Round 1 - Match Reports 10/04/16

This weekend’s opening round of the Sportsmart Boy's South competition was historic for the locals as they marked the first ever official games for Gippsland FC. It was a very encouraging start for the club and all games provided great promise for the future and also some areas to work on and improve.

Under 13
After a nervous start the boys settled down and produced a fine, measured performance and grew in confidence as the game progressed against Glen Eira in Carnegie. Goals from Cory Johnson, Jobie Heusmann and a double from Manny Scarlett secured a 4-2 victory for Gippsland. The win was a reward for a solid team effort but Harrison Meyer deserves to be singled out after standing in as a last minute replacement in goals and producing some magnificent saves.

Under 14
The boys lost 3-1 to Beaumaris who were just a bit better on the day. Connor Dastey scored a fine free kick for Gippsland just before half time to make it 2-1 and although both teams created plenty of chances in the second half it was Beaumaris who scored their third goal in the late stages to kill the game off. The boys would have taken a lot from the game to build on for the future, especially the hunger required to succeed at this level. Goalkeeper Steffen Abbotlins and Tynan North both performed well.

Under 15
After a testing pre-season the boys gave a good account of themselves in Mount Eliza. With 10 minutes to go, Gippsland FC led 3-2 but two late goals to the home team resulted in a 4-3 loss. Coach, Peter Lietzau, stated that there were a lot of positives to take out of the game, especially an excellent hat-trick from captain, Jack Walton and very encouraging debuts from Thanassi Katiforis and Nicholas Matheson. Overall, a very encouraging start to the season from all of the boys, which they can build upon and move forward.

Under 18
The boys opened up their 2016 campaign away from home to a well-organized and hard-working Berwick City. After seeing a number of personnel changes over the summer, the boys earned a well-deserved 3-2 victory over Berwick City in a see-sawing affair. The highlight of the match was a well taken hat-trick by Nelson Tombra. There was a great effort by all returning players and a big welcome to Riley Winkleman-Atkinson, Oakley Wilson, Sam Pilcher, Marcus Thompson and Calum Simpson…great first game, guys.

This week’s matches - 17/04/16
This weekend sees all teams playing at home in Trafalgar. The under 13s take on Mornington SC at 11am; under 14s follow playing East Bentleigh at 12.15pm; Brighton SC are the visitors at 1.30pm against the under 15s; and a great day of football finishes off at 3pm when the under 18s pit their wits against Sandringham SC. Please come along and witness high level Gippsland junior soccer. Entry is free