The following reports are from Capital Football

OPEN MEN

NSW Thunder 1 (Jordan Mundell 16’) ACT 3 (Michael Reeve 22’, Daniel Bennett 24’, Trent Flanigan 40’)

The ACT retained their Open Men’s crown with a come from behind 3-1 win over NSW Thunder in a full blooded encounter in front of a large crowd at the AIS Arena. But they didn’t have it all their own way as the Thunder more than played their part in an excellent contest. Jarrod Basger was instrumental in the opening goal of the game as the Futsalroo international won the ball mid-court with a press and got away a shot under pressure that Angelo Konstantinou could only save with his heel. The ball ricocheted kindly for Jordan Mundell who arrived at the back post to slide into the empty net. ACT chances were few in the opening half with Stephen Domenici going closest, prodding a shot at goal that Andrew Haim saved superbly low down to his left. The reigning champions were a different outfit after the break and equalised in the 22nd minute as Michael Reeve was alert to a Daniel Bennett kick-in to slide the ball past Andrew Haim. And within two minutes they were in front. Bennett, who had earlier missed a sitter, made up for his error by beautifully finishing a long pass from Konstantinou past the advancing Haim. Needing to chase the match the Thunder used the fifth man ploy but was caught in the final seconds as a loose ball inside the ACT area was sent the length of the court into the empty goal by Captain Trent Flanigan to seal back-to-back titles.

GF MVP: Daniel BENNETT (ACT)

Player of Tournament: Robbie CATTANACH (ACT), Ross OSMAN (South Australia), Maxim AVRAM (Victoria)

OPEN WOMEN

NSW Lightning 1 (Dominique Caridad 2’) NSW Thunder 3 (Doris Osman 32’, Dmelza Howard 43’, Rachel Perrins 49’) – after extra-time

Goals in extra-time from Dmelza Howard and Rachel Perrins gave NSW Thunder a 3-1 extra-time win over NSW Lightning in the Open Women’s Grand Final. Lightning was out of the traps in a flash and stunned Thunder with an early strike. The Thunder was the architects of their own downfall, gifting possession to Dominique Caridad mid-way inside their own half. With no-one between her and the goal Caridad raced away and picked her spot, bludgeoning a right foot shot past Tani Rosekelly who stood no chance. Lightning, who has only conceded one goal all week prior to this game, slipped into defensive mode and threw their bodies in the way of everything that the Thunder could throw at them. When Thunder did break through the Lightning rear-guard Sarah Easthope was in no mood to be beaten and Lightning led by 1-0 at the interval. The pattern was set for the second half but the Thunder eventually found a way through. A deflection took the ball into the path of Doris Osman who made no mistake sweeping the ball past Dana Buttigieg and into the near post. Despite half-chances at both ends neither team could net a winner and the match headed into extra-time where Thunder emerged victorious.

GF MVP: Doris OSMAN (NSW Thunder)

Player of Tournament: Ashleigh PALOMBI (ACT), Shannon ADAMS (South Australia)

YOUTH MEN

NSW Thunder 4 (Jonathan Barzel 21’, Robert Ezekiel 27’, Pat Crane 29’, Daniel Fornito 40’) ACT 0

NSW Thunder was crowned Youth Men’s champions with a 4-0 win over the ACT at the AIS Arena but the final score-line certainly didn’t tell the full story of an exciting match. Whilst there can be no doubting that Thunder deserved the win, the ACT fought to the end but couldn’t find a way past a Thunder side who defended well. After a goal-less stalemate in the first twenty, it took the Thunder just seven seconds to take the lead, Jonathan Barzel pouncing on a loose pass to pick his spot past Zac Sorenson. The ACT looked for a way back but was caught by a superb second Thunder goal as Robert Ezekiel smashed home the second. And Thunder virtually sealed the result with a third moments later as Pat Crane picked off a pass and burst clear to score with a combination of pace, power and precision. As the ACT played fifth man for the majority of the final eight minutes a fourth seemed inevitable and Thunder put the icing on the cake with Daniel Fornito sealing the result with a brilliant fourth in the final seconds, chipping into the empty goal from distance.

