Futsal Premier League Grand Final Review (All Grades)
While more than a thousand people rolled through the turnstiles during the day, there was certainly no seating left at the open men’s championship kickoff, and the atmosphere the crowd offered was electric.
And although it was Inner West who won the club championship by a point from Dural, it was Mascot who stole grand final day honours by winning four divisions, Open Women, 16 Girls, 14 Girls and 14 Boys, while the Warriors took home the Open Men, Youth Men and 12 Girls trophies.
Boomerangs won the 16 Boys championship and Enfield Rovers the 12 Boys title, but the much-anticipated day bore no fruit for Magic who lost all five deciders it contested.
Only five of the nine premiers won their championship finals.
Warriors withstand Magic – 12 Girls
Dural Warriors got the grand final ball rolling with a thrilling extra-time 1-0 win over premiers Inner West Magic to claim the NSW Futsal Premier League 12 Girls title.
The evenly matched one and two ranked sides went at each other the whole game before Bethany Gordon’s unlikely 44th-minute strike settled the affair.
Astoundingly it was Gordon’s 52nd goal of a stellar season, however it was probably more the way her team-mates helped keep scoreless a Magic juggernaut that had managed 101 goals in 15 games on their way to a clear premiership, star performer Princess Ibini-Isei bagging more than half of them.
Dural was the only team to beat Inner West all summer, a tight 4-3 win in round 13 a premonition of an even tighter major semi-final won 3-2 by Magic just two weeks ago.
The stage was set for an epic showdown and the two sides obliged as Magic’s Tori Tumeth tested the waters early with a good high strike that Warriors keeper Mallory Bassett tipped over the bar.
Gordon showed her intent with a shot across the face of goal that beat Inner West custodian Lauren Barclay but bounced off the post for Ibini-Isei to clear from danger in the third minute.
Both defences lifted after the opening forays and the game turned into a battle of wits that only heightened the anxiety of many parents in the stands, as well as their vocal support.
Olivia Robinson tried to crack the brick wall with a long range effort that Barclay comfortably palmed away on the quarter-hour and the Magic number one showed she was up for it with a cracking diving save to deny Gordon an opener seconds later.
Robinson tried her luck again from distance but fared little better as the ball whizzed past the post and her 17th-minute freekick from 8m out also whispered to the woodwork, while a last-gasp Ibini-Isei halfway bomb that Bassett tipped over was as close as Magic got in a tight first half.
Ibini-Isei was at it from the restart and had a freekick deflect off the wall, while a graceful run up the sideline finished fruitless but Inner West had turned up the heat.
Dural duly responded with a neat Gordon flick to a running Robinson at midcourt forcing Barclay to charge out and block the shot, but play was brought back for a foul on Gordon who picked herself up and blasted the long range freekick off the top of the crossbar.
The ante was upped with eight minutes to go when Isabella Libri sent a terrific ball inside the D to Ibini-Isei but her close-range effort was blocked well by Bassett and a follow-up effort deflected off a defender just wide off the post.
With fans cheering loudly yet looking around nervously Ibini-Isei almost broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when she combined well with Annalise Schiraldi outside the D but her goalbound strike was snuffed out by a great diving grab from Bassett.
Seconds later Gordon found herself alone in the Magic D with only Barclay to beat but shot just left of the woodwork, and a last-minute Robinson blast over the top herded the nerve-wracking scoreless game into extra-time.
Robinson fired off an early warning when another long range missile bounced left off a diving Barclay and just out for a goalkick, and Ibini-Isei got her boot on Gordon’s 4m attempt who also had a shot smothered by Barclay as Dural gained the ascendancy.
And then it happened. With the clock ticking toward halftime in extra-time, Gordon tried one from outside the D and Barclay couldn’t make a clean grab with the ball dislodging from her grasp and across the line for a 1-0 Dural lead.
A terrific Savannah Seixas lob from halfway in a frantic last-minute was only just pulled in by a full-stretched Basset, while Robinson charged into the D at the other end only to blast wide to keep the score unchanged.
Inner West coach Joe Baldacci regrouped his charges quickly and they came out blazing in the final period, Barclay catapulting a delicious throw to Ibini-Isei who used her body well to get the bounce around her marker but Basset was aware of the danger and tipped the ball wide.
It all came down to a final throw of the dice when Ibini-Isei’s breath-taking last-ditch canter up court, turn, touch and pass to Libri alone at the far post wasn’t met with a great first touch, but a bobbling ball fell to Ibini-Isei 2m out from goal, Basset desperately smothering the blast right and then dove on the ball under pressure from Ibini-Isei and Libri to save the day for Dural.
While the young Warriors celebrated, both sides could hold their heads high after delivering a fantastic game of Futsal marked by dogged defences and the courageous saves of Basset and Barclay.
Dural Warriors 1 (Bethany Gordon 44’) Inner West Magic 0
Dural: Bethany Gordon, Bianca Dobson, Chelsea Wilkin, Greta Kraszula, Hannah Mundy, Maddison Gardoni, Mallory Bassett, Olivia Robinson, coach Lyndon Wilkin.
Inner West: Annalise Schiraldi, Elena Bandiera, Isabella Libri, Lauren Barclay, Princess Ibini-Isei, Santina Wang, Savannah Seixas, Tori Tumeth, coach Joe Baldacci.
