GAME #18
VS WYONG (LOST 0-1)
August 18, 2018
After another win last week against arch rivals Gosford the 16Bs came into the last game of the season feeling confident they could go out on a high.
All the games against Wyong have been close, and this game would also be a close one. The first half was fairly even. Wyong had more goal scoring chances, but the Wyoming defence shut them down every time. Both sides remained goalless at half time.
In the second half Wyoming created more chances but it was Wyong who scored a lucky goal 10 minutes from full time. Wyoming had a late chance to even things up, but the ball went wide. Final score 1-0 to Wyong.
It was always going to be hard for the boys to make it to the semi-finals this season after going up to B grade. But the 16Bs should be proud of how they conducted themselves on the pitch and for never giving up even when it seemed like they were never going to get that elusive win. They fought hard, stayed competitive and came away with 2 wins and 2 draws.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #17
VS GOSFORD (WON 1-0)
August 11, 2018
GAME #16
VS MOUNTAINS (WON 2-1)
August 4, 2018
Finally, the M16Bs have their first win of the season. They have been building up to it the past few weeks and today they hung on to be the victors!
The boys have had 2 close games against Mountains this season. A 0-0 draw in the first round and a 2-1 loss a few weeks ago. So they were confident they had a chance of winning this game. The first half started slowly for Wyoming with most of the play in their half. Nick worked hard in goal, bravely coming out and making some incredible saves whenever a Mountains striker got past the Wyoming defence.
Towards the end of the first half a great pass from Marco put Josh W level with the last Mountains defender. The goalie came out and Josh kicked it over him into the back of the net 0-1. Getting the first goal of the match for the second week in a row gave the boys some confidence and this time they managed to hang onto the lead going into the half time break.
The second half saw Wyoming continually getting the ball past the Mountains defence but unable to find the finishing touch. Mountains also had some chances, but the Wyoming defence held fast. About 10 minutes into the half Wyoming got another pass to Josh W. When he got around the defender the Mountains goalie came out of goal again, Josh put the ball past him and it went over the line. 0-2 and none of us could quite believe the boys had a chance of winning this game.
Mountains didn’t give up and continued to attack. Nick made an amazing save to push the ball over the cross bar but there was nothing he could do when a great strike from outside the box went over his head and into the back of the net 1-2. There were only a few minutes left in the game and all the supporters were praying that this would be the boys’ day. There was joy and relief when the final whistle blew and the M16Bs finally had their first win.
The whole team played well, however special mentions go to Josh W for an outstanding Man of the match performance, to Nick who was incredible in goal yet again, and to Harry for his never say die attitude in midfield.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #15
VS KILLARNEY (LOST 2-4)
July 28, 2018
Another great game today by the M16Bs. For the first 20 minutes Wyoming dominated possession. Josh W had a great early chance to score, then a fantastic corner kick by Zac was finished off by Dylan for his first goal of the season.
Killarney were struggling to break through the Wyoming defence of Jake, Ryan, Tye, Riley and Cayleb, but towards the end of the first half a great shot from the left side of goal by a Killarney striker scraped into the top of the net to make it 1-1. Not long after, Killarney took a shot that looked like it was going out but hit the post and again looked like it was going out, but then rolled over the line. Killarney went into the half time break leading 2-1.
Wyoming came out fighting in the second half. Nick, Harry, Eric and Jordan worked hard through the middle and down the wings, and it wasn’t long before Josh W had another chance. The Killarney goalkeeper pushed it out, Josh managed to pass the ball to Zac who put it straight into the back of the net 2-2.
Wyoming kept creating chances but unfortunately by pushing forward, the defence was leaving themselves short at the back and Killarney scored a third goal. The boys didn’t give up. Josh W had another good chance, Josh M hit the cross bar and Marco almost scored from in front of goal. They came so close to drawing the sides even but again Killarney put in a counter attack and scored. Final score 4-2.
It was a great game and the boys all played well. They put in another competitive performance against one of the top teams, and at times they had Killarney rattled. 3 games to go and still time to get a win before the end of the season. They certainly deserve it.
Special mentions go to Zac for an outstanding Man of the match performance, to Ryan who defended brilliantly, and to Dylan for a great performance in midfield topped off with a fantastic goal.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #14
VS KANWAL (LOST 0-3)
July 21, 2018
After a great game against Wyong, where the M16Bs were unlucky not to come away with a draw after conceding a goal at the last minute, the boys were hoping a week off didn’t spoil their momentum.
It is always difficult to play against Kanwal and they are the only team that the M16Bs haven’t been competitive against so far this season. Harry and Dylan were both unavailable today so there were a few changes to the formation, but coach Luca continued to play with 5 at the back and Nick in goals.
