Super Youth League Grand Finals

It was certainly a remarkable day as Sydney University were fielding teams in all five Grand Finals, a very impressive record that has not been achieved for many a year. Club Champions Central Coast Mariners had three teams participating while Dulwich Hill and Northern Tigers each had one team playing on the day.
Before taking a look at what happened on the day, a reminder that next week The Youth League Report will present a review of Season 2012, looking at the performance of each club and every team throughout the year.
Grade 13
Sydney University were declared Premiers after they won the competition by a margin of four points. They boasted the best attacking record in this age group with sixty-one goals coming from their twenty-four matches. They posted eighteen wins and two draws during the season. Uni qualified for the Grand Final with a 4-1 victory over Macarthur Rams in the Major Semi Final.
Dulwich Hill finished in fourth place this season, ten points behind Uni. They had won fourteen and drawn four of their twenty-four games. They qualified for the Grand Final with a 1-0 win over Spirit FC in the Elimination Semi Final, a 2-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners in the Minor Semi Final and a 1-0 success over Macarthur Rams in the Preliminary Final.
In head-to-head action Dulwich Hill won the first round match 3-1 and then Sydney University squared the account with a 1-0 win in the second round.
As expected, this match started as a very even contest with very high levels of skill on display and both teams producing their fair share of chances to score goals.
Dully came closest during the early stages as they forced two top-class saves from the Uni goalkeeper Lachlan Howard but it was Uni who drew first blood when an eleventh minute cross from the right flank was superbly met with a Brooklyn Barataud volley which screamed into the net and gave the ?keeper no chance.
Dully seemed to treat this as a challenge rather than a setback and they rolled up their sleeves in an attempt to get back into the game and a top quality period of very even play ensued, keeping all the supporters on the edge of their seat.
With two minutes to go Dully were awarded a penalty but the kick hit the upright, rebounded off the goalkeeper and bounced away harmlessly. However, Uni gathered their wits and immediately launched at attack with culminated in a low cross from the right flank which was met by Jordan Makridopolos who made no mistake to give his team a 2-0 lead with just seconds left on the clock.
Sydney University have now claimed the double as Premiers and Champions and Dulwich Hill were able to leave the arena with their heads held very high indeed.
Grade 14
Sydney University won the Premiership by a single point with seventeen wins and three draws coming from their twenty-two matches. They had the best attacking figures in this age group with sixty-four goals and the best defensive record as they conceded only sixteen goals. Uni qualified for the Grand Final following a penalty shootout win over Granville Rage in the Major Semi Final, a match that was locked up at 0-0 after normal time and 0-0 after extra time.
Central Coast Mariners finished the competition in second spot after they posted sixteen wins and five draws from twenty-two matches. They were the second highest scorers with fifty-six goals and they had the second-best defence as they conceded only seventeen goals. The Mariners reached the Grand Final after losing the Preliminary Semi Final 2-0 to Granville Rage and then bouncing back to win the Minor Semi Final 3-1 over Macarthur Rams and then defeating Granville Rage 3-0 in the Preliminary Final.
In head-to-head action the first round clash had ended in a scoreless draw and then the Mariners had taken the second round points with a 2-1 win.
This was another match which started evenly with chances to score falling in equal measure at both ends of the pitch but it was to be the Mariners who took full advantage in the sixteenth minute when a skilful build-up on the left flank resulted in a cross which found Trent Buhagiar who have his team a 1-0 lead.
Just five minutes later, after another spell of evenly matched play, the Mariners? Lachlan Macey let loose a low angled shot from fifteen metres which found the net and established a 2-0 advantage.
Uni were far from finished and they battle right through to the interval to find a way to get themselves back into the contest but they were having real problems in finding a way through the well organised Mariners defence.
Early in the second half Ethan Hall made it 3-0 for the Mariners but, to their credit, Uni kept on fighting to somehow stay alive in the match. Those efforts were rewarded when they were awarded a penalty and Nathaniel Sharpley stepped forward to convert the spot kick and take the scoreline to 3-1.
Then, with five minutes left on the clock, Trent Buhagiar let fly with a power-laden drive that hit the target and gave the Mariners a 4-1 advantage. One minute later, Buhagiar turn from scorer to provider when he set up Travis Archer for the Mariners? fifth goal.
Central Coast Mariners stepped forward to accept their rewards as Champions while Sydney University can hold their heads high as they gave everything they had to this match.
Grade 15
Central Coast Mariners were declared the Premiers after they completed the competition four points clear of their nearest rivals. They had the most lethal attack in this age group as they scored forty-seven goals in their twenty-two matches. They reached the Grand Final after suffering a 3-1 loss to Sydney University in the Major Semi Final and then bouncing back to defeat Western NSW Mariners 1-0 in the Preliminary Final.
Sydney University completed the competition in third position, five points behind the Mariners. Uni had won thirteen and drawn four of their twenty-two matches during the season. They qualified for the Grand Final with a 2-0 win over Western NSW Mariners in the Preliminary Semi Final and then a 3-1 victory over Central Coast in the Major Semi Final.
