Under 17A Round 13

Waverley entered this Round 13 clash with Southern United fully aware that top four positions may well be decided by goal difference. Thus, no moment in any game for the remainder of the season can be taken for granted. In light of this, a scrappy 5 – 4 victory against an opponent placed well below it on the ladder was a somewhat disappointing outcome for the team.

The Waverley boys were on the back foot from the outset when a determined and aggressive Southern United tested the poise and composure of Waverley’s defensive unit. During this period of the game Southern United was able to ‘fire’ a number of dangerous balls into its circle and across the face of goal. Eventually this pressure resulted in a goal that gave the home team the early lead.

The scoreboard pressure created by the aforementioned goal was heightened when Waverley failed to convert a penalty stroke. Fortunately, Waverley put itself back into the game when a scramble in the circle led to a powerful flick finding its way into the roof of the net. At this point Waverley was able to wrest back the momentum, and with it came a number of excellent scoring shots:

• David Howson celebrated his first Under 17 goal when he positioned himself wonderfully on the post and skilfully deflected the ball home.
• David Jensen scored twice. The first of these came from an excellent flick from the spot, while the latter was the result of a powerful fore-stick hit during a short corner play.
• Goal scoring machine Riley Maddock scored via a well executed drag flick.

Even though the team played well below its best, the margin could have been greater had it not been for a number of passing and defensive lapses in the closing stages of the game that provided Southern United with goal scoring opportunities that enabled it to bridge the gap.

The Team: Todd Cope, Zac Davis, David Howson, David Jensen (Captain), Elliot Kitchingham, James Knee, Riley Maddock, James Munro, Stuart Rainer, Patrick Rawlins, Nicholas Steffens, Jonathan Wentworth and Ben Wilkinson.