18th May 2019
U7 Red
Mt Eliza Red 0 v Rowville 5 . Rowville were very well organised with most of their players comfortable
on the ball. Rowville scored 2 goals in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin and Ryan clashed heads and required treatment.The second half
saw Rowville dominant with a few chances for Mt Eliza who were unlucky not to score. With Mt Eliza having now a few injured players they
were stretched and conceded 3 more goals. A brave attempt and unlucky nit to get a goal.
U8 Green
U8 Red
Mt Eliza U8 Red 3 v Aspendale 3
The Mt Eliza U8 Reds played out an exciting and well-earned 3-3 draw away to Aspendale.
‘The Reds’ got off to a super start with Christian Bethune continually winning the ball and pressing deep into the Aspendale defence, while the team’s ever reliable defenders in Callum Helmore and Max Silk played beautifully together – working as the team within the team to form a defensive wall that continually pushed the ball back into the attacking half. The Reds dominated play and were unlucky not to score. However, Aspendale is a good side and chances to press on the counter attack ultimately came – most notably deep in the first half as their forward beat our defensive wall by running on to a good through ball. He showed good control and fired a clean shot that was homewards bound - but for the swift reflexes and skill of Elliot Melder in goal who put in a spectacular save to keep scores level at half-time. Thank you Elliot!
The half-time substitution of defenders was once again a challenge for the Reds at the re-start as Aspendale lifted their game and the Team found itself constantly on the defensive. The loss of structure at the back allowed Aspendale to pounce on some loose balls and the Reds were quickly 2-0 down. However, the never say die spirt of our team came to the fore as the defence lifted and Christian Bethune was again able to bring the ball forward. He took a fine shot that was well saved by the diving keeper - only to see his deflection roll into the path of a perfectly placed Elliot Melder who slid in for a great goal mouth finish to bring the Reds back to a 2-1 deficit and mark his first formal goal for the team. Austen Bettess was soon unleashed from the bench and constantly won the ball with key defensive and offensive tackles and nearly scored twice with shots going just wide. However, it was ultimately his long pass from defense that found its way to the feet of a sprinting Elliot Medler that opened up the game. Elliot ran onto the ball, controlled it well and confidently put the ball in back of the net for 2-2 equaliser and fantastic well-deserved brace. Well done Elliot!
The game was not done yet though as Aspendale fought back and pressed forward to again dominate play. They fired well on goal - hitting the post from a cracking shot - and were finally rewarded for their efforts shortly afterwards to deservedly regain their lead. It was only then, in the last action of the game that Austen Bettess had one more influence on the game and won the ball in attack to weave his way around some defenders and with excellent control fire home the equalizer just as the ref was putting the final whistle to his mouth to end a great game against a great team.
The ‘Player of the Game’ award was a tough one for the coaching group as Elliot Melder had clearly had his best game for
the team and club (and was duly rewarded with a sausage sizzle voucher for the next home game). However, it was Alfie Siveyer-Main who
took home the award this week as recognition for his efforts in listening and responding to the coaches instructions by making some key
contests, tackles and passes for his team. All played well again. Go Reds!
U8 Yellow
U8 Blues
U8 Girls
The Red and White of Mount Eliza Fire Lions traveled to the Maroon and Green of Glen Eira on a beautifully sunny autumn morning.
Whilst we lost 7-0, there were plenty of positives to take away from the game including an incredibly impressive performance from the very
cool and collected Juliette at the heart of defence and an all action midfield shift from the tireless Tessa resulting in both girls getting
Player of the Match.
The girls were equal for a large majority of the game and we're still in the contest at 2-0 down with 10 minutes to go but tiredness crept
in and we conceded 5 late goals to an excellent Glen Eira attack with goals that left goalie Gabi with no chance as they rocketed into the
top corners!
We did come close to a goal ourselves with a shot from Skye from an acute angle that trickled agonisingly across the goal line before being
cleared by a defender and a breakaway run from Lily resulting in a one on one with goalkeeper which unfortunately went just wide.