In head-to-head action Uni were 1-0 winners over the Mariners in the first round and then the second round clash ended in a 1-1 draw.
A close match was expected and that is exactly what the teams delivered in a match that was chock-a-block full of skill, commitment and determination. The good folk in the spectator areas were kept on the very edge of their seats from the first whistle to the last as no-one could be sure of what would or could happen in this action packed thriller.
Tim Tseng gave the Mariners the lead in the fifteenth minute but they knew that a single goal would not be enough in this match as Uni kept on coming at then and always looked menacing in and around the penalty area.
Those fears were validated in the twenty-fourth minute when Uni?s Nicholas Makridopolos found the net and just in case anyone had missed the point, this was certainly a signal for ?game on?.
Both teams rolled up their sleeves and the tempo of the match increased as they both searched for a breakthrough moment that would give them an advantage and possible victory.
When Matt Bennett restored the lead for the Mariners in the forty-eighth minute there was no indication that the ?game over? sign would be on display. In fact, that goal provided a signal for both teams to increase their level of commitment and the result was a terrific spectacle of the very best this division has to offer.
Top quality attacking play from both teams was met by well marshalled defences who were determined to avoid a potentially costly mistake and there were many heart-stopping moments.
When the final whistle sounded Central Coast Mariners were declared Premiers and Champions and while Sydney University left as Championship runners-up, they had plenty to be proud of as they had given all their skill and commitment to this superb match
Grade 16
Central Coast Mariners had claimed the title as Premiers by a margin of ten points and they had the best defensive figures in this age group, conceding only five goals throughout the season. They took the most direct route to the Grand Final by winning 3-0 over Spirit FC in the Major Semi Final.
Sydney University completed the competition in fourth place, fourteen points behind the Mariners. They had posted twelve wins and seven draws from their twenty-two competition matches. Uni reached the Grand Final the hard way, needing extra time to win each of their three finals series matches. Firstly, they were 2-1 winners in extra time over Northern Tigers in the Elimination Semi Final, then they defeated Fraser Park 2-1 in extra time in the Minor Semi Final and finally they recorded a 1-0 extra time victory over Spirit FC in the Preliminary Final.
In head-to-head action the first round encounter ended in a 1-1 draw and then the Mariners claimed the second round points with a 1-0 win.
This match was a classic thriller from beginning to end as neither team was prepared to give the other a single millimetre of space that might cause them some damage.
The play flowed form one end to the other and back again as the teams sought ways in which they might be able to conjure a goal but, despite an even number of chances, neither team was able to crack the opposing defence before the interval.
The second half produced more of the same but even the casual observer would have noticed that the tempo and the intensity of the play kept on increasing. Alas, despite a very high number of promising attacks from both teams, there were no goals and so it was necessary to go into extra time for a solution.
It did not seem possible, but both teams managed to find another gear and the quality to the game stepped up yet again as they threw everything they had into finding a way to win the match. However, it was not to be and so the penalty spot was needed to find an answer. It was here that Uni came to the fore as they converted four spot kicks while the Mariners converted only two of their kicks.
In many ways, it was a shame that there had to be a winners as there was nothing between the teams from the first whistle to the last but rules are rules and so Sydney University claimed the spoils as Champions while Central Coast Mariners left the arena with their dignity well and truly intact.
Grade 18
Sydney University were the competition winners by a single point and they had the best attacking record in the competition, scoring fifty-nine goals from their twenty-two matches. They came straight into the Grand Final following their 2-1 win over Western NSW Mariners in the Major Semi Final.
Northern Tigers finished the competition in third position on goal difference, only one point behind Uni on the final table for the season. The Tigers registered twelve wins and four draws from their twenty-two matches. They qualified for the Grand Final after losing the Preliminary Semi Final 1-0 to Western NSW Mariners and then they recovered to win the Minor Semi Final 2-0 over Fraser Park before recording a 2-1 win over Western NSW Mariners in the Preliminary Final.
In head-to-head action Northern Tigers had claimed the first round points with a 2-1 result and then Sydney Uni squared the ledger with a 1-0 second round victory.
Given the history between these teams, this match was expected to be a nail-biting thriller and that is precisely what they delivered. There were plenty of thrills and spills and the skill levels were exceptionally high in this memorable match.
Sydney University drew first blood in the eighth minute when Robert Ezekiel swung a corner kick directly into the Tigers? goal and that early breakthrough proved to be very valuable indeed.
The action ebbed and flowed from end to end as the teams showed some skill, flair and imagination in their attempts to create scoring opportunities. While they achieved considerable success in this area, the shot were always met with some fabulous displays of goalkeeping skills or some perfectly timed last-minute interceptions.
There was widespread admiration and several periods of spontaneous applause for the quality of play the teams were producing and that is a genuine reflection of how good this game was as a spectacle.
While both teams came very, very close, there was to be no addition to the score and so that early goal proved to be decisive. Sydney University accepted the spoils as the Champions while Northern Tigers can be very proud of their outstanding contribution to this fantastic match.
-By Barry Davis