Futsal Premier League Round 1 Review

An eye-popping first round of results has put everyone on notice in the 2013-14 Futsal NSW Premier League – newies Mountain Majik pulling out a Houdini act to beat Campbelltown Quake 6-5 at Windsor, Boomerangs shocking defending champs Dural 3-1 in Canberra, Inner West Magic nipping Enfield Rovers 2-0 and Mascot Vipers beating Phoenix by the same scoreline.

It was eerily similar across the board in all grades with some stunning and even surprising results indicating that we’re in for one hot summer of Futsal.

Round 1

Mountain Majik 6 (Mitch Long x2, Corey Bizco x2, Ray Miller, Daniel Rees) Campbelltown Quake 5 (Shane Ardle x3, Ian McAndrew, Harley Da Silva)

Boomerangs 3 (Callum Smith, Grant Davoren, Daniel Bennett) Dural Warriors 1 (xx)

Inner West Magic 2 (Marino Musumeci, Dylan Maloney) Enfield Rovers 0

Phoenix 0 Mascot Vipers 2 (Tim Mascarello x2)

Majik shake Quake

Mountain Majik started their first premier league campaign with a thrilling 6-5 victory at Windsor on Saturday night.

Mitch Long and Corey Bizco both bagged doubles as the home side turned a tight 2-2 halftime scoreline into a dramatic one-goal win to tuck their first points under their belts, despite an excellent three-goal effort from Quake’s Shane Ardle.

It was an absolute belter of a game with Majik taking an early lead before two Campbelltown goals turned the tables their way, former Quake player Daniel Rees ensuring the scores were level at the break with a terrific equaliser.

The two sides traded blows in the second term, Ardle completing his hat-trick to put Campbelltown 5-4 in front with two minutes to play, but two hot shots from Long and Futsalroo Raymond Miller lifted the Mountaineers to an amazing 6-5 victory – the club earning a substantial seven wins across all nine age groups.

Majik coach Fabio Macarola applauded his side’s determination in a tense affair.

"It was a cracking game, exciting stuff, and all the guys dug deep and played some pretty good Futsal… Corey Bizco was sensational for us," he said.

"At 2-2 at halftime it was anyone’s game; they pressed us hard and we were able to get in behind them and score some good goals on the counter. [At 5-4 down] We had a real crack at them at the end and we’re pretty happy with the result, no doubt about that."

Campbelltown manager Carlos Martinez enjoyed the game but not the result.

"You don’t play too many games of Futsal where you score five goals and lose the match," he said. "They did surprise us a little as they were very quick on the counter and caught us out a few times."

"We were missing a couple of senior players but full credit to Majik… I’m not unhappy at all with our performance, the squad looks very good."

Boomerangs bounce Dural

Boomerangs registered a superb 3-1 win over title holders Dural at Canberra’s powerdome on Saturday night to kickstart their summer quest in scintillating fashion.

Boomerangs were solid throughout and led Dural 2-1 at halftime before tightening the second-half screws to run out 3-1 victors – their first ever triumph over Dural.

Warriors opened the scoring in the eighth minute but Callum Smith responded with an off-balance thunderbolt to draw the home side level again.

Grant Davoren popped up at the far post to push Boomerangs 2-1 in front at the interval and things got easier for the Territorians when key Dural player Greg Giovenali received his second yellow card with 10 minutes to go, a late Daniel Bennett goal sealing a terrific 3-1 win.

Boomerangs co-coach Kristian Collins was astounded. "It was definitely impressive as we don’t win too many rounds against Dural and we did very well across all the age groups," he said.

"This is a massive morale booster for us going into the season but because Dural’s been dominant for so long every club has had to work hard to get up to their level, and that’s a good thing for Futsal in general."

Dural coach Rob Varela gave credit to Boomerangs for their good showing and wandered where his team went on the night.

“They’re a good side and played well, we didn’t play well,” he said. “It’s hard to say what it was, maybe their minds were somewhere else, but we certainly didn’t deserve to win.”

“But it’s the first game of the season and if you are to lose one now’s the time for it. We know we need to play well in every game to get results.”

Magic down Rovers

Inner West Magic had to work hard for a 2-0 win over a stubborn Enfield Rovers at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday night.

Neither side could break the deadlock in an evenly matched first half, but second half goals to Marino Musumeci and Dylan Maloney – after Rovers star Rob Foti was marched with his second yellow card – elevated Inner West to a two-goal edge.

Enfield coach Lachlan Wright rued the missed opportunities but was chuffed his side has shown it will be a force in this summer’s competition.

"We deserved a lot more than a loss as we really had the better chances to score but couldn’t put the ball away," he said. "That gave them the chance to sneak one and when Rob [Foti] was sent off they pressured us and scored twice."

"But I’m very confident we’ll do well with what we’ve got – teams won’t like playing against us, that’s for sure."

Vipers strike Phoenix

Mascot Vipers ground out a 2-0 victory against Phoenix Futsal Club at Ryde Sports and Community Centre on Saturday night.

Tim Mascarello netted in each half to hand an under-strength Mascot maximum points in the first outing.

Vipers club president Zvi Ben David was delighted with the effort put in by his young side. "We only had four regular players to go with the youth and it was a very tough game," he said.

"Phoenix had many chances to score but couldn’t put it away… our keeper had a blinder."

"Having said that we played really well and it was an unbelievable result at this level; a good start to the season."

Phoenix coach Chris Crawley was pleased his side gave themselves a shot at winning.

"We had enough chances ourselves, only made two mistakes and they scored two goals," he said. "That’s Futsal and our aim has always been to work hard and do the simple things right; we’ll get better as the season goes on."

Next week’s games

Round two of the 2013-14 Futsal NSW Premier League pits competition heavyweights Inner West Magic and Dural Warriors against each other at Dural, Mascot Vipers host Boomerangs, Campbelltown Quake welcome Phoenix to Minto, while Mountain Majik travel to Enfield Rovers.

-By Dan De Nardi