Enfield upset Magic – 12 Boys
Enfield Rovers turned the tables on premiers Inner West Magic with a Spartan-like defensive stand to win a tense NSW Futsal Premier League 12 Boys championship decider 1-0.
Inner West set the pace all year to finish seven points clear of Sydney City and 12 ahead of Enfield, but a late charge to the final saw Rovers claim the title on the back of a surge of momentum and Lucas Di Pietro’s third minute strike.
The game was barely going when out of nothing, Di Pietro ignited down the left flank and blasted across goal and past Magic keeper Kyle Willis to find the back of the net and a 1-0 Rovers lead.
That the winning goal came so early in the match underlined the defensive commitment of both sides, Enfield keeper Daniel Di Stefano showing when he denied Kye Soares and then his defenders stepped up to clear out a goalmouth scramble following some terrific interplay from Soares and Zachary Duncan.
Rovers Liam Ivancic went close on the break when he got a low shot off under pressure from Duncan but Willis did well to block it as Ivancic and Duncan collided, both players taken off for treatment.
Di Stefano then had to smother Brodie Clarkson’s low drive with his feet and clear from danger midway through the term before tipping a Clarkson thunderbolt away as Inner West searched for an equaliser.
An excellent freekick from Kostandinos Grozos from near the sideline at halfway only just deflected out for a Rovers corner, but Magic were next to fire when Di Stefano grabbed Pat Scibilio’s good-looking shot and then held a Martin Fernandez effort seconds later.
Enfield would finish the half stronger with a fantastic cross-court pass from Yianni Nicolaou through three defenders finding Grozos on the left but a vital defensive touch disrupted Nicolaou as he lined up for a crack inside the D.
A Nicolaou freekick from 12m in front with halftime closing in was blocked by Willis straight back to the striker whose second blast glanced off a defender and out as Enfield clung to their one goal lead.
The second half was all Inner West as they threw everything at Enfield, a Fernandez shot deflecting off a defender and bobbing up for Di Stefano to collect before Zachary Duncan blasted over the bar from just outside the D.
The Rovers glovesman was in fine form and dived magnificently to deny Fernandez following Scibilio’s neat flick-on, and then charged outside the D to smother Duncan’s breakaway with his feet before a recovering defender knocked clear the follow-up.
Enfield’s defence was scrambling hard and forced Inner West coach Matteo Maiorana into a fifth man press with five minutes to go, and it almost paid off when a last-minute effort was touched over the sideline by a diving defender’s boot, but Rovers held on for a tense 1-0 victory.
A thrilled Lucas Di Pietro applauded his team-mates’ hard work. “We’ve had a great season full of ups and downs. We knew it was going to be hard but we tried to play our normal game and it paid off. We’re very happy.”
Enfield coach Eddie Senatore said his side rode a rollercoaster returning from the holiday break. “I’m absolutely delighted for the boys. It was a tight game and it’s all about scrambling hard and doing all the simple things right,” he said. “It’s just all been part of our momentum over the last few weeks.”
Enfield Rovers 1 (Lucas Di Pietro 3’) Inner West Magic 0
Enfield Rovers: Andre Taouil, Carlos De Oliveira, Daniel Di Stefano, Emileo Fadel, Kostandinos Grozos, Liam Ivancic, Lucas Di Pietro, Marco Tilio, Yianni Nicolaou, coach Dominic Castro.
Inner West Magic: Adam Nisbet, Attila Toksoz, Brodie Clarkson, George Antonis, Guy Lee, Kye Soares, Kyle Willis, Liam Nikos, Martin Fernandez, Patrick Scibilio, Zachary Duncan, coach Matteo Maiorana.
Vipers take out Magic – 14 Boys
Mascot Vipers were too good for Inner West Magic winning an exciting NSW Futsal Premier League 14 Boys trophy 5-1.
Mascot led 3-0 at halftime and 5-0 late in the second half to put an exclamation mark on their premiership-championship bout.
One point separated the two sides this season, Inner West claiming a slightly better head-to-head record, beating Mascot 5-1 while losing 3-1 in the return bout.
The Vipers put their noses in front when they downed Magic 3-1 in the major semi-final two weeks ago and started the grand final showdown briskly with Jake Borromeo forcing Magic keeper Nick Zaczek into a crisp save early in the piece.
Borromeo found his mark not long after, excellent service from the backcourt culminating in a fine finish to fire Mascot 1-0 up in the sixth minute, and moments later Borromeo laid off for Jake Trajkovski on the burst who had his rocket deflected away.
It was going to be a busy day for Zaczek and he showed great awareness to pounce on the ball at Arzani’s feet before a great diving block midway through the half denied Borromeo’s one-on-one opportunity and Josh Bartolotto’s sizzler clipped the crossbar corner.
Inner West stirred into action and Matthew Liemich danced down the right and his acute-angled shot was stopped in the clenched legs of sharp Mascot keeper Allessandro Ramondino, while Jordan Pyne’s top-shelf strike glanced the crossbar as Magic probed for an equaliser.
The Vipers fired back and a nifty 16th-minute interplay between Conor Quilligan and Bartolotto ended in disaster when Quilligan’s touched the ball out for a goalkick in front of a gaping goalmouth.
Quilligan made up for the error a minute later when he slotted the ball across to Arzani to bash into an open goal to push Mascot 2-0 in front.
Vipers were well in control but got a little too cute when Quilligan and Arzani tried too many passes between each other to beat Zaczek and ended up with Arzani firing high with only the goal-line to beat.
