James Murphy
Apollo 3 d International 2
EMOTIONS were high at Casadio Park on Sunday, where Apollo claimed a thrilling 3-2 win over International in Round 6 of Limestone Coast soccer.
The rain held off for most of the clash, but conditions remained slippery.
Both sides had some key absences on the day and after a couple of opportunities at either end, Apollo started to come to life.
They could do little wrong in the first half and their combination play was first class, earning them two goals before the break.
The first came from Say Say Wah, before Shar Nay Than converted his first of two for the day.
Inter was not without its opportunities, but struggled to make connection in the forward line, leaving plenty to desire heading into the second half.
Up by two at half time, Apollo coach Jamie Stephenson knew the game was far from over.
“We knew they would be hard and they always have a goal or two in them,” he said.
The second term started with the same intensity and set the stage for an equally exciting half.
Apollo’s Htoo Wah was solid in defence and made Inter work hard around the goal square.
At the other end Inter goal keeper Ka Nay Di Baw again rose to the occasion.
Had he not been in such fine touch, the end result could have been dire for the hosts.
Say Wah was forced off with injury early in the second which could have hurt the team as he was dangerous moving forward.
However, Apollo continued to look ominous in all areas of the ground.
Inter did manage to wrestle back some control and Sam Bueti had several runs into goal – many of which were denied by Htoo Wah – before he was eventually sidelined with a red card in the dying moments of the game.
Never to be ruled out, it was the boot of Matt Bueti which finally reaped reward and when he converted off a corner he sparked some life into his team.
From there Inter found some momentum and started to push the Apollo defence more frequently.
However, they were met by a team which refused to bow its head and there were no easy chances.
Apollo keeper Jesse Widdison was called upon on several occasions and he stepped up to the challenge with skill and athleticism.
Moments after a big save from the goalie, an Apollo run into attack rewarded Than with his second goal and the game was all but won.
As the clock dialled down, things started to heat up and despite a Matt Bueti goal with five minutes to play, Apollo held on for a deserved win.
Stephenson could not have been more pleased with the performance from his team, which was also played for the Michielan Cup.
“I thought majority of the game we played some really nice soccer,” he said.
Stephenson was proud to claim the coveted prize for 2022, but said soccer came second on the day, after an emotional week for the club with the loss of a young life.
In a valiant team effort, So Chree Htoo was recognised for his efforts at centre-back.
“He was immense, he controlled it from the back and I thought he had an amazing game,” Stephenson said.
Htoo managed to keep Inter star striker Matt Bueti quiet for much of the game, while at the other end Apollo captain Tobbei Kennett led by example.
“Tobbei played the striker role on Sunday and as a captain he led from the front,” Stephenson said.
“Say Way and Shar Nay looked really dangerous out wide on both sides and Gay Nay (Say Ler), Pa Lah and Pod (Cameron Wallace) did a great job through the middle.”
Hayden Cutting and Tom Inglis were also strong down either side in a game which had no passengers.
For Inter, Baw was a cut above and kept his team in touch all day as the last line of defence, while Lachlan Charlton also worked hard down back and youngster Tyler Michielan stepped up as captain on the occasion.
However, it was Apollo’s day and the win sets up an anticipated rematch in Round 11.
Blue Lake 5 d Millicent 0
A strong opening half from Blue Lake was enough to silence Millicent in Sunday’s Round 6 meeting.
Played at Millicent, the Rangers scored five goals before the break to put the result to bed.
Tristan Guess led the charge with two goals, while Lay Bae Htoo, Jack Latham and Jacob Phillips all chipped in with one each.
Scoring dried up in the second half and the board went untouched for the remainder of the game.
The win gave Blue Lake its second success of the year – the first victory also against Millicent back in Round 1.
It was enough to boost the Rangers back into fourth place on the ladder, sitting above Naracoorte on goal difference.
Gambier Centrals 5 d Naracoorte 1
A visit to Naracoorte earned Gambier Centrals a four-goal victory and top spot on the premiership table.
It was a family affair on the day, with two pairs of brothers dominating in front of goal.
Cameron Saint topped the scoresheet with two goals, while Justyn Saint slotted one.
Sam and Henry Shoemark popped up with one each as well, in a strong showing from two talented bloodlines.
Centrals held a 3-0 lead at half time and while George Matutuva scored for the home team in the second term, it was not enough to deny the Lions a comfortable win.
They added two more goals before the final whistle to finish up 5-1 victors, which boosted them to first on the ladder – ahead of International on goal difference alone.
This weekend the competition has a bye for the long weekend, with Round 7 set down for June 19.
