04 May 2017
Both the Open Boys and Girls teams for the Rivers Secondary College progress to the next round in the CHS competition.
On Tuesday the 2nd of May The Rivers Secondary College Open Boys and Girls Soccer teams took on Casino High School at the SCU artificial pitch.
The girls' game started well for ‘The Rivers' with a consistent possession in the opposition half. The match continued in a similar fashion with ‘The Rivers' holding and circulating the ball in a professional manner. However, the girls could just not get the ball across the line in normal time due to some handy stops from the Casino keeper.
The game ended 0-0 which brought about extra time. Ten minutes each way, golden goal and if still a draw, the dreaded penalty shootout. The first ten minutes went the same way as the regular time, ‘The Rivers' dominating possession but failing to squeeze one past the goalie. There were a few minor changes to the line up throughout the day, it seemed that anything that was tried wouldn't work, until the second period of extra time. The girls were spent, many playing every minute of the match so far and trying everything they could to come away with a win. The minutes were being chewed up by substitutions from the Casino Coach. ‘The Rivers' had the ball with a minute to go, they headed into the opposition box, a blocked shot and a corner for the girls. The corner was taken quickly, and the Casino defence held strong to knock it out, back into the mixer. 21 seconds on the clock left, Dana Wilson, with a mighty right foot strike…it swivels and bends in the air as it hits the top right hand corner. ‘The Rivers' win!!
The game saw an almighty effort from all the players. Special mentions to Breanne Buckley, Dana Wilson, Kendelle O'Reilly, Jakira Toniello and Jazmin Bertuzzi who were gave 100% for their team and moved the ball around extremely well.
Following this game, the boys took to the pitch. After seeing how a defensive side could frustrate an opponent, the players knew a fast and physical start was important to kill off our opponents, and that is just what followed. A goal was scored in the first minute and the dominance continued with a sharp display across the park, heading into the sheds at half time with a 6-0 lead. Players with niggling injuries or those with up-coming games were rested in the second stanza. However, that didn't slow the progress much, with another 4 goals taking our match tally to 10.
Special mentions to Jye Wilson, Bodhi Estreich, Jayden Allen, Issac Essery, Chris Riley and Rhys Daly who stood out in a game where everyone performed well.
Special thanks to Mr John Eakin for his efforts in organising the day, Dan Bordin, the Open Girls football coach, the referees that officiated the match and the players for taking time off exams and school to represent the College. This ensures we progress to the next round of the CHS Knockout in both boys and girls competitions.