By Sarah Bailey
Healesville U10 Ninjas 7-1 Gideons Warriors
Jacob V started the game fast with good tackles and passes, and Hayden T made some good saves early to keep us ahead of the game.
Leroy P made impressive runs down the wing, running into dangerous spaces and slotting goals.
Noah S was again in good touch over the ball. Our boys showed their class to earn a first win at home.
Healesville Reserves 5-1 St Hilary’s Reserves
Healesville continued their march up the table with an impressive away victory. John-James, playing his first game for the Reserves, scored two and assisted two, one for Will W and an own goal for the home side.
A brilliant team goal started by Asha S, who beat his player and played a fine through ball, was finished superbly by Chris B after having the ball cut back to him on the edge of the box.
Healesville Hearts U13 Hearts 3-0 Blackburn North
Blackburn had good chances early, but they were no match for Isla C in goals.
From then on, it was all Healesville, with Saskia opening the scoring late in the first half. The Hearts came out swinging in the second half, with Ava H and Tilly W scoring two early goals to ice the game.
The team now sits within 1 point of the top-of-the-table Falcons.
Healesville Firsts 5-2 St Hilary’s Firsts
In a crazy opening 15 minutes, Healesville took a 3-1 lead after Cam D scored two and Daniel T added another.
A host of missed chances for the away side meant it stayed 3-1 at the break.
After a missed penalty St Hilary’s made the game 3-2 with 15 minutes to go.
A change of formation gave Healesville some much-needed control, and Daniel T stood up when it mattered with two goals to complete his hat-trick in the final five minutes.
Healesville U11 White Wolves 3-1 Blackburn North Stingrays
Quality touches saw Blackburn create chances that were thwarted by solid defensive plays from backs Harley T, Sawyer C, Flynn F and Oliver R. A backwards pass against the flow of play from Ardi C saw Flynn M’s powerful shot on goal go agonizingly close to scoring a blinder.
Ardi C wasted no time getting into the action and scoring to go one up.
A corner kick into the Blackburn box caused chaos as they in turn found the net to level the score.
Evan K put injury concerns to rest as he ran the entire field, leaving multiple Blackburn players in his wake.
Robbie K gave Healesville some breathing room when he brought the score to 2-1.
He then launched a bazooka from the halfway mark, dipping late and sneaking under the crossbar to put the game beyond reach.
Healesville Women’s Reds 1-0 Bayswater Strikers
The Reds welcomed a well-organised Bayswater side to Don Rd on a chilly afternoon.
With Bayswater short on numbers, it was 9v9 for the first half, both teams unable to break the deadlock.
The second half saw the Strikers increase their numbers for a 10v10 game and the intensity lifted.
Healesville’s attacking pressure resulted in a well-deserved goal to Keira S.
Only three points behind league leaders Dynamo, the Reds are set for a big finish to the season.
Healesville U15 Girls Flames 0-1 Healesville U15 Rebels
The Flames hosted a derby between them and the Rebels.
Kicking off after midday, the game allowed for a good-sized crowd to watch the future of Healesville women’s football. Both teams were in great spirits right from the start.
The Rebels controlled possession and scored from a corner after some persistent pressure.
The second half looked like a different game, with the Flames creating chance after chance.
The Rebels defence stood strong, with some excellent goalkeeping by Jaeda L.
Healesville U12 Heelers 1-2 Berwick United
At home against Berwick, the Heelers had an impressive early goal from Pepe on the left wing.
The second half saw Berwick come out in battle mode, and the Heelers responded with strong defence and several attacks on goal.
A nasty foul in the final minutes of the second half that sidelined team captain Oscar gave Berwick a window to equalise and then claim another quick goal, which the Heelers were in the process of answering when the final whistle blew.
Healesville U15s 0-3 Gideons Warriors
The U15s welcomed the well-drilled Gideons to Don Rd in hopes of reversing the score from earlier this season.
After a tough and even opening to the first half, Gideons struck first.
Healesville kept fighting and creating numerous chances, but the ultra-defensive formation Gideons used proved hard to penetrate, and they scored twice more.
Healesville U9 Redbacks 1-2 Berwick United
The Redbacks took on Berwick at home and right from the kick-off it was a tight affair.
The Redbacks came close on a few occasions but somehow couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.
Berwick broke the deadlock midway through the second half. Shortly after they followed up with another and it was starting to look very tough for a tiring Redbacks team.
The boys dug deep, and finally Ben P nailed a shot.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for the equaliser after renewed energy surged through the group.
Special mention to Jamie E for his thoroughly deserved man of the match award.
Healesville U13s 0-7 Knox Strikers U13s
In what was an even first half against top-of-the-table Knox, Healesville were two goals down at the break courtesy of two goals by the Knox No 10.
With no subs, Healesville conceded five goals in the second half, with No 10 scoring a further three goals and adding an assist.
Exceptional passages of play led to near-misses for Louie G, who also had a goal disallowed for offside, and Ryder H. Cooper W was a standout in goal and on the pitch, and Endo G played his best game of the season.
