SOCCER

FALCONS

By SEBASTIAN HASSETT

 

FALCONS 2000 stormed into this Sunday’s Browne-Huizer Cup final with a ruthless 6-nil demolition of Traralgon City.

The Falcons girls produced yet another magnificent display to move within touching distance of a historic league-cup double.

Having already secured the Football Victoria Latrobe Valley Women’s League title, Rob Guarascio’s side showed no signs of easing up as they annihilated the only team to have taken points from Falcons in 2026.

The result sets up a mouth-watering final against Sale United, which the Swans themselves qualified for with an equally destructive 6-nil hammering of Monash.

A full house will be on hand at Burrage Reserve, Newborough as both sides go in search of a slice of Latrobe Valley sporting history.

Falcons are looking for their first ever Browne-Huizer Cup, which would see them become only the third club (behind Sale and Churchill United) to complete the ‘Grand Slam’, winning the men’s league, women’s league, the men’s Battle of Britain Cup and the women’s Browne-Huizer Cup.

But Sale United is chasing its own remarkable milestone: they are seeking to become the first club in Gippsland soccer history to win a league or cup for a fifth consecutive time.

Churchill had a chance at winning a fifth straight Browne-Huizer Cup title in 2014, only for Tyers Lightning’s brilliant trio of Stephanie Pridgeon, Abbey Ellen Taylor and Elisha Massaro to end the Rams’ era of dominance.

Both Moe United (1975 to 1978) and Fortuna (2003-2006) won four men’s consecutive league titles, but neither could win a fifth, with Moe United foregoing a shot at history by moving into the Victorian Provisional League in 1979.

While Sale United has long been the region’s standard-bearers in women’s football, Falcons’ ambition to build Gippsland’s most outstanding female soccer program has already paid off.

With one game to go, Falcons remain unbeaten across league and cup matches and bring a formline to the decider that commands respect.

Their heavyweight credentials were on show during the semi-final against Traralgon City, which the Morwell-based team dominated right from kick-off.

Monique Lapenta opened the scoring in the 18th minute, before Sophie Jarvis took centre stage, producing a remarkable hat-trick in just 17 minutes at Harold Preston.

Jarvis doubled the advantage in the 27th minute, before completing her hat-trick with goals in the 41st and 44th minutes. When fit and firing, the former Victorian State League star is close to unplayable.

Lapenta added her second of the afternoon in the 66th minute to take the score to 5-nil, before Talia Cook completed the rout three minutes later.

The victory was particularly impressive given the Roosters held Falcons to a 1-all draw in Round 14 before ending the cup hopes of the league runner-up, Fortuna, on penalties the previous week.

Sale’s romp over Monash was a game of repeating halves. Remarkably, Eden Fullerton, Hollie Ryan and Madelaine Breakspear scored three goals in five minutes midway through the first half, before the same players – in the same order – scored three goals in eight minutes midway through the second half.

Tickets for the final will be available at the gate, with fans urged to arrive early at the venue given the expected crowd.

________________________________________________________

GIPPSLAND UNITED

By ALANA RIESS

 


GIPPSLAND United Football Club’s under 13 Boys Youth State League (BYSL) team has made history, securing the club’s first-ever BYSL league championship.


United won a thrilling game against Kingston City 2-1 to win the championship in the last round of the season.Gippsland hosted Kingston at Ronald Reserve, Morwell, in a match that came down to the final game of the season. The result secured top spot on the ladder for GUFC and capped off a remarkable campaign for the young side.


In an incredible way to finish the season, the boys showed remarkable composure, belief and determination when it mattered most. They rose to the occasion, finished the season on top of the ladder, and etched their names into GUFC history.

The club congratulated every player and their families for their commitment, hard work and unwavering support throughout the season.

Coach Steve Riess said he was proud of the development the players had shown throughout the season.

“The boys have shown tremendous dedication and a real willingness to learn throughout the season. They have continued to develop their understanding of the game, improve their decision-making and grow in confidence, while their talent and ability have been clear to see. It has been really rewarding to watch them develop both individually and as a team,” he said.

GUFC board member Michael Colantuono congratulated the players and their families.

“Winning the league is a fantastic achievement for the boys and a reflection of the commitment, character and team spirit they have shown throughout the season. They should be incredibly proud of what they have accomplished,” he said.

Mr Colantuono also acknowledged Riess for his outstanding contribution throughout the season, highlighting his passion for coaching and his unwavering dedication to developing and supporting the players.

The championship capped off a strong final round for Gippsland’s Youth State League teams.

