Forrestfield United Under 12‘s Excel in Kanga Cup.
Forrestfield United Soccer Club Under 12‘s have done both their club and state proud in their representation at the Kanga Cup held in Canberra between the 5-10th of July. Proudly led by coach Julian Pope and Assistant coach Kevin Taffurelli the boys made it through to the semi final stage only to be beaten by Adelaide City.
In the lead up to the finals Forrestfield met stiff opposition firstly against the highly rated Victorian team Peninsula Strikers. The game was a toughly fought battle with Forrestfield taking the lead in the tenth minute after some fancy footwork saw Reece Taffurelli beat two opponents down the touch line and execute a perfect pass to the near post which enabled Thomas Jebb to score his first of many goals for the tournament. Peninsula bought the score back to one all with a well executed free kick which was cancelled out by a Thomas Jebb header after a smart short corner was executed by Zack Eldridge and Lucas Allender.
Penninsula strikers were not going to give this game up easily and again fought back with an equaliser. A master stroke from coach Julian Pope saw Lucas Allender summoned to the other side of the pitch to take a free kick from 25 yards out. Lucas calmly stepped up to the ball and with his sweet left foot buried the ball in the top corner to once again regain the lead. Forrestfield United extended their lead when goal sneak Jordan Fresher forced the ball home after a goal mouth scramble. What a start to the tournament against a quality opposition.
Outstanding performances from the whole team saw a solid defence with Noah Roderick- Smith, Brodie Hoddy, Nick Koch and Zack Eldridge all having fine games.
Thomas Jebb clocked up a certain 3 point performance with outstanding play in both midfield and his normal role as a striker.
The boys came up against their second opponents of the tournament the Canberra based Monaro Panthers after a few hours rest to record their second win of the day. Goals in the first half from Thomas Jebb and Zack Eldridge saw them go into half time with a handy lead. In the second half the Monaro Panthers came out fired up and pulled one goal back midway through the second half. Playing their second game of the day was showing as the boys struggled to get forward but they showed total grit and determination to hold out for a determined 2-1 victory.
All credit had to go to the boys for their fighting spirit and in particular a fantastic performance from captain Thomas Pope who repelled attack after attack after being switched into an unfamiliar role of left back.
The following day saw the first loss of the tournament to Korean side Shingok PS. The boys were caught by surprise early on by the incredible pace of the Korean right midfielder who used his pace to cut straight into goal and calmly lift the ball over the advancing Forrestfield keeper. By half time the young Korean had the ball in the net for the second time and the score line was 2 nil at halftime.
Some outstanding goalkeeping by Jack Van Hyum kept the score at 2 nil for the majority of the second half. The boys had adapted well to the fast flowing game of the Koreans and looked much more comfortable through this period of the game. A late third goal for the Koreans didn‘t really reflect how well the boys had competed in the second half.
Once again the boys had to step up for a second game of the day and recorded a resounding 7-1 victory against Canberra‘s STFA strikers.
A fine hatrick from Thomas Jebb and singles from Brodie Langan, Reece Tafurelli, Jordan Lyall & Lucas Allender saw the boys record a resounding victory. Zane Casella showed his true talents in this game with an outstanding performance in midfield.
After an anxious 4 hour wait the boys got the news they were looking for, they were through to the next round.
Their first finals game required a minimum of a draw to enable them to stay in contention for the final. The boys were up against a team that had performed extremely well in the group stages in Canberra FC. End to end play saw both keepers pull off fine saves but Canberra managed to take the lead mid way through the first half. Forrestfield once again showed there fighting spirit with a beautifully executed goal scored from a free kick out side the eighteen yard box by Tom Pope. Not only did Tom score a beautifully executed goal but did so after having his first attempt disallowed after the opposing side moved before the kick was taken. This would put enormous pressure on any player but Tom showed maturity beyond his years to place the ball into the net for the second time.
Canberra scored a second goal against the play to make the score line 2-1. Knowing that they needed a draw to stay in contention the boys lifted a gear and was finally rewarded by a superb goal from the left hand side by Lucas Allender which saw the ball sailing into the roof of the net.
Forrestfield’s final game was a must win game against Adelaide City which would have seen them progress to the final should they be successful. Less than one hours rest between games was a big ask for the boys and although they battled manfully the 3 nil score line was not a true reflection of how well they had played. They showed courage to the very end and were unfortunately out of legs in this final game after playing 6 games in three days. Coaches Julian Pope and Kevin Taffurelli could not be prouder of the boys and their efforts and everyone at Forrestfield United Soccer Club congratulate the boys on their outstanding efforts both on and off the pitch. The boys were outstanding ambassadors for their club and State. A highlight for the boys was seeing one of their team mates Tom Jebb announced as player of the tournament for the under 12 age group. This was a fitting reward for a boy with an amazing future ahead of him. The team performances were such that every boy had an effect on the incredible results and all boys should be immensely proud of their efforts.
Rob Eldridge
Vice President
Forrestfield United Soccer Club