FFA Futsal National Championships Day Three Results

Results from day three of the FFA Futsal National Championships in Canberra.

MEN - DAY THREE

South Australia gave themselves a superb chance of making the semi-finals by defeating Queensland Metro 4-1 in the AIS Training Hall. With neither side having picked up a point in their opening two matches the likelihood was that the winner of this game would advance to the semi-finals and, as such, the game mirrored the importance of the occasion.

South Australia began with a bang and peppered the Queensland goal with a number of shots, deservedly taking the lead in only the 3rd minute when Captain Jake La Scala reacted brilliantly to back-heel a volley into the net. Shortly after Cristiano hammered a shot on the turn against the bar as SA turned the screw. Brendan Prickett in the Queensland goal had to be at this best to make a number of outstanding saves but even he was powerless to prevent La Scala doubling the lead on the cusp of half-time. Queensland, needing at least two goals to have a hope of redemption started the second half well, Caleb Ulrich stretching Simon Ortlepp into a top corner save and Philip Gamatia going close but South Australia hit them on the break and Andres Obielgo poked home from inside the area for 3-0.

Forced to chase the game, Queensland pushed forward and pulled one back through Brendan Cobb with four minutes to go and Ulrich hit the post but it was too late and Aaron Noble sealed their fate as time ran out.

Victoria 4 (Maxim Avram 7-, Mark Symington (og) 17-, Fernando De Moraes (pen) 29-, Rueben Langerak 40-) NSW Thunder 4 (Jordan Mundell 4-, 33-, Jarrod Basger 6-, Jordan Guerrero 18-)

NSW Thunder ensured they would end the round-robin competition on top of the ladder by securing the point they needed ahead of their bye round with an exceptional 4-4 draw against Victoria. Thunder set the tone, racing into a two-goal lead early on. Jarrod Basger created the first with a wonderful pass that Jordan Mundell gleefully pumped past Christos Apostalakis in the Victorian goal and within seconds the Thunder was two-up, Basger ending a fast-paced move with a tap-in on the far post. But Victoria hit back in stunning fashion. Maxim Avram slotted in his second of the tournament in the 7th minute before Mark Symington turned the ball into his own net in a desperate attempt to clear his lines three minutes before the interval to bring Victoria level.

The Thunder weren-t daunted however and immediately raced up the other end where Jordan Guerrero chased down a clearance and saw the ball bounce off him and into the net to lead at the break. In a topsy-turvy match Victoria levelled nine minutes after the resumption from the penalty spot. Fernando intercepted a loose pass and ghosted through and round Andrew Haim in the Thunder goal. His shot was handled on the line and from the resultant spot-kick the Fernando made no mistake. The scoring wasn-t done and Mundell bagged his second for Thunder before Rueben Langerak ended an eight goal thriller.

LEADING SCORERS

5 Jordan GUERRERO, Jordan MUNDELL (NSW Thunder) 4 Jarrod BASGER (NSW Thunder) 3 Robbie CATTANACH, Trent FLANIGAN (ACT), Sam PERRE (NSW Thunder) 2 Daniel BENNETT, Michael REEVE, Callum SMITH (ACT), Clayton MUSUMECI (NSW Thunder), Jake LA SCALA (South Australia), Maxim AVRAM (Victoria), own GOAL 1 Ryan KEIR, Angelo KONSTANTINOU (ACT), Jonathan KONTALIS, Lev LEWIS, Mark SYMINGTON (NSW Thunder), Brendan COBB, Brian QUAN (Queensland), Aaron NOBLE, Andres OBIELGO (South Australia), Jason BARRIENTOS, Miguel BARRIGOS, FERNANDO De Moraes, Reuben LANGERAK, Konrad MACHOY (Victoria)

WOMEN - DAY THREE

NSW Lightning grabbed a point in a 0-0 draw with Victoria in the opening match of the Open Women-s competition on Day 3 meaning that the youngsters would end the round-robin top of the table and play the fourth placed team in the semi-finals. Victoria meanwhile will need to make sure they get a positive result against South Australia tomorrow to make the last four. Victoria created the first meaningful chances, Madelaine Richardson forcing Sarah Easthope into a magnificent diving save, the Lightning goalkeeper launching herself across goal to push the fierce drive onto the angle of post and crossbar.

And Richardson fizzed in a second blast later which Easthope was again equal to. Lightning threatened sporadically on the break with Logan Garard a central figure but neither team could find the breakthrough before the whistle and an even half ended in stalemate. Both teams changed their goalkeepers at the interval with Dana Buttigieg coming on for Lightning and Elizabeth Sarcevic for Victoria but still clear cut opportunities to open the scoring were at a premium. With defences sound the competitors were forced into long-range strikes which were comfortably dealt with. As such the game drifted towards its conclusion with both teams attempting to find an elusive winner that just would not come.

NSW Thunder 5 (Claire Walsh 21-, 26-, 29-, Doris Osman 23-, Rachel Perrins 32-) South Australia 2 (Renae Pantelis 7-, Rhiannon Eglinton 13-)

Laura Donnelly put in a player of the match performance as NSW Thunder came from 0-2 down to secure their semi-final place with a 5-2 win over South Australia. Donnelly created four goals for her team in a sensational second half show that SA couldn-t cope with. It was the Thunder-s Zoeie Redman who fired the first shot in anger in the opening stages but SA goalkeeper Leah Trebilcock was equal to the task, palming the ball up and onto the bar and the stopper repeated the feat minutes later with an outstanding save with an outstretched leg to deny Redman again. It was therefore somewhat against the run of play that SA took the lead after seven minutes. Renae Pantelis won the ball on half-way and fired a shot that took a deflection on its way past Thunder custodian Melanie McCauley.

If that was fortunate SA got even luckier six minutes later as they went two ahead. Sandra Scalzi let fly from just inside the Thunder half and watched as the ball bounced fortuitously off the back of team mate Rhiannon Eglinton and wrong-footed McCauley. Thunder began their comeback with a superbly crafted free-kick a minute into the second half as Redman, Donnelly and Claire Walsh combined for the latter to side-foot home and they were level two minutes later, Donnelly again the architect, finding Doris Osman in front of goal to flick in. The turn-around was completed as Walsh netted twice in quick succession to claim a hat-trick and Rachel Perrins made it five.

LEADING SCORERS 3 Erin CLOUT (ACT), Claire WALSH (NSW Thunder) 2 Hayley BUCKINGHAM, Ashleigh PALOMBI, Becky ROCHE (ACT), Dominique CARIDAD, Ceyda CAMBAZ (NSW Lightning) 1 Michelle AUROUSSEAU, Michaela DAY, Nikola ORGILL (ACT), Logan GARARD, Kathryn MLADINEO (NSW Lightning), Laura DONNELLY, Doris OSMAN, Rachel PERRINS, Jo-Anne SALIBA (NSW Thunder), Shannon ADAMS, Rhiannon EGLINTON, Jamilla HULL, Renae PANTELIS (South Australia), Melissa MISSAILIDIS, Kristin STENSHOLT, Liesl WOODS (Victoria)