Arzani atoned for his miss in spectacular fashion a minute before the break, running strongly down the left flank and with the endline closing in lobbing Zaczek to find the onion bag from the tightest of angles, Mascot swapping seats three goals to the good at halftime.
Vipers piled on more pressure after the interval, Zaczek blocking Arzani’s breakaway and stopping Borromeo’s strike from the right but he could do nothing to prevent a runaway Borromeo from slotting low into goal for a 4-0 leak in the 24th minute.
Not even some magic Joe Caletti footwork could hold back the tide as Arzani made it a goal tsunami with a neat nutmeg of Zaczek at full-speed to make it 5-0 to Mascot on the half-hour, the crafty goalscorer also completing his grand final hat-trick.
Inner West weren’t done with yet and showed a never-say-die attitude, Callum Kealy with a great shot from outside the D well parried by Ramondino, and the Vipers glovesman was doing a quick one-two count when a Kealy cannon smashed into his ‘midrift’.
His quick release before dropping to suck in some air gave Arzani a chance at the other end but his cute chip bounced out off the crossbar.
Magic finally got their reward on 35-minutes when Pyne beat two defenders and passed beautifully to Michael Kotzambasis who touched, drew a defender and laid off for Hassan Dagher to shoot well past Ramondino and trail by four.
Inner West almost snatched another one with Ramondino just nudging wide a tricky Kotzambasis move, while Zaczek was doing his best to help the cause by deflecting a neat Arzani side-foot.
Mascot were feeling the pinch and some nervous passes at the back almost resulted in several deflected goals but they held on for a deserved 5-1 victory.
Vipers superstar Daniel Arzani was thrilled for his side after going so close last year, but said the scoreline didn’t reflect how difficult the game was at times.
“It was a really hard game actually and it needed a good game from all of us to win it,” he said. “ After losing last year’s grand final to Enfield, this more than makes up for it.”
Mascot coach William Hussary said their hard work had paid off. “I’m definitely pleased for them. I wanted them to just play their normal game and I thought they did that. They did take a step back at the end but they also stepped up when they needed to.”
Mascot Vipers 5 (Jake Borromeo 6’/24’, Daniel Arzani 17’/19’/31’) Inner West Magic 1 (Hassan Dagher 35’)
Mascot Vipers: Alessandro Ramondino, Benjamin Morrison, Conor Quilligan, Daniel Arzani, Gianni Stensness, Jake Borromeo, Jake Trajkovski, Joshua Bartolotto, Kosta Tsournakakis, Mitchell Knight, Ted Patroulias, coach William Hussary.
Inner West Magic: Brodie Clarkson, Callum Kealy, Hassan Dagher, Joe Caletti, Jonathan Temple, Jordan Pyne, Matias Paz, Matthew Liemich, Michael Kotzambasis, Nathan Muskitta, Nicholas Zaczek, Zachary Duncan, coach Aldo Liemich.
Vipers snuff out Magic – 14 Girls
Mascot Vipers capped off a remarkable summer with a comprehensive 6-2 win over Inner West Magic to lift the NSW Futsal Premier League 14 Girls trophy.
The Vipers led 4-0 after nine minutes and the margin remained the same until fulltime despite Magic putting on a great show in an entertaining game.
No team could beat Mascot this season, a staggering 94 goals in 15 games and goal-difference of 68 testament to their domination; the only chink in the armour a gritty 3-3 draw and tough 3-2 win against Inner West and golden boot Demi Koulizakis away in Canberra with the national under-17 train-on squad.
Both sides began cautiously before a laser-guided Rochelle Borromeo pass through two defenders found Carla Trimboli’s run down the flank and a low drive into goal gave Vipers a fourth minute lead.
Mascot were on the warpath and only some outstanding skill from Inner West keeper Ellessia Rinaldi kept the score at 1-0, blocking a double Hannah Bacon strike, once with her legs and the other with her arms, but she couldn’t stop a long-range Georgia Plessas bullet as the Vipers doubled their lead on seven minutes.
It was 3-0 a minute later as Bacon found Borromeo on the break and she bettered Rinaldi, but the Magic custodian showed great courage and awareness to charge out of the D and block Bacon’s breakaway.
And when Lorena Bugden’s sniper pass to Angelique Dimitrakas went unrewarded at the other end, Bacon made Inner West pay with a great run up court and low drive across goal past Rinaldi to make it 4-0 up in the ninth minute.
Magic finally found their feet, pushing a freekick just left of the post and a great look from Sarah Urquhart to Dimitrakas finished in the same result, and while Lissa Mumbulla unleashed a long-range beauty that Rinaldi had to dive and knock clear, Magic finished the half the strongest, forcing Vipers keeper Chloe Avgoustou to make some quick decisions and break up their attacks.
Inner West pushed harder in the second term and Bugden skipped past two defenders only to shoot across goal moments before young substitute Princess Ibini-Isei waltzed through the Mascot defence and coolly slotted into the far corner past an advancing Avgoustou to lift Magic spirits at 4-1 down with 15 minutes to go.
The joy was shortlived as a neat one-two between Bacon and Plessas opened up the latter inside the D and a sharp strike restored Mascot’s four-goal cushion moments later.
A classy set piece put the matter to rest when Bacon dummied over Trimboli’s 32nd-minute corner leaving it for Plessas to blast away from the top of the D and her monster deflected off a defender to leave Rinaldi with no chance.