The under 14s finished their season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Kingston City.

Kingston opened the scoring early and held the lead until halftime, before Gippsland levelled shortly after the break when Alexander Olijnyk delivered a well-placed corner for Logan Scott to head home.

Yen Ruey then put Gippsland ahead before Scott scored his second after a rebound from another corner, with set pieces proving decisive throughout the match.

The result saw the under 14s finish second on the ladder.

The under 15s also finished their campaign with a 1-nil victory over Kingston. The match was evenly contested, with neither side able to break the deadlock in the first half. Sidney Box found the back of the net early in the second half, with Gippsland holding on for the win to finish fourth on the ladder.

The under 16s were involved in a high-scoring contest, with Kingston eventually claiming a 5-4 victory.
Gippsland’s goals came from Archie Halkett-Dobson, Clay McCann-Diston, who scored twice, and Cooper Claridge. The result saw the under 16s finish seventh on the ladder.

The under 18s also finished with a victory, recording a 1-nil win over Kingston.


After a goalless first half, Nick Gafa found the net early in the second. Gippsland’s defence held firm for the remainder of the match to secure victory, with the under 18s finishing third on the ladder.

 

_________________________________________________________

LATROBE VALLEY

By LAURIE WILLIAMS


PEGASUS and Sale United will play off in the Battle of Britain Cup final this weekend, after respective wins in the semi-finals last Sunday.

Sale had a 2-1 win over Monash, while Pegasus had a surprise win over reigning champions Olympians by a single goal.

 

Pegasus 1 def Olympians 0


AFTER winning the league championship, Olympians went into the Battle of Britain semi-final against Pegasus with plenty of confidence to win the double crown.

Their aim to win both however came crashing down after Pegasus pulled off a milestone win against the champions on their home pitch.

Disaster struck Pegasus within the first five minutes as Samuel Jacob was red carded, which left the visitors with only 10 players.

This however didn’t deter the Horsemen, as they fought hard to keep out the Olympian strikers. Eventually, it was Pegasus captain Kuku Mahammad who struck the first and only blow to Olympians chances, when he scored three minutes into the red zone in the first half.

This was the only goal of the match, as both teams strived to score again, but strong defences saw chances being saved or wasted.

Pegasus hung on to record an upset win and a passage to the final. Olympians were visibly upset with the loss after their standout season.

 

Sale United 2 def Monash 1

SALE advanced to the Battle of Britain Cup final after a stirring win over Monash at Hazelwood South.

The Swans started off with a Jacob Richardson goal only two minutes in.

Sale went into the match as favourites after their two wins against Monash during the regular season. Neither team was able to add to the scoreline for the next 45 minutes.

Monash’s Ryan McCluskey incurred the wrath of the ref just on the break for a yellow, which was to become critical later in the match.
After halftime, a refreshed Monash sprung into action, and the ever-alert Marcus Krznaric was able to level the scores after two minutes back on the pitch. He was later replaced by Harry Shelley.

With scores level, it was a frantic race to score the winner, and play got a bit rough with several yellows dished out to control player behaviour.

Sale grabbed the lead just on the hour after Liam Macreadie’s shot hit the back of the net. Sale led 2-1 with 15 minutes to play. Both teams made substitutions in an effort to refresh tired legs, but neither could score.

Just on 90 minutes, McCluskey received another yellow which turned into a red, and Monash finished with 10 players.

IN other grades, Olympians defeated Traralgon City 2-nil in the reserves (Shopwell Trophy), while league champion Monash won 3-nil against Sale.

Falcons beat Traralgon City 6-nil in the Browne-Huizer Cup (senior women). Sale United also beat Monash 6-nil to advance to the final.

In the Nan Bosma Cup (Division 3), Olympians smashed Monash 6-nil, while Sale United defeated Tyers 1-nil.

 

Final preview


SALE and Pegasus have met twice this season during the rostered matches for one win each.

The first was a nine goal extravaganza, with Pegasus winning 5-4 in a thriller. In the rebound match, Sale had all the goals with a 5-nil thumping.

These two have never played against each other in a Battle of Britain final.

In regular matches over the years, they have played 55 times, Pegasus winning 37, Sale 11 and six draws.

The key to the match are the strikers, with Isaac Jondahl of Sale scoring 19 and Thomas Garner 10 to lead the Swans. Charlie Cockell will also be a man to be watched for Sale.

For Pegasus, their captain Kuku Mahammad has eight goals and Samuel Jacob has seven, but he’ll be missing after a red card last weekend.

It should be a high scoring and entertaining match.