Quarterfinal nail biter between Marist Red and Canberra Academy

The Marist Red boys opened this U14 quarterfinal matchup with a hard earned goal to #2 Gabe Orchard. However, Canberra were never far behind, with #8 Nick Taylor responding with a strong shot. The end of the first quarter was too close for comfort for Marist's top U14 side, even at 1-1.

Canberra started the second quarter strong, gaining their first lead of the match going up 2-1 thanks to #6 Josh Brennan. Marist's endurance was put to the test, but they were able to respond with 3 unmatched goals in a row. Orchard,  #5 Louie Ferigo and #12 Nick Patterson were each able to nail the ball into the net, finishing the half with a stronger 4-2 lead.

In a continuous game of back and fourth power and endurance, Louie Ferigo slotted in his second goal of the match to take the lead by 3 goals. However, Canberra's never-ending efforts saw them with the immense ability to draw back. Canberra's #8 Nick Taylor scored bringing the scoreline 5-3, and straight away teammate #6 Josh Brennan followed, nailing an outside goal during their 6 on 5 attack to bring his team back in the game. The scoreline now read 5-4 at the end of the 3rd quarter in favour of Marist.

Canberra's #4 Jackson Holdaway opened the fourth quarter with another spectacularly strong goal, evening the playing field 5 goals a piece. Marist were really put to the test, with further bad passes into the centre forward giving Canberra the easy opportunity for counter attacks. However, Marist were able to pull through with true teamwork.

Patterson took the lead for Marist, with a strong outside shot taking the score 6-5 with three minutes to go. Less than a minute later, Marist were at it again, with #10 Max Hood optimising his opportunity from the strong side left wing shot straight into the near corner. Louie Ferigo, assisted by Patterson, went on to score his team a hat-trick to pull through with the win 8-5, as leading scorer of the game.

The last two minutes of the game illustrated how the stronger Marist Red team were able to convincingly put the game away and earn their spot in the semi finals. However, Canberra certainly made their mark and did not give up. Immense credit should be given to the Canberra goalie, Harrison Berguer, who blocked some epic shots late in the fourth quarter to keep his team in the game.

Tactical timeout for Canberra Academy's 6 on 5 attack against Marist Red.