Inner West never stopped trying and Ibini-Isei had her strike blocked by a diving Avgoustou, who also held Bianca Galic’s blast after she’d beaten two defenders on a terrific run up court, and a sneaky Urquhart pilfered well and sent a sizzling pass to Dimitrakas but she shot left with just the keeper to beat.
Bugden also went close after muscling her way through the defence and Magic finally got the goal they deserved when Bacon went to boot the ball up court out of defence and it rebounded off Bugden into goal for a 6-2 deficit with two minutes remaining.
Busy Georgia Plessas gave credit to Magic’s fightback but said her side had enjoyed a very rewarding year together.
“We just had good teamwork and passed well throughout the game. We thought we had it but they came back into it in the second half but we held on to win,” she said. “Undefeated throughout the premier league and winning the state title, it’s been a good run for us.”
Mascot coach Zvi Ben David praised his team’s dominance. “We had the game won at 4-0 up and I think they just got a little complacent [in the second half]. They are very talented individual players; my only job as coach is to make sure they’re managed properly.”
Mascot Vipers 6 (Carla Trimboli 4’, Georgia Plessas 6’/29’/32’, Rochelle Borromeo 7’, Hannah Bacon 9’) Inner West Magic 2 (Princess Ibini-Isei 27’, Lorena Bugden 38’)
Mascot Vipers: Amy Sayer, Carla Trimboli, Chloe Avgoustou, Georgia Plessas, Hannah Bacon, Lissa Mumbulla, Rochelle Borromeo, Tamara Soto, coach Zvi Ben David.
Inner West Magic: Angelique Dimitrakas, Bianca Galic, Chiara Laviano, Dimity Antonis, Ellessia Rinaldi, Georgia Koutzoumis, Lorena Bugden, Marissa Kassapakis, Princess Ibini-Isei, Sarah Urquhart, coach Steve Koutzoumis.
Boomerangs overcome Rovers – 16 Boys
It was the Hume Highway bandits as Boomerangs FS came from behind to pip premiers Enfield Rovers 2-1 and take out the NSW Futsal Premier League grand final in thrilling fashion.
Enfield scored late in the first half only for Boomerangs to draw level straight after the break, Sean O’Neil netting the match-winner with nine minutes to go in a great game between two closely matched combatants.
Unbeaten Enfield had been held to just three draws to beat Boomerangs to the premiership by nine points following 4-3 and 1-0 regular season victories over their southern opponents.
Boomerangs sprung a 5-2 upset in the major semi-final a fortnight ago and Enfield were keen for revenge, Pietro Nigro causing havoc early when a tough chance forced Boomerangs keeper Nicholas Van Aalst to reflex it onto the post with the ball lobbing back to Nigro who couldn’t control the header.
Kristopher Sekutkoski also tested Van Aalst with a 12m rocket before the custodian’s counterpart Kristian Sekutkoski saw action down the other end saving Nick Rathjen’s sixth-minute shot for Boomerangs.
Rovers were full of running and Nigro hammered one into the side netting from the right before finding himself in the D with the ball and only Van Aalst to beat, the territorian producing a fine save.
Van Alst was almost undone by his own defence when Nigro capitalised on a mix-up at the back and forced Van Aalst into a well anticipated grab.
Alex Vlismas next tried his luck for Enfield with a shot just over the bar from a tight angle before Van Aalst tipped a Nigro shot from the edge of the D over the bar in the 12th minute to keep the game scoreless.
Boomerangs snuck in a chance when Jonathan Ciminelli picked out Michael Rinaudo inside the D but he blasted wide, and minutes later Rovers finally got their goal when Kristopher Vlismas lobbed well for Michael Blancato to volley on the fly past Van Aalst for Enfield to lead 1-0 on the quarter-hour.
The goal spurred Boomerangs into action and Rathjen picked out Matthew Stirton with a cute cut inside and his shot was tipped out by Sekutkoski, and Stirton only had the keeper to beat but instead bumbled a pass inside to Rathjen, Enfield keeping their 1-0 advantage at halftime.
Rovers almost coughed it up when Dominic Cox mishit to a prowling Thomas Zeitlhofer just after the restart, Sekutkoski’s replacement Stephen Spirou diving well to save a certain goal, but he couldn’t do much to stop a rampant Nicholas Keir, who fielded a long throw from Van Aalst, delightfully turned his defender and under pressure blasted right of Spirou into goal to level the scores at 1-1 a minute later.
Vlismas almost responded for Enfield, denied by a good save from Van Aalst, and the game definitely shifted up a gear when O’Neil passed to Zeitlhofer who dribbled past one defender toward the corner and laid a great low cross for O’Neil to tap into goal for a 2-1 Boomerangs lead on the half-hour.
The stunned premiers searched for their own equaliser as a Vlismas shot from the top of the D deflected just past the post, and Cox intercepted well at halfway and passed inside to Nigro who nutmegged his defender with a pass back to Cox only for Van Aalst to save well with five minutes on the clock.
Vlismas went agonisingly close again when his running header sailed just over the crossbar but the final chance fell to Nigro inside the D, Van Aalst doing brilliantly to get a hand on the goalbound effort and then searched around desperately for the rebound before collecting it, Boomerangs hanging on for a superb 2-1 win.