The boys came out determined not to let Kanwal outplay them and for most of the first half they succeeded. The Wyoming defence of Jake, Ryan, Tye, Cayleb and Jordan held strong and Nick made some incredible saves to keep Kanwal goalless. Josh W, Zac and Riley played well up front and made some passes in behind the Kanwal defence but were unable to get on the end of them and score.
A great counter attack by Kanwal with a precision finish right at the end of the first half meant that Wyoming were unlucky to go into the half time break one goal down.
Kanwal increased their intensity from the beginning of the second half, but Wyoming continued to play as they had in the first half and again Nick made some amazing saves to frustrate the Kanwal strikers. However, as Kanwal pushed more players up front it was harder for Wyoming to mark the players and Kanwal’s no.7 scored a second goal.
Wyoming didn’t give up, and Josh M, Eric and Marco were challenging every ball in the midfield. Marco put a great ball through to Josh W who shot towards the far post and missed by a few centimetres. The boys continued to attack, searching for an elusive goal.
Kanwal were getting frustrated and unable to get past the Wyoming defence, they started taking shots from outside the box which missed. Wyoming won a few corners towards the end of the second half and only some great defending by Kanwal kept them scoreless. Kanwal scored a third goal near the end of the match, giving their no.7 a well-deserved hat trick, but the Wyoming boys should hold their heads high. They all played well and were competitive against the team who sits at the top of the table.
Special mentions go to Eric for an outstanding Man of the match performance, to Nick for again being solid in goal and making so many incredible saves today, and to Marco for playing in 4 different positions and always giving his all wherever he plays.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #11
VS MOUNTAINS (LOST 1-2)
June 23, 2018
What a fantastic team performance by the M16Bs today! With only 11 players and Nick stepping in as goalkeeper again, the boys played their best game of the season.
Luca was unable to coach today but Anthony put the team on the pitch and kept the formation of last week, playing 5 in defence. The game was open from the start and Josh W had a chance at goal in the first few minutes. Josh M and Harry were outstanding in central midfield and the defence were able to organise themselves well pushing players up when Wyoming had attacking chances.
Mountains are a tough team however and they managed to score 2 goals in quick succession putting Wyoming on the back foot. The boys didn’t give up though, with Riley and Dylan making breaks down the wing and creating chances to score. A free kick to Wyoming late in the first half was taken by Josh M. The shot was heading to the top corner but unfortunately hit the post and Mountains were able to clear the ball.
Wyoming were positive going into the second half and continued to attack. Marco moved from centre back to left mid and was able to put a lot of balls through for Josh W and Dylan. Harry had a couple of chances to shoot from outside the box, but it was Josh W who made a run, recovered a ball that looked to be going out, and put it past the Mountains keeper 2-1.
There were more goal chances at both ends. Nick was solid in goal, making some fantastic saves. Jordan, Jake, Tye, Ryan and Riley were strong in defence, continually beating the Mountains strikers to the ball. Jordan and Tye both made great runs through the middle to push Wyoming forward. The Wyoming attack were getting in behind the Mountains defence and Marco had 2 clear chances, one hitting the post. The boys were getting tired, but they never gave up and gave it their all right until the final whistle.
The M16Bs can be a little disappointed not to have come away from this game with at least a point. But the result doesn’t matter because they played as a team and they came off the field with smiles on their faces knowing they did the best they could.
No Man of the Match today as there were outstanding performances all round. Hopefully this game will boost the team’s confidence and they will be able to put in another great performance next week against Gosford.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #10
VS KILLARNEY (LOST 0-2)
June 16, 2018
It was a much better performance from the M16Bs today, and the final result doesn’t reflect how close the game was. Wyoming started the game with no subs, as Cayleb and Tye were unavailable, and Harry realised he left his boots at home just as he was getting to the ground so had to turn around and go home to get them.
Luca played around with the formation for this game putting Zac in defence as sweeper. Ryan stepped up in goal for the first half and did an outstanding job, making some incredible saves. Dylan, Nick and Josh W were doing well in attack, making great passes and creating 3 clear chances on goal but unfortunately the final shots missed the target.
The first Killarney goal came from a well-orchestrated build-up of play and a clinical finish across the 18-yard box. But Wyoming were clearly causing them more trouble than they were expecting. At half time even though they were 1-0 down the boys seemed motivated going into the second half. Something that has been lacking in the past few games after going down a goal.
Nick put his hand up to be goalie in the second half, Josh W played sweeper and Marco stepped into the centre back with Jake. Harry arrived at the end of the first half and Luca was able to give the some of the other boys some time on the sideline to get their energy back. Wyoming kept up their intensity, and Riley and Zac made some good runs down the left but again the finishing let them down.
The boys were defending well but unfortunately Killarney managed to get through and score another goal. Eric and Josh M continued to push from midfield and Jordan made some supporting runs from right back but the game ended 2-0 to Killarney.
