It was a tough gig for the East Gippsland United Football Club last week venturing down the highway to tackle Traralgon Olympians, whose current form sees them second on the senior men’s ladder.
Player unavailability is becoming an all-too-common problem for the Eagles this season and Sunday was no exception.
As a result most of the team took to the pitch having already played in the earlier reserves match.
The Olympians took control from the start, keeping the ball in their forward half, but the Eagles’ defenders led by David Pachl did their best to block attacks.
Pressure from defence saw plenty of Olympians’ shots go wide and keeper Brendan Dunstan also kept a number of attempts out of the nets.
Thirty minutes in the Olympians finally broke through and were able to score three goals in 10 minutes.
It was hard for the Eagles to get the ball past the halfway line and sending the ball forward with no one there to receive it meant a lot of easy turnovers.
The Olympians scored two quick goals after returning from the break, while early opportunities for the Eagles were unsuccessful.
The Eagles continued to do their best to create opportunities but remained unsuccessful with shots going wide and straight to the keeper.
Fatigue was setting in as the game drew to a close and injury saw the Eagles finish with only 10 players on the pitch.
But to their credit the Eagles continued their fight and made sure there was no further scoring from the Olympians who finished the match with a 5-0 victory.
Gaps in the regular Eagles’ reserves formation saw some players playing out of their normal positions, which saw a lack of rhythm and structure to the start of the match.
A quick Olympian goal just three minutes in with an Eagles own goal two minutes later saw the Eagles playing catch from the start.
The Olympians maintained possession as they kept the ball in their half keeping
the Eagles defenders working hard to block the attack.
Playing out of the nets, Brendan Dunstan put in a solid performance on the pitch backed up by David Pachl in goals.
There were some forays into the Eagles’ attacking half but any shots were off target.
However, the second half started much more positively with a goal from Sean Mamo five minutes after the whistle.
The Eagles worked hard to get more of the play but the Olympians maintained their control scoring their third goal, the ball shooting ball past a desperate Pachl.
The Eagles were able to create more opportunities as the half progressed but couldn’t manage to find the back of the net.
The Olympians were able to seal the win with their fourth goal just minutes before the end of the match, the Eagles going down 4-1, but not disgraced.
The under 16 Gold team had a close game against Traralgon City Purple losing 2-1 in Traralgon.
It was an exciting game, but both sides struggled to score in the first half. Unfortunately an Eagles player’s own goal put Traralgon on the scoreboard as half time beckoned.
The Eagles faced challenges in breaking through the defence while advancing the ball in their forward line, whereas the defenders effectively prevented Traralgon from scoring opportunities.
In the second half the Eagles turned up the heat with much of the play in their forward half. Lucas McDonald set up multiple opportunities at goal with accurate passing and outrunning his opponents.
In the 73rd minute defender Caleb
Till advanced down the pitch and passed
to Reagan Nash, who scored, levelling the scores 1-1.
Traralgon quickly responded with a goal, overtaking the Eagles and securing the win with the final whistle in sight.
In the under 16 Blue’s match against Traralgon City Black at the West Bairnsdale Oval, Traralgon began with a vigorous offensive push but the Eagles’ midfield and defence effectively applied pressure, thwarting Traralgon’s attempts to score.
In the 22nd minute, Traralgon broke through after three attempts in the box, successfully scoring their first goal.
The Eagles countered with a dynamic midfield attack, directing the ball to striker Seth Giuffrida-Love whose impressive footwork and speed enabled him to find the back of the net, securing the Eagles’ first goal.
Shortly after Rahsa Long delivered a powerful kick to Giuffrida-Love, allowing him to seize the ball and score the second goal for the Eagles.
The Eagles’ intense pressure and cohesive defensive strategy effectively prevented Traralgon from scoring any additional goals before the half-time break.
In the second half Traralgon immediately launched an aggressive attack, but Eagles’ defender Daniyal Kashif made a crucial save to thwart their first attempt at goal, but this only led to a flurry of shots at goals keeping Long on high alert.
Traralgon took the lead with two rapid goals, further capitalising on an unfortunate own goal by the Eagles defence during a corner kick.
As the match drew to a close, the Eagles began to show signs of fatigue giving Traralgon the chance to score their final goal securing their victory 5-2.
The under 13 had a 4-0 win over the Falcons in their home game at Howitt Park.
In this week’s matches the senior teams will host Churchill on Sunday at West Bairnsdale, it should be great viewing with both sides evenly placed in both grades on the ladder.
The under 16 Gold side will host Falcons 2000 this Saturday at the West Bairnsdale Oval, with the Blue side having a bye.
The under team 13 will host Newborough Yallourn United Blue at Howitt Park
this Saturday.