GF MVP: Brian GRIFFIN-COLLS (NSW Thunder)

Player of Tournament: Brandon GAGE (Queensland Regional)

YOUTH WOMEN

NSW Lightning 3 (Rhianna Pollicina 20’, 30’, 33’) ACT 1 (Najwa Allen 3’)

A hat-trick from Rhianna Pollicina was the highlight of a wonderful all-round team performance from NSW Lightning who defeated CT 3-1 to win the Youth Women’s championship title. Najwa Allen drew first blood for the ACT after only three minutes, winning possession after a wayward Lightning pass and advancing on goal before hammering a right foot shot past Tahlor Thackray and into the corner. And the ACT was good for the advantage in the first half playing some excellent Futsal and denying Lightning any time on the ball. Lightning though could call upon player of the tournament Pollicina and she pulled her team level right on the half-time buzzer with a superb equaliser. With Tara Pender in stunning form after the break the Lightning dominated possession and territory and took the lead when Pollicina’s shot was too hot for Tahlia Davidson, who was otherwise faultless,. And Pollicina, the Golden Boot winner had a hat-trick three minutes later when Pender wriggled past a couple of markers and fed Pollicina who finished off the ACT.

GF MVP: Rhianna POLLICINA (NSW Lightning)

Player of Tournament: Rhianna POLLICINA (NSW Lightning)

AWD

NSW Thunder 1 (Rocco Musumeci 7’) ACT 2 (Adrian Araya 28’, Mark Olivieri 36’)

A stunning goal from Mark Olivieri crowned the ACT as AWD champions with a 2-1 win previously unbeaten NSW Thunder after a magnificent Grand Final at the AIS Arena. Olivieri struck with four minutes to play, picking up the ball mid-court and with a spin and twist of which Lionel Messi himself would have been proud, bursting away from his man, rounding another and finishing with a sensational clip over the advancing goalkeeper. ACT started well and went close on a number of occasions before Thunder broke to take the lead in the seventh minute, Rocco Musumeci found room in the ACT final third to swivel and send a powerful shot past Cameron Gudgeon. The ACT almost levelled straight away but Mark Olivieri was denied by a terrific low save from Thunder goalkeeper Nathan Whalen. They home team equalised in the second half when Adrian Araya picked his spot to bang home before Olivieri’s moment of magic. The ACT was also indebted to a top-draw display from their international goalkeeper Gudgeon who made a string of world-class saves to deny Thunder.

GF MVP: Rocco MUSUMECI (NSW Thunder)

Player of Tournament: Craig MUHLBOCK (NSW Lightning), Supreet SINGH (Tasmania)

BOYS’ UNDER-16

NSW Thunder 2 (Harry Griffin-Colls 1’, 43’) ACT 2 (Anthony Giorgi 28’, Adrian Macor 48’) – after extra-time, ACT wins 3-1 on penalties

The ACT upset the form book by defeating NSW Thunder 3-1 on penalties after the match had ended 2-2 after extra-time. George Kazolis was the hero, saving twice in the shoot-out, as the ACT triumphed. In what was anticipated to be a close match the Thunder came out of the blocks strongly and found themselves one to the good after only a minute’s play. Harry Griffin-Colls took advantage of some sleepiness in the ACT defence to find the target and beat Kazolis with a smart finish. That aside there was little to choose between the teams as Thunder struck the woodwork whilst the ACT saw a couple of promising openings come to naught. Kazolis was the busier of the ‘keepers again in the second half, saving point-blank from Michael Loupis. That was a crucial stop at the time as the ACT drew level within minutes as Brady Nixon supplied Anthony Giorgi with the easiest of finishes after drawing the goalkeeper which ultimately sent the match into extra-time where Griffin-Colls restored Thunder’s lead. That was wiped out by Adrian Macor with moments remaining to send the game to penalties.

GF MVP: George KAZOLIS (ACT)

Player of Tournament: Danyon LOUD (South Australia)

GIRLS’ UNDER-16

NSW Thunder 6 (Georgia Plessas 5’, 28’, Carla Trimboli 17’, 32’, Hannah Bacon 31’, Demi Koulizakis 37’) ACT 1 (Lorna Arkell 26’)

NSW Thunder finally had a championship to cheer at the eighth time of asking at the 2014 FFA National Futsal Championships after defeating ACT 6-1 in the Girls’ under-16 Grand Final. A stunning strike from Player of the Tournament Georgia Plessas kick-started the match in fine fashion as Thunder took the lead in the fifth minute. Picking the ball up half-way inside the ACT half, Plessas struck from range, the ball clipping the inside of the post on its way into the net. In a half that the Thunder dominated, they increased their lead three minutes before the half-time whistle when Carla Trimboli finished off a move that had the ACT chasing shadows with a competent finish. The ACT hit back early in the second half when Lorna Arkell scrambled the ball in from close range before Thunder restored their two-goal lead as Hannah Bacon found Plessas who hammered into the roof of the net. Further goals from Bacon, Plessas and Demi Koulizakis as the ACT visibly tired, completed the win for an excellent Thunder team.

