Victories over Blackburn and Mooroolbark saw the U16s and U16 Hurricanes secure second spot for 2025.
Assured of second place coming into the round, the U14 Red Devils had a hard-fought draw against Blackburn.
Healesville U16s 3–1 Blackburn
With first place sewn up for Yarra Valley last week, it was down to Healesville or Blackburn for second.
In a twist of fate, they played each other in the last round.
Blackburn turned up ready for a fight and showed early on that this wasn’t going to be easy.
It took a while for Healesville to break the deadlock via Aidan C, but almost immediately Blackburn hit back.
With goals hard to come by and play almost limited to between the 18-yard boxes, it was a relief when Charlie J slotted one in to give Healesville breathing space at the break.
The second half was more in Blackburn’s favour, with Healesville defending deep for much of the first 15 minutes before wrestling it back to a fifty-fifty contest.
A slight defensive error brought the dream of a second trophy in three years a little closer as Aidan C scored again.
Changing the formation to park the bus for the last 10 minutes and swapping Charlie back into goal helped repel several Blackburn attacks and released Cooper B to command the defensive line as he has done so well all season.
The final whistle and jubilation as the U16s’ best season to date culminated in second place and the highest-scoring team in the league.
Healesville U16 Hurricanes 6–0 Mooroolbark
The Healesville side needed victory to finish level on points with Berwick, but an unlikely 38-goal margin was required to take top spot.
Evie T opened the scoring in the first half as Healesville created plenty of chances but couldn’t convert.
After the break, the intensity lifted.
Isla C fired home a stunning long-range strike that sparked a late surge.
Mahlea D scored her first goal of the season before Eloise S, Mia K and Sophia B added to the tally.
Attention now turns to the cup, with a semi-final against Knox next week and a potential grand final the week after.
Healesville U12 Diamonds 4–0 Bayswater
The Diamonds burst onto the scene in the first half.
Emmelia pushed hard into the attack zone, scoring two goals and setting up Annabelle, who ran all the way from defence straight to the post and popped in the cross goal set up from Emmelia for her first goal of the season.
Saskia also took a blinder shot from a midfield free kick that didn’t touch the ground and slotted straight into goals.
In rookie Esther’s first run into attack she missed a goal by millimetres, followed almost immediately by another very close shot on goal.
The second half was close, but the Diamonds’ defence, dominated by the two Schnaedelbach sisters, held out against most attempts from the opposition.
The ball was driving into attack constantly, with Evie, Anja, Audrey and Elodie all making solid goal attempts.
Healesville U14 Red Devils 2–2 Blackburn
Healesville started well but found themselves 1-0 down after 15 minutes with a deflected shot that crept into the bottom corner.
This fired the Devils up, and they responded almost immediately with two well-taken corners from Jade D that were expertly converted by Sia M and Eloise W.
The second half was a bit of scrappy, with counter-attacking football played by both teams.
Blackburn equalised halfway through the term and Healesville were lucky to get away with a point after Georgia C cleared a shot off the line in the dying minutes.
Georgia C, Ruby R and Teah V were sensational all day to be best on ground.
With a second-place finish, two positions up from last season, the Devils show the future of Healesville women’s soccer is shining bright.
Healesville U12 Panthers 3–3 Waverley City
Healesville came out firing in the first half, dictating the tempo and keeping Waverley City under pressure.
In goal, Sol was barely tested.
Up forward, Sem was electric, causing havoc in attack with strong support from Ryan and Flynn, who opened the scoring after a pinpoint corner.
Sem then added two of his own before half time.
At the break, Healesville held a 3–1 lead and looked in control.
After the restart both sides traded attacking moves, but Milo, Jake, Will and Jack repelled wave after wave.
Waverley found a lifeline from a scrappy cross that spilled on the goal line.
A clearing attempt cruelly went into the Panthers’ own net, giving Waverley a second.
Not long after, a speculative long-range strike looped over Sol to level the game at 3–3.
The Panthers rallied strongly. Ryan and Sem had multiple chances to restore the lead, but shots went agonisingly wide, were saved or rattled the crossbar.
Healesville U11 Ninjas 2–2 Knox Strikers
The team felt confident after their 5–0 win in the season opener against the Strikers, but they had to stomach an early goal against them.
After that, they woke up and took on the opponent with grit and determination.
The equaliser came in the shape of a nice solo by Noah through the middle and a superb strike.
Percy, in goal in the first half, didn’t get much work, but two of the few chances against him went in.
The Ninjas created many opportunities and hit the crossbar once after a great hit by Leo.
All players had lots of touches, including Jaxson up front and Kaspar behind him.
Ollie played superbly as full back, supported by Jacob, Leroy, Levi and Hayden.
Kaspar had his first stint in goal and caught the one ball that came his way.
The Ninjas’ backline didn’t allow much past them.
The team’s offense kept creating promising chances, most of them spoiled by the Knox keepers.
Max, however, found a way and equalised again after a late first-half goal by Knox.
Other results:
Healesville U12 White Wolves 1–5 Mooroolbark Burras
Goal: Zach C
