Words: Michael Flynn

Moreton Bay United will face regional rivals Peninsula Power in the Macron Cup Final after the conclusion fo the final round of group matches at A.J.Kelly Park.

Gold Coast Shoot Down Jets On Penalties

MORETON BAY | Gold Coast maintained their perfect 2016 record in pre-season penalty shoot-outs after accounting for Moreton Bay United following tightly contested 1-1 draw.

Despite an open and attacking contest, clear-cut scoring opportunities proved elusive for both sides as the defenders held sway for extended periods.

Troy Ruthven opened accounts for City in the closing stages of the first half – leaving Jets goalkeeper Matt Stein unsighted as he drove a solid free-kick through the wall.

However, Jets levelled terms after the restart when Jordan Farina finished a sharp run and cut-back from Jackson Hall from close range.

Jets pushed tirelessly for a decisive goal, however were repeatedly foiled by City goalkeeper Shane Viitakangas as the match was forced to penalties.

Viitakangas again proved the decisive factor in the shoot-out when he denied Farina’s spot-kick with a low save – enabling youth prospect Fraser Eller to ultimately convert the winning penalty.

The win is City’s third in penalty shoot-outs in both the Macron Cup and BLK Silver Boot tournaments this pre-season.

Despite the result, Jets still advance to the Macron Cup Final after finishing first in the group stage where they will meet tournament hosts Peninsula Power.

Moreton Bay United FC  1 (Jordan FARINA 51’)
Gold Coast City FC  1 (Troy RUTHVEN 45’)

Gold Coast City win 3-2 on penalties

Olympic Over-Powered By Peninsula

MORETON BAY | Olympic FC fought back from two goals down before ceding the result as Peninsula Power advanced to the Macron Cup Final with a 3-2 win.

The result continues Olympic’s inconsistent returns in pre-season as coach Jim Bellas continues to fine tune his squad.

The match commenced in controversial circumstances with only one assistant referee on hand to run the sideline.

The situation threatened to boil over when Kado Aoci delivered a first-time finish at close range from a Chris Swain cross – with the Olympic bench protesting a possible off-side.

Power doubled their margin just after the quarter hour when a parried save from Olympic goalkeeper Brandon Cuminao fell invitingly for Jared Austin to tuck home.

Olympic came back into the contest with ten minutes remaining in the half – Power goalkeeper Jake Reesby fumbling a firmly struck free-kick from Sam Cronin to allow Danny Byrne to scramble to the ball over the line.

Cuminao kept Olympic in the contest only minutes after the restart as he denied Charles Mendy with a sharp one-on-one save before the visitors restored parity – Cronin fashioning space before slotting a composed finish to extend his prolific pre-season scoring record.

Power responded with renewed vigour and recaptured their lead shortly after the hour when Swain curled a pin-point strike into the top corner from 20 yards.

Further half-chances for both teams rounded out the contest, however Power held firm as they seek to win their home pre-season tournament for the first time.

Olympic will contest a third-place play-off against Gold Coast City in their final match of the tournament next Saturday.

Peninsula Power FC  3 (Kado AOCI 8’, Jared AUSTIN 17’, Chris SWAIN 68’)
Olympic FC  2 (Danny BYRNE 34’, Sam CRONIN 51’)