Grand Final Reviews – Futsal Premier League 2 All Grades
Futsal Premier League 2 Reviews – Grand Final Day – All Grades
12 Boys
South Coast Taipans completed a stirring comeback to take out the 12 Boys title 4-2aet against Dural Warriors Sunday morning at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls.
It was Dural Warriors though, buoyed by their supporters that got the contest rolling. Jack Hathaway slotted home the opener for 1-nil quickly followed by Benjamin Seeto making it 2-nil after 120 seconds of the game.
Taipans aimed to respond with Lucas Jackson who slashed wide from a kick-in but Noah Mathie pulled one back making it 2-1 when he hammered home from a turnover.
Jackson completed his brace in the 14th minute when he rifled home a cutback to make it 2-2 and a pulsating first half to kick-off the day of Grand Finals. Both sides had further attacks but went to the break locked up at 2-2.
The second half was an end-to-end contest with both sides trying to break the deadlock but denied by superb goalkeeping from the two custodians. Hathaway had the Warriors best chance on the break but sliced wide.
Into the final minute of regulation, Christian Sansone had the contest on his foot when the attacker broke downfield but another fine stop from the Dural Warriors custodian ensured the game went into extra time.
Headed into the extra periods, Taipans took control of the contest. Ryan Molnar gave them their first lead of the contest in the 42nd minute with his breakaway goal that kissed off the post for 3-2.
Sansone had a chance to add an insurance marker for Taipans but his far post effort was repelled. Molnar completed his brace in the final minute to give Taipans the 4-2 success and the Futsal Premier League 2 12 Boys title.
Dural Warriors: Olivier Cirino Hamish Duggan Tirryn Daniels Thomas Cutuk Heath Cameron Jonathan Gavanas Jack Hathaway Trypp Mclachlan Benjamin Seeto Edyn Vrsaljko William Pezzutti
South Coast Taipans: Jonte Stark-Harris Taj Demito Noah Hewitt Lucas Jackson Michael Marijan Noah Mathie Luca Mellino Ryan Molnar Oliver Morgan Christian Sansone
13 Girls
It was another dramatic finish as South Coast Taipans defeated Dural Warriors 3-2 after extra-time to take out the Futsal Premier League 2 13 girls title on Sunday morning.
The Taipans started the contest all guns blazing with Caley Tallon-Henniker hitting the bar in the second minute before the youngster quickly rolled home the opener for South Coast making it 1-nil after three minutes.
Much of the early running went with the Taipans. Ava Parry went close followed by Jessica Llewellin being the second Taipan to crash one against the bar then Janaya Baroudi had the final chance of the half but shot it straight.
Coming out of the restart, Dural Warriors looked to show they were just fine. Tahlia Martin almost found the back of the net in the first 60 seconds of the restart. Kayla Osborn did punish the Taipans with a piercing shot from a turnover to make it 1-1.
Indiana Dos Santos became the next Taipan to hit the woodwork in the 28th minute which was followed by Tallon-Henniker getting herself involved again but slid the ball wide of the mark.
Dural Warriors took their first lead of the contest in the 32nd minute. Katia Fragale put enough power on her shot to have it squeeze underneath the grasp of the South Coast Taipans keeper and brought their support to life at 2-1.
Taipans refused to yield though, Dos Santos ensured it would be back-to-back contests that headed into extra time after she slotted home in the 37th minute, making it 2-2 and the Taipans support in the corner were now brought to their feet.
There were more blocks than a lego set as both teams aimed to establish themselves but the best chances in the extra-time came from the set piece. Brielle Masters flashed a free-kick wide for Taipans then Caterina Mazzotta did similar for the Warriors.
The prospect of the dreaded shootout started to rear its head in the final few moments of the contest but there was one final piece of magic left in the contest.
Taipans attacker Tallon-Henniker slalomed through the Warriors before nestling into the bottom corner for a 3-2 extra-time result for the Taipans.
South Coast Taipans: Tahlia Sharrock Janaya Baroudi Indiana Dos Santos Jessica Llewellin Brielle Masters Ava Parry Lili Rosandic Caley Tallon-Henniker
Dural Warriors: Tahlia Martin Katia Fragale Angelina Graiche Zoe Dimitriadis Caterina Mazzotta Samantha Edwards Kayla Osborn Grace Steinwede Chloe Sankey
14 Boys
South Coast Taipans coasted to success in the Futsal Premier League 2 14 Boys Grand Final with a 5-1 success against SD Raiders Futsal on Sunday morning at Sydney Olympic Park.
