Palerang United took on ANU Orange at the ANU and played on a saturated pitch after a week of rain in Canberra. Palerang United were slow to start and ANU took full advantage with a goal in the second minute of the game. At the restart of the game the whole nature of the game changed with a more composed and determined period of play for Palerang United which saw ANU struggle to maintain any real possession. Ben Pritchard was playing well in centre midfield with Surya Bajracharya receiving plenty of descent ball to put pressure on the ANU defence. Troy Clark was strong in defence providing plenty of frustration for the ANU forwards as he picked off each attack. Johnny Milner was on his game up front too with a couple of impressive runs which saw the ANU keeper working overtime to keep them in the lead. Finally all the pressure on goal saw Johnny Milner tap in the first goal. Score at halftime was 1-1 and with the pitch deteriorating in the ANU defensive half plenty of shots from distance was required for Palerang United to take advantage. ANU started the second half strongly but Karuna Bajracharya was everywhere in midfield and playing well. Johnny Milner bagged his second goal to hand Palerang United the lead and the game was looking like it would finish with Palerang United controlling good chunks of the game but and outstanding shot from distance got ANU back into the game and the final 15 minutes was totally thrilling. ANU were unlucky not to hit the front but some extraordinary defending from Keith Acheson and Ian Rayner neutralised the ANU attack. Andrew Crisp pulled off a great save with around 7 minutes to go but the ANU finally hit the lead when a defensive error saw the ball pin ball around the goal box only to land in front of the ANU striker who slotted in the goal. Palerang United certainly didn’t give up though applying extreme pressure in the dying minutes of the game on the ANU goal. The ANU keeper pulled off several brilliant saves to hand them the win. In the end a lack of finishing in front of goal cost Palerang United dearly but the boys were happy with the effort put into the game. Next week we take on the ladder leaders in ANU Blue at Braidwood which should be a great game. Good luck fellas!
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Palerang United Women dominate but draw
The Palerang United women took on Belsouth at Mawson and with the fields in appalling condition from the wet weather the game was moved to one of the smallest fields in Canberra. Belsouth hit the lead early with a neat goal in the first minute of the game. Palerang United’s defence was asleep and Belsouth took full advantage. This snapped Palerang United into action and the Belsouth defence was peppered with shot after shot until finally Lauren Campbell slotted in the first goal. Palerang United were frustrated though with Belsouth seemingly always in the way on the small field and a lack of cohesion in attack saw Palerang United shooting from further out. Dale McDonald made a determined run up the right wing and crossed the ball over to Tamika Murphy who slammed the ball into the back of the net to move Palerang United into the lead. Belsouth however managed to get a quick reply when a switch of play saw their striker into open space and the shot rocketed into the goal for the equalizer. Half time saw the score as 2-2 and the ladies were sure it was a only matter of time before we would hit the lead again. Belsouth defended well in the second half and although the majority of the possession was in their defensive half the occasional good save from Callie Bolitho and Cheyanne Whitmore was required at times for Palerang United. Unfortunately the game ended at 2-2 but not before several close shots on the belsouth goal went painfully close but not in. Next week the ladies take on Belwest and it should be a cracking game.
Under 5 report
The cold and windy weather saw the numbers for the under 5 rather small but those that turned up add a great time. Sienna Royds, Kieran Saunders, Kiera Colman and River Parsons practiced some ball skills first and they all learned some new tricks. There was some excellent dribbling skills by Sienna and Kieran with Sienna winning the dribbling race. After a quick drink Sienna and Kieran played a one on one game with Sienna scoring the first goal. Kieran defended really well and was unlucky not to score and Sienna missed the opportunity to go ahead two nil with a shot that skimmed the edge of the post. Kieran and Sienna both had several attacks on their goals both of them defended really well. Finally though Kieran squared the score up with the last kick of the game to take it to 1-1. Great work kids and see you next week!
Palerang Under 15 Men’s Soccer
25 July 2015 MATCH REPORT
Palerang United 2 vs Burgmann 5
“Kayne shows he is more than able to handle goalkeeping position.”
You can talk about goalkeeping greats, such as Mark Schwarzer, Mark Bosnich or more recently England’s Joe Hart, but Braidwood has discovered the latest goalkeeping star in Kayne Critchlow. Making his debut in a football match and in the pressure position of goalkeeper, Kayne made it look as though he had played for many years. At least 3 times, shot heading for the top corner of the net, were acrobatically pushed over the bar.
Always with a smile on his face, Kayne said after the match, “ I couldn’t wait to play with a bunch of guys who all get on well and really enjoy playing together. I was stoked.”
The lads knew they were in for a tough afternoon, the Bergman side was undefeated coming into the match, having scored over 50 goals and conceded only 4 goals. We were sitting in 2nd place. The match started at a furious pace, however, after 20 minutes Harry J received a great pass, got past a defender and from the outside the penalty area curled a cracker into the top corner. Palerang 1-0 up. However as head coach, Murray Smith always says, “A sign of a good team is how they come back harder once they concede a goal.
Those words could not have been so true from Smith, as Burgmann came back with 2 quick goals and a further one on the whistle of half time. 3-1 at half time. But by no means out of it.
The team, up to this stage were playing great football, and they continued it on in the second half.
The final score of 5-2 did not reflect the closeness of the match. The bounce of the ball did not go our way on a slippery pitch on several occasions, with the lads playing out of their skins, with most having their best games of the season.
Our fullbacks of Tristan, Issac, Adrian and Lachlan were solid and reliable, cutting down and thwarting several attacks. The midfield of Harry F, Louis, Angus, Callaum and Declan were everywhere. The midfield role is to be a “mate” to the teams back and forwards, supporting both during the match. They did this beautifully today laying off some great balls to the forwards and coming back in need to support the defence.
The forwards, Tim, Keiran and Harry J were always thinking of ways to escape the opposition defence and played magnificently. As manager, Kylie Bunn always says so passionately, “you boys make me so proud.”
Our match next week is against Belsouth at 3.10pm at the home of football, Braidwood Rec.
By Nick Fry