An elated O’Neil said doing it tough was the best way to win. “It’s a heaps good feeling. It’s hard to beat those guys, you just have to keep pushing for it,” he said. “tough games like that are great to play in, and even better for a grand final.”
Boomerangs coach Eddie Senatore reckoned the trip back to Canberra would be an enjoyable one. “It’s two fantastic teams against each other and I knew it would be about maintaining pressure in difficult circumstances and staying focused, and even a goal down we kept our composure.”
Boomerangs FS 2 (Nick Keir 22’, Sean O’Neil 31’) Enfield Rovers 1 (Michael Blancato 16’)
Boomerangs FS: Christopher Smith, Jonathan Ciminelli, Matthew Stirton, Michael Rinaudo, Nicholas Keir, Nicholas Rathjen, Nicholas Van Aalst, Sean O’Neill, Thomas Milicevic, Thomas Zeitlhofer, coach Eddie Senatore.
Enfield Rovers: Alexander Vlismas, Alpay Keskin, Dominic Cox, Kristian Sekutkoski, Kristopher Vlismas, Lachlan Whalley, Marco Gasparo, Michael Blancato, Noah Chia, Pietro Nigro, Rodrigo Villar, Stephen Spirou, coaches Joe Foti & Robert Dunfield.
Rovers pit Vipers – 16 Girls
Mascot Vipers slithered past a gallant Enfield Rovers 1-0 to win a closely fought NSW Futsal Premier League 16 Girls championship.
Only four points separated premiers Mascot from fourth-placed Enfield, Rovers doing it the hard way by dispatching Inner West 5-4 in the knockout semi-final and edging out Dural 1-0 in last week’s preliminary final, but they knew they could match it with Vipers following a solid 3-3 draw and tight 2-1 loss during the regular season.
A Lara Salvarinas strike in the 45th minute proved the difference in the end as Mascot claimed the premier league double.
Both defences were on the ball from the outset and Naomi Nguyen’s tackle to dispossess Mascot’s Lisa Meduri before she unleashed showed what sort of game it would be as Meduri’s seventh minute shot was comfortably held by Rovers keeper Sarah Easthope.
Enfield got their attacking game going and Mascot goalkeeper Cassandra Nader did well to disrupt a promising combination between Georgia Stevanovic and Nguyen midway through the half, and Cassandra Siepen stole the ball twice for good runs up court but missed the first time and had her second attempt smash off Nader’s knee.
Meduri blasted one high and one wide for Vipers, while Siepen pounced on a defensive lapse inside the D at the other end but pushed her shot just left with only Nader to beat.
Meduri had another rocket tipped over by Easthope with halftime closing in before Nguyen had her 15m scorcher deflect off defender Erin Hill and a wrong-footed Nader could only watch as the ball clanged off the corner of the crossbar to keep the match scoreless at the break.
Enfield came out firing in the second term and Nguyen set up Lalovi Lealaiauloto who shot just wide, Siepen drilled one into a defender and had her follow-up held by Nader, while Easthope’s full court throw to Nguyen alone in the Vipers D was thwarted by some scrambling defence.
Meduri returned fire for Mascot, forcing Easthope into a diving block and with the keeper on the ground had her rebounded effort blocked by a savvy Nguyen, and the Mascot star managed to get a shot off with three defenders on her only to narrowly miss left.
A great Vipers one-two from Georgia Plessas to a running Hill also went close and Easthope smothered Maxine Peak’s shot before Hill’s follow-up clipped the post on the half-hour as Mascot kept the raids coming.
Easthope was in the thick of it and took a couple of goes to pinch the ball from Melissa Huang’s feet inside the D, then blocked Plessas on the break and dove well to stop Meduri’s solid strike seconds after a defender had deflected her first attempt wide for a corner, the 0-0 scoreline unbroken at fulltime.
Enfield gathered themselves for extra-time and shortly after Caitlin Murphy’s 20m bomb needed saving from Nader, Lealaiauloto pinched the ball, drew another defender and laid it across to Salvarinas to blast past Nader for a 1-0 lead as the teams swapped over for the final period.
Mascot threw everything into it and Natalie Penman did well on the left to draw out Easthope and a defender only for her cross to float agonisingly past Meduri’s forehead in front of an open goal, while Nader smothered Lealaiauloto’s attempt at the other end to keep her side in it.
Vipers player Zoe Gomez had a terrific drive from 13m out snuffed out by a great low diving Easthope save and the hooter sounded with Mascot still in front.
Nguyen was everywhere on court and gave full credit to a great team performance. “Hell yeah I’m happy for my team-mates, they really deserve it,” she said. “Our plan was to just go for it and not leave anything in the tank; we had to always recover when we lost the ball and help each other out in attack.”
Enfield coach John Jiggins underlined his side’s solidarity. “Ten girls trialled and 10 girls were picked. They’re a fantastic group and have worked hard as a team. All I told them was to stay true to themselves… what a great time for them.”
Enfield Rovers 1 (Lara Salvarinas 45’) Mascot Vipers 0
Enfield Rovers: Caitlin Murphy, Cassandra Siepen, Georgia Stevanovic, Jasmine Diavatiotis, Lalovi Lealaiauloto, Lara Salvarinas, Lauren Briscoe, Naomi Nguyen, Sarah Easthope, Sophie Magus, Stephanie Rahme, coach John Jiggins.