The Taipans looked to stamp their mark on the contest quickly as Liam Bonetig cracked an effort wide of the mark. It was SD Raiders Futsal that struck first through Aaron Green to make it 1-nil after four minutes.
Taipans responded almost immediately with Sebastian Tomasiello curved home well in the 7th minute to make it 1-1. From there, South Coast Taipans took control of the contest and due to a Ben Caroutas strike took a 2-1 lead into the break.
Headed into the second half, Taipans dominated the chances and possession. Tomasiello powered an effort goal bound that was deflected wide quickly followed by a pair of efforts from Bonetig that showed there was no slowing down from the Taipans.
Jyden Harb looked to get himself on the Taipans scoresheet after a cushioned pass from Jonathan Vakauta sent him into the clear but it was blocked. Harb did make it 3-1 from a simple tap in to give the Taipans a cushion.
Bonetig rattled the post in the final minute before late strikes from Vakauta and another Taipans extended the scoreline out to 5-1 which made it a successful morning for the Taipans with three from three titles.
South Coast Taipans: Gus Hoefsloot Liam Bonetig Ben Caroutas Jyden Harb Cooper Kerridge Levi Martins Oliver Randazzo Sebastian Tomasiello Jonathan Vakauta
SD Raiders Futsal: Nicholas Khoury Aaron Green Ella Abdul Massih erry Tukuniu Jordan Carle Connor Smith Luka Knezevic Alexander Pintos Lucas Lesar Masini Tukuniu
15 Girls
The Futsal Premier League 2 15 Girls title was decided in a dramatic shootout as South Coast Taipans held their nerve to prevail 2-2 (4-3 pens) against Raiders Futsal Club on Sunday.
Megan Mifsud had the first chance for either side when the Raiders Futsal Club attacker skipped down the right side of the court before she thrashed wide in the second minute. Gemma Bartolillo went closer for the Raiders when she struck the post.
South Coast Taipans were the first to strike when Jynaya Dos Santos rolled home from a nice combination play to make it 1-nil in the 6th minute.
Raiders Futsal Club responded quickly as Ella Buchanan tapped home smartly to make it 1-1 which was followed by Elise Savannah poking an effort straight to at the Taipans custodian.
The Taipans retook the lead after the restart when Adelaide Thompson was the fastest to react after a blocked shot and dribbled the ball home to make it 2-1 Taipans headed into the final ten minutes of the contest.
Sensing they needed a spark, Raiders Futsal Club pushed forward looking for the equaliser to take us into another extra-time. It came late in the piece, Savannah placed an effort into the top corner of the net for 2-2.
Extra-time proved to a manic period as the two sides zipped up and down the court looking to find the vital goal. Savannah almost was the hero again for Raiders Futsal Club but for a fantastic save then Taipans were left short after Poppy Johnson saw red.
Taipans held firm though and the contest headed to the dreaded shootout. After three rounds of impeccable penalties, it fell to Buchanan to keep Raiders in the contest. Her effort rolled gratefully into the hands of the Taipans shot stopper and sparked wild celebrations from the South Coast faithful.
Raiders Futsal Club: Alicia Bartolillo Gemma Bartolillo Ella Buchanan Amilie Constable Emma Kociper Megan Misfud Sophie Powells Elise Savannah Crystal Woods
South Coast Taipans: Poppy Johnson Hazel Atkins Jessica Bermudez Halle Callow Imogen Dos Santos Jynaya Dos Santos Mila Gehrke Sienna Humphrey Adelaide Thompson Charlotte Wilson Eve Wilson
16 Boys
The South Coast Taipans juggernaut continued to roll on as they hoisted the Futsal Premier League 2 16 Boys title after a tense 3-2 success against Dural Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
There was no settling in period in this contest. Dural Warriors whacked an effort against the post in the opening 60 seconds to set the pace for the afternoon. Hamza Sweedan also rattled the post from a deep effort in the 3rd minute.
