Match report

Match report

U15 Hahndorf v Willunga

Under a darkening sky and with Willunga fielding only ten players, both teams took to the
pitch and awaited the high-pitched trill of the referee’s whistle. The energy was high from
the first kick off and Hahndorf were quick to move the ball up the pitch, keen to get a score
on the board. First attempts at the goal square were well defended by the opposition goalie
and Angus Mifsud, Harrison Gould, and Lucianne Tinsley- Smith were seen to display great
passing skills in the defence line when Willunga pushed back. Luca Cannavo and Levi Beesley
kept the tackling pressure high on the opposition and Willunga struggled to maintain control
of the ball under their attack. Hayden Lien and Gould worked like a well-oiled machine,
making solid passes to each other as they again moved the ball up the pitch. Several
attempts at goals were well-thwarted by the Willunga goalie before Gould successfully
sailed the ball over the goalie’s head to get the first score on the board at the 8-minute
mark. Willunga quickly followed up with their own attempt at goal that unfortunately went
a little wide. At the 11-minute mark, Jett Zahra snuck the second goal for Hahndorf past the
goalkeeper, which was soon followed with a successful goal by Isaac Killey superbly assisted
by Cooper Liddle. Willunga’s efforts to get a score on the board were well defended by the
Hahndorf back line with Oliver Sarapini-Palombo assisting Mifsud to keep the ball clear, and
Cannavo successfully covering the ball into the waiting hands of Jacob Gardner in goal.
Hahndorf kept the pressure on, and Willunga were working hard in the defence line,
pushing back at several efforts toward goal before Liddle successfully scored the fourth goal
for the home team which was soon followed by another by J Zahra. Both teams were
displaying great passing skills in the mid field and the opposition never let their energy
levels drop. Mifsud, Gould, and Patrick Hinze worked collaboratively in the back line to
prevent Willunga’s pressure on the defence to achieve their first goal. Two huge efforts by
Willunga were unsuccessful by only cm’s as one attempt went wide and the other skimmed
over the crossbar. Both sides kept the pressure on up to the half time whistle and the score
held at 5 – 0 at the break.
When the teams took back to the pitch, Liddle took over from Gardner in goals and both
teams took off with high energy levels to keep the ball in active play up and down the pitch.
There was a lot of activity in the mid field and all players worked hard at their passing skills
with Daniel Peters making solid efforts against the opposition’s defence to work the ball up
the sideline. Gardner had a goal attempt thwarted by the goal post and J Zahra sent one
sailing over the top of the goals. As the drizzling rain began to fall, Willunga kept up great
efforts in their defence line as J Zahra scored the first goal of the second half with a fabulous
assist from Peters. Soon after, Willunga’s no.8, scored a sensational goal that elicited cheers
from all the spectators, and this seemed to boost the excitement of the opposition.
Willunga had a follow up attempt that went slightly wide, and another valiant attempt was
well defended by Liddle.

As the rain fell heavier, the ground got muddier and several of the players were seen to slide
and stumble as they attempted to tackle the ball away from their opponents. Pepe Zahra
provided a solid assist to Gould as he scored another goal and then P Zahra was rewarded
with his own goal off an excellent assist from Peters. The Willunga goalie continued to
display excellent skills in the goal square as further attempts at goals were made and
prevented by him. J Zahra took a huge kick from out wide that slammed hard into the
Willunga goalkeeper’s hands before the goalkeeper was soon under attack again with
another goal for the home team from a corner between P Zahra and Peters. Hinze scored
the last goal for the game as he snuck one in from behind to meet the final whistle with a
score. It was a great game to watch with both teams displaying excellent ball skills
and collaborative passing abilities, and great sportsmanship.