After a solid first half goalkeeping performance from Charlotte, saving 2-3 goal scoring chances, we went into the half time break only 2-0
down, giving us a chance for the second half. The team talk was to be a little more positive with the ball and try and push into their half
more often.
The girls listened and Grace, Annika and the now outfield Charlotte all showed good passing skills to find teammates in space which is
pleasing to see and something we will continue to work in training.
The defence partnership of Tahlia and Juliette held up well but as we pushed forward as a team and took more risks looking for a goal, we
got caught on the break a couple of times and the Glen Eira strikers we're ruthless and clinical putting away every chance they had.
We can take heart from the fact that the girls are improving every week and starting to get an understanding of their positions and the
spirit and bond of this squad is something we should be very proud of.
Go the Fire Lions!
U9 Orange
Well done to our boys, they played against Mornington. 2-4 us coming out on top. Two goals kicked by Archer, One by Ethan Sheen and One by
Noah Hare. Great defense and team work, best game our boys have played. They all worked well as a team. Ethan and Noah H passed brilliantly
for their goals. Players of the week went to Oscar Woods, Matin and Archer.
U9 Yellow
Perfect conditions at EMR on Saturday for our game against Chelsea. The team started really well. Tom scored a hat trick in the first half
with some excellent interplay with Charley. In the second half, Carlo, Robbie & Oihan were the attacking options & did a brilliant
job. A fantastic win & a great team effort all round!
U9 Gold
U9 Blue
U9 Green
U10 Kangaroos
U10 Kangaroos Red v Berwick
Following a tough game last week the boys were put through their paces at training and they were all looking forward to facing Berwick. The
game started well with the Reds having a lot of possession until Berwick put on the pressure and Lachlan our goalie managed a sliding save
to put the ball out for a corner. Following a second amazing save Sammy persevered up forward until the ball ended up spending another few
minutes in the midfield. Good skills from Paul led to a chance up forward before Berwick were again making our defence work hard. Toby
received a goal kick and passed to Lewis for a run forward and a great shot on goal that was saved and soon after this a Berwick throw in
was turned over by the Reds for a goal from Woody! Marley then intercepted their chance up forward to keep it 1-0 at half time. The second
half started with a great goal from Paul and a quick reply from Berwick. Great defence from Nigel and Gidi helped Kourosh and Lewis get the
ball forward for us but this was well managed by the opposition. We then had a tough stretch finding it hard to get the ball into our half,
however, the boys determination paid off as another shot on goal by Woody went in off the boot of one of the Berwick defenders making it
3-1 with a few minutes to go. Immediately after the centre kick the same thing happened at the other end as a shot from Berwick was
deflected in from one of our own players. At the end of the game the boys, coaches and parents were all thrilled with the brilliant 3-2
win.
U10 Yellow
Great win against rosebud 7-4. Everyone played a brilliant game. Goal kickers were
Thomas, Lachlan, Ethan Sheen, Tanner, Xander Levi, (plus there was an own goal). Xander Pearce was fantastic as goalie first half. Man of
match given to Lauchie, Ethan Sheen and Xander Levi. Well done boys. And the sun was shining!