Mascot Vipers: Anja Cherry, Cassandra Nader, Chloe Avgoustou, Christine Granero, Erin Hill, Georgia Bow, Georgia Plessas, Lisa Meduri, Maxine Peak, Melissa Huang, Natalie Penman, Zoe Gomez, coach Rob Hill.
Warriors hold off Phoenix – Youth Men
Dural Warriors worked hard to stave off a stubborn Phoenix Futsal Club 2-1 in extra-time and claim the NSW Futsal Premier League Youth Men premiership-championship double.
Nathan Niski scored Dural’s 47th-minute match-winner after Grant Lynch’s last minute goal for Phoenix cancelled out David Kanaley’s second half opener in an absolute cliffhanger.
A dominant Dural may have finished 15 points ahead of Phoenix on the ladder they were held 2-2 in round seven to not have any doubts about their challenge.
Niski was the first to test the waters when he made space for himself on the right and fired in a tight-angled shot, Phoenix keeper Michael Muirhead dropping to block the rocket then regathering the spill before it dribbled over the line.
Phoenix was quick to respond and Todd Edwards sent a great low pas across court to an open Danny Beauchamp who drove just over before Phoenix had to scramble hard defensively to break up several promising Dural raids.
Besides a Lynch blast left of the Warriors goal after Agneesh Lahiri was dispossessed inside the D midway through the opening term, Dural was mainly in control, a full-burst Glen Kelshaw touch on goal just held by Muirhead’s reflexes, who also blocked a second Kelshaw drive moments later and smothered Wade Giovenali’s inside-D effort.
The Warriors fans were in full voice and some were even in full warrior costume, with a curious appearance from Po the red Teletubby, and Dural were relentless on court as Giovenali fed Takahiro Iwata whose effort needed palming away by Muirhead and Giovenali shot just wide to close out a goal-less first half.
Phoenix settled more after the break and a dangerous Andrew Luttringer run and shot on the right was smothered by Dural keeper James Brunacci, who also blocked Lynch’s breakaway attempt.
Dural were back at it when Kanaley dribbled cleverly across goal but pushed his 3m shot narrowly wide, and a crafty interception gave him a second chance but Muirhead smothered the opportunity superbly.
It took a moment of brilliant teamwork to break the stalemate as every Dural player touched the ball in a quick counter from the back as Niski cut across goal for Kanaley to score the 28th minute opener.
Luttringer almost stole a near-post equaliser for Phoenix shortly afterwards, Brunacci dropping fast to hold the ball, but Dural pressed for more, Giovenali pilfering the Phoenix defence only for Muirhead to advance and keep out, Iwata also forcing the glovesman into a great save.
Muirhead’s goalkeeping heroics inspired his Phoenix team-mates for a late burst and Luttringer beat two defenders with a run inside and shot that Brunacci dived well to save before a terrific passing sequence saw Lynch find Beauchamp on a run inside the D but his shot was also smothered by Brunacci.
With time against Phoenix, Lynch charged up court to muscle his way past three players and as Brunacci hesitated to come out, drove his shot low and into the net to score a stirring equaliser.
Dural tried hard to find a decider when Giovenali passed to Niski who picked out Kanaley sneaking at the far post but his volley from 3m out streaked across the goalface, while Niski’s last-minute drive produced a fantastic reflex save from Muirhead, fulltime sounding with the game locked at 1-1.
Extra-time started in a flurry with a sweet Harry Ashcroft touch setting Lynch up for a curling effort that slipped past the Warriors post, while Lynch passed to Todd Edwards on the break and his shot looped back off a defender with Lynch’s meteor return blocked on the line.
After the teams swapped over for the final period of play Edwards could’ve gone one-on-one with Brunacci had Niski not broken up the play brilliantly, then lay it across to Giovenali who unselfishly cut it back to Niski in front of goal. His first attempt was blocked by Muirhead but Niski made no mistake second time around as Dural took a 2-1 advantage they held onto for the remaining three minutes.
A relieved Kelshaw raised his eyebrow at his side’s late sealer. “It was a good game, we played well and when they leveled we just stayed calm and finished off the job, so it was good to come away with it,” he said.
Dural coach Tobias Seeto acknowledged a fine Phoenix effort but hailed his side’s tenacity. “It’s always a tough game against them and finals are always tense. We weren’t as fluent as I would’ve like but we just stuck to doing the same things we do every game. I’m stoked for them to win.”
Dural Warriors 2 (David Kanaley 28’, Nathan Niski 47’) Phoenix Futsal Club 1 (Grant Lynch 38’)
Dural Warriors: Brendon Siluvu, Chris Polkinghorne, David Kanaley, Glen Kelshaw, Hayden Rosier, James Brunacci, Matthew Stroud, Michael Figueira, Nathan Niski, Takahiro Iwata, Wade Giovenali, coach Tobias Seeto.
Phoenix Futsal Club: Agneesh Lahiri, Andrew Luttringer, Danny Beauchamp, Grant Lynch, Harry Ascroft, Michael Muirhead, Todd Edwards, coach Shane Watson.
Vipers defeat Quake – Open Women
Mascot Vipers overcame bogey side Campbelltown Quake to win the NSW Futsal Premier League Open Women decider 2-1.
Mascot finished a point in front of Dural and Campbelltown to claim the premiership but hadn’t beaten Quake in 2-1 and 6-3 losses and it looked like Logan Garard’s first half opener might’ve got them again until a double late blow from Vipers duo Filiz Urkanci and Doris Osman stole the cup.