Dural Warriors turned their early dominance into the lead when Cameron Philp was the third Warriors player to hit the post but this time, Philp’s effort trickled into the net, making it 1-nil.
Joshua Montgomery made it double delight for Dural Warriors as the youngster tapped home after some incisive play from the Warriors, made it 2-nil. Dural flew out of the blocks and Taipans hadn’t fired a shot yet.
The love affair between the Warriors players and post continued in the 14th minute. Sweedan managed to bounce his effort off both the left and right woodwork before it rolled wide of the mark.
South Coast Taipans got themselves back into the contest just before the break with two quick goals. Firstly, Antonio Sansone tapped home to make it 2-1 then in the 20th minute Matthew Jackson rolled home for 2-2.
The second half was a cagey affair between the two sides with chances at a premium. Sweedan arrowed wide in the 25th for the best chance but Taipans were able to take their first lead in the 27th minute.
They piled on the pressure with a series of corners right in front of the Taipans supporters before Dean Borbilas applied to the finishing touch to make it 3-2 Taipans.
Dural Warriors kept the fight going until the final minute, bringing on the extra man to generate more attack. In the final minute, it looked like Jacob Szymoniczek had prised that opening but the shot was blocked and Taipans took home the 16 Boys glory.
Dural Warriors: Nasserideen Dandan Paolo Pusateri Dominic Alvarez Daniel Latinovic Jacob Szymoniczek Joshua Montgomery Cameron Philp Hamza Sweedan Omid Ramezani Flynn Horley
South Coast Taipans: Luke Mack Dean Borbilas Josh Field Matthew Jackson Jayden Makowski Luke Palermo Antonio Sansone Omezikam Uchendu Sebastian Tomasiello Jyden Harb
18 Women
On the back of an Iona Snape hat-trick Phoenix Futsal Club were crowned Futsal Premier League 2 18 Womens Champions in a 3-1 success against Raiders Futsal Clun on Sunday afternoon.
The first chance of the contest fell to Raiders Futsal Club with Amelia Savetta cushioned the ball well with her touch before the attacker rolled the effort wide of the post.
Phoenix Futsal Club’s first opportunity fell to Isabel Gomez who worked the combination well to create space but hammered wide. Next up, Penelope Knox had a pair of efforts that were denied as Phoenix found their groove.
Raiders Futsal Club responded to that with Erin Tavares rattling an effort off the bar before we had the opener in a tight contest. Ellie Smyth rifled home a powerful effort to make it 1-nil to Raiders Futsal Club.
Knowing they needed to find a spark again, Phoenix Futsal Club jolted their start through Iona Snape. The attacker saw the diagonal ball fall over her shoulder and thrashed home well to make it 1-1 after 28 minutes.
Smyth almost produced the moment of magic for Raiders Futsal Club again when she prised the opening but the attacker and another Raider couldn’t poke the ball home.
Headed into the final stages, Phoenix Futsal Club took control. Molly Reckless had an effort punched over by the Raiders Futsal Club custodian. Snape found a way through with a low finish to make it 2-1 Phoenix.
Snape completed her hat-trick with a stylish finish in the 38th minute with a finesse strike that made it 3-1 Phoenix Futsal Club. Gomez had a late opportunity to add to the ledger but she slashed wide.
It was a moot point though, Phoenix Futsal Club won the contest through their second half onslaught and were deserved Futsal Premier League 2 18 Womens Champions.
Phoenix Futsal Club: Isabel Gomez Annika Hansen Iona Snape Brenda Hogan Stephanie Luyt Sophie Holliday Kate Watson Emma Vandervelde Lara Coward Penelope Knox Alexa Elford Molly Reckless Eloise Knox Eleanor Shuetrim
Raiders Futsal Club: Ella Buchanan Kaiya Buchanan Nyssa Castillo Erinn Cleghorn Jasmine Crouch Julia Morales Mila Nestorovic Amelia Savetta Ellie Smyth Erin Leah Tarvares
19 Men
Dural Warriors strolled to the Futsal Premier League 2 19 Mens title after a 3-1 success against South Coast Taipans on Sunday afternoon at Sydney Olympic Park.
The action came thick and fast in the opening stages of the 19 Mens contest. The South Coast Taipans custodian was called into action early with a reflex double save to deny Dural Warriors. The Warriors struck on their second chance.
