By Sarah Bailey
Victory for the under-8 Strikers and the under-12 squad, and a 1-1 draw for the seniors, headlined Saturday’s play ahead of the school holiday break.
The U8 Strikers played an amazing game in Blackburn, taking victory 7-0.
Playing against the wind in the first half made life difficult for Healesville’s U12s to get the ball into the Blackburn half. A solid defensive display was finally broken on the very last kick of the half to see Healesville trailing 1-0. But with the wind at their backs in the second half, Healesville drew level with a Ryder Hudson goal. The last kick of play saw Healesville’s
Julian Bloink scored the vital goal to win the game 2-1.
Healesville’s seniors played away to Knox at 5pm under lights. A great first-half performance saw a depleted Healesville take a 1-0 halftime lead through a Daniel Tadesse goal. The second half started with Knox making four second-half changes. Their youth and fresh legs changed the dynamic of the game, but a stoic defence ensured Healesville came away with a very impressive 1-all draw. John Caloutas was a standout for Healesville, but every player put in a fantastic performance.
The U8 Dragons came out strong and didn’t give up, with great passing, tackling and defence. There were lots of opportunities, but in the end, Berwick took the win 3-1.
Up against a slick and well-drilled Berwick team, Healesville’s U9 Redbacks put in a valiant effort. The game marked the end of a four-game battle with four different teams from the strong Berwick soccer club. The Redbacks had some great passages of play and teamwork but unfortunately weren’t rewarded with more goals, especially in the first half. There were lots of good shots and opportunities, but the Berwick keeper denied them with some great saves. Healesville broke through the lines multiple times and crossed to players in clear space but just couldn’t find the back of the net. The Redbacks also stood solid in defence,
with timely interceptions and many good clearances, but in the end, Berwick was just too good and took home a 5-1 win.
Healesville’s U10 Reds saw a slow start on a colder morning, but then scored two awesome goals. They held Mooroolbark in the second half to one goal at the very end. Some great passing is starting to happen and the Reds are coming together as a team. In the end, victory was Mooroolbark’s 6-2. Shout-out to Austin from the U10 Whites for playing with the team today.
A Northern Eagles forfeit meant Healesville’s U10 Whites took the points on Saturday, but the squad was keen to pull on the boots and have an inter-club hit-out. With Arlo from the U9s balancing the group five a side, scoring was tit for tat until the game reached a 4-4 deadlock. The Reds pulled away to a three-goal lead, but the Bibs pressed hard in response to level the score. A clever chip kick from Zak found Arlo watching the ball over his head – Arlo darted after it and after the bounce, he cracked a blinding left-foot shot on goal that made spectators cheer and clap. Robbie also pressed hard and scored multiple goals and was a catalyst in the Bibs’ fightback. Ultimately the Reds scored again to claim an 8-7 victory. Arlo got the chocolates as best on ground in a hard-fought win.
