SOCCER
LVSL
Fortuna ’60 and Churchill United played off for the second annual Anzac Cup last week at Hazelwood South Reserve in a special fixture for the Latrobe Valley Soccer League.
Fortuna made it a clean sweep of all three games with the reserves notching their first win of the day after a hard-fought contest, 1-0.
A special Anzac Day service preceded the seniors’ match with Fortuna president Giuseppe De Luca paying tribute to service men and women past and present and acknowledging the honour of playing in an Anzac Day fixture.
“The Anzacs have allowed us to live in a country where we are free, so to them – thank you,” De Luca said.
“We’re the only two amateur clubs in the country [to be playing on Anzac Day] and the only two in our code.
“This is a great thing for us and I hope it goes on for a long time.”
Morwell RSL sub-branch member Russell Williams conducted the service and read the Anzac Requiem before the Last Post was played in front of a 300-strong crowd.
Play was frenetic in the opening minutes with Fortuna hounding the Churchill defence.
It wasn’t long before first blood was drawn as Harvey Bates capitalised on a loose ball at the 23-minute mark.
Bates’ snap was the only one to make it past the keeper for the day to give Fortuna the win, 1-0, and help them seal fourth spot on the LVSL seniors ladder.
In the women’s match, Churchill were at the mercy of a dominant Fortuna side and were soundly beaten in a 19-0 drubbing to cap off a day of big wins for the club.