Cameron Veldhuizen gave the Warriors the perfect start when he slammed home from close range to make it 1-nil Dural Warriors.
South Coast Taipans tried to respond quickly through rapid-fire chances from Cody Ashburner, John Boutros and Rocco Mellino but some fantastic stops from Warriors custodian Logan Trethowan denied them.
Boutros then had a snapshot denied as Hamza Sweedan surged down the other end for Dural Warriors thrashed wide of the post. Joel Dowling had the final chance of the half for Taipans but the Warriors took a slender edge into the break.
The ebb and flow continued in the second half as Caden Wickham-Hall poked wide for Dural then combination play from Tyson Black and Giovanni Panuccio from Taipans spun more than a Shane Warne leg break to edge wide.
A quickfire double from Dural Warriors saw them extend their lead to 3-nil. Sweedan sniffed out an opportunity after a loose pass from the Taipans to make it two then Trent Dalton tapped into the open net for the third.
South Coast Taipans did pull one back late through Jayden Smileski who slotted home after Mellino’s shot was parried into his path, 3-1. Dural Warriors held firm to confirm their 18 Mens title in a pulsating encounter.
Dural Warriors: Jared Rimmer Cameron Veldhuizen Carlos De Oliveira Logan Trethowan Tallon Zahra Caden Wickham-Hill William Pearce Joshua Montgomery Cameron Philp Trent Dalton Omid Ramezani
South Coast Taipans: Kaydin Harrison Riley Nicholl Cody Ashburner Tyson Black Jordan Boutros Joe l Dowling Alex Masciovecchio Rocco Mellino Giovanni Panuccio Joel Perry Jayden Smileski
Open Womens
It was a mature performance from Dural Warriors as they rolled to a 2-nil triumph against South Coast Taipans to confirm their undefeated season and become Futsal Premier League 2 Open Womens Champions.
From the opening whistle, the unbeaten Warriors aimed to assert their dominance. Golden Boot Rachel Perrins tried to dig out a pair of chances that were saved. Next, Emma Hurley turned well before whistling wide.
Perrins continued to be in the thick of the action after being denied on the break followed by Estelle Fragale’s follow up also flew wide. It looked like a matter of when for the Premiers to break the deadlock.
It came in the eighth minute, Perrins pounced on a giveaway from the Taipans defense and the sharpshooter rifled home to make it 1-nil. Late in the half, Bianca Dobson rattled the post but Dural took their lead into the break.
Coming out of the break, Perrins tried to squeeze an effort past a busy Taipans custodian in Miriam Bartlett. Taipans responded through Ursula Bratjanscak who glided downfield but flashed the effort wide of the post.
Taipans trying to find a route back into the contest, worked a free-kick routine for Danika Matos to fizz wide of the post. Responding Ellen Wheatley snatched the ball from the Taipans but flayed wide.
Dural Warriors confirmed their success in the 41st minute. Another giveaway fell into the path of Tess Olsen who rolled home for a 2-nil lead. The Warriors had one hand on the Futsal Premier League 2 Open Womens title.
Dobson had a pair of late chances for Dural but Bartlett remained stoic to stop the score line blowing out any further. The damage was done though, Dural Warriors made it 16 games unbeaten and became Champions.
Speaking afterwards Dural Warriors coach Rob Varela praised the mature effort from his side to finish off what has been a magnificent season for the Warriors:
“It was a very mature performance. The girls kept playing and it was a wonderful achievement. To only concede four goals across the whole season is a great statistic for us.” said Varela.
Dural Warriors: Luseane Cook Bianca Dobson Sarah Easthope Estelle Fragale Emma Hurley Imogen Lane Abbey Lemon Tess Olsen Rachel Perrins Emma Racz Ellen Wheatley Skye Wickham-Hill
South Coast Taipans: Miriam Bartlett Danika Matos Ursula Bratjanscak Grace Lockard Megan Grew Lisa Prior Kya Stewart Jineecka Klenka Sarah Johnston Ashley Kotevski Pimwdee Polhill
Open Mens
It was a fairytale finish for Dural Warriors and Greg Giovenali as they triumphed 7-2 against Sydney City Eagles in the final contest tonight at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Hall.
