Scotch College

Match Reports - Round 7 - 14 June 2008

Seniors

Xavier 5 defeated Scotch 0. Our opponents were far too big, fast, skilled and strong. Although we showed glimpses of good structure and ball use we were outplayed for the most part. The score reflected the true story of the match.

Despite the unfortunate scoreline, I was very proud of my players in this match. Obviously a trip to Port Melbourne didn't suit a lot of people, and we were left with only 7 players to take the field. Facing a full-strength Grammar team, we were always going to be up against it. Despite the four (!) man disadvantage, we clearly had the better players, and worked better as a team. Nonetheless, the additional players both up front and in defence proved decisive for the home team, and they managed to put 5 past our keeper without ever looking convincing. Our pressure in defence and hard-running all over the park (on a large pitch) was outstanding, and we were unlucky not to have one or two goals ourselves. Best: O'Yang, Mataer, McNeil.

We had another good win 4 - 0 against Haileybury. At first we were couple of players short as Haileybury is far and the pitch was difficult to find – right at the far end of Haileybury campus. The pitch was short and narrow and we had trouble adjusting to it – a lot of balls went long. After about ten minutes, the missing players turned up and the whole team played well. The ref would not let one of our players play with glasses (no problem in other games) so he played with no glasses and scored a goal, which he had not done before.

Did not play, Xavier did not have enough players to field the game.

Forfeit - Unfortunately not enough boys were able to make it to the game to play on the weekend, most likely due to exams.

Forfeit - Unfortunately not enough boys were able to make it to the game to play on the weekend, most likely due to exams.

Year 10

Xavier began the game strongly and looked the better side early on. We managed to work our way into the match and had several good chances to score late in the half. Unfortunately, after a lack of communication in defence, Xavier was able to steal a goal and go into the break a goal up.

We dominated the early exchanges in the second half and hit the lead after two quick goals. The first a sizzling long range effort from Bordonaro and the second a looping Holland header after Owen crossed in from the right. Xavier tried to find a way back into the game but great performances from Pachauri, Murphy and Ravida meant our defence proved too resilient. We could have extended our lead late on but lacked composure in front of goal.

Probably our best performance of the season, it was a great team effort from all the boys to come from behind against very solid opposition.

With only 10 players and a fill in goalkeeper, the 10 C’s Reds took the lead early from a James Kim goal but by half time St Kevins were level. After the break, St Kevins scored early but then Scotch began to fight back. A saved penalty and many other missed opportunities were frustrating. A very late St Kevin’s goal saw the deficit blow out to 3/1.

Saturday saw an away fixture at St Kevin’s, a team Scotch had beaten easily earlier this season. Unfortunately, the game saw a below strength team take to the field, with key attacking players missing. Thankfully, 3 boys from 10C Red filled in to complete a full team. Scotch went 1-0 down in the first half, but the teams were evenly matched. A lucky (some might say inspirational) goal from near the half way line put St Kevin’s 2-0 up. Scotch then began to dominate the play. Gleb Koutousov started to play in a more forward position and Andrew Teng looked threatening. One of the 10C Red boys, Phillip, equalised after an amazing run by Luke Butchers. Luke then shortly afterwards scored from a free kick. It was a pity that St Kevin’s scored a third. The final score being 3-2 to St Kevin’s. Man of the Match: Luke Butchers.

Year 9

In an outstanding tactical performance that had many parents comparing the As with Arsenal of the 1980s and Greece from Euro 2005, the 9As defensive strategy completely frustrated a very sprightly Xavier team. With Michael Wesford unpassable in goal and Adam Fitzgerald-Quirk outstanding at full back, the 9As would only have been eclipsed by Marco van Basten’s current Dutch side. The discipline, resolve and commitment from all players contributed to an outstanding effort against a very slick side.

The 9C Reds played St Kevins at Scotch on Saturday morning. With some players unavailable/late we had to borrow a couple of the boys from the other 9C team. But the boys began well and made most of the play in the first half. It was only a matter of time before we scored our first goal, with Henry Bailey finishing a nice piece of team play. It was Henry’s 4th goal in 5 games. After some good defending and hard tackling from Jamie Groobie, Nichloas Chan and Alan Zhang, Scotch scored their second goal from a brilliant strike outside the box by Shane. It was our first win for the season, and the boys were extremely pleased with their efforts.

