SSFA AYL14 Bathurst Cup
AYL14 Bathurst Cup Report
After a long offseason, we welcomed 8 new players to the squad. After some solid training sessions, the time had finally come for the U14s to make their trip to Bathurst. You could say the biggest difference from last year was the weather. Incredibly hot days this time around with our boy’s first game kicking off at 12:50 pm.
Our first game was hard fought with a team that was ready to go from the first whistle. The boys faced immediate pressure and did their best, but conceded a goal late in the first half with another to follow quickly after. With two more goals after the half, our coaches had plenty to discuss at the full-time whistle.
Mid Coast 4 : SSFA 0
It felt like the team could be nervous for the second game against Western Rage. After a few minutes, it was obvious the boys had learnt from the last game and had come out with much more intensity. Both sides were evenly matched with Western Rage conceding a free kick outside the goal box mid-way in the first half. Anderson took the kick and put it over the keeper for the team’s first goal of the tournament. Later in the half, Jed put in a through-ball to Alek which drew a foul in the goal box for a penalty. Alek took the penalty, slotting it past the keeper. Rage scored in the second half to make it exciting, but the SSFA closed out with a win at full-time.
SSFA 2 : Western Rage 1
Our final game for the day was against the unbeaten, and eventual cup winners, North West Spirit. Another game where the boys came out fighting. Given the confidence from their last win, the boys had gone from strength to strength. We looked good and were competing for the ball in all phases of the game. Today wasn’t our day though with a couple of avoidable goals taking us out of the runnings for the finals.
NWS Spirit FC 2 : SSFA 0
The last game of the tournament was a friendly against Macarthur FA. The team was relaxed and worked well together with Anderson scoring quickly in the first half to put us up. After a few more minutes, Mitchi was fouled in the goal box and won a penalty, which he converted. The defence held strong and towards the end of the second half, Finnlay scored our third goal to finish the game with a clean sheet and 3 goals up.
SSFA 3 : Macarthur FA 0
Despite not making it to the finals, the weekend can be considered a success. The 14’s improved each game and left the tournament with some confidence-building wins heading into the year. A great time was had by players, parents and coaches alike and we’re approaching the season with enthusiasm.
