Round eight and if we can win six games we could leapfrog Maccabi into fourth place on the championship ladder…….. Sounds easy enough, but on our most disappointing day since round one, easy couldn’t have been further from the truth. Not that every team under performed, some continued to play very well and some were beaten by the better team.

Unfortunately Maccabi don’t have a development squad so it was straight into the 12 Boys.

12 Boys – Sponsored by Gloria Jean’s Coffee

The table suggested that the Taipans should come out on top in their encounter with Maccabi, and so it played out, as the young South Coast boys finally broke down the early resistance to turn a 1-0 halftime lead into a 5-0 victory, thus maintaining the league’s best goals for, and goals against. Taipan scorers were Jacob Gjorsevski (2), Luke Jones, Kayne Kotevski and Dean Saverino.

12 Girls

Up against high flying Maccabi, the Taipan 12 Girls would need to be at their very best to continue their push for a finals spot. Continuing their recent good form, our girls matched Maccabi in an excellent display, with only a single lapse of concentration allowing the visitors to take a 1-2 lead into halftime. The second half saw the Taipans unable to convert any of the many chances created in a dominant display. A great display but disappointing result, 1-2. The Taipan scorer was Anastasia Grozdanov.

14 Boys – Sponsored by Peter Taranto Real Estate

We expected a tight game in the 14’s with Maccabi sitting one spot above the Taipans, and that’s exactly what we got in a game that ebbed and flowed from end to end. 1-0 up at halftime this was still anybody’s game, but it was the young Maccabi goalkeeper that really shone, repelling the majority that the Taipans could throw at him. In the end the Taipans had to settle for one point in a 2-2 draw that was probably a fair result. Taipan scorers, Mitch Ferraro and Alex Pappas.

14 Girls – Sponsored by Ecomulch

Our 14 Girls knew they were up against it against second placed Maccabi, but through the first half you wouldn’t have know there was such a gap between the two sides going in at 1-1 thanks to a Claytyn Gehrke goal. Unfortunately the small squad wilted in the rising heat as Maccabi proved their superior league standing easing to a 1-5 win.

16 Boys – Sponsored by Big River Timber

Missing two players through suspension, the 16 Boys got to halftime leading 2-1 without really getting going, and a lack lustre second half performance saw Maccabi take advantage and run out deserved 4-5 winners. Seemed like a lot of minds were concentrating on NSW state trials rather than the game in hand. The Taipan scorers were Matt Mazevski (2), Dion Sterjovski and Mitch Ferraro.

16 Girls

Our 16 Girls were looking to continue their recent good form, and we were looking to them to get our day back on track, and as with Coach Bobby Mazevski’s 12 Boys, he’s 16 Girls didn’t let us down. A dominant first half display saw the Taipans go in 3-0 up. A much improved second half from Maccabi in the stifling heat kept the Taipans to just one additional goal, final score 4-0. The Taipan scorers were, Catherine Bullivant, Ainslie Lyon, Matilda Potter and Taren King.

Youth Men – Sponsored by Koonawarra Meats

Once again five Youth Men had to be supplemented by the 16 Boys, but as in previous rounds, the youngsters seem to play better when they’re playing up. A tight first half had the score at 1-1. Some great futsal saw the Taipans get on top 3-1 but another reply from Maccabi gave us an exciting finish to a good game in extremely hot conditions. Final score 3-2 with the Taipan scorers, Sam Davies, Matt Mazevski and James Brodnik.

Women

Our Taipan Women were really up against it against top of the league Maccabi and as the visitors capitalised on two early mistakes it looked like a cricket score was on the cards. But the Taipans have improved each week, and didn’t capitulate as some might have expected. 0-3 at halftime didn’t tell the whole story, and an excellent second half contained the league leaders to just one more goal. This was a far cry from our early season second half performances.

Men – Sponsored by Koonawarra Meats

We have feared for some time that the over reliance of our First Grade on youth graders playing two games, and 16 Boys playing three games, would come back and bite us, and in 38 degree heat, today was just that time. Having said that, it was a side full of men that quickly fell behind to a Maccabi side that looked a lot more up for the fight than the Taipans did. 0-2 down at halftime only told half the story, and it was Maccabi that continued to boss the game in the second half to run out deserved 1-8 victors. Maybe it was playing beach soccer before playing futsal, maybe it’s that some men just do not take futsal seriously enough, but at the end of the day this defeat sees us lose the top spot and with two of the top four still to play, a finals spot is far from guaranteed.

Only three wins and a draw was not what we wanted, but fair play to Maccabi, they took the games they were supposed to and outperformed us in a lot of the games we were supposed to win.

Next week sees our last home game of the year against West City Crusaders and no doubt a visit from Father Christmas. Hopefully he can be kind to the Taipans…….