In a surprising upset, the boys played hard against a superior St Kevins side and managed to pull off a stunning 2-1 victory. The boys had not played a match the weekend before and appeared rusty. The defence suffered many onslaughts early on, the St Kevins’ attackers cutting through the Scotch defence easily. But our goalkeeper Norman Yan held strong, pulling off save after save and kept us in the game. Late in the first half, a throw-in from Scott McNeil in the Scotch attacking half was collected by Rob Walker and slotted it home: 1-0 Scotch.

The second half began poorly as the St Kevins boys were hungrier than ever to find the lucrative goal they so desperately wanted. 15 minutes from time, a high ball came in, the defence unable to clear it. St Kevins scored and this was the first goal conceded by the side in around 5 games: 1-1. This meant Scotch was now on the back foot, but the probing St Kevins attacks were broken down by sheer speed on our defence’s part. Michael Rong did tremendously to keep their winger at bay, by sprinting down the line and clearing the ball time and time again. Simon Ho was the backstop and Josh Simpson held strong as the centre back, with Will Zhang rounding out the defence with his under-the-radar forward runs. It was Rob again who sealed the victory as 12 minutes from time, he managed to score from an impossible angle: 2-1 Scotch. It was now just a matter of holding on and the upset would be complete. They did with Norman stopping an incredible high ball with his new gloves. There were a couple of nerve-racking scrambles in front of goal late on in the game but the defence was able to keep the ball out of the goal.

A terrific win today by the boys and a wonderful match all-round, I am very proud of them. Man of the match goes to Rob, his two goals making the difference in the end.

Year 8

A well-contested match with no score at half time. A stronger team performance in the second half won the game.

Thanks to P Massarany and A Eldredge from the 8 A Blue and J Ryan and D Le from the 8B Red for their contribution to the excellent performance.

Goal scorers: H Hackett (2), J Collins, P Massarany

Having met this team once already this season, the 8A Blues knew what to expect and were raring for an opportunity to come out on top a second time. The boys moved the ball around the park beautifully, having become comfortable in their positions and knowing what their team-mates expect of them.

The real challenge for Scotch was getting past Wesley’s colossal goalkeeper, whose performance in their last encounter was hard to forget. Scotch kept a steady flow of impressive crosses coming in from both sides of the pitch, Tom Kent managing to slot a goal off a cross in the first half and Ben Jackson doing the same in the second. Wesley’s only response came in the dying minutes of the game, finishing the game with a 2 -1 Scotch Victory.

An impressive performance from Gavin Williams in the second half was unlucky not to earn him another assist or two. Well done to Jeremy Lee in the back line for playing with amazing strength, on a player twice his size.

Notable players: Jeremy Lee, Gavin Williams, Tom Kent.

Goal Scorers: Tom Kent (1), Ben Jackson (1).

CANCELLED

A depleted 8B Blue team was completed with some players from the canceled 8B Red game. Much thanks and appreciation goes to John, Alex C, Jake, Charlie (Tevez) and Alex B. In trying to get a park around 9am for our 9:40am kick off, I witnessed Carey already in the middle of their warm up and knew we’d be expecting a challenge with our mixed team facing a well organized unit. The Carey team was more physical and quicker than our team and we struggled to form a solid attack due to their quick pressuring. The makeshift defenders were performing well with the fullbacks Dimitri and Jake shutting multiple attacks on the wings with Alex and Hayden performing well in the centre. Carey pushed hard and our midfield could not play the style they have performed so well this season with right winter Dinesh often performing more as a defender. Carey’s dominance in midfield meant that strikers Victor and John predominantly had to chase long balls. Carey scored a goal and the pressure was now on Scotch to reply and Tim Sladden in a more central midfield role hit a shot that hit the crossbar. Shortly after Carey scored a second due to a dubious goal that deflected off a Carey forwards arm passed the keeper Jamie who had done ever so well to keep the score at 1-0. Heavy legs and lowered heads set in towards the end as Scotch lost 0-2 in a match that at 0-1 could easily have gone either way against an impressive Carey outfit.