U10 Green
U10 Blue
U10 Gold
U10 Girls
Sandringham Rockets 11 Mt Eliza U10 Girls 0
It was a tough day out on the pitch for the U10 girls with a
strong side from Sandringham (just entered our division) at home. Once we worked out we weren’t playing Langwarrin (some confusion with the
fixture!) the girls started well with some early attacking soccer using the wings. First time goalkeeper Leyla Ay did an excellent job
stopping some close shots from the opposition. Soon however, came the first Sandringham goal, followed by another, and another and... (you
get the idea)... from a mixture of strong breakaway attacks from their forwards, power kicks and some defensive mistakes when Mt Eliza
turned over the ball in front of goal. We learnt in the first half that we can’t afford to take time in front of goal & we need to work
on marking opposition players and clearing the ball quicker. By half time, Mt Eliza were 8 goals down but these girls don’t know the
meaning of the word ‘surrender’! (I blame the schools) After a motivational speech from Charles Ewart worthy of David Beckham, the Mt Eliza
U10 girls displayed their true grit with a stronger second half in which we had as much attack as the opposition. We had several shots on
goal from chief goal sneak Indi Bryant, power kicker Gemma Gilchrist, Stella Smith and one shot hitting the post from Chloe Morgan
eliciting a massive cry from the peanut gallery! Alas we couldn’t buy a goal in the second half but we held the Sandringham side to only 2
more goals. The girls learnt once again that by holding our positions and using space, we make the play rather than react to the
opposition Ella Andalaro & Hannah Murton were in good form with good tackling and running to defend. Some excellent passing from Alex
Ewart led to several attacks on goal. Chloe Morgan took out player of the match for consistent big kicking (she actually listened to
our coach!) strong tackling and a great shot on goal. Special mention to Jessica Baird for her keeping in the second half, without which we
could have been another 3 goals down. Now to the serious work of deciding our team name, early suggestions the ‘Mt Eliza Chickens’ or ‘Mt
Eliza Cheeters’… (stay tuned, some brainstorming still to come!)
U11 Green
U11 Yellow
U11 Red
U11 Orange
MESC U11 Orange vs MESC U11 Red
Phew! I’ve only just caught my breath from a brilliant hard-fought win. We were playing ‘one of our own’ in Mt Eliza Red and had a score to settle as we’d lost against them twice last season, once in the league & once in the cup. With that in mind, we called the boys in pre-match and reminded them of previous results and challenged them to rectify this and rectify they did.
We were playing 11 vs 11 as both teams had an excess of subs; we started brightly, controlling the tempo & passing the ball around well; we were clearly on top & creating numerous chances but unfortunately with no end product… Our Blonde Bomber (aka Mitch) was denied by a few brilliant (but painful) saves by their keeper & Fernando & I started to think it was going to be one of those games where we dominated but lost to a sucker punch at the death… We needn’t of worried as our ‘Rock’ (aka Evan) repelled another attack & found the space to pass to our Little Magician (aka Joe) who, quick as a flash, saw the space and created an overlap, with the extra man against their defence our new Sweeper/Keeper (aka Sammy) was on hand to score a beauty of goal through a crowded box, relief all round as finally our display had the lead it deserved.
We continued to dominate, with our midfield/wingers ‘Terror’ & ‘Mayhem’ (aka Christian & Ashton) & Captain Fantastic Luis (Suarez???) pinning them back and causing all sorts of issues. Christian was man-of-the-match, & terrorised their entire left side all game, with some beautiful Cruyff-like turns even confusing me (not difficult) whilst watching from the sidelines. Another goal would have been more than justified but we were always susceptible to a quick turnover & so it proved to be, as out of nowhere they played the offside trap and created a 4 on 3 scramble, with a scrappy goal against us being the consequence.
The boys, to their credit, didn’t allow their heads to drop as they, like me, realised the score-line was not a fair reflection of the match. We played some lovely one touch football & were unlucky not to score again with a number of near misses compounding the frustration but keeping us in the ascendency. The only negative was that we started to lose our shape toward the end of the first half & if we hadn’t, I think we could have scored at least one, possibly two more goals before half time.
During the half time team talk, the boys demonstrated their new-found belief in themselves and in the systems Roger & I are trying to install; they realised we should have been ahead & I could tell we would carry on in the same vein for the second half.
We made a number of changes to the team at half time so as to allow everyone to play, this meant that as the 2nd half kicked off we were a little disorganised & MESC Red had a few chances to score, but our ‘GINola’ (aka Tom Collins – Boys your parents will get the joke!) continued his excellent form from last week & made some crucial interceptions to keep them at bay. Our changed midfield of Pitbull (aka Nathan) and ‘Joker’ (aka Hubert) started to find spaces and control the game again. Our defence of Max, Oscar & the Pocket Rocket (Kai) ably led by The Rock were also tenacious in their tracking and tackling, so although us coaches were having mild heart palpitations, the boys remained calm and continued to look for an opening.
