United U13s settle a score

ROUND five saw Gippsland United Football Club host Monash City Villarreal Football Club in a competitive day of football across the junior grades.

U13s:

The U13s had a score to settle against Villarreal - the side who edged them out for last season’s league title by just one goal.

Gippsland United Football Club (GUFC) came out firing from the first whistle, applying intense pressure and setting the tone early.

A free kick from Billy Breheny found the bottom left corner of the net to give GUFC the lead.

The attacking pressure continued, and Cruz Pavich soon found himself one-on-one with the keeper.

Remaining composed, he calmly slotted the ball home to extend the lead.

Villarreal capitalised on a defensive blunder late in the half to pull one back, sending the teams into the break with GUFC leading 2-1.

Goalkeepers Rhys Wakeham and Tate Musgrove both performed strongly when called upon, helping keep Villarreal’s attacks under control.

A moment of opportunity came when the Villarreal keeper ventured out of the box while trying to avoid pressure from Yanni Hortis.

Hortis won the ball, rounded the keeper and calmly knocked it into the net to restore GUFC’s two-goal cushion.

In the 58th minute, Villarreal grabbed a scrappy goal in a crowded box to make it 3-2, but GUFC held firm in the closing minutes to secure the win.

A sweet victory for the GUFC boys, who clearly had a point to prove.

U14s:

In U14 action, the top two teams took to the pitch, with GUFC ultimately coming up short.

GUFC opened the scoring when Harry Lawrence delivered a well-placed free kick which led to Jayden Ryan driving home the rebound.

At half time, the game was still in reach for GUFC despite the 2-1 scoreline in favour of Villarreal.

Villarreal extended their lead early in the second half, with a lovely through ball finding their striker who finished in style.

Ryan scored his second for the day when a Villarreal defender made an error in judgement, letting the ball through. Ryan took on the keeper, beat him and scored
unchallenged.

Despite the effort from GUFC, Villarreal applied unrelenting pressure with great skill and organised structure, securing a 6-2 victory.

U15s:

The U15s fought hard in a tightly contested match but were narrowly defeated, going down 2-1 to Villarreal.

U16s:

GUFC again tasted defeat for the second week running, going down 4-1.

The pre-game focus was on teamwork and supporting each other throughout the match.

From the opening whistle it was evident it would be a tough contest.

A combination of poor passing and defensive lapses allowed Villarreal to score two quick goals to take an early lead.

When the halftime whistle blew, GUFC went into the rooms two goals down with plenty of work to do.

Early in the second half Clay Diston-McCann stepped up to score, giving GUFC a chance to fight their way back into the match.

However, any hope of a comeback was dashed when Villarreal struck twice more to seal a commanding 4-1 victory.

U18s:

The U18s battled hard to earn a point, finishing with a 1-1 draw in a competitive contest.

All teams will now reset and focus on next week’s matches at home against Port Melbourne.