MATCH REPORTS: 15 June 2019
AYL Round 14: CCU v Macarthur FA
U13 5-1 Win
CCU were looking dangerous in attack whilst in defense showed confidence and composure throughout the whole game. The first half however had the CCU team unable to find the net till the 29th minute when a chance popped up for Cooper Clark to put away. CCU went in with just that goal at the half.
Second half CCU found the goal within the opening minute of the second half thanks to Cooper Clark again they then continued to build steam with Tahj Werner scoring in the 38th minute, Callum O'Connor scoring in the 44th minute and Tahj Werner popping up in the 46th minute to also score again. Macarthur got a 58th minute consolation goal despite a great recovery effort from our last defender and goalkeeper.
Coach Fitzy reflected, "I just love when these boys can get on an attacking roll and control a game like they did today, showing great composure when playing out under pressure as well, great result".
U14 3-2 Win
McArthur were up for this challenge you could see it straight away, our passes weren’t as crisp as McArthurs in the first 10 mins or so. We started to get our rhythm for the next 10 mins with some nice combinations through the middle and down the flanks, our playing out from the back was good when we switched sides through our keeper. You have to be brave playing out from the back and sometimes you will get caught out and the opposition capitalised from a straight ball on the 23rdminute.
1-0 Half Time.
Second half our aim was to be patient and control the tempo of the game and believe our chances would come. In 45th minute an Ethan Debono freekick resulted in an equlaiser, 1-1 game on. The game became a great contest only for McArthur to score 5 mins later with a superb strike, our keeper had no chance, 2-1 McArthur.
It wasn’t for the want of trying the boys dug deep and just when you thought the game was gone, Ethan dobono scores in the 58th minute with some individual persistence, 2-2.
McArthur kick off and the instruction was win that ball as quickly as possible, within seconds they did and it was that young man again Ethan Debono who raided the ball went towards the goal to get brought down inside the box, penalty! There couldn’t of been any more time on the clock and Ethan showed great composure to score and win the game.
Coach Chris said, “A game of highs and lows sometimes you have to go through those highs and lows to appreciate the emotions, the boys showed real character in that game and to watch them all come together when the whistle blew was a wonderful moment for these boys.”
U15 5-3 Win
What looked like a comfortable start having been playing in the opposition half with many key attempts and most of the possession. Turns out we were our own worst enemy again. A quick turnover gives Macarthur the ball in our back third and they punish with a goal in the 16th min.
We equalise quickly and 2 mins later Chase breaks the line and scores. A couple minutes passed and with simple play and simple touches/passes, came our 2nd goal from Ryan Richards. We go into the break 2-1 up.
2nd half starts and we are still slow to react to certain situations and turning the ball over with poor decision making. We get a corner and Chase whips it straight into the goal, this being his 3rd for the season from a corner. Macarthur still fighting to get back in the game get a free kick just outside the box and puts it in the back of the net. 3-2. In the 61st minute we get a penalty kick and Mitch slots it beautifully. A few minutes later we execute a corner which finds Ryan Brown at the back post who rocket homes a goal. 5-2. Macarthur score another late on but despite some jitters the boys see out the game for a 5-3 win.
Coach Corey said, “The boys managed to get the result despite not being at their best which is the sign of a good team. We will have to improve for next weeks top of the table clash.”
U16 4 - 1 loss
After our scheduled bye from last week, I was a little concerned during the week as our preparation was lacking our normal focus. We have once again suffered injuries outside of our control to key positions, which could explain a small part of our performance on the weekend, although we won’t offer excuses but instead as we have done previously work hard and bounce back in trying to correct/improve our short falls.
Our first half performance was as per plan, we dominated possession but lack of composure in front of goal cost us dearly, as they say “goals missed are goals against”. This would prove to be correct as on the 32nd minute we conceded a goal against the run of play but was ruled offside by the linesman, only to be overruled by the referee. Right on half time he awarded a penalty to Macarthur 0-2.
