in attendance were impressed by the quality of football on display. It was the tightest of contests, and perhaps a draw would have been a better reflection of the match. But regardless of the numbers, both sides should now move forward with the knowledge that they are quality football teams and their best is yet to come!