A DOMINANT 9-1 win over Deniliquin Wanderers will give the Swan Hill men’s soccer team confidence for a preliminary final clash with Shepparton this Sunday.
The Swans were never troubled at the weekend against the Wanderers in their elimination final at Ken Harrison Reserve.
Stephen Whittaker gave Swan Hill the lead eight minutes in when a fortunate rebound found the back of the net.
Swan Hill captain Cooper Fox then doubled the advantage 12 minutes later when he found the back of the net.
Tails up and sniffing victory, the Swans opened the floodgates through goals to Conner Brown (in the 24th and 30th minutes), Whittaker (34th) and Jason Stokes (45th).
It didn’t take long for Brown to secure his hat-trick, with the competition’s leading goalscorer adding to his tally 14 minutes into the second half.
Fox completed a brace and Whittaker a hat-trick of his own, scoring in the 71st and 73rd minutes, respectively.
Swan Hill men’s coach Tony Di Palma was full of praise for his team ahead of their looming clash with the ladder leaders.
“Our boys’ determination and unity paid off,” Di Palma said.
“Stephen and Conner’s hat-tricks, along with Cooper Fox’s courageous performance despite not being fully fit and Jason Stokes’ contribution, made for an exciting match.
“The team’s collective effort, from our goalkeeper ‘Rizza’ (Riley McCosh) to our defenders Jim (DeGregorio), Blaze (Hamilton) and Jacob (Thompson), all showcased excellent teamwork.
“I was also impressed that Gareth Johansen had a significant impact in the midfield and he was probably our best on ground despite not being one of the guys who scored.
“Moving on … is a great achievement considering it’s been a challenging season at times with injuries for this group, and it’s good to see our determination and teamwork has paid off.”
The season won’t continue for the club’s under-16 boys team, who fell to Border Raiders 3-1 on Saturday.
After a 1-1 draw with the same opponent seven days earlier, the Swans were put behind early once Zach Anthony scored for the Echuca-Moama team in the 20th and 30th minutes.
Tom Clarke gave Swan Hill hope of a comeback in the 65th minute, beating the keeper to make it 2-1.
Their joy was short lived, however, with Anthony completing a hat-trick with one minute remaining in the match, ending the Swans’ season.
“While the loss is disappointing, the team have much to be proud of this year,” under-16 boys coach Rob Johnson said.
“I am beyond proud of what the team has achieved and look forward to continuing to work with them as we move into next season.
“It was a hard-fought semi-final, we worked hard (in the second half) and pushed the ball into the box with further potential opportunities to score, and the game really started to feel like it would end in a draw.”
