Futsal Premier/State League round 10 review
Futsal Premier League round 10 has set up a frenzied Futsal NW Premier League finale as Dural downed Campbelltown 5-2, Inner West edged Mountain Majik 3-2, Enfield overpowered Phoenix 8-2, and UTS Northside beat Mascot 4-3.
This offers up a tantalizing final four rounds where just one point separates the top four sides – Rovers (22), Warriors (22), Quake (21), Magic (21), while fifth-placed Majik (12) and UTS (12) seem just too far away to make the playoffs.
Dural Warriors claimed a second-successive 5-2 win against Campbelltown Quake at Dural Sport & Leisure Centre to go equal-first with Enfield. Dural built up a cautious 2-0 halftime advantage but it was still anyone’s game with Warriors standing up to a second-half Campbelltown surge to win by three goals.
Daine Merrin, Glenn Kelshaw, Brandon Vella, Greg Giovenali and Bruno Pivato hit the target for Dural, Adam Haddad and Dean Lockhart scored for Campbelltown.
Inner West Magic won the hard way against Mountain Majik at Valentine Sports Park. Inner West were held 1-1 at halftime and had Dean Bereveskos sent off, but managed to steer toward a 3-2 win on the back of Daniel Vellonio, Brian Griffin-Colls and Miles Downie strikes. Aaron Frasier and Samuel De Oliveira netted Mountain’s goals.
Inner West are now six games unbeaten (four straight wins) and they’ve shown great form on the road going five outings without defeat (third-best run in five summers). Magic have also downed Majik three league times in a row to leave the Mountain men nine points behind the fab-four.
Enfield Rovers were tested in an 8-2 defeat of Phoenix at Ryde Sports & Community Centre. Facing a dozen winless games at home a possessed Phoenix had Enfield’s measure only 2-1 down at the break, but Rovers made sure of it with a six-goal second term that placed Rovers ahead of Warriors on goal-difference at the top of the ladder.
It was Enfield’s fifth straight win over Phoenix with Shervin Adeli (3), Lachlan Wright (2) and Giovanni Leuzzi (2) doing the most damage. Adeli returned to the top of the scorer’s chart with his second hat-trick of the season. He’s scored in every league game and notched up six scores of two or more in a blistering summer. As for the Phoenix Matthew Luttringer bagged a brace in what was a tough day in the office for his side.
UTS Northside notched up back-to-back victories for the first time with a tight 4-3 win over hapless Mascot Vipers at Sydney Academy of Sport & Recreation. It was 3-2 at halftime and Northside scrambled enough to register a very good victory. Vipers have proven very unlucky in close encounters having lost 12 of its 14 matches decided by a goal.
Next week’s games
Some great match-ups shape round 11 premier league as Mountain Majik meet Dural at Valentine Sports Park, UTS Northside battle Inner West at Sydney Academy of Sport & Recreation, Phoenix play Campbelltown at Ryde Sports & Community Centre, and Mascot face Enfield at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre.
State League round 10
State league round ten results established a small Easts lead at the summit (23 points) ahead of Raiders (19), Boomerangs (18), Eagles (18) and Sutherland (18), with Wolves (16), Crusaders (14) and Pumas (11) still chomping at the playoff bit. Sydney City Eagles had the bye
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah kept their unbeaten run in tact with an 11-3 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers at Kevin Butts Stadium. Mount Druitt proved more than a handful in the first half trailing 2-5 but Eastern Suburbs turned on the second-half magic to run away eight-goal winners.
Raiders made it six straight wins but it wasn’t one-sided in an 11-4 result against International Football School Futsal at the Whitlam Leisure Centre. Raiders were 7-3 ahead at oranges before going on with it in the second period – Jovan Miladinovic grabbing a hat-trick and Slaven Ljuboja, James Raiti and Adam Voloder bagging doubles for the victors, Blake French scoring twice, Andre Gumprecht and Joey Arena adding goals for International.
Western Wolves withstood a fierce second-half South Coast Taipans fightback to steal a 3-2 win at University of Wollongong Sports Hub. Tobias Elliot-Orr, Nathan Louang-Amath and James Mawein goals helped Wolves to a 3-zip halftime buffer but Taipans came back strong in the second term, aided by a red card to Western’s Walter Jajaw, to fall short by the narrowest of margins.
Sutherland Shire chalked up ‘W’ number five with a cruisy 10-2 result against Sydney Futsal Club at Marrickville PCYC. It was only 3-0 at halftime but Sutherland rammed home their authority in the second stanza and move to equal-third on the ladder.
West City Crusaders stayed in front of Parramatta Pumas to win 6-3 at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Stadium. Crusaders were 3-1 ahead midway through the match and registered a comfy three-goal victory that keeps their playoff hopes ticking. Botany Bay Pirates played Boomerangs at Canberra’s mpowerdome.
Next week’s games
State League round 11 features South Coast against International Football School Futsal at University of Wollongong Sports Hub, Sydney City face Parramatta at Dural Sport & Leisure Centre, Raiders face Botany Bay at Whitlam Leisure Centre, Sydney Futsal Club host Wolves at Marrickville PCYC, West City tackle Mount Druitt at Hawkesbury Indoor Sports Stadium, Hakoah welcome Boomerangs to All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre, while Sutherland have the bye.
-By Dan De Nardi
