BACK-TO-BACK premierships remain within reach for Gambier Centrals, after the side claimed victory over Blue Lake in the Limestone Coast soccer elimination final at its home ground on Sunday.
The first minutes of the game saw an even tussle between the two teams, but it was not long before Centrals had opened the scoring with a shot from captain Cameron Saint.
Bouncing vertically between the crossbar and the ground, whether the ball crossed the line was a matter of controversy, but the umpire confirmed the goal and Centrals made its first mark on the scoreboard.
This was followed by another goal for the hosts before half time, this time off the boot of Lewis March, to give Centrals a two-goal lead.
March’s ability to make use of space in the forward line has been the undoing of many teams this season, while his speed down the wing is also an asset to his team.
Despite numbers looking promising for Blue Lake prior to the game, it lost both Jarred and Luke Johnston in the first half due to injury, leaving a tough task for the Rangers going into the second term.
Centrals continued to apply pressure and control most of the ball after the break, despite the solid efforts of Blue Lake’s Jacob Ellis in the back-line.
Sam Richards also played well in the Rangers’ midfield and worked hard to set up opportunities for his side, while Under 17 player Leon De Cesaris stepped up in the A Grade clash.
However, Saint was a dominant force in the middle of the ground for Centrals and led his team by example.
Matthew Sykes fought valiantly in Blue Lake’s goals, making several strong saves, but he was unable to prevent the returned Calen Sheedy from scoring his team’s third goal.
Centrals also had key striker Jake Blackwell back in its line-up and, along with the recent return of goalkeeper Norton Fuller, the side should be near full strength in preparation for the preliminary final in three weeks time.
Depending on the result in the qualifying final, Centrals will either face Apollo or International in the decider for the second place in the grand final.
Centrals has proven capable against both of these teams this season and regardless of which side it comes up against, it is sure to be a tight contest.
In other grades, Blue Lake’s Reserves defeated Centrals 4-2 after the game went into overtime.
With the score on two-all at full-time, two lots of 10-minute overtime were played.
Sykes dominated the scoreboard to bag three for his team, while Troy Loosz claimed a single in the Rangers’ victory.
Blue Lake will also progress to the preliminary final in Under 17’s, after the side accounted for Portland 3-1.
With a 3-0 lead at half time, Portland was able to score after the break, but the damage had already been done.
Naracoorte has also secured a place in the preliminary final in both the younger grades.
The Under 14 side defeated Apollo 2-1 in a tight contest, while the Under 12’s came back from 2-0 down at half time to defeat Blue Lake 3-2 at the final whistle.
With no games this weekend, the qualifying finals for each grade are to be played on Sunday, September 10, where the top two teams on the ladder will battle it out for the first place in the grand final.
