SIX champion teams from eight age groups marked a brilliant South Australian campaign for Sunraysia’s representative soccer sides.
Football Federation Sunraysia saw under-16 boys and girls teams, under-14, under-13 boys and girls and under-12 development sides all come away victorious from the South Australian Junior Soccer Association Country Championships in Whyalla.
Each winning side went undefeated through their respective age groups.
Sunraysia’s under-16 girls won all four of their matches, including a solid 7-3 win in their final contest against Riverland.
It wasn’t an easy run for the girls who were left with one substitute for the tournament after multiple players withdrew with injury in the lead-up.
Coach Robbie Pulham said he was proud of the way the squad attacked the event.
“The girls did extremely well,” he said.
“They only came together maybe eight weeks ago but they’ve really worked hard for the opportunity.
“We lost a few players with injury in the lead-up but this team has got some real heart and they gave it everything.”
Despite drawing their first match against Port Pirie 1-1, the under-16 boys they bounced back to win 9-0 in their second encounter against the same side in one of their five victories.
Coach Sam Primarano said the squad were able to hit their straps following the opening contest.
“Since the Vics when they were runner-up, the team hadn’t had a lot of opportunity when it comes to hitouts between June and now,” he said.
“It’s a really talented group of players, and a lot of these boys I suspect will be playing S-League seniors next year.
“Individually they’re quite skilled and as a team they’ve played together for a few years now, which I think is key, all coming up from under-12 level together.”
The under-14 side also had a draw with Port Pirie, this time 3-3, but also had some strong results, including a tough 3-2 victory over Broken Hill.
The under -3 boys and girls also went undefeated, the former’s best result coming with a 9-0 win over Limestone Coast, while the latter’s 3-1 win over Adelaide Hills Blue was an impressive performance, backed up by a 1-0 win over the same opponent in the grand final.
Most age groups were decided by ladder position while others had grand finals, the tightest of which came for the under-12 development play-off when Sunraysia Yellow faced Noarlunga White.
The Sunraysia Green side, which is essentially an under-10 outfit, made the semi-final before losing to their fellow Sunraysia squad’s grand final opponents.
With scores locked at 2-2 following extra time, the Sunraysia youngsters stepped up and took the honours 4-1 in the shootout.
Coach George Moraitis believes there is no other development like a penalty shootout.
“The boys could have maybe won the game in regular time but they came back, and obviously we had to go to a shootout.
“A few of the kids actually played through shootouts in this year’s S-League finals and they stood up, a number of them actually put their hands up to take the kick.
“It’s a really good bunch of kids, there’s a lot of talent in that team.”
Sunraysia’s under-12 and under-15 teams unfortunately faced stiff competition in their respective age groups.
While the local season over representation may be on the horizon for some as entry into the prestigious Shepparton Cup tournament becomes a consideration.
