East Gippsland United went in as warm favourites in its match against Tyers Soccer Club on Sunday at the Tyers Recreation Reserve, but things didn’t go all its way.
With the ground wet and boggy from recent rain and the ball already heavy from the earlier reserves match, it was hard going from the first whistle.
Tyers were determined not to go down without a fight and the game started with most of the play in their forward half.
Slowly the Eagles began to gain more of the possession as they tried to work the ball forward, but they had to work for it as the opposition were quick to intercept any loose passes and force the turnover.
Plenty of scoring opportunities were available but the Eagles failed to capitalise on their chances, sending the ball straight to the Tyers keeper or wide of the net.
With the score nil all at half time, both sides made some positional changes, hoping to break the deadlock.
The Eagles continued to push the ball forward, but inaccurate shots at the nets were proving costly.
With Oscar Bury sent off temporarily for dissent, Tyers tried to gain the advantage, keeping the ball in their half and the Eagles’ defence had to scramble.
Back to a full team when Bury was allowed back on the pitch, chances for goals increased for the Eagles, who continued to be plagued by inaccuracy.
It was evident that players’ frustrations threatened to cause the team to implode.
Finally at 81 minutes, the Eagles were able to score when Bury took the ball down the ground.
Forced too far by the Tyers’ defence, Bury passed the ball to Alex Padula, who in turn passed it on to Jaydon Steele, who was finally able to get the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net.
As Tyers continued to valiantly even the score, Bury was able to slip another past the keeper from an assist from Steele, at the 89th minute and the Eagles were able to claim a hard fought 2 – 0 victory.
The Reserves match started with play being relatively even with both teams having time with the ball.
Unfortunately the Eagles weren’t able to take advantage of their early chances and it was Tyers who scored their first goal when Bailey Webster gave away a penalty 22 minutes in.
Standing in as keeper for the Reserves, Steele save the first attempts as well as a second Tyers’ shot for the rebound.
But the penalty had to be retaken after it was determined Steele had moved off his line too early and he was unable to save the third attempt.
Having last week off didn’t seem to do the Eagles any favours with their play lacking rhythm, even panicking at times.
The players struggled to hold their positions and their passes lacked direction as they tried to wrestle control from Tyers.
Tyers were able to score their second goal before the teams went to the break.
After a rousing half time talk from the coach, the second half started more positively for the Eagles when Kyal Hood scored off an assist from Alex Davidson just a minute in.
The Eagles were able to get more of the ball but still rushed their passes which led to a lot of easy turnovers.
Shots at goal increased but were stopped by the Tyers’ keeper, while down the other end, Steele also kept the ball out of the nets.
Finally at 88 minutes, Alex Padula took the ball down the right wing and took a shot from the top of the box, putting the ball into the bottom left corner from off the net to even the score.
With no further score from either team, the game ended in a hard fought draw.
The Eagles under 13s faced Traralgon City for the second time this season, determined to showcase their development after a 5-0 defeat in their first encounter.
The match ended in an exciting 2-2 draw, showing the improvement the eagles have made as the season has progressed.
In the first half, the Eagles started slowly, making a few minor mistakes, but Traralgon City couldn’t capitalise.
Once the Eagles found their rhythm, they began creating solid goal scoring opportunities.
The midfield excelled, dropping back to defend and transitioning smoothly into attack.
The Eagles’ strikers were on fire, netting two goals and coming close to scoring several more.
The second half saw a fierce response from Traralgon City, who quickly scored after the kick off.
Shortly thereafter, they scored again, catching the Eagles off guard.
Despite these setbacks, the Eagles’ defence and goalkeeper stood their ground, repelling all further attacks.
The remainder of the game was a relentless tug-of-war, with neither team able to score again.
Lucas McDonald earned the coaches player of the match award, despite not being well, McDonald played one of his best games, giving 100 per cent and exceeding all expectations.
His grit and determination were instrumental in the Eagles’ performance.
The Eagles were pleased with the result and look forward to continuing their development as the season draws to a close.
The Eagles under 15s took immediate control of their match against Moe/Newborough United, keeping the ball in their forward half.
The defenders didn’t give Moe have a chance to score, anticipating their every move and pushing the ball back to the midfield.
The Eagles created many scoring opportunities through their beautiful ball movement across the field.
But it wasn’t until the 27th minute that Cooper Claridge scored the first goal of the game.
Rafael Rodriguez took multiple strikes, but the Moe keeper was there to put a stop to it.
At the 32nd minute Rodriguez took a header almost into the net and with the help of Jesse Williams they scored.
Going into the second half strong, the Eagles took possession outplaying the opposition.
A corner at the 38th minute from Claridge fell to ground and Rodriguez took his chance and snuck the ball into the net.
Mason Radley took an impressive strike at the 41st minute that hit the cross bar and rebounded back into play for an easy goal for Williams.
Radley followed up eight minutes later with a controlled strike straight through the keeper’s legs with the Eagles triumphant 7-0.
The coaches award went to Rayner Bonifacio.
In this week’s matches, the Eagles seniors and reserves are at home to Churchill on Sunday, while the under 15s are away to Traralgon City Black, and the under 13s are at home to Falcons 2000.
IMAGE: Eagles youngsters Jesse Williams, Cooper Claridge and Rafael Rodriguez celebrate their 7-0 triumph against Moe/Newborough United last Sunday.