Special mentions go to Nick - for an outstanding Man of the Match performance both on the pitch and in goal, and to coach Luca for experimenting with a new formation which seemed to rejuvenate the team.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #9
VS KANWAL(LOST 0-9)
June 2, 2018
This game marks the end of the first round and unfortunately the M16Bs still haven’t managed to win a game. Some good performances over the last few weeks, when they were unlucky not to get at least a draw, gave some hope to the boys coming into this game. However, it was not to be. Kanwal played a better game and won easily today.
The move up to B grade has been a big learning curve but the boys should be proud of their behaviour on the pitch. They never give up trying and they haven’t resorted to dirty tactics or bad mouthing the opposition. If anything, they are hard on themselves for not doing better. The parents are all proud of how the boys conduct themselves each week, regardless of the score or the behaviour of some players on the other teams.
Special mentions go to Jake - for an outstanding Man of the Match performance, to Josh W, Josh M, and Ryan - who had been sick during the week but still showed up and did their best, and to Tye and Dylan - for playing even though they had injuries.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #7
VS GOSFORD (LOST 1-2)
May 19, 2018
It was a tough week for the M16Bs with the passing of Josh M’s grandmother. The team had her in their thoughts as they paused for a minute’s silence before the start of the game.
It’s always tough to play Gosford, with friends and ex-teammates playing against each other, but the Wyoming boys took the game to Gosford from the first minute. During the first half the defence with Jordan, Jake, Tye and Harry held strong and Cayleb wasn’t troubled in goal.
Josh W, Zac and Riley were an attacking force with many chances, they kept the Gosford keeper on his toes. Towards the end of the first half the Wyoming defence got a good ball out from the back to Eric who made a perfect pass to Toby on the wing, who then crossed it in to Josh W. There was a scramble in the box and Josh W managed to put it in the back of the net.
Josh W had another chance to score but the Gosford keeper made an incredible save to deny him a second goal. The first half finished 1-0 to Wyoming.
Unfortunately, the second half didn’t start so well with Gosford scoring a quick goal to bring the score level. Wyoming kept pushing for the win, leaving themselves open to counter attack. The midfield kept creating chances with Marco, Ryan and Josh M combining well together pushing many balls through to the strikers, but they were unable to get their shots on target.
The Wyoming boys began to tire, and Gosford saw their chance, getting past the defence and scoring what ended up being the winning goal. During the last 10 minutes Wyoming continued to put pressure on the Gosford goal, but they held on for the win.
The M16Bs are still searching for that elusive first win of the season but they should be happy with how they all played today. Special mentions go to Marco - for an outstanding Man of the Match performance, to Toby and Roger - for backing up after playing their own game for the 15Cs, and to Josh M - for playing a great game after a difficult week.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #6
VS MOUNTAINS (LOST 0-6)
May 12, 2018
After a disappointing couple of weeks, the M16Bs were keen to up their game this week against Mountains. The boys played much better today, and the end result doesn’t do them justice.
Everyone tried hard this week with Riley and Harry playing their best games of the season. Together with Marco and Ryan they never stopped fighting for the ball. The defence is still learning how to back each other and communicate, and unfortunately the Mountains attack got the better of them today. In attack, the Wyoming boys had a few chances and were unlucky not to score. Their hard work deserved the reward of a goal or two today.
The jump to B grade hasn’t been easy, the game is a lot faster and the boys have a lot less time on the ball, but if they work hard and pull together as a team the results will come.
Special mentions go to Riley - for an outstanding man of the match performance, to Cayleb – he did well for his first time playing on the field after a hand injury meant he couldn’t be goalkeeper, and to Jayden for backing up again after his M15C game and helping us out by playing in goal.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #4
VS KANWAL (LOST 0-7)
April 28, 2018
Unfortunately, there is not much to say about this game. Wyoming were unlucky early on when the first Kanwal goal was awarded after a clear off-side. Then an excellent free kick from Marco was pushed over the cross bar by the Kanwal goalie. After that it was a lesson in football from Kanwal who were the much better team on the day.
Not much for the 16Bs to take away from this game except to put it behind them and start fresh next week with game faces on.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #3
VS WYONG (DREW 1-1)
April 21, 2018
The M16Bs were looking to bounce back from last week’s loss to Gosford with a trip to Baker Park to play Wyong who had won both their matches and were top of the table. School holidays meant that Cayleb and Harry were unavailable, and Nick could only play the first half, so again coach Luca recruited Toby, as well as Jayden from the M15Cs to fill the gaps.
The team started cautiously, playing 5 at the back but Luca and Anthony soon realised that the boys could match Wyong one on one so reverted to their normal 4-4-2 formation. Half way through the first half Wyong had a lucky break and put themselves in front with a long shot that went over the keeper and into the back of the net.
