With the home and away season finished, the knockout cup games have started for the senior grade of the Latrobe Valley Soccer League.
East Gippsland United showed great teamwork to beat Tyers Lightning Soccer Club in the first round of the LVSL Battle of Britain Cup competition at Monash Reserve in Newborough last Sunday.
The Eagles took control of the match quickly with Ben Gillard, back from a couple of weeks break, hungry for a good game and showing great form.
Gillard passed accurately to Alex Padula who scored the Eagles’ first goal just two minutes into the match.
Brandon Ginty, back from injury, combined well with reliable Lachlan Dare and the agile Oscar Bury to create plenty of opportunities for the Eagles.
Isaac Burgoine was a little off his fast form in attack and unable to make the most of some of the Eagles’ attacks.
The Eagles’ second goal came in the 11th minute with accurate passing from Lachlan Feather to Dare to Gillard to Ginty, back to Dare then finally to Gillard ending in him scoring strongly in his comeback match.
Gillard’s trademark tenacious competitiveness for possession, combined with captain Tom Forster’s reliable presence and Pat Whelan’s creative style of play totally controlled the defence which left Tyers struggling to move the ball into attack.
This gave the Eagles’ keeper Brendan Dunstan an easy day at the office with little work for him in front of goal.
The quick Feather, outplaying his opponent, scored next for the Eagles with Forster assisting, followed by another just minutes later from Bury after a congested contest directly in front of goal.
Tyers managed to make its way forward and had three corners getting the ball into the goal box but was unable to take advantage of its opportunities, sending the Eagles into half time with a 4-0 lead.
The Eagles continued to outplay the opposition in the second half, capitalising on their lead and a brilliant pass across the face of goal by Dare was just a fraction of a second too quick for Whelan to connect.
To its credit a tired Tyers team, many of whom had played in the reserves match earlier, kept trying against a confident Eagles’ team resulting in a few attacks on goal.
Smiling striker Jaydon Steele added to the Eagles’ tally at 62 minutes with another beautifully timed pass from Dare.
In a repeat from the first half, another came quickly, this time from Ginty proving how happy he was to be back on the pitch.
The game was being played on Eagles’ terms with not a lot of work for defence.
With a full bench to choose from coach Jarrah Feather gave Kyal Hood, Tyler Van Den Meiracker, Lawson Ward and James Alder time on the pitch.
The quick pace of Hood was too much for his Tyers opponent and he passed to Feather for his second goal of the day.
Ward, Alder and Van Den Meiracker gelled well with their team to hold off any Tyers attempt to score.
Alex Davidson also came on to assist in attack.
Alder was unlucky not to score from a fantastic corner kick, well saved by Tyers’ keeper at the 80-minute mark.
Dunstan was then tested by an accurate corner shot from Tyers but held firm in the net.
The Eagles finished with an 7-0 win to continue to the next round of the cup.
Unfortunately due to the eligibility requirements and player injures, the reserves didn’t have enough players to field a team and had to forfeit their match against Newborough Yallourn United Soccer Club.