Campbelltown entered the title bout after dispatching Inner West 4-0 and then Dural 5-1 from the finals but faced an even sterner test in Mascot, Ceyda Cambaz lobbing nicely to Filiz Urkanci whose volley cannoned off the post and a nice layoff from Urkanci to Cambaz ending the same way.
Quake had their own chances with a tough Claire Walsh effort blocked by Vipers keeper Antonella Oliva and seconds later Oliva charged out to deny an even better Walsh attempt as the two sides traded blows.
A 12th-minute goalbound drive from Mascot’s Erin Hill needed a deft touch from Campbelltown custodian Melanie McCauley and a minute later a pass up court to Logan Garard left her with only the keeper to beat from inside the D and she did well with a semi-lob on the turn over Oliva to find back of the net and hand her side a 1-0 lead.
Quake almost doubled the advantage moments later when Hall’s low drive following a corner needed touching past the post by Oliva, who also denied Zoeie Redman following Walsh’s nifty layback.
At the other end Kristina Janeska received a great ball from Osman at halfcourt and the target dribbled well to her right to get a nicely directed shot across the face of goal that needed a swift drop and block from McCauley’s leg, who then stopped Urkanci’s shot on the turn the same way as the half ended with Campbelltown still in front.
Quake came out blazing in the second term, a mesmerising Lauren Ralston dance up court unable to get much on her shot and Redman almost caught Oliva off guard with a 15m strike, and while a clever Urkanci backheel to Osman needed sharp saving from McCauley at the other end, the Campbelltown number one fired the ball straight up court for Ralston to latch onto a missile that Oliva initially fumbled but did really well to drop on in front of Ralston’s feet.
Urkanci and Osman were proving a real handful and Osman’s 37th-minute run inside and delicious ball to Urkanci on the left just outside the D led to a delightful lob over McCauley onto the right post and into goal for a 1-1 equaliser.
With the crowd barely back in their seats an amazing fast break saw Osman again feeding Urkanci on the left, who this time drew McCauley and a defender out and then passed back inside for Osman to tap into an open goal for a 2-1 lead.
Another Urkanci run found Cambaz inside the D and only an outstanding cover tackle from Walsh stopped the game getting too out of hand for Campbelltown, who went to a fifth man press inside the final five minutes, Walsh again doing brilliantly to deny Urkanci an open halfway shot into an open goal.
Walsh was on a mission with her 47th-minute power drive from 12m out in front shearing paint off the crossbar, and Redman was in full support shooting well for Oliva to tip away and then sending two beautiful strikes off the crossbar in the closing moments but the fulltime buzzer ended a dramatic finale with Mascot’s noses just in front.
While Osman said she could only dream about following her dad’s (coach and most capped Aussie Futsal representative Erkin Osman) footsteps she also couldn’t believe the way her side really dug deep when called upon.
“It feels amazing to win a game like that. We lost a bit of confidence when we went behind, but it was really rewarding to stick in there and lift when we needed to,” she said.
Proud dad Erkin was thrilled. “We learnt a lot from the way Campbelltown beat us [during the season] and we had to do it the hard way. The girls really deserve it; it’s fantastic!”
Mascot Vipers 2 (Filiz Urkanci 37’, Doris Osman 38’) Campbelltown Quake 1 (Logan Garard 13’)
Mascot Vipers: Antonella Oliva, Cassandra Nader, Ceyda Cambaz, Doris Osman, Effie Rodopoulos, Erin Hill, Filiz Urkanci, Kristina Janeska, Xanthe Dumbrell, coach Erkin Osman.
Campbelltown Quake: Claire Walsh, Dana Buttigieg, Jemma Crane, Justine Vella, Laura Donnelly, Lauren Ralston, Logan Garard, Madison Strutt, Melanie McCauley, Sharon Walsh, Stephanie Haim, Zoeie Redman, coach James Gilligan.
Warriors douse Magic – Open Men
Dural Warriors overcame Inner West Magic 3-2 to win a firey NSW Futsal Premier League Open Men championship bout and round out an emphatic premiership winning season.
The testy card-infested game was brought to life when Zach Caruana opened Dural’s account midway through the second term only for Daniel Fogarty to find a last-second equaliser for Inner West.
An Aaron Cimitile strike put Magic in front a minute into extra-time to send the packed crowd into a frenzy before a decisive Warriors surge saw Nathan Niski and Tobias Seeto score within seconds of each other to steal a dramatic 3-2 victory just minutes out from fulltime.
Only second-placed Inner West had beaten Dural this season, a 4-2 win countered by the Warriors 2-0 in their round 13 return, and Magic had already put six past a miserly Dural backline to show they were the team to challenge the Warriors open men supremacy.
The grandstand was absolutely filled to the rafters with fans finding any room they could in a bulging stadium – the red-clad Warriors army on one side and a percussion-backed orange faction on the other, and any neutrals swept up in an electric atmosphere.
In was a tense first half both sides sent a few blistering attempts on goal without troubling either keeper, an outrageous fifth-minute Greg Giovenali sizzler from wide and tight that whizzed across goal and just past the post the best of them for Dural as Inner West superstar Daniel Fogarty put his body on the line to inspire his side at the other end.
The physical game threatened to boil over following several solid defensive shows and while the Warriors choir entertained the crowd with a clever rendition of Mambo #5 the referees tried to calm players down with a string of yellow cards.
