Leongatha Knights dominate

Under 17s LKFC v Drouin

FOLLOWING their recent match up in the cup final several weeks ago, in which Leongatha Knights narrowly won over Drouin Dragons, the Under 17s mixed grand final in the Gippsland Soccer League always promised to be a good match. 

Suffering from key player Mitch Bath’s injury in the semi-final win against Phillip Island the week prior, coach Lorcan Heneghan planned to utilise Bath’s speed up front on the counterattack instead of playing him in his usual midfield role in order to preserve his stamina. 

It was a scuffle in Drouin’s defence that saw a rebounded ball tapped in by Bath to score Leongatha’s first goal of the game. 

Drouin played a nice phase of attacking football but was shut down by Leongatha’s strong defensive line up of Kyran Friebe, Zoe Couper and led by River Thomas. 

Another score from Heneghan and a finish by Patch Wilson saw Leongatha head into the half time break 4-0 up. 

Early in the second half an attempted clearance by Drouin’s goalkeeper went awry, when he clashed with a Knights attacker, forcing Drouin to bring on their substitute goalkeeper. 

It was the midfield work of Heneghan and Oscar Murdoch that set up some excellent through balls for Bath and Jack Jagusch. 

Bath proceeded to score two more goals, and ultimately netted the Most Valuable Player of the game award. 

Jagusch also got his name on the score sheet, seeing the Leongatha Knights take home the trophy with a very convincing 7-0 win. 

Womens LKFC v Phillip Island

In a season where Leongatha Knight’s Women’s team dominated the ladder, it was only fitting that the Grand Final saw them face off against the team that cost them their one defeat of the season; Phillip Island. 

A fumbling start from Leongatha indicated some nerves in the line-up, but it wasn’t long before link ups were executed and the Lady Knight’s put the pressure on a Phillip Island’s defence. 

Following some strong attacking attempts that were shut down confidently by Phillip Island’s sweeper, it was a strong strike from midfielder Gabby Bastick that found the back of the net generating a roaring cheer from Leongatha supporters. 

Despite taking the lead, some heavy rain and a strong wind favouring their opponents saw the Lady Knights backed into their defensive third for the remainder of the half. 

It was up to centre defender Bernadette Fitzgerald and captain Jordan Rintoule to clear the defence, with the reliable assistance of defensive fullbacks Mandy Bongers and Tammy McCaughan. 

A calm and confident half time talk from Coach Peter Milkins and some kinder weather saw the Knights take to the pitch for the second half with a renewed sense of purpose. 

Led by some excellent play from midfielder Jasmine Garry and winger Naomi Eaton, the pressure was consistent on Phillip Island as every fumble was capitalised on and sent forward quickly for an attacking opportunity. 

It was a beautiful finish from both the fantastic Sarah Doolan and league legend Kathy Zacharopoulos that secured two more goals for Leongatha, and ultimately crowned Leongatha Women’s the grand final champions for 2022. 

Coach Peter Milkins praised Phillip Island for their competitive gameplay across the season, and his own players for their determination and consistent dedication to bettering their gameplay. 

Leongatha’s Bernadette Fitzgerald was surprised to receive Most Valuable Player of the match, despite having a confident and clinical game in defence.

Under 17s Girls LKFC v Wonthaggi

With the rain from earlier seemingly cleared up, the Under 17s girls grand final between league champions Leongatha Knights and Wonthaggi was set up for an exciting game. 

The contest was relatively even between the two teams, with Knight’s defender Neka McKenzie providing some great throw-ins to the advantage of the Knights Audrey Vernon and Ana Heneghan and some excellent runs forward by Zoe Couper, Gabby Davidson and Lisse Bath. 

It was a wonderful goal by Lily McKenzie who scored early in the half to put the Knights ahead of Wonthaggi going into half time. 

The second half continued with the same even contest on the ball from both teams. 

Despite continued wonderful defensive work, it was a conceded goal in the dying minutes of the game that saw Wonthaggi level and the game sent to extra time. 

It was a tough contest in the short 10 minutes of extra time, with Leongatha working hard to generate attacking chances. 

When it looked like the game may require penalties, Wonthaggi’s striker sent a ball into the back of the net securing them the grand finals champion title.