GF MVP: Lorena BUGDEN (NSW Thunder)

Player of Tournament: Georgia PLESSAS (NSW Thunder)

BOYS’ UNDER-15

NSW Thunder 7 (Harrison Bagot 27’, 47’, Jacob Basden 29’, 35’, Jordan Pyne 32’, 44’, Anthony Haddad 37’) Queensland Metro 7 (Jacob Basden (og) 25’, Dallas Dack 26’, Jordan Dozzi 29’, 29’, 46’, Jordan Vieira 33’, Liam O’Bryan 44’) – after extra-time, Queensland Metro wins 5-4 on penalties

The two stand-out teams in the under-15 division met in an explosive Grand Final with Queensland Metro emerging victorious 5-4 on penalties after an epic struggle finished 7-7 after extra-time. Queensland’s Jordan Dozzi went closest to opening the scoring in an even first half rattling the post with a stunning long-range effort that left Thunder reeling. Thunder also struck woodwork themselves in an end-to-end battle that was score-less at half-time. That was but a prelude to an astonishing second spell that featured a bucket-load of goals, some incredible near misses, and everything that makes Futsal such a spectacular spectator sport. An own goal from Thunder’s Jacob Basden opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Dallas Dack made it 2-0 a minute later. A sequence of three goals in a minute left Queensland 4-2 ahead before Thunder started their comeback. Player of the Mach Jordan Dozzi netted a hat-trick for the victorious Queensland but it was goalkeeper Matthew Willshire who emerged the hero blasting the winning penalty high into the roof of the net at the second time of asking to cap a simply wonderful match.

GF MVP: Jordan DOZZI (Queensland Metro)

Player of Tournament: Jacob BASDEN (NSW Thunder)

GIRLS’ UNDER-14

NSW Thunder 1 (Georgia Koutzoumis 18’) South Australia 4 (Chelsie Dawber 5’, 16’, 28’, Grace Abbey 9’)

NSW Thunder’s miserable day continued in the Girl’s under-14 competition as South Australia stunned the ladder winners with an exhilarating 4-1 victory. Earlier in the week Thunder had emerged from a tight group match with a narrow 1-0 win so the favourites knew that they would be in for a tough clash but could hardly have expected the way that South Australia stormed out of the blocks to take a 2-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes. Chelsie Dawber opened the scoring in the fifth minute and Grace Abbey increased that to 2-0 four minutes later. Dawber, who would go on to claim a Grand Final hat-trick, had South Australia in dreamland on 16 minutes as she converted her second and her team’s third but Thunder weren’t about to roll over. A goal from Georgia Koutzoumis reduced the arrears before the break and gave the NSW team hope of a comeback. That glimmer was doused eight minutes after the resumption when Dawber bagged her treble with another calm and composed finish to seal the result.

GF MVP: Matilda CROMLEY (South Australia)

Player of Tournament: Emma GIBBON (Queensland Metro)

BOYS’ UNDER-14

NSW Thunder 2 (Dilan Kahale 18’, Marley Peterson 26’) Queensland Metro 3 (Joshua Nisbet 3’, Duncan Stewart 28’, Jordan Tucker 30’)

Queensland Metro continued the theme of upsets as they turned the tables on first placed NSW Thunder to win an absorbing Boy’s under-14 Final 3-2 in front of a large contingent of Queensland supporters. Metro took the lead in the match in the third minute as Joshua Nisbet found room to manoeuvre and fire home a cracking goal. It was a lead they were to hold until close to half-time when Thunder finally found a way past Player of the Match Angus Long in the Queensland Metro goal with Dilan Kahale equalising. At 1-1 the game could have gone either way and when Marley Peterson put Thunder in front in the 26th minute it appeared as if normal service had been resumed. Someone though forget to tell Queensland and their fighting spirit surfaced and within two minutes they were back on terms as Duncan Stewart levelled. Far from being happy just to be back in the match Queensland poured forward and Jordan Tucker gave them the initiative once again on the half-hour, and with Long in superlative form, they never looked back from there.

