The Moama Echuca Vikings were looking to continue their winning form as they headed to Bendigo on Saturday to take on Eaglehawk. Led by captain Mitch Edwards, the Vikings started strongly, with Aarav Bhatia and Peaches Starritt attacking through the centre while Cam Peirce, Riley Frazer and Jesse Nye created an impenetrable defence, fending off any attempts by Eaglehawk to push forward to their scoring end.
The Eaglehawk defenders did well to save some close shots at goal but were unable to stop Enrique Dos Santos scoring a brilliant goal late in the half to give Echcua a 1-0 lead going in to half time.
As the second half got under ,way the Vikings took things up a notch, taking control of the game despite Eaglehawk’s best efforts. Aarav Bhatia scored two goals in quick succession to give Echuca a 3-0 lead. Edward Melville stunned players and spectators with his long-range goal kicked from the middle of the field. With assistance from the hard-working Jed Guinan, Bhatia scored once again, followed quickly by another goal from Dos Santos.
Eaglehawk was given a brief respite and was able to lift and score its only goal for the match. Vikings’ Sophie Millar was great in attack and was unlucky to miss a few scoring opportunities late in the game, but this was made for up by Shewan Silva who snuck through to score the final goal of the game and give the Vikings the win, 7-1.
Under-12 Border Raiders
In extremely wet conditions Moama Echuca Border Raiders took on Castlemaine Black at home at Jack Eddy Reserve. The Raiders were keen to return to the winners’ list and even though the conditions were wet and cold they were fired up and ready for the challenge.
Nate Murphy started forward and he had the Raiders on the board with a great goal in the opening minutes. The scoring continued, with Nate finding the net again, along with a fantastic long run from Ben Anthony to join the scorer's sheet.
Alex Attalh took on the goalkeeping duties in trying conditions, clearing the ball from the goal line and sending it deep forward. Captain Edik Jegan and Xavier Stewart worked in tandem across the last line of defence, putting the ball through to Tommy Quirk who added another goal for the Raiders.
Another attack soon followed with a hand ball in the box leading to a penalty kick, with Jack Gibson and his ever-reliable left boot adding another goal to the Raiders’ tally. The rain continued to fall as the half-time whistle blew, with the Raiders in a strong position.
The second half saw Castlemaine Black come out strong, challenging the Raiders and getting a goal of their own. Billy Quirk worked tirelessly through the midfield and had Finn Murphy soon finding the back of the net to have the Raiders up and roaring again. Oscar Dawson, with his best performance for the year, displayed strong defensive work and kept the Raiders focused to run away with a comprehensive 15-1 victory.
Under-16 Border Raiders
This week saw the Border Raiders face top-of-the-table Swan Hill. It was wet, slippery and raining, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the Border Raiders.
The game started at a frenetic pace, with Swan Hill catching our defence off guard early to strike within the first couple of minutes. Charlie Mundie then took a wonderful free kick which had the Swan Hill goalkeeper fully stretched out to tap it agonisingly just over the bar.
Seb Jouault-Thomas and Jye Dos Santos continued causing havoc up front; however, they were unable to score. Brydie Davidson and Lottie Pickles worked up and down their respective wings creating multiple chances and thwarting Swan Hill attacks. Half time saw the Border Raiders 4-0 down.
Some inspirational words from coach Darryl Brown seemed to do the trick as the Raiders, led down back by Matt Whyte, Aiden Bruffell, Charlie Mundie and Paddy Barry, continued to push the ball through to Brayden Hull and Asha Davies, allowing both Asha and Seb to score. Blade Bawden in goals was instrumental once again, continually making desperate saves; however, the Border Raiders eventually went down 2-7.
– reports contributed by Moama Echuca Border Raiders