ANU Apex star Johnny Hajdu equalled the Capital Futsal League individual goals record with six strikes as the Apex stunned West Canberra Lightning 9-7 to claim a first-win of the season and move off the bottom of the table.
Hajdu had a second-half to remember as he scored four times in succession for his team, adding to the goal he netted just before half-time as Lightning struggled to contain his silky skills, and fearsome shooting.
A tremendous first-half ebbed and flowed with goals aplenty as the Apex took a slender advantage into the half-time break, leading by the odd goal in nine. They were forced to come from behind after Nicholas Subasic had put the Lightning in front, but Johnny Hajdu and Connor Falusi replied in kind.
Bailey Dickinson, who enjoyed an excellent match, made it 3-1 moments later, only for Daniel Fulton to reduce the arrears almost from the restart. Fortunately for the Apex, Jake Fitzgerald netted at the second attempt to restore the two-goal cushion.
It got even better for the team who started the day at the bottom of the table as Hajdu increased the score to 5-3, but a superbly crafted goal from Subasic, swapping passes with Ashley Blount, made certain that Lightning was in touch at the interval.
After the break it appeared as if Lightning had the upper hand as they eased ahead for the first time in the contest, Nathen Megic, Fulton, and Blount scoring, bit they reckoned without the irrepressible Hajdu who was, on this day, unstoppable.
South Canberra Swift moved back to the top of the league table on goal difference thanks to a narrow 4-3 win over Queanbeyan-Palernag Power on Sunday evening, a late doble from Atiya Waraga securing the points.
They had to come from behind to do so as the Power took a 2-0 lead by the fourteenth minute through a goal from in-form Marley Jackson and a second from the team’s leading scorer, Doug Woodiwiss who moved onto to eight for the season.
The first of the campaign from Van Nguyen, his maiden goal at this level, reduced the arrears before the break and, when Alessandro Pena levelled matters two minutes after the resumption, it was game very much back on.
Marco Gayer restored Power’s lead moments later, only for Waraga to come up trumps with five minutes remaining to make it 3-3, before grabbing the match-winner with just under two minutes to spare.
The North Canberra Fire versus UC Stars fixture was postponed.
RESULTS
Fri: North Canberra Fire v UC Stars – Postponed
Sat: West Canberra Lightning 7 (Subasic 3’, 18’, Fulton 13’, 23’, Blount 17’, 33’, Megic 22’) ANU Apex 9 (Hajdu 6’, 17’, 26’, 33’, 35’, 40’, Falusi 12’, Dickinson 13’, Fitzgerald 14’)
Sun: South Canberra Swift 4 (Nguyen 17’, Pena 22’, Waraga 35’, 38’) QP Power 3 (Jackson 6’, Woodiwiss 14’, Gayer 25’)
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
1 | South Canberra Swift | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 21 | +12 | 15 |
2 | UC Stars | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 15 |
3 | West Canberra Lightning | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 35 | 33 | +2 | 7 |
4 | QP Power | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 34 | -2 | 4 |
5 | ANU Apex | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 28 | 39 | -11 | 4 |
6 | North Canberra Fire | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 26 | -12 | 4 |
TOP SCORERS
12 Johnny HAJDU (Apex)
10 Nicholas SUBASIC (Lightning)
8 Doug WOODIWISS (Power
7 Daniel FULTON (Lightning), Marco GAYER (Power)
6 Nic DAHL (Stars), Alessandro PENA (Swift)
5 Jayde JAMES-WARD (Stars), Nick PRATEZINA (Stars), Bailey SORENSON (Fire)
4 Lucas ALCAZAR-STEVENS (Swift), Elie DARWICH (Fire), Stephen DOMENICI (Lightning), FERNANDO Jorquera (Swift), Aisosa IHEGIE (Swift), Marley JACKSON (Power), Ed MCCARTHY (Power), Nathen MEGIC (Lightning), Adam NEOU (Power)
3 Hassan ALNUWAYSIR (Swift), Ashley BLOUNT (Lightning), Bailey DICKINSON (Apex), Connor FALUSI (Apex), Jake FITZGERALD (Apex), Luca MACOR (Stars), Robert TKATCHENKO (Stars), Own GOALS
2 Ben BASSER-SILK (Lightning), Caleb CULLEN-RUA (Power), Daniel GIOVINAZZO (Lightning), Bradley MALONE (Fire), Angus PITKIN (Swift), Nik POPOVICH (Lightning), Nick RATHJEN (Stars), Kai THORNTON (Apex), Atiya WARAGA (Swift)
1 Micheal ADAMS (Swift), Elliot ALBERTO (Fire), Adrian DAWSON (Power), Jason FARRELL (Lightning), Sherab GUO (Apex), Brandon HAWKER (Fire), William MANOLO (Stars), Bruno MELO (Apex), Braulio MELO (Apex), Van NGUYEN (Swift), Johnny PHAM (Swift), Michael RINAUDO (Stars), David SESELJA (Swift), Jeremy SALEH (Power), Tony SPASESKI (Power), Jake WILSENER (Stars)