Intermediate Boys are regional soccer champs

Congratulations to our Intermediate Boys Soccer team who won the Loddon Mallee Regional Finals in the Intermediate Boys Soccer competition on Tuesday 23 May, and have qualified for the State Finals to be played in Melbourne on 31 August.

SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA – LODDON MALLEE REGIONAL FINALS

Intermediate Boys Soccer

The boys won all four games on their way to claiming the title of Regional Champions.

Game 1 was against MacKillop College Swan Hill. The boys started cautiously in the cold morning air, however, after getting a feel for the game early, Will Chalkley struck the ball beautifully to hit the back of the net in the first five minutes. The game then see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the half with neither side able to score. After a halftime rev-up from Graison Jelbart, the boys came out and played some great soccer, Ethan Pope kicked a great goal soon after the resumption of play, and then some brilliant play from speedster Jack Nuttall saw him cross the ball to Ethan, and he had his second goal for the half. It was a terrific second half by the boys and they went on to win a very entertaining match 3 -0.

Game 2 was a terrific match against St Joseph’s College Mildura. Both teams showed some great skill, however, it was the dominance of the midfield and the attacking defenders that saw the CMC boys able to take control of the match in the second half. Some great play from Jack Nuttall and Ethan Pope saw Hsar Ler Htoo tap in the first goal. A penalty kick and goal to Will Chalkley, followed by some incredible skill from Saw Ta who skilfully found Ethan Pope in the 6-yard box, secured an impressive 3-nil victory.

Game 3 was a matter of ticking boxes as the boys took on St Joseph’s College Echuca. The boys were clinical, as they hit the back of the net four times to go into the final round undefeated. Jack Kelly, kicked his first for the day, Will Chalkley timed in with two and Ehdoh Soe capped off a brilliant game with a late goal.

The boys went into their final game against Bendigo South East College full of confidence against their highly rated opponent, as the memory of defeating them recently was still at the forefront of their minds. It was a brilliant game by both teams, but the CMC boys did most of the attacking. They continually pressed forward, putting pressure on the BSE defenders. It was a thumping free kick by Hsar that hit the defensive wall, which produced a handball and a subsequent penalty shot early in the second half. The penalty kick was clinically taken by Ethan Pope who kicked it to the back of the net with force, to the overwhelming delight of the team.

With just minutes to play, the boys focused on defending and limiting BSE of any time or space with the ball, and when the final whistle finally blew the boys had secured an incredible victory, as they finished undefeated for the day. It was a fantastic team performance, and all players should be very proud.

Special thanks to Graison Jelbart for coaching the boys, Will Rainey for running the line and Mrs Cody for attending on the day.

Congratulations to all involved, it was a terrific performance.

TEAM: Billy Dearricott, Jack Nuttall, Will Chalkley, Aloysius Coughlan, Hsar Ler Htoo, Oliver Robins, Archie Short, Jack Kelly, Solomon Bu, Graison Jelbart (Coach), Ethan Pope, Harry Morrison, Daw Lar, Ehdoh Soe, Saw Ta K’Yaw