Round 15 Wrap up | 2019-2020 Macron SFL WA

An engrossing weekend of futsal saw movement in the top half & bottom half of the table, with some surprising results along with Byford securing their first ever win in the SFL. Most prominently, the gap between the Top 6 & the chasing pack grew to a noticeable 5 points.

Cockburn EWA FC 2 – 8 South Perth FC

Friday Night Lights at Pro Futsal Bibra Lake, with Round 16 of the Macron State Futsal League opening with the cracker of the match that we predicted. But, contrary to league standing & conflicting with form, South Perth rekindle their finals aspirations & returned to winning ways with a commanding performance over a surprisingly limp Cockburn. Mid-season transfer recruits Jamie Dib, with 5 assists, and Moreno Cappello with a brace of goals, impressed. And a hattrick from the star of the show Robert Armellini, who proved too hot to handle all match, provided South Perth with a match-winning 6-0 lead at half-time. And, despite EWA’s fightback early in the 2nd half, Cockburn need to start making ‘better starts’ in order to compete, come finals time. Filip Rojnica, Roberto Boi & Luka Bergomi completed the scoring for South Perth, with Jesse Lazzaro & Mark Gavranic responding for Cockburn.

Rockingham Cambio Cumbre FC 7 – 1 Canning Ultra Tigers FC

Rockingham completed a comfortable double over an energetic Canning side that pressed Cumbre all match, causing some ill-temper to the surface in the 2nd half. Mid-season transfer recruit Mason Vojdani starred for La Cumbre with 4 stunning goals. He was ably supported by a brace from Mustafa Amin & a single from the returning Faris Noor Rani. With Raul Sanchez & Nestor Fonseca pulling the strings, Rockingham now have some strength in depth as the drive towards the finals starts to take shape. Canning battled hard all night, with new recruit Jules Leveque scoring their solitary goal. They did trouble Rain Blauberg on several occasions, but could not find the killer touch. With more youth & speed in their ranks, The Ultra Tigers are proving to be stronger in transition. But not yet enough to trouble the side in the top half of the competition. The win took Cumbre back up to 3rd on the table, though the distance between 3rd & 6th is now only 3 points.

Balga FC 3 – 4 Fremantle FC

What proved to be the match-of-the-round, provided a captivating encounter with Fremantle edging out a spirited Balga by the odd-goal in 7. With the chasing pack hoping that Balga would complete the double over their more fancied opponents, it was Fremantle who flew out of the blocks to take a commanding 2-0 lead at half-time. Balga came roaring back to draw level early into the 2nd half, but, Fremantle once again pulled away to a 2 goal lead, only for Balga to narrow the gap once again with 5 minutes remaining. The longest 5 minutes in Fremantle’s season so far ended without any further damage, with the win taking them up to 5th on the ladder, equal on points with 4th placed Cockburn, and 6 points ahead of the chasing pack. Talisman Danilo Neves starred once again for Fremantle with yet another hattrick. Daniel Muzzarelli continued his goalscoring return to the club as well. Whilst Conor O’Driscoll and Graham Dixon were on the scoresheet for Balga, who will rue the missed opportunity to have returned to the Top 6 themselves, with Longobarda faltering on the following night.

Stirling Braza Ginga FC 4 – 1 Spearwood Lions FC

Saturday’s round of fixtures started with an absorbing encounter, with the defending champions maintaining their unbeaten start to the season with a hard fought victory over a spirited Spearwood outfit. Despite the scoreline, this proved to be a close encounter with Stirling taking a 1-0 half-time lead via AJ Martino & The Lions drawing level 7 minutes into the 2nd half via Chris Castro. But that equaliser appeared to spur Braza back into life with 3 quickfire goals in 3 minutes virtually deciding the contest. A 2nd from the resurgent Martino, along with smart finishes from Claudio Tavares & Thiago Mesquita gave Stirling a commanding lead that Spearwood, despite their efforts, could not overturn. The victory maintained Braza’s drive towards another title; despite sitting in 2nd, they do have a match-in-hand against South Perth which will be played on Sunday 16th Feb at 5pm.

Byford Venom FC 3 – 2 Curtin Footbalista FC

Byford made history with their first ever win in the Macron State Futsal League over a vigorous Curtin. Despite throwing everything but the kitchen sink at The Venom, particularly in the last 5 minutes, Footbalista could not muster a result from this match. Byford took an early lead with a goal from the impressive Vaughan Audrain. Curtin’s equaliser came via an own goal to take the score to 1-1 at half-time. Young gun Eddie Garrido scored halfway through the 2nd half, but once again Footbalista equalised with a piledriver from Hesam Mizan. Joshua Heerema scored the winner for The Venom with 5 minutes to go, to the delight of the Byford faithful who have been travelling all the way from Byford to Bibra Lake every week since September to witness this historic moment. Four losses in a row have dampened the mood at Footbalista, who lost 2 of their superstars in the mid-season transfer window and are currently relying on their draft players playing 2 consecutive matches every week. They need to add depth quickly, in order to return to their competitive best.

Joondalup ECU Jets 0 – 5 Murdoch Warriors FC

Joondalup’s recent struggles continued, though they did prove a harder nut to crack than Murdoch would have expected. It took some spectacular goals & phases of play for The Warriors to get past a defiant ECU. With scores tied at 0-0, the returning Joel Di Toro scored from a tight angle. Massimo Basolu wiggled his way past 3 players and planted a rocket of a shot into the top corner to make it 2-0 at half-time. Justin Pearce scored early in the 2nd half & then it was the Meysam Kanani show, with 2 spectacular goals from a distance. The win maintained Murdoch’s hold on the top spot (albeit with Stirling having a game in hand). Despite the loss, The Jets should take heart from their improved performance.

Perth Longobarda FC 3 – 3 Perth AFC

The final match of Round 16 of the Macron State Futsal League featured two sides that repeated their classic high scoring draw from earlier in the season. Despite beating Cockburn, Murdoch & Rockingham in recent weeks, Longobarda found it tough to defeat a motivated AFC side that had a lot to prove. Indeed, if not for a late own-goal equaliser, Longobarda would have lost this match. With both sides missing some of their most influential players (Longo without Capitani & Kretowicz, and AFC without Jukic & Usedo), Nathan Thorp took charge with a 1st half double to provide AFC with a 2-0 half-time lead. Mid-season transfer recruit Luke Palmateer made it 3-0 in the 2nd half, before Longobarda roared back to life with goals from Marco Tomassetti, Cristiano Dos Santos & the unfortunate own-goal. A great finish to an absorbing weekend of futsal that leaves us all waiting in anticipation of what will come in Round 17.