Our half time talk concentrated on getting players heads back into game after decisions by officials that rattled our players mentality. Also pointing out that we are the footballing side trying to play football and what would be important will be our reaction.
We started off strong and we scored in the 42ndminute with a Calvin Edwards goal, making it 1-2. 4 minutes later a mix up in our defense we conceded another soft goal making it 1-3. We continued to try and play but far too much behind the play incidents continued to bother our squad. That said, they continued in a tough situation and on the 65th minute another penalty was awarded to Macarthur, this sealed 1-4 defeat.
Coach Chopo said, “I was pleased with how we tried to execute our CCU way for the first part of the game plus the respect we showed the officials during and after the game. However, my concern and focus for next few weeks is to ensure our players understand that under any adversity which is sometimes beyond their control, the reaction we output is what will change an outcome to a positive or a negative one.”
CCU Men’s State League Round Up
Round 14: UNSW v CCU
U18’s 7 - 0 win
After a disappointing loss last week, the 18s were looking to bounce back with a good performance against a strong UNSW outfit. Focusing on attacking freedom and problem solving in the final third all week at training seemed to pay off as we hit the ground running, the first half was strong and tidy with some chances for both teams but a clear gap in quality, we would head into the half with a 2 goal advantage. Going into the 2nd half there were no major changes as what we were doing was working. We had to adapt to an opposition that came out with a new defensive strategy and we began to use the middle of the park with more comfort and the goals came again.
Coach Gomez said, “It was probably our best performance to date considering that UNSW are a strong side and you could see their quality even with the score line as it is. Some days everything goes right for you and today it was our day.”
U20’s 4 - 1 loss
This was always going to be a tough round and so it proved with CCU finally being beaten by a strong UNSW side. Full credit to the opposition who were first to the ball in the majority of the transition moments throughout the game. CCU found themselves up against it within the first 25 minutes with some uncharacteristically poor defending and decision making allowing the hosts to score three unanswered goals in the first half.
In the second half a quick goal was needed with Jake Brownlow continued his fine scoring run converting a spot kick which he himself won after being brought down in the box in the 51st minute. However, with what was to be a theme of this game we gave UNSW the chance to extend their lead straight away with another defensive error and put the score line at 4-1 in favour of the hosts. The hosts went down to 10 men in the second half but although enjoying greater spells of possession we were not good enough on the day to turn this one around.
Coach Powell said, “Although a poor performance it is hard to be too critical of this young side who have up till now been fantastic each and every week. The test of a great side is not in all the wins but how you respond in defeat. I look forward to seeing their reaction in training this week.”
1st Grade 2 - 0 win
An interesting start to the game with the opposition intent on protecting space in behind their line. We went behind with a serious lapse in defensive concentration, UNSW scoring a headed goal after an attacking throw-in was returned to the thrower for an unopposed cross into the six-yard box. Goals change games and we had to now be patient as UNSW were content to sit deep and counter. We managed to get an equaliser not long before half time with Alex Arbelo whipping in a dangerous near post corner that Adam Woodbine forced over the line.
The focus at half time was to increase the tempo of our performance and utilise our individual skill in the final third. We started the half much more aggressively and skipper Daniel Mcfarlane put us a head breaking the line after an Oscar Torres pass and cooly sliding past their keeper when 1 v 1. Our third game shortly after with a fine individual run from young Steen who squared to Alex Arbelo just inside the box, he delivered a quality first time finish into the top of the net. The weather then took a turn for the worse with monsoonal wind and rain making life tricky. We had to defend a barrage of high long balls into the area and contest the second ball to deny the opponent shooting opportunities. UNSW did manage to score after we failed to block several passes into dangerous areas and make the last 10 minutes of the game quite anxious. We had the opportunity to put the game to bed but couldn’t convert a late penalty and also had a goal ruled out for offside, but we successfully closed out the game.
Coach Davis said, “This was an uncharacteristic performance, quite lethargic and lacking our usual quality all over the field. However, we managed to find a way to win despite not being at our best.”
