UC Stars earned their second draw of the season and dented ANU Apex title hopes in an entertaining 6-6 draw to commence the Capital Futsal League Round 6 in a thrilling Friday night encounter at Daramalan College.
The Apex were forced to come from behind to gain the point that their performance deserved, but the Stars will be disappointed that they were unable to hang onto what would have been an upset win and their first victory of the competition.
New signing Michael Rinaudo starred for the University of Canberra side with a debut hat-trick, looking every inch a high-quality acquisition as he sped across the pitch and expertly took his three goals.
It was Rinaudo who gave the Stars the lead with Michael Moscaritolo slamming home a second as Stars started well and when Connor Falusi made it three, it appeared as if Stars were in total control, and yet a goal for Apex, netted by Kai Thornton with a neat backheel gave ANU hope.
Luke Stevens reduced the deficit in the second stanza only for Johnny Hajdu and Rinaudo to restore the three-goal lead for UC. Apex weren’t for shaking off however and Jake Fitzgerald, Braulio Melo and Patrick Shore kept them in touch and Stevens grabbed them the draw.
South Canberra Swift ensured they leapfrogged West Canberra Lightning on the league table, inflicting a first defeat of the CFL on their opponents by running out victors by five goals to three.
The Swift were ahead early as Lucas Alcazar-Stevens found the room to turn and flash a low shot past Ray Moon in the Lightning goal, but West Canberra hit back as Brett Forward found the space to equalise.
Alen James restored Swift’s lead and when Sebastian Ospina thrashed home a wonderfully taken third, North Canberra were in the ascendancy and looking good as they headed to the changing rooms with a 3-1 lead.
The next goal was to prove crucial, and it was the Swift who were able to add to their tally as Jackson Paesler lashed in via the base of a post before the same player, enjoying a spectacular match, found the net for the second time as the lead stretched out to four clear goals.
Will Sheppard immediately responded, but the Lightning were unable to get within striking distance. Their third goal, a last second strike from Ashley Blount direct from a 10m free-kick following the exceeding of the permitted fouls, was mere consolation.
North Canberra Fire moved four points clear at the table with a narrow 8-5 win over Queanbeyan-Palerang