As halftime approached only a cheeky Giovenali attempt tested Magic keeper Roberto Maiorana, while a clever Seeto shot/cross cannon just missed the head of a sprinting Daniel Codrington at the far post before the two sides swapped seats.
The second half fired up immediately when Danny Dutra found Marino Musumeci on the left, who turned well and shot across goal and just past the upright in an ampitheatre awash with the fever-pitched sounds of chanting, drums, cheers and jeers.
A full court throw from Dural keeper Alastair Bruce found its mark on the half-hour as Blake Rosier chested it down at the top of the D, turned and fired onto the right post moments before Rosier unleashed from range to force a quick Maiorana drop and block to the right.
A driving Cimitile freekick was stopped by Seeto near the Dural line and Cimitile had a second rocket blocked by Bruce not long after as Magic also probed for the opener.
But the breakthrough came at the other end when Zach Caruana cut inside from the left, touched for a bit of space and drove home into the top right corner for a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute, setting the Warriors fans alight.
Inner West came close to leveling a minute later when Cimitile blasted left of the post when maybe he could’ve tried to chip a diving Bruce, and Fogarty powered a bullet against the right post from 13m out to show Magic well still well in it.
Maiorana was doing his best with a series of outstanding saves, tipping a Caruana blast brilliantly over the bar but Bruce was under greater fire and held the ball too long inside his D to give Anthony Poninis a close-range freekick he blasted high.
Bruce atoned for his mistake when he came out well to defuse another Magic attack and also blocked an acute Poninis attempt to maintain his side’s lead, but Inner West came out of a timeout with five minutes remaining using Dylan Maloney in a fifth man press and a goalmouth scramble almost produced the desired result as Andrew Paine had a rebounded ball roll straight to him inside the D only to have a recovering Bruce block his shot.
The breakthrough came from some tremendous teamwork as a number of Magic passes inside the final minute culminated in Maloney finding Fogarty inside the D and his shot squeezed past Bruce into goal for a deserved 1-1 equaliser, Fogarty giving Dural fans his best ‘This Is Sparta’ roar on his way back for the restart.
The atmosphere reached fever-pitch and the Dural Indoor Sports Centre roof bounced with all the noise, Giovenali almost finding a last-gasp winner when he pinched the ball inside his own half and two passes later it was with Polkinghorne alone on the left, but his shot hit the side netting under pressure from an advancing Maiorana, the even game heading to extra-time.
Inner West went all-in straight after the restart when Fogarty stole the ball after some nervous Dural passes at the back and then found Cimitile unmarked inside the D and the target made no mistake from 5m out to put Magic in front 2-1 to absolute delirium inside the venue.
Magic had momentum but just before the changeover a lovely Seeto dash up court saw him wait for the defence, dummy a shot and delivered to Giovenali whose shot was tipped onto the post by a relieved Maiorana.
Dural found their miracle with two minutes left when Seeto met a well-timed Niski run to the top of the D and his shot glanced the right side of the post to hit the back of the net and lock the game up at 2-2 with a dreaded penalty shootout looming.
Giovenali went close to edging Warriors ahead with a great run down the right and blast that produced an amazing Maiorana save low and right, but the glovesman couldn’t do much about a Daine Merrin low drive across goal that found Seeto unmarked at the far post seconds later that the Futsalroo easily knocked into goal for a climactic 3-2 lead.
After Ediz Alpkaya shot over in the dying moments Giovenali’s rugby style grab of Fogarty from behind to waste some more time only earned him a yellow card, the ninth of a tense match, while Fogarty was shown a straight red for his return shove on Giovenali as the hooter sounded and the two combatants embraced following their epic duel.
It was an amazing end to a thoroughly entertaining and grueling affair in which both sides gave their all and both sides could’ve won.
Giovenali applauded the great show the crowd helped put on. “You can’t beat an atmosphere like that. We don’t often play in front of big crowds and the noise they produced was amazing,” he said.
“We knew Magic is a good side and the match really could’ve gone either way. In the end we had to pull something out of the hat in a messy game, but Rob [coach Varela] has instilled in us to always be patient and I think we did that and deserved it in the end.”
Varela is not easily rattled but even he admitted the pressure-cooker took its toll. “What can you say when the two best teams in the competition put on a game like that. I’m really happy it didn’t go to penalties as it’s a horrible way to win or lose, but we took our chances when we needed to.”
“All credit to Magic, who were always in the match, and maybe just a bit more depth on our bench proved the difference,” he said.
Dural Warriors 3 (Zach Caruana 35’, Nathan Niski 58’, Tobias Seeto 58’) Inner West Magic 2 (Daniel Fogarty 50’, Aaron Cimitile 51’)
Dural Warriors: Adam Bradley, Alastair Bruce, Blake Rosier, Chris Polkinghorne, Daine Merrin, Daniel Codrington, Greg Giovenali, James Brunacci, Nathan Niski, Rhys Giovenali, Tobias Seeto, Zach Caruana, coach Rob Varela.
Inner West Magic: Aaron Cimitile, Andrew Paine, Anthony Poniris, Daniel Fogarty, Danny Dutra, David Amiconi, Dylan Maloney, Ediz Alpkaya, Laureano Gomez Castro, Marcello Bortone, Marino Musumeci 14, Roberto Maiorana, coach Carmine Bortone.
-By Dan De Nardi