More shots on target followed including some truly remarkable efforts by Joe, Mitch and Christian, & it seemed that a draw was on the cards, but with encouragement from the sidelines (thanks as always parents, your support is crucial) we remembered to make the ball do the work & began pulling them out of position; a quick set of intricate passes from defence to midfield to the wings & back to the centre allowed Ashton to drift in unmarked and he slammed the ball home to restore our lead.
Most satisfyingly rather than rest on our laurels the boys went for a 3rd goal and were unlucky not to convert with their keeper having a blinder of a game. There were a few hairy moments towards the end but in reality, we could have won by at least 2 or 3 more had we had that little bit of luck. As the final whistle blew, Fernando and I could reflect on a hard fought but fully deserved win. It was a great effort by all, with everyone playing their part & a clear demonstration that the boys are implementing the ideas & structures Roger & I are continually trying to drill into them.
This continues our winning streak & is a testament to the positive attitude all the boys are showing both in training and on the pitch,
if we continue like this we will have a very successful season. It is a pleasure to coach this time and I left a very proud dad/coach at
full-time… As they say in Holland…. ‘Up the Oranje’
U12 Blue
The Blues played their best game of the season in a 6-nil rout of East Bentleigh Lightning. The boys picked
up from where they left off last week and took it to the Lightning from the start dominating possession and dictating the pace of the game.
The backline of Jordan, Max and Archie continued to move the ball with ease across the back to keep up the high tempo opening with smart
balls out wide and into the dangerous midfield trio Griff, Isaac and Danny. Chances came and went before Griff Mathews lashed home the
opener to finish off a move that started from Archie Ward at RB, a quick transition through the midfield to the wing where Fletcher Williams
whipped in a great cross. The dominance continued with further goals from Max Musgrove, who smashed in his first of the season and Jai
Sheppard with his third goal of the campaign. The lighting were finding it tough to contain the continuous movement across the top from
Ethan Walker, who along with Fletch and Maxy kept the Blues on the front foot with constant pressure on the opposing defenders. Half time
the message was simple, maintain the intensity and pressure, plus keep the ball moving out to the wings. There was also a structural change
with Archie, Jordon and Sean all asked to play higher up the park. Danny and Isaac both sat a little deeper and were pulling the strings to
keep the boys pushing forward, Luca in goals continued to cause havoc for the East Bentleigh defence with his quick thinking long throws
with Jai twice going close on the break. The Blues finally killed off the game with Archie Ward and Sean Doyle (2) both opening their
accounts with well taken goals, one of which after a bullet strike from Jordon Fay, which the keeper could only parry into the path of Sean
to smash it home on the second attempt. A great team game from the boys and nothing better than a big win at home and a clean sheet for the
second week in a row. MOTM Jai Sheppard!
U12 Green
vs Casey Comets 2-3 Loss
Hard luck to the boys today. Although the Greens were definitely the better team on the pitch,costly misses on goal cost us in the end.
Having gone well over 20+ games without a loss from last season, today saw an end to our winning streak.
Our best Left Mid away, and 2 boys with growing pains and one with an ankle niggle saw the team not quite at full strength.
Casey put away 2 goals which on a better day would have easily been dealt with.
All the boys played hard, but were up against a colossal giant in the Casey team who shadowed some of the boys 1/2 his size. The game was
tied at 1-1 at 1/2 time
The game went to 2-2, and we were unlucky on a Penalty chance off the bar. With 2 mins to go, an unlucky own goal by one of our boys gave
Casey the win.
As with any game, the boys will walk away from this game with a new resolove to better themselves and be ready next time.
U12 Red
U12 Reds 3 Hampton Park 1
The boys played well & battled to the end for a very satisfying 3-1 away win V Hampton Park.
