The Gold Fields WA State Boys U15 side’s great run at the National Youth Championships ended at the semi-final stage today.
The West Australians were among the teams of the tournament at Valentine Park over the first three days with four wins and a draw.
And they added to their success first thing on Thursday when they beat Tasmania 3-1, Cristiano Farfan (Perth Glory) and Tyler Nyabinde (Perth RedStar) among the scorers as WA confirmed their position as Group B winners.
That set up a semi-final with Group A runners-up Victoria Blue for a place in tomorrow’s decider.
Unfortunately, the Vics proved too good for the valiant Western Australian side, advancing through to the Under 15 Final with a comfortable 3-0 victory.
The scoring was shared around the classy Victorian team, with goals to Julian Recchia, Alexander Houridis and Aaron Cartwright building the scoreline, while their defence also held up their end of the bargain finishing the match with a clean sheet.
It took 19 minutes before the deadlock was broken when Victoria Blue were awarded a penalty taken after raiding the Western Australia goal. Striker Recchia stepped up and rather than opt for power, the National Youth Championships 2022 Player of the Tournament cheekily chipped the ball over the keeper for the opening goal.
Now with some wind in their sails, it was only five minutes later when Victoria Blue added their second thanks to Cartwright who guided the ball past the keeper as they headed into the sheds at half-time with a 2-0 lead.
The nail in the coffin came in 13 minutes into the second half when Houridis slotted in the ball past the keeper to claim the three-goal victory.
Victoria Blue will meet Queensland White in the final after the Group A winners defeated Group B runners-up NSW Metro White 3-2.
Meanwhile, goals from Glory’s Chulu Johnson and Santiago Flores, plus Roland Ballah of RedStar, gave the Gold Fields WA State Boys U16s a 3-0 win over Tasmania.
That saw the West Australians record four wins and two losses and fourth place in Group B, although they ended the week just two points behind group winners NSW Metro White.
The WA U16s end their week with a crossover match against Group A side Queensland White on Friday.
The U16s final is between Vitoria Blue and NSW Metro White.
