SELECT Futsal Premier League – Round 13 Open Men’s Review
Mountain Majik took another giant stride toward a maiden open men’s premiership following their 4-3 dispatch of UTS in a short SELECT Futsal Premier League round-13.
Campbelltown Quake versus Dural Warriors was washed out, but Enfield Allstars beat Mascot Vipers 5-3 and Inner West Magic edged Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 3-2 to ensure the regular season ends dramatically.
Mountain (28 points) are in a commanding premiership position over Inner West (23) and Dural (23, but with a game vs Quake in tow), and just like a perfect game of Survivor, Enfield (22) have all the power to decide their semi-final opponent with a defining advantage over fifth-placed Mascot (17).
Northside (14) twiddle thumbs in no-man’s land with the wooden-spoon debate all about Easts (10) and Campbelltown (10) – Hakoah host Warriors and Quake meet Majik.
The golden boot race also goes down to the wire as Majik wand Jordan Guerreiro (16) heads UTS dux Mason Ireland (15) and Allstars supernova Shervin Adeli (15) by the narrowest of margins.
Magician Daniel Fornito (12), Warrior Greg Giovenali (10), Allstar Luiz Lobo (10), Viper Jakov Radas (9), Majik’s Bradie Smith (8) and Magic’s Jonathan Barzel (8) round out the top-nine scorers.
Campbelltown Quake W/O Dural Warriors Minto Indoor Sports Centre 3.50pm Saturday 15 December
UTS Northside 3 (Grant Lynch, Mason Ireland 2) Mountain Majik 4 (Michael Borg, Jordan Guerreiro 2, Jack Whetney)
Enfield Allstars 5 (Shervin Adeli 2, Laureano Gomez Castro, Luiz Lobo, Sahand Mekrkhavari) Mascot Vipers 3 (Luke Clifford, Paulo Rogerio, Shu Torihara)
Eastern Subs Hakoah 2 () Inner West Magic 3 (Jonathan Barzel, Daniel Fornito, Chris Zeballos)
Campbelltown, Dural washed out
The Saturday-afternoon Dural Warriors versus Campbelltown Quake clash was washed out due to a leaky Minto Indoor Sports Centre.
But it wasn’t the only rain Campbelltown threw on Dural’s parade this week as Quake produced a stunning 3-2 Futsal Cup victory on Wednesday night to snatch some silverware from the hand of their long-time foes in an otherwise dismal PL summer.
The ‘Purples’ can inflict further Warriors pain should this postponed fixture become pivotal in Dural’s club championship survival (they rail Enfield by seven points).
Mountain shadow Northside
Mountain Majik eclipsed UTS Northside in a 4-3 riot at PCYC Dee Why on Saturday afternoon.
Playing for their playoff lives as expected Northside threw everything against the ladder-leaders and took a deserved 2-0 lead into drinks.
The plunge sent shockwaves through a Mountain side with an historic premiership in their sights and they fought back to grab the lead (aided by UTS player Samuel Benton’s dismissal) and win 4-3, Jordan Guerreiro notching up a double supported by Michael Borg and Jack Whetney strikes.
Majik’s fourth one-goal win of the season brings them to one step away from finishing first – beat Campbelltown next week (unless Dural lose to either Easts or Campbelltown).
Northside’s fourth one-goal loss of the season sends them back to the drawing board.
It was the 10th meeting between the clubs and 25 goals each in a riveting rivalry (Mountain lead 4-3, three draws).
Guerreiro’s sixth brace of a stellar season is a huge achievement – only Shervin Adeli (twice for Enfield, eight in 2014/15 and seven in 2011/12) and Daniel Fulton (seven with Boomerangs in 2011/12) have claimed more in a summer.
He’s also one shy of his own club record 16 goals set in in the 2016/17 summer.
Allstars outdo Vipers
Enfield Allstars continued their league ascendancy with an expert 5-3 Saturday-evening defeat of Mascot Vipers at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre.
A 3-1 halftime buffer was all the comfort an in-form Enfield needed as they traded second-half blows with Mascot and ran out two-goal winners, Shervin Adeli scoring twice to complement Laureano Gomez Castro, Luiz Lobo and Sahand Mekrkhavari goals.
A fifth Allstars win in six matches puts them in prime position to dictate their finals destiny. They can’t be caught, and one point behind both Magic and Warriors means a final-round clash with UTS decides who they face in the semi-final knockout.
Coach Christian Soares has placed himself so well that Chess Grandmasters are copying his moves, and he threw down the gauntlet to his potential playoff opponents.
“I knew we would play against a very strong offensive team that has scored a lot of goals in the competition, and we had to be tight in the back,” he said.
“We were flat and that cost us two goals, but we managed to apply our style of play and soon took control of the match by turning the score and ensuring our place the finals.
“Now it will be hard for anyone stop us!”
Enfield’s 12th win in 16 Mascot meetings is conclusive, and Adeli netting 17 times is also telling, but applause must also go to perennial Shu Torihara who scored an eighth goal for Vipers in the last seven Allstars fixtures.
Hakoah hold Magic
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah served it up to Inner West Magic who prevailed in a 3-2 slugfest at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday night.
The visitors were missing star player Daniel Fogarty (suspension) and coach Steve Knight (AFC coaching course) and were tested by a nothing-to-lose Easts, Inner West clinging to a Jonathan Barzel strike at oranges.
Hakoah equalised before red-hot Daniel Fornito restored Magic’s lead with a thunderous drive across the Easts keeper Hakoah, but Easts showed great character to draw level again and force Inner West into a fifth-man powerplay nine minutes from the end.
‘Australian Falcao’ Chris Zeballos continued his recent brilliance to score the eventual winner with a minute remaining.
Hakoah could’ve grabbed a share of the spoils went a penetrating Robert Ezekiel pass only needed a toe-nail on it to tap into goal, but Magic claimed a 3-2 victory that will in all probability set up a semi-final with good friends Dural.
Inner West club manager Matteo Maiorana appreciated the challenge.
“It was a really tough game; Hakoah fought really hard but our boys did well to get the result,” he said.
“It wasn’t our best performance over the past six weeks but a win is a win and it secured us a semi spot.”
A much-better feeling for Maiorana was winning five games and drawing two to bag the Club Championship.
Next week’s games
SELECT Futsal Premier League round-14 Saturday matches features Mountain Majik against Campbelltown Quake at Blacktown Leisure Centre (3.20pm), Inner West Magic tackle Mascot Vipers at Valentine Sports Park (6.20pm), UTS Northside face Enfield Allstars at PCYC Dee Why (6.30pm), and Eastern Suburbs Hakoah host Dural Warriors at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre (8.50pm).
– By Dan de Nardi