GF MVP: Angus Long (Queensland Metro)

Player of Tournament: Adem OR (Victoria)

BOYS’ UNDER-13

NSW Thunder 3 (Carlos De Oliviera 10’, Zachary Duncan 14’, Adrian Viggiani 34’) NSW Lightning 6 (Luke Okuda 6’, Tallon Zahra 9’, Patrick Scibilio 22’, 25’, 26’, 33’)

A four-minute hat-trick from Patrick Scibilio led underdogs NSW Lightning to a remarkable 6-3 victory over clear tournament favourites NSW Thunder in the Boy’s under-13 Grand Final at the AIS Arena. Scibilio, who ended the match with four goals, struck his treble at a crucial time as Lightning recovered from the disappointment of letting a two-goal lead slip to triumph. Early goals from Luke Okuda and Tallon Zahra gave Lightning a nice cushion but Thunder hit back with a brace of quick goals of their own as Carlos De Oliviera and Player of the Match Zachary Duncan bagged goals in quick succession. At 2-2 at half-time it was anyone’s game but Lightning turned it on its head with Scibilio’s hat-trick in the space of minutes. With Thunder pushing for a way back Scibilio hit his fourth goal only for Adrian Viggiani to pull one back straight away. Thunder pressed for an unlikely comeback but Lightning held on for a terrific win.

GF MVP: Carlos DE OLIVIERA (NSW Thunder)

Player of Tournament: Nick GOLLINSKI (Queensland Metro)

GIRLS’ UNDER-12

NSW Lightning 5 (Isabella Volkanovski 7’, 9’, Cortney Nevin 10’, Anastasia Grozdanov 30’, Lara Bosnich (og) 34’) NSW Thunder 2 (Georgia Usherwood 20’, Emily Dorahy 39’)

NSW Lightning completed a perfect week in the Girls under-12 tournament by winning the Grand Final in convincing fashion against a valiant NSW Thunder team. Lightning has certainly been this age group’s stand-out team and they showed it in the final showdown with a 5-2 victory over their peers in an exciting match. Lightning laid down their marker early on with Player of the Match Isabella Volkanovski netting twice in the space of two minutes. Courtney Nevin drilled in the third a minute later and Lightning was well on course. Georgia Usherwood pulled one back for Thunder just before half-time to give them a glimmer of hope but Lightning started the second half in a strong manner and increased their lead with a goal from Anastasia Grozdanov and an unfortunate own goal from Thunder’s Lara Bosnich. Emily Dorahy netted a consolation towards the end but Lightning was worthy champions.

GF MVP: Isabella VOLKANOVSKI (NSW Lightning)

Player of Tournament: Angelique HRISTODOULOU (NSW Thunder), Courtney NEVIN (NSW Lightning), Rebecca SNELL (Queensland Metro)

BOYS’ UNDER-12

NSW Thunder 2 (Angelo Kalamovokis 6’, Yousef Sawalha 8’) Queensland Metro 4 (Leum Walpole 15’, Ethan Wildermuth 19’, Jack Bolton 22’, Joshua Dearn 28’)

Queensland Metro caused the first surprise of the day as they claimed the Boy’s under-12 title with a 4-2 win over the favourites, NSW Thunder. And, whilst the final score may have been an upset considering their final positions on the ladder, the manner of Queensland’s victory certainly was not as they fully deserved to come away with the win. It wasn’t all plain sailing for Queensland who had to come from 2-0 down after the Thunder had got off to a brilliant start scoring twice in the first eight minutes. Angelo Kalamovokis and Yousef Sawalha netted early on to put Thunder in control but Queensland began their come back in the fifteenth minute as Leum Walpole reduced the deficit. Crucially they were level before the break as Ethan Wildermuth equalised close to the half-time whistle. Player of the match Jack Bolton gave Queensland the lead two minutes after the resumption and when Joshua Dearn made it four six minutes later, there was no way back for Thunder.

GF MVP: Jack BOLTON (Queensland Metro)

Player of Tournament: Stefan WILLNER (South Australia)