Match report

Match report

Another glorious sunny day beamed down on the Rob Kilpatrick Park when Hahndorf Under 10 faced Stirling White.

The first half saw some excellent displays of teamwork and tenacity, with the Hahndorf team combining to move the ball up the field and backing each other up beautifully in defense. Ollie Drake had his best game yet, relentless against considerable offensive pressure. Harris Parkyn was the “Roy Kent” of the Hahndorf team and Harry Ramsey shone in the midfield.

A goal opportunity, setup through the winning combination of Parkyn, Will Neelawala and Brooklyn Karamanov was unfortunately denied by the Stirling goalkeeper. Solid mid field work, provided by Felix Breitweg and Eric Jager, had the Stirling team battling to keep the ball in their offensive half. Charlie Roeszler had some great defensive moves and newcomer Teddy Brown stamped his mark on the game. Some fast and furious breakout offensive runs saw Karamanov and Edward Hung get the spectators’ pulses racing. Michael Griggs enthusiastically donned the goalkeeping position, providing a formidable last line of defense.

Griggs kicked away a Stirling attempt on goal, only to have Stirling pounce on the ball and score. Another excellent run from Karamanov, Neelawala and Parkyn moved the ball into the Hanhdorf offensive half, unfortunately without conversion. The ball moved back and forth between the halves, until an amazing save caused the Hahndorf bench to erupt. Griggs fingertipped a high scoring shot onto the crossbar, proving that his cross training as a volleyballer was quite useful.

The second half commenced with long runs from Neelawala, Parkyn, Hung and Karamanov in turn. Great cross passes occurred, finally resulting in a Hahndorf goal via the combination of Karamanov and Hung. Not to be outdone, Stirling’s pressure in their offensive half soon resulted in another conversion. Several further Hahndorf attempts at goal were well defended. A second goal to Hahndorf unfortunately did not count, as the referee had already attempted to stop play prior to the goal being scored. The ball ping ponged back and forth between the halves before Stirling scored the final goal of the match from a short corner.

The game was a wonderful display of teamwork and positivity from the whole Hahndorf team.  The enthusiasm from the players was matched only by the enthusiasm of their supporters. Best of luck for the last few games of the season.