In a fierce rivalry between the two C teams, it is unfortunate the other team could not foster a full team. Two goals to Sam Palmer and two to Acutt and one a piece to Alex Bear, Angus, and Phongpol made the win possible. It was a very one-sided match because of the poor turnout by c blues. Every player in the reds did well including defenders who were sometimes out numbered 4 to 2. Goals and assist from most players showed the improvement and teamwork building within the red team.

The 8C Blue Team had an internal game with 8C Red and the players who turned up enjoyed the fun, although the team lost to the opposition due to several players from 8C Blue team playing for 8C Red.

Year 7

The boys played a good game against a very strong team from Brighton Grammar. The Scotch boys matched the opposition in the first half, and went into the half time break only one goal down. They continued to play well in the opening of the second half, yet towards the end of the match, Brighton scored a number of goals in succession. The score line of 5-0 didn’t reflect the nature of the match.

It was a reasonably good day to play soccer. The boys were playing better game this time. They not only organized some good attacks but also played much better defence. Unfortunately Burke Hall was too strong and they shot a few distance goals, which were well beyond our goalie’s reach. Eventually we lost by 0:4.

In a match whose score line was determined by not having a forward marked in the box for a corner kick, the Scotch team played well, particularly considering the double digit defeat in the previous match. Except for the 10 seconds it took for the corner kick to end up in the net, the defenders played exceptionally well. As has been the case for much of the season, the forwards are not making the most of their good play. They make space, and pass well, but kicks on goal lack penetration. Overall a great recovery from the previous game.

Well, the 7C’s managed to put all the nay sayers and sayers of nay to rest on Saturday, with a performance that will be talked about for years to come. Some said it would be impossible, and yet others even thought that Everton would be more of a chance to win the English premiership before what the 7C’s accomplished on that brisk morning down at HA Smith. Yes, that right folks, our very own 7C’s scored their first goal of the season.

The 7C’s coaching staff weren’t dormant in the long weekend off, dipping into the international transfer market to pick up the solid Joshua Vuk. His agent told us that he usually plays as a right midfielder, but in the 7C’s, he managed to master the Dutch style of “Total Football”, and was utilised in several positions, as bustling centre midfielder and also make shift striker!

In a game that finished 3-1 to Brighton Grammar, the lads in red played the game of their lives, and staged the most competitive game of the season so far. In the early opening exchanges, we saw Deshan Adihetty display his aerial prowess in the centre of the ground, winning a header that went to a Scotch player. Richard Lau, the centre midfield maestro, intelligently played the way he was facing instead of trying to turn into defenders, and managed to keep possession for the lads in red.

Disaster struck after about 10 minutes however, and gloved hand bandit in red, Angus Robertson, slipped in the soggy goal mouth. The shot from the top of the box went into the top corner of the net, and it was 1-0 to the bad guys. BG were starting to structure their forward game, and were starting to probe forward with more forays in the box. Unfortunately, one of BG’s fastest players managed to get around the back of the red defence, and closed in on the goal. A cracking shot at a slight angle caught Angus out at the near post, and the green team were now 2-0 up.

A stirring half time speech from the coaching staff told the lads that this one was not out of reach, and playing through balls to our pacey front man Thomas Paulsen would give us the result we were looking for. Coaches have been wrong before, and this time proved to be no different.

After copping another goal from BG, the lads in red started to work the ball forward with more purpose, looking for our front men of Jeffrey Wang and Thomas, while Evan Xia worked tirelessly in the midfield once again.

The pressure from Scotch started to wear down BG, and we managed to win one of our few corners for the season. The ball was whipped in from the corner flag, and a goal mouth scramble ensued. With Thomas and Christen Paulsen ready to pounce, it was new signing Joshua who managed to get boot to ball and smack it into the back of the net! Our first goal of the season, and the crowd went wild with jubilation. Some parents were even a bit misty eyed from the whole occasion, proving that those who choose to dream the impossible dream, sometimes get rewarded.

As the game finished 3-1, the 7C’s have proven that they can score goals, and the next step is to win a game before the season finishes. Some might say it’s a bridge too far, but it may happen sooner than some pundits may think, especially if the coaching staff’s policy of paying referee’s before the match bears fruit.