Whilst the main act was the retirement of Greg Giovenali, younger brother Wade Giovenali added to the occasion with a four-goal haul in the romp. Greg Giovenali, Sam De Oliveira and Nathan Niski rounded out the scoresheet for the Warriors to complete their mission.
Sydney City Eagles battled hard throughout the contest getting themselves goals through Lachlan Rose and Matthew Trotter but the Eagles never settled into the contest against Dural. Now they lick their wounds and move on for next season.
There was a festival atmosphere around Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls as the final contest in a wonderful day of futsal kicked off. The noise ramped up further after two minutes when Wade Giovenali smashed home for Dural Warriors from brother Greg’s cross, 1-nil.
Any sense of the occasion not going to script for Dural Warriors was dispelled early as they worked through their chances. Wade Giovenali flashed wide before Brendan Hoyer curved wide in the ninth minute.
Eagles did find some joy themselves, Peter Pelekanos plucked an effort from the sky and volleyed wide then Robert Perre struck the base of the post for the Eagles in the opening 10 minutes.
Dural showed a clinical edge as they doubled their delight. Sam De Oliveira knocked in the second goal off the post to make it 2-nil to the Premiers.
Sydney City Eagles did pull one back in the 24th minute through Lachlan Rose. His combination with Aaron Cimitile opened up the space for the blonde attacker to rifle home to make it 2-1 headed into the half-time break.
Coming out of the half-time break, Dural flexed their muscles to extend their lead further. Wade Giovenali rolled home for 3-1 before the man of the moment, Greg Giovenali finished off an incisive move for 4-1.
Nathan Niski made it five from the spot as the contest for Dural Warriors as the contest started to fade away from the Sydney City Eagles. Both Sam Perre and Michael Cimino had efforts for the Eagles but were denied.
Wade Giovenali put the icing on the cake for Dural Warriors when he completed his hat-trick from another sublime pass from Greg Giovenali for 6-1. A mix-up allowed Wade to make it 7-1 as the celebrations began for the Dural supporters.
Eagles continued to fight until the bitter end with Matthew Trotter banging in a late consolation goal to make 7-2 and a late spot kick for Warriors custodian Nathan Starr avoided blowing out the scoreline further.
Sunday night belonged to one man though, Greg Giovenali finished his futsal career in style and lifted the Futsal Premier League 2 Open Mens title. Speaking afterwards Giovenali paid tribute to Dural and the role they have played in his career:
“We set out our goals and achieved them. The biggest achievement is getting the club back to the stature that it deserves. Personally, it is another trophy for me and I couldn’t have done it without the boys in the side.” said Giovenali.
“I came to Dural when I was 12 and now I am 32. I have had 20 years here and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lastly, I wanted to pay tribute to the tireless work of coach Rob Varela who has been integral to the club’s success.” finished Giovenali.
For coach Rob Varela, tonight was a confirmation of his side’s work throughout the season and the achievement is wonderful as they moved back into the Futsal Premier League with Varela taking a break from coaching:
“It was comfortable. We knew they were going to be physical. We have a good side with quite a few internationals but the boys proved they deserved to be in a different league tonight. They worked hard all season to achieve that.” said Varela.
For Sydney City Eagles coach Roy Perre, his side never found their groove in the contest tonight and now they move onto another tilt next season:
“It was a tough time out there tonight. We tried to go with them tonight which was silly as we should’ve held our ground and be physical. When we reacted, we got back into the contest but backed off again.” said Perre.
“We made it here without a day of training for the side who through circumstances can’t train anytime during the week. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys and we look to bounce back next season.” finished Perre.
Dural Warriors: Carlos De Oliveira Samuel De Oliveira Brandon Vella Brayson Wickham-Hill Ahmed Sweedan Nathan Niski Wade Giovenali Alastair Bruce Brendan Hoyer Glen Kelshaw Gregory Giovenali Brayden Brennan Nicholas Starr
Sydney City Eagles: Zlatko Joseski Bruno Antelmi Vincent Breckenridge Michael Cimino Aaron Cimitile William Gafa Andres Nolan Peter Pelekanos Robert Perre Sam Perre Paul Ragonese Lachlan Rose Matthew Trotter
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
