Match report

Match report

The weather gods were seemingly pleased with the behavior of Hills Junior Soccer players and patrons on Saturday morning as they held the faucets closed for the duration of proceedings. OK, it was freezing, but clear sunny skies made for an enjoyable morning of fast, open football. And for the mid-morning match it was Woodside Warriors U13 Red hosting Murray Bridge Blue.

From the outset, the more experienced Warriors side looked to have the edge, and where they had struggled to transition the ball up the ground in Round 1, their midfield now structured up and worked harder as a unit, resulting in clean and ample ball for their forwards to get to business. Playing more as an attacking midfielder, their center forward got busy over his cauldron, conjuring opportunities for his left and right wings who were hunting the ball with the desperation of a terrier seeking its tail. It was Woodside’s right wing keeping the scorer busy, goaling thrice in the first half. Not only did he finish well, but his sustained and consistent effort on and off the ball kept Woodside on the attack and Bridge at bay. In fact, all of Woodsides chances came through the contributions of many. They played as a team, structuring with nauseating fastidiousness, hunting the ball with precise belligerence and never giving up the chase.

But there was a lot to like from Bridge too. And if they thought a three goal deficit was beyond them, they didn’t show it. In fact, they launched themselves into the second half with renewed vigor as they strived, if not for victory, then to at least show those present what they were made of. This brought about a stalemate as both sides fought for the ball, and although Woodside squandered a few opportunities, Bridge never gave up the chase and exerted sufficient pressure to prevent the easy shot. And soon Bridge were on the attack themselves, creating not one, but three ripping chances in a thirty second flurry of fury. Unfortunately for them each was saved spectacularly by a right wing wearing a pair of goalie gloves. Woodside hit the scoreboard a few more times in the second half to run the game out as deserving winners, but the young Bridge side is improving by the minute and if they stick with the Beautiful Game and enjoy the contest, a bright future awaits!