Quake hosted newly promoted Phoenix Futsal Club yesterday and things didn't go well in the first 4 games.  But the senior teams picked up the pace with the Youth & Men recording their first wins and the Club taking 13 of the last 15 Club Championship points to edge Phoenix on the day 14-11.

Brief reports follow:

Academy:  Proudly Sponsored by Xtreme Locksmiths

The boys met a side that were more of a physical match for them and played very well.  In a tight contest Quake just shaded their opponents.  Again they faced a 12s 'keeper and again that reflected in the number of goals the boys were able to score.

12 Boys:  Proudly Sponsored by 40 Winks Campbelltown:  Quake 1 (Adrian Neoklis) def by Phoenix 2

Yesterday looked to be the day the boys would break through for their first win.  They dominated the match and were denied time and again by some very good goalkeeping.  They didn't have much luck either with a clear cut foul in the D not given as a 6 metre penalty and the opportunity to win or at least draw the game slipped away.

12 Girls:  Proudly Sponsored by JR Electrical:  Quake 3 (Rosie Galea 3) drew with Phoenix 3

Phoenix went into this match ahead of Quake on the table and were looking for revenge for their defeat at last week's State Titles.  The girls took the game to Phoenix and led 2-1 at the half thanks to two Rosie specials and some hard work off the ball.  Phoenix looked to have stolen the points with 2 quick goals before the girls rallied and Rosie stepped up yet again to level the scores.  The girls didn't play their best futsal but gave their all nonetheless. Special mention to Tiff for saving 2 points for us with 2 great saves late on.

14 Boys:  Proudly Sponsored by Capital Steel Buildings Southwest:  Quake 5 (Anthonys Haddad 2, Dalibor Malesivic, Liam McGing, Lachlan Paradjik) def by Phoenix 6

The boys probably couldn't have played any worse than they did in the first half and went to the break 3-4 down.  And it could of been worse with Phoenix missing 2 x 10 metre penalties.  The boys fought hard in the 2nd half to level it at 5-5 but disaster struck with less than 4 minutes left when Phoenix pressed and scored a cheap goal from a turnover.  The boys know they can play much better than this and they will.

14 Girls:  Proudly Sponsored by Clintons Toyota:  Quake 2 (Stephanie Cortes, Ash Norman) def by Phoenix 4

A couple of weeks ago we were singing the girls praises but something went missing yesterday.  The grit, flair and determination they had showed wasn't there.  It looked like everyone was waiting for somebody else to start something.  The girls were still in the game at 2-3 with 6 or 7 minutes left but an unfortunate 4th goal killed any spark they were trying to generate.  Special mention to Rosie who filled in and carried her form from the 12s with her trying as hard as she could to make a difference.

16 Boys:  Proudly Sponsored by Einhell Australia:  Quake 3 (Ben Rodriguez 2, Anson Gilligan) def Phoenix 0

Not a particularly exciting game with Quake in control from go to whoa.  The boys bounced back from a bad weekend at State Titles and delivered a professional display to secure the badly needed 3 points.  Jamie kept a clean sheet and while he had little to do he was quality when he needed to be.  Well done lads.

16 Girls:  Proudly Sponsored by Macarthur Marble & Granite:  Quake 1 (Mel Walsh) drew with Phoenix 1

Perhaps last weekend's hectic schedule took the sting out of the newly crowned State Champions but for whatever reason this performance was very sluggish and far from the girls' best.  Quake went behind from a free kick early in the match - the only time Phoenix really looked like scoring.  The girls then made hard work of getting the equaliser which finally came from a 5th man play with not much time left on the clock.  The girls are better than this and they know it.

Youth  Proudly Sponsored by A.H. Beard:  Quake 4 (Alex Dizio 2, Boomer 1, Nathan Scicchitano 1) def Phoenix 1

Last weekend's run to the semis at State Titles looked to have done the boys' confidence the world of good and they were very good value for their first win of the season.  They still missed far too many chances and relied on Andy to make some good saves but in the end this was a fair result.  Dizzy was in the right place at the right time to get 2 good goals and the 14, 15 & 16 year olds that got game time showed they weren't out of their depth at this level.  The boys have only lost 1 game this year, and that was a 0-1 result.  Don't be surprised if these lads give the comp a shake.

Women:  Proudly Sponsored by Bella Arts Graphic Design:  Quake 4 (Steph Haim 2, Dolly1, Claire Walsh 1) def Phoenix 1

The girls dominated this game to the extent that Phoenix employed the bizarre tactic of sitting in their half waiting for Quake to come on when they were down 1-3 with 20 minutes to go and needing to score.  The Quake girls cottoned on very quickly to what was happening and we were then treated to the spectacle of Quake players conducting a passing drill in their own half for minutes on end.  Eventually Phoenix decided to press and Quake promptly went down the other end and scored.  A very good performance with every Quake player making a strong contribution.

Men:  Proudly Sponsored by United Tools Liverpool: Quake 7 (Danny Martinez 2, Dean Lockhart, Scott Madden, Mark Symington, OG) def Phoenix 3

The newly crowned State Champions took thier good form into this game and ran out convincing winners in the end.  At times they made hard work of it letting Phoenix stay with them at 3-3 but eventually they started taking their chances.  Danny Martinez was very good as was Macka - perhaps they had a point to prove?  And Ollie Lawton looks better with every game he plays.  Let's hope this is the start of another run to the semis for the boys.