But the boys didn’t give up and kept attacking, exploiting the right wing and just before half time the hard work paid off with a run down the right from Josh W finishing with a great shot into the top of the net. The score was 1-1 at half time.
The second half was an end to end affair and just when it looked like Wyong had broken the deadlock with a goal, the referee called it off side. Both teams had chances but there was no luck for either side with most shots going over the goal or straight to the keeper. The final score was 1-1.
At the beginning of the season the boys thought they would struggle to keep up with the teams already playing in B grade, but Luca and Anthony are working hard with them in training to improve fitness and tactical ability, and it has paid off so far with 3 close games. All that is missing is a win to boost the boys’ confidence.
Special mentions go to Jordan - for an outstanding man of the match performance, to Toby and Jayden - for backing up after playing their own game, and to Ryan - for a great first game back after recovering from surgery. But overall it was a great team effort and all the boys should be proud. The Wyong coach told Luca it was the toughest team they’d played so far.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
GAME #2
VS GOSFORD (LOST 1-3)
April 14, 2018
This match was to be the grand final rematch from 2017 so the boys were hoping for a win after being disappointed with that loss to Gosford.
Ryan was still unavailable, and another hot day was predicted so super coach Luca recruited Toby from the M15Cs, who had a bye this weekend.
The team was feeling confident as they ran onto the field but unfortunately within the first 10 minutes some miscommunication at the back meant that the Gosford team managed to put 2 easy goals away.
Despite the 2-0 deficit the boys regrouped and pushed forward creating a few chances including Zac hitting the post after good build up play from Marco and Toby.
Just when Wyoming were getting on top of the Gosford midfield the boys conceded a third goal and the score was 3-0 to Gosford at half time.
Wyoming came out strong in the second half, again hitting the post after a great individual effort from Josh W. The boys continued to play attacking football and the defence put in a much better performance by holding the Gosford attack close to the half way line. The few chances Gosford had were expertly saved by Cayleb.
The second half domination by Wyoming started to deliver and with only 5 minutes left on the clock a defence to midfield combination resulted in a perfect pass from Marco to Josh W who scored with a beautiful finish.
In the end the 1-3 final score didn’t fairly reflect how the team performed throughout the whole match. Coaches Luca and Anthony will take a lot of positives out of this game and will train the boys hard to prepare them for next weekend when they play top of the table team Wyong.
Special mentions go to Zac - for an outstanding man of the match performance, to Marco – for putting in a great performance even though he had been sick all week, to birthday boy Dylan and finally to Harry - who was playing against his former team and played a variety of positions brilliantly.
(Words: Jacki Scuri; Photos: Lara Scuri)
GAME #1
VS MOUNTAINS (DREW 0-0)
April 7, 2018
After a successful 2017 for the M15Cs, where they won the League title and finished runners up in the Grand Final, the boys are back and ready for 2018 with a new coach, a few new players and a well-deserved jump to B grade.
The team was revved up and ready to go for the first game of the season against Mountains. Ryan was cheering from the sidelines; unfortunately, he is unable to play for few weeks after having his appendix removed 2 weeks ago. New additions Tye and Jordan looked to impress with a solid defensive performance backed up by seasoned defenders Jake and Josh M. Mountains struggled to find their way into the box, but when they did goalkeeper Cayleb stepped up with some incredible saves.
Wyoming dominated the first half with some good chances up front, thanks to Zac and Josh W getting onto the end of every ball sent their way. But each time, the Mountains goal keeper was there to keep the ball out of the goal. In the middle of the first half Zac took a great shot at goal which the goalkeeper pushed into the path of Josh W and it looked like Wyoming would score. But great reflexes again from the Mountains goalie kept the game scoreless.
Both teams continued to create chances but great defending meant the score was 0-0 at half time.
The heat of the day made it tough for the midfield. Coaches Luca and Anthony made regular changes to make sure to boys kept hydrated but it also meant shuffling the positions around. Marco, Riley, Eric, Dylan, Nick and Harry worked hard in whatever position they played, including when they were put in defence or attack.
Mountains had more of the possession in the second half, but Wyoming’s defence ran until they had nothing left. The whole team rallied towards the end when Mountains had a run of corners, but none came close to penetrating the Wyoming line or Cayleb’s safe hands.
Wyoming still managed to make some attacks with great passing from Marco and Harry to the strikers. But they were denied each time by the Mountains goalie. Nick and Riley teamed up for a great attacking move, which Zac got on the end of, but again they were unable to hit the back of the net.
In the end a 0-0 final score was a fair outcome for a game in which the goalkeepers from each side were the stars. It was a good team performance from the M16Bs in difficult conditions, and a good confidence booster for their first game in B grade.
Special mentions go to Cayleb - for an outstanding man of the match performance, and to Jordan - who played his first game of competitive football - he watched, learned and executed his defensive duties like an experienced player.
(Words & Photos: Jacki Scuri)
