Round 14 Wrap up | 2019-2020 Macron SFL WA

An absorbing round of futsal that saw the leadership change hands, as well as the configuration of the Top 6.

Joondalup ECU Jets 2 – 3 Spearwood Lions FC

Round 14 of the Macron State Futsal League commenced with The Jets falling to a resurgent Lions. A heated encounter that features 7 yellow cards saw Spearwood take an early lead via Kelechi Nmeni. Joondalup quickly replied via Paul Grant, only for new recruit Vince Longo to restore The Lions’ lead halfway through the 1st half. ECU stalwart Joe Higgins restored parity early in the 2nd half. Longo staked his claim for man-of-the-match honours scoring the winner that took Spearwood up to 9th on the ladder, only 3 points outside the Top 6. The Jets have shown tremendous progress this season, considering that they lost the corresponding fixture in Round 1 by a resounding 1-6, they definitely pushed The Lions all the way this time around.

Cockburn EWA FC 15 – 1 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

Cockburn welcomed Alec Kukic back with a resounding victory over a disappointing Canning. Kukic scored 20 seconds into his return & finished the match with a hattrick. Despite being parked in their half for most of the match, Canning were only 0-3 down at half-time & had several opportunities to respond on the counter-attack. The floodgates opened in the 2nd half with Jesse Lazzaro scoring 4 goals, Alex Gamble scoring a hattrick, doubles from captain Mark Gavranic & young gun Ali Milhem, and a single from Niko Cvijanovic. Captain Khalif Omar responded for The Ultra Tigers, who need to return to the drawing board & keep working on their defensive shape, as they appear to struggle when pressed by their more experienced opponents.

Perth Longobarda FC 2 – 1 Murdoch Warriors FC

A captivating match-up, and contender for match-of-the-round, with 5th placed Longobarda defeating previous table-toppers Murdoch. Both sides came into this match in fine form, with Longobarda looking to avenge the loss to their more fancied opponents back in Round 1. And, despite missing top-scorer Alex Kretowicz & head coach Brian Watkins, Longobarda started the match with purpose, forcing Daniel Forbes into several fine saves. Led by club president Filippo Ostuni, Longobarda took the lead via Jeevan Krishnan halfway through the 1st half. Murdoch responded with Meysam Kanani equalising several minutes later. Captain Remo Capitani scored the winner halfway through the 2nd half to send shockwaves through the SFL, cement 5th spot & announce Longobarda as finalists contenders.

Balga FC 3 – 1 South Perth FC

A mesmerising encounter, and contender for match-of-the-round, with in-form Balga jumping up to 6th on the ladder after their victory over a stuttering South Perth. Balga are now the form side of the competition, having secured their 5th win in a row. With Balga looking to avenge the resounding defeat to South Perth earlier in the season, they flew out of the blocks & scored early via new captain Luke Ross. Ross has thrived since taking over the captaincy from the absent Luqman Sayyed. Roberto Boi equalised for South Perth with a thumping penalty virtually with the lack kick of the half. And, although the momentum now appeared to be with South Perth, Balga came out firing again in the 2nd half, with Gideon Servatius restoring a well deserved lead & Ross securing the victory and man-of-the-match honours. South Perth are now on a 4 match winless streak & have dropped to 8th on the ladder, as they await the return of Czech wizard Jakob Prazja & Mountain Magik loanee Jamie Dib.

Stirling Braza Ginga FC 8 – 2 Curtin Footbalista FC

The defending champions maintained their unbeaten record & returned to the summit with a comfortable victory over a depleted Curtin. Having stretched Braza to the limit in a 7 goal thriller earlier in the season, an under-strength Footbalista were looking to repeat those heroics, despite missing 3 regular starters. But a slow start, going 0-2 down in the first 3 minutes, put those plans to rest. Doubles from the returning Connor Crews & Fernando De Paula, along with singles from Moh Totonchy, Adriano Martino, Robert Ftynogiannis & Thiago Mesquita showed the goal threats that Stirling have in spades. Head coach Saeed Danesh & Dara Dabiri responded for Curtin, and at one stage brought the score back to 2-4, but the resources at the disposal of Braza meant that they always had fresh players to come onto the court and affect the result, starting & finishing the stronger of the 2 sides.

Perth AFC 2 – 5 Fremantle FC

With both sides looking to return to winning ways, this was a match full of energy & endeavour. Fremantle completed the double over a resolute AFC, by starting the stronger of the two & taking an early lead via captain Liam Cummins. Stalwart Daniel Muzzarelli scored his 1st goal of the season, since his return from the loan stint at Mountain Magik in the NSW Premier Futsal League, to double the lead. Martyn Sharpe responded for AFC to narrow the gap to 1-2 going into half-time. Cummins doubled the lead with another goal early in the 2nd half, to take man-of-the-match honours, but AFC came roaring back with a goal from Ryan Moss. A quickfire double from the irrepressible Danilo Neves cemented the victory & placed Fremantle outside the Top 6 only by goals scored. AFC are still in the hunt, but clearly missed the clinical finishing of Andrija Jukic.

Byford Venom FC 1 – 3 Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC

The final match of Round 14 of the Macron State Futsal League featured a determined Byford surprising their more fancied opponents & pushing them to the limit. The Venom took an early lead via the impressive Vaughan Audrain & defended doggedly until the experienced Nestor Fonseca restored parity for Cumbre. Rockingham showed their mettle taking the lead early in the 2nd half via young gun Mustafa Amin (his 2nd meaningful goal in 2 games). Raul Sanchez rounded out the victory late in the match, to secure a hard-earned win for Rockingham. Byford can take a lot of positives from their improving performances. For Cumbre, the win keeps them in 3rd spot, comfortably in finals contention as we enter the 2nd half of the season.