North Canberra Fire set the standard for the new Capital Futsal League in the Men’s competition with a scintillating display in ruthlessly despatching Queanbeyan-Palerang Power by a thumping 20-2 at Daramalan College.
The Fire were simply irresistible in their goal-surge, exploiting their extra pace and movement to scythe through the Power almost at will, as they scored a collection of goals that were beautiful to behold, unless of course you were wearing the purple and pink of the Power.
Maxx Green and Luca Florez led the charge with ten goals between them, Green bagging a double hat-trick, the first in CFL history, whilst Riley Brown and the excellent Samuel Thomson scored three a-piece. Robert McKay, Bailey Sorensen, and captain Alistair David added to the scoresheet, with an unfortunate own goal completing the scorers.
For the Power their skipper David Jenkins struck their maiden goal at this level, he also struck the woodwork twice, and Michael Cahill added a late consolation.
The competition began on Friday evening and the men’s division had to wait approximately 35 seconds for the first goal, Brett Forward scoring into then bottom corner for West Canberra Lightning inside the opening minute.
The Lightning, featuring former Futsalroos international Daniel Fulton in their number, were clinically efficient against the South Canberra Swift, the opposition missing numerous opportunities to get themselves into the contest and ran out 5-1 winners.
After Daniel Roberts had superbly pulled one back for the Swift, following an Ed McCarthy own goal, the Lightning hit top gear with Nicholas Subasic scoring a lovely third and celebrating with a nod to the new Cristiano Ronaldo ‘sleeping’ celebration.
A second own goal, this one bundled into his own net by the luckless Vanh Nguyen, increased the lead, before the energetic Sam Carters slipped home the fifth to round off a great first evening for the Lightning.
The first University derby of the season lived up to its billing as the ANU Apex won a thriller against the UC Stars, eventually running away with the match and winning 13-7, but being forced to work exceptionally hard, struggling to shake off their determined opposition throughout the clash.
Five times the Apex found themselves two goals ahead, and yet the Stars refused to buckle, reducing the arrears on each occasion to a goal and staying within two of their peers until four minutes from the end of the game when Blaise Vlazlovski struck twice in quick succession.
Patrick Shore added a late brace as the scoreline harshly blew out, adding to an earlier hat-trick from Kai Thornton, a double from Luke Stevens, and goals from skipper Julian Britton, Bruno Melo, Jake Fitzgerald and Jenno Ceruti.
The Stars, for whom goalkeeper Jamie-Lee Guo was in superb form making a string of top class saves, hung in the match with the inspirational Sherab Guo netting two, a feat replicated by Clyde Holo, whilst Connor Falusi, Lachlan Harrington and Hameed Jadeer also scored to keep Apex honest throughout.
MEN
Friday 28 October
South Canberra Swift 1 (Roberts 11’) West Canberra Lightning 5 (Forward 1’, McCarthy 5’ (og), Subasic 24’, Nguyen 29’ (og), Carters 38’)
Saturday 29 October
North Canberra Fire 20 (Thomson 4’, 23’, 40’, Florez 5’, 7’ 21’, 34’, Brown 6’, 9’, 40’, Green 8’, 13’, 24’, 29’, 35’, 35’, McKay 11’, Halawani 14’ (og), Davis 19’, Sorenson 22’) Queanbeyan-Palerang Power 2 (Jenkins 12’, Cahill 39’)
Sunday 30 October
UC Stars 7 (S. Guo 10’, 18’, Jadeer 16’, Holo 19’, 26’, Harrington 34’, Falusi 36’) ANU Apex 13 (Thornton 5’, 19’, 27’, Ceruti 8’, Stevens 15’, 26’, Fitzgerald 16’, Bruno Melo 31’, Britton 35’, Vlazlovski 36’, 37’, Shore 38’, 38’)
TABLE
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Fire | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 3 |
| 2 | Apex | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 3 |
| 3 | Lightning | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 3 |
| 5 | Swift | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
| 4 | Stars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 0 |
| 6 | Power | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 20 | -18 | 0 |
LEADING SCORERS
6 Maxx GREEN (Fire)
4 Luca FLOREZ (Fire)
3 Riley BROWN (Fire), Samuel THOMSON (Fire), Kai THORNTON (Apex), Own GOALS
2 Sherab GUO (Stars), Clyde HOLO (Stars), Patrick SHORE (Apex), Luke STEVENS (Apex), Blaise VLAZLOVSKI (Apex)
1 Julian BRITTON (Apex), Michael CAHILL (Power), Sam CARTERS (Lightning), Jenno CERUTI (Apex), Alistair DAVIS (Fire), Connor FALUSI (Stars), Jake FITZGERALD (Apex), Brett FORWARD (Lightning), Lachlan HARRINGTON (Stars), Hamed JADEER (Stars), David JENKINS (Power), Robert MCKAY (Fire), Bruno MELO (Apex), Daniel ROBERTS (Swift), Bailey SORENSON (Fire), Nicholas SUBASIC (Lightning)
