Highlights this week included:
⭐ with a few U10 families already away on holidays, it was fantastic to see players willing to fill in for other teams, and welcome to new players Bonnie and Ryder.
⭐ great teamwork and passing from the U10 teams
⭐ wins from both U12 teams sees them comfortably sitting in 1st and 2nd position on the ladder
⭐ continuing improvement brought a first win for U14 Strikers
⭐ a win for U17 Strikers
Under 10 Stead Park
Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars 2-3
Under 10 Lloyd Reserve
Newtown Rockets vs Newtown Dynamos 2-5
Rockets were working hard in the first half to turn back many strong attacking moves from Dynamos. Tom’s defence of the goal and clearances to team mates limited the score and hard running from Austin and Harry allowed Rockets to block even more attacks.
The second half saw some great passing and positioning between Harry and Elspeth which moved the ball down the left into Rockets’ attacking zone. Good use of the right side with co-operation between Lily, Austin and Ryder also opened up the play and created opportunities for Rockets in front of goals. An excellent game by all.
Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Spirit 6-0
This week we only had three Rebels in attendance and even though Harry, Caspar and Florence thought that they would be fine with just the three of them we were lucky enough to have some wonderful kids jump in to play with us. So, a huge thank you to Sassy who played for us in the first half, Leon who played for us in the second half and Flynn who played the whole game with us. We also had Guy helping out as coach for this week, fabulous work and thank you!
In the first half the Rebels were on the attack, pushing forward and putting lots of the pressure on Spirit’s defence. Everyone displayed their developing passing skills, with Florence pushing the ball out wide, Caspar getting the ball down our end and finding team mates to pass to, and some sharp passes from Harry and Flynn. We saw everyone getting involved in defence, great tackling from Sassy and wonderful job Flynn as our last line of defence. Harry, Caspar and Florence all scored a goal each in the first half.
The second half was very evenly matched, and the Rebels had to work hard in defence to stop Spirit from scoring. It was very enjoyable to watch the great passing from both teams as they both moved the ball quickly up and down the field. Thanks to our fill-ins the Rebels were able to add three more goals to our score, with Flynn scoring one goal and Leon scoring two. It was great to see again this week the developing skills of all the players and their teamwork, all the goals were scored off the team working together. A huge thank you to Spirit for a great game you played brilliantly and thank you for sharing players with us!
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Rebels 0-6
Newtown Spirit played Newtown Rebels on a grey Saturday morning. Several players were missing ill, but we had a fun 5 vs 5 game where several players swapped sides. Highlights included Bonnie playing her first game, Leon scoring two goals, goals to Florence and Flynn, Caspar’s passing out of defence and Tessa’s ferocious tackling. Thanks to Mathilda for the watermelon and oranges.
Under 12
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 5-0
Strikers secured a resounding 5-0 victory against Torquay, showcasing their prowess on the field. From the first whistle, it was evident that Strikers meant business, maintaining relentless pressure in the opponent’s territory throughout most of the game.
Right from the outset, we asserted our dominance, controlling possession and dictating the tempo of the match. The forwards in Paddy, Cooper, Fraser were in impeccable form, constantly testing the opposing defense with swift passes and accurate shots on goal.
The breakthrough came early in the first period when Eddy capitalized on a well-executed play. This early goal set the tone for the rest of the match.
As the game progressed, Mitch, Alex and Jack continued to exploit their advantage in midfield, keeping the pressure on and denying their opponents any significant opportunities to counterattack.
In the second half, we maintained momentum, rotating players effectively to keep up the pressure on the opposition. The defensive line remained solid with Eva, Eddy and Albie swiftly neutralizing any attempts by the opposing team to breach territory. Eliza and Georgia kept the pressure on our opponent’s defense, with Georgia scoring 2 nice goals and a couple of very near misses. Special mention to Alex as well, who managed to scored his first goal of the year.
Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 4-0
A full team by Spirit put the pressure on Kardinia. Dominating territory and some very clean passing and opportunities taken in the circle. Alex scored followed by Georgia and Alex again with some excellent wing positioning on the posts. A short corner saw Alex knock it in to score her third by half time.
Spirit dominated territory in the second half and pressured Kardinia every time they got the ball. 2 short corners and numerous shots at goal but Spirit didn’t have the accuracy in the second half. Full time Spirit 4-0 Kardinia.
Under 14
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 5-2
The U14 Strikers found success this weekend with a win against Torquay, 5-2.
Whilst Torquay were on the board first with an early goal, Strikers soon responded with Maidie scoring shortly after. This was off the back of some great play from Parker and Lucas Y, as well as Oliver’s ability to persistently pressure the opposition. Late in the half Jess added the second goal to the scoresheet, and the half ended: 2-1.
The second half highlights included great efforts from Lilly in defence, as well as more excellent saves from our goalie Kassidy. Oliver was next to score, followed by a goal for Jess that was well assisted by Parker. It was great to see the team play in action here, and shortly after Parker’s efforts were rewarded when he scored a goal himself!
A three goal to one final quarter, and a very happy team with a win on the board. Great work Strikers!!
Under 17
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia White 7-2
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 1-5
With a number of players out we were very fortunate to be helped out by the div 2 team this week who fortunately for us had a bye.
This provided us a full bench which allowed us to keep pace with the opposition and although the end scoreline didn’t show it, the game was evenly matched with Newtown maintaining possession resulting in a number of scoring opportunities.
This culminated with the team being able to score the final goal of the day which was well deserved given the effort that everyone put into the game.
Division 2 Women
Newtown Strikers Bye
Division 2 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Saints White 0-1
Newtown Falcons played Saints White on Saturday afternoon. We had several lineup changes including different full backs and GK to last match. We played really well and put significant pressure on Saints in the first quarter, but were unable to convert our opportunities in front of goal. Saints worked themselves in to the game in the second quarter and scored against the play.
The second half was a similar story: we defended well, linked our passes well, created opportunities in front of goal, but couldn’t convert. We had a penalty corner on the siren where Dave hit a hard flat strike across goal to the post, but we weren’t able to put it in. It was a really good performance by the guys and we were unlucky to lose.