After going 1-0 up from a never say die chase through Mathew following some hard work down the left from Mali, Hampton got back in the game
with a deserved goal just before half time. With both teams playing some nice football, it looked as though we were heading for a draw until
2 minutes from the end U12 Reds were awarded a penalty from a Hampton Park hand ball. With the pressure on, MOM Mathew cooly stepped up to
smash the ball into the net via the underside of the crossbar. With Hampton Park attacking for a late equaliser, the ever impressive
Alastair got a 3rd with a minute to go. Even though the boys celebrated hard at the final whistle, after congratulating them all on such a
wonderful TEAM EFFORT, I told them there is plenty to work on between now & the end of the season. Well done U12 Reds for another great
50 mins of football. I am sure the boys are looking forward to the next challenge V Berwick at home next Saturday.
U12 Orange
Mt. Eliza Orange 2 Chelsea 1
Orange were at home to Chelsea this weekend and came off
with a hard fought win that went right to the wire.The last few weeks have been focused on hardening our defensive line and teaching the
boys to defend as a team. And against a tall and skilled Chelsea forward line, the boys did an amazing job to again come back from a goal
down, and then to hold their nerve in the last 10 mins to defend their lead. Chelsea opened the scoring with a clever throw-in that caught
us a bit flat footed with a nice strike that our keeper Dom could do nothing about. But it was a tight contest that was squared up before
half-time by a lovely maisy run by Josh W down the left that cut through several defenders which he then cooly slid into the net on his
left foot.At half-time I asked for more of the same - keep the pressure on Chelsea, want the ball and help each other out. The back line
of Nate, Ben, Josh W-E, Manny, Coby are now really starting to play a good defensive line and snuffed out most of Chelsea's forward forays.
Dom our keeper was again immense and earned his MOTM award with some great saves when Chelsea did manage to get through.We know that our
forward line can score goals and the boys up front, Josh, Jimi, Kai, Ollie and Jem were a constant threat. Jimi had all his tricks out on
display and had a shot come off the inside of the post, as did Jem. Ollie, Kai and Jem were giving us plenty of width out wide and with
Josh and Bille through the middle, we kept Chelsea pinned back for most of the second half. The deadlock was broken with 10 minutes to go
when Ollie put in a ripping corner that Jem met with a well timed header. The boys continued to attack but it was their defensive effort on
the last 10 mins that most impressed me as Chelsea really did throw everything at a late equaliser.
U12 Navy
U12 Gold
Mt Eliza U12 Navy 2 - Mt Eliza Gold 5
Terrific effort from the boys today, everybody out in 100 percent and just kept on going. We think half of our team were running on empty by
the end of the game. We just need to work on marking up players and playing down the wing. Also offside and goal-side.
Great job to the defence of Matt, Danny, Lincoln, Olly, Innes and Ernie winning the ball and clearing it out. You also did brilliant from
set pieces, you just need to work on marking up players on set pieces.
Super effort to Danny, Luca, Alex, Angelo and Lincoln in midfield doing a brilliant job at winning the ball in the middle of the park and
then giving it off to our strikers Liam, Ben and Innes for doing a great job putting the pressure on the opponents defence and especially
for Liam who got MOTM and scored an amazing Hat-Trick.
Really good effort guys, everyone’s doing a great job working towards regrading back to Wallabies. See you all on Thursday.
Jasper and Declan.
U12 Girls
U13 Reds
Reds vs Casey Panthers 3-2 win
Casey took the lead early , 0-2 within the space of 10 mins.
The Reds however wern't done by any means and luanch attack after attack and were soon rewarded with a goal from Ashley. With a new found
confidence the Reds were rewarded once again by the boots of Ashley. Going into 1/2 time at 2-2, the Reds were determined to fight hard on
the 2nd 1/2. After a lengthy 15mins of pressure forward and back the Reds were finally rewarded for their efforts with foul on one of our
player inside their penalty area. Our newly assigned team captain Hunter Edbrooke stepped up to the mark to put the game at 3-2. The next
10mins saw the Reds beating attacks back and launching counter attacks and were unlucky not to had another 2 goals.
U14
U15
