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SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA – SANDHURST DIVISION

Intermediate Soccer

Intermediate Girls

The CMCB Intermediate Girls soccer team recently participated at the Sandhurst Division Intermediate Soccer Competition. The Girls performed consistently across four matches and showed solid teamwork and effort throughout the day.

In the first match, CMCB faced Crusoe College and started the day with a convincing 7-0 win. Our forwards worked well together, with Zara Mould scoring three goals and Sophie Healy and Carolina Say contributing with accurate passes and assists. In defence, Chloe Hassett and Jessica Wilson were reliable and made several important clearances, helping to keep a clean sheet.

The second match was against Victory Christina College, where CMCB maintained their momentum with a 6-1 victory. Rubie Ritchie scored four goals and was supported well by the defence, particularly Frankie Stevens and Bella Hay, who worked hard to win the ball and maintain possession. The team remained well organised and communicated clearly on the field.

CMCB continued their good form in the third match, defeating Weeroona College 4-0. Madeline White had a strong game on the wing, creating space and delivering several key passes. The backline, led by Abby Smith, stayed focused and worked together effectively to prevent scoring opportunities.

The final match of the day was a closer contest, ending in a 1-1 draw against Bendigo South East College. Bronte Ellerton scored for CMCB in the first few minutes, and we were able to hold off BSE until the end of the first half where they snuck in a goal.

In the second half, it was tense with lots of shots on goal from both teams. Exhaustion was setting in after playing three games in a row, but both teams had such strong defence that no one else was able to score again. Aleisha Macumber and Lyra Damchef were consistently involved, putting in a strong effort across the midfield. Defensively, Harper-Lee Basten remained calm under pressure, helping to secure the draw. The draw meant the team had done enough to be awarded champions of the day, finishing with three wins and a draw.

Across all games, players supported one another and showed a good attitude both on and off the field. Every team member contributed, whether through passing, defending, goalkeeping or supporting play.

A special thank you to our Abi Boyer, who took on the responsibility of coaching the team for the day; Abi’s leadership was greatly appreciated. Thank you also to all involved in the organising and running of the event. Your efforts made the day a great success.

Congratulations to the girls for winning the Sandhurst Division Competition. The team will now progress to the Loddon Mallee Regional Finals, to be be played at Epsom on Thursday 29 May.

TEAM: Miss Anna Cullen (Coach), Zara Mould, Frankie Stevens, Jessica Wilson, Isabella Hay, Harper-Lee Basten, Abby Smith, Abigail Boyer, Sophie Healy, Ruby Ritchie, Carolina Say, Bronte Ellerton, Madeline White, Chloe Hassett, Aleisha Macumber

Intermediate Boys

The weather was perfect at the Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve when our Year 9 and 10 boys recently took to the pitch to compete in the Sandhurst Division Intermediate Soccer Competition. You wouldn’t have believed that this was the first time the boys had played together as they worked as a cohesive team throughout the day, led by coach Will Chalkley (Year 12).

With six intermediate boys’ teams competing, CMCB found themselves in Pool B, competing against Victory Christian College and Weeroona College in their first two games.

First up was VCC. A penalty in the box late in the first half against Justin Hannaford saw Ted Humphries take the shot and seal CMCB’s first goal for the match. While the referee’s call may have been dubious, we were happy to be leading into the halftime break. There was no doubting the skill of our Year 9 and 10 boys in the second half, after another convincing goal by Ted Humphries off a brilliant assist from Nay Lae Oo Ku, ensured CMCB the win. Final score: 2-0.

Next up, the CMCB boys squared off against Weeroona College. With no goals scored in the first half, the nerves were high as the boys moved into the second half. CMCB was clearly the stronger and more structured team, but had not been able to convert. A motivational halftime pep talk from goalkeeper Henry Filippi, revved up the team for the second half. An early goal by Nay, followed up soon after by Ted, ensured a convincing win for CMCB. Final score: 2-0.

This took the CMCB team into the semi-final, facing off against Crusoe College. Another brilliant goal from Ted Humphries in the fourth minute took him to four goals for the day and the honour of lead goal scorer for the CMCB boys. The skill of Jaxon Kelly frustrated the Crusoe side, who lashed out, but the whole CMCB team made us proud by keeping their cool against aggressive opponents, to come out on top and clearly demonstrate that they were the better team. Final score: 1-0.

The boys then went into the grand final against a formidable, and also undefeated, side from Bendigo South East College. The defensive half got a workout in this game and did well to keep BSE to just one goal in the first half. Two late and unstoppable goals in the second half ensured the win for BSE as the CMCB boys just couldn’t convert some great plays into goals and impact the scoreboard.

While the final result may have been disappointing, the CMCB team should be proud of the way they played. They were specifically noted and congratulated by the organiser of the day for their integrity, positive communication, collaboration and sportsmanship. Every player is congratulated for the way they played as a team and also demonstrated our College values throughout the day.

Thank you to the Year 9 and Year 10 boys for representing CMCB to such a high standard, to Will Chalkley (Year 12) for coaching, Seth Ramm (Year 9) for running the lines for each game we played and Archie Short (Year 11), Oliver Robins (Year 11) and Albie Coughlan (Year 12) for refereeing other teams on the day and supporting our CMCB teams.

TEAM: Will Chalkley (Coach), Oliver Robins (Helper), Nicholas Hietbrink, Xavier Douglass, Felix Mensah, Ted Humphreys, Harry Canny, Than Htet Aung Nay, Nay Lae Oo Ku, Albee Coughlan (Helper), Archie Short (Helper), Tobias Jelbart, Jaxon Kelly, Dustin Ketterer, Henry Filippi, Wally Minne, Zu Ri, Seth Ramm, Justin Hannaford