THE Swan Hill under-16 boys soccer team are through to the third round of the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League knockout cup, after winning their opening two games at the weekend.
Swan Hill will face Border Raiders FC in the semi-final at the Ken Harrison Reserve this Saturday, with the winner to play either Kyneton Rangers or Castlemaine Goldfields Gold in the final in a fortnight’s time.
The Swans progressed by defeating Epsom Scorpions 2-1 in a hard-fought round 1 affair that required the Swans to come from behind and score a last-minute winner in extra time.
They then accounted for Strathfieldsaye Colts United 2-0 in the second round.
Striker Qarin Zulkarnain scored in both matches, including both goals against Epsom, and Sonny Tucker also found the back of the net against Strathfieldsaye.
Swan Hill under-16 boys coach Rob Johnson was happy to see the hard work of his players starting to pay dividends.
“(The match against) Epsom Scorpions was one of the best mud-wrestling matches I’ve ever seen,” Johnson said.
“It really reduced our usual pace in the game and it was essential that the team played the ball to feet.
“An unlucky moment in the first half saw Epsom get one goal up, but in the second half the boys stepped up the intensity to maintained a very consistent attack, which resulted in us levelling the game pushing us into extra time.
“Our game against Strathfieldsaye Colts United was less dramatic, but the boys played well considering how taxing the muddy ground was from the previous game.
“Defensively we played well, with some amazing saves in slippery conditions by Ollie Cameron.”
Unfortunately for Swan Hill, the under-16 boys were the only team to taste victory at the weekend.
The Swan Hill men’s team were perhaps the unluckiest not to, having twice coming from a goal down to level the scores against the ladder-leading Shepparton SC, before succumbing to a 4-2 loss.
After Shepparton scored in the opening minute, Swan Hill responded no more than 60 seconds later, with captain Cooper Fox finishing off good teamwork to level the scores at 1-1.
Shepparton had their second goal on the board 11 minutes later, with Haider Alhamzah scoring from the spot after being awarded a penalty.
Swan Hill striker Conner Brown again levelled the scores in the 19th minute after another penalty.
That would be the last time Swan Hill would find the back of the net, with Shepparton going on to add their next two goals before half-time.
The second half became more of a defensive scrap, with the Swans continuously pushing forward to try and find the equaliser to no avail.
Injuries to Jacob Thompson (ribs), Jim De Gregorio (ankle), Conner Brown (shoulder) and George Hardwell (calf) slowed second-half run late.
The Swan Hill women’s side also took to the Ken Harrison Reserve pitch on Sunday, falling to Border Raiders FC 6-0.
Jessica Pemberton opened the scoring for the visitors in the second minute of the match, with the Raiders scoring three goals in the opening half of the match, before doubling their lead in the second half, despite the best efforts of Abbey Houlihan, Heidi Annand, Amity Scott and Rhyleigh Pope-Frazer.
The under-14 girls played Golden City SC, going down 3-0 in windy conditions.
While not claiming the three points, the team continued to show improvement, with their previous match against Golden City ending in a 9-0 loss in round 3.
