The UC Stars completed an unbeaten season with a comprehensive Grand Final victory over West Canberra Lightning, claiming a 5-1 victory in the Men’s Capital Futsal League showdown at Daramalan College.
The Stars shone early and didn’t take long to get themselves ahead on the scoreboard, setting the Final alight after just three minutes. Jamie-Lee Guo started it, intercepting a long ball with a precise header allowing Jayde James-Ward to draw the goalkeeper and find Nic Dahl who finished with composure.
Guo showed he was as good with his hands as his head when denying Daniel Fulton, and then Callum Smith, as Lightning sought a response. However, it was the Stars who were to grab the match by the scruff of the neck with a brace of goals within seconds of each other.
Michael Rinaudo claimed the first, collecting a pass down the left flank and finishing with a low effort across Benjamin Southam and into the far corner of the net for his fifteenth goal of a productive campaign.
And the Stars went further ahead when the silky James-Ward netted his customary goal, pinching the ball off the toes of Fulton in front of his own goal, the tackle resulting in the ball finding its way past Southam as UC went three-clear by the break.
There was no let-up by the Stars in the second-half as they roared onto the attack straight from the re-start with Rinaudo forcing substitute goalkeeper Keegan Jackson into a pair of fine saves within the opening fifty seconds.
Rinaudo wasn’t to be kept at bay for long though and he struck his second in the 23rd minute to increase the lead to four. James-Ward created it, finding Rinaudo who clattered a finish into the top corner.
Luca Macor then saw a free-kick blocked on the line by Chris Lee, before Lightning netted a fortuitous goal as Fulton saw a shot saved by Guo, the rebound bouncing off the Futsalroo international and into the empty goal.
The woodwork took a pummeling at both ends after the goal as Ben Basser-Silk thudded a shot off the post, whilst Rinaudo and James-Ward both made the goalframe shudder. But, Stars would seal the title when Macor finished off a Dahl pass to crown the University side as the 2024 Champions.
RESULT
UC Stars 5 (Dahl 3’, Rinaudo 14’, 23’, James-Ward 14’, Macor 37’) West Canberra Lightning 1 (Fulton 32’)
