James Murphy
International 13 d Naracoorte 2
THE battle between second and fourth on the Limestone Coast soccer ladder was a fizzer on Sunday.
Entering the Round 10 clash, International was the sure bet for the win, but the final 11-goal margin over Naracoorte demonstrated the considerable gap between the top end and middle range of the competition.
Played at Casadio Park, the hosts wasted no time setting themselves up for the win, with a few quick goals setting the tone early.
By the time the half-time whistle sounded, the boys in black and blue had pushed out to an 8-1 lead.
Matt Bueti had already made a strong inroad towards his eventual game-high six goals, while Naracoorte’s success came from a lucky bounce from George Matutuva which found its way over Inter keeper Ka Nay Di Baw’s head for his first of two goals.
Inter has struggled to field a settled team in recent weeks and in its top-of-the-table clash against Gambier Centrals last round, found itself missing half a dozen starting players.
However, things seem to be on the improve and the return of players – from unavailability and injury – bolstered the squad on Sunday.
“They came out firing and put the balls in the net, which was fantastic to see,” Inter coach Vlada Gajic said.
“The finishing was much better than it was against Centrals.
“The intensity was there and in the end I think it was a good result.”
He credited his team for maintaining the intensity after the break, as Inter remained focussed on controlling the game, despite the scoreline.
The second half also provided opportunity for players to have a taste of different roles.
“There were some opportunities for some other players to come on and some rotations,” Gajic said.
As such, it was young-gun Tyler Michielan – who was moved around the ground throughout the contest – who earned the man-of-the-match mantle.
“No matter what role we put him in, he really excels and is improving at a rate of knots,” Gajic said.
Bueti was also credited for his performance and his hot boot moves him further ahead on top of the goal kicking table with 31 for the season.
Sar Hay Moo also impressed, as he popped up with two goals and assisted several others, while Caleb Casey was explosive in the goal square with three goals.
Saw Taw Lar has started to become a vital link in the midfield and he was another who played well on the day.
Matt Ferguson rounded out the goal scorers with one to his name.
Gambier Centrals 5 d Blue Lake 0
Gambier Centrals was relatively untroubled on its way to a strong 5-0 win over a visiting Blue Lake.
The Rangers have struggled to put results on the board this season and when the Lions opened the match with a couple of quick goals, they found themselves on the back foot early.
Jake Blackwell completed a hat-trick before half time, while the ledger was opened by an impressive volley from Christian Fleetwood outside of the box.
With a 4-0 lead at the break, Centrals went about business as usual in the second half and when Cameron Saint put the ball past the keeper the score settled at 5-0.
Apollo 8 d Millicent 0
A dominant road trip for Apollo rewarded it with an eight-goal victory over Millicent.
Millicent is yet to taste success this season and the fixture presented an opportunity for Apollo to boost its goal difference.
A good spread in front of goal was led by Say Say Wah with a hat-trick, while Hayden Cutting, Jack Donehue, Tobbei Kennett, Robbie Nagy and Espoir Shondo slotted one each.
All teams now enter a bye, with Round 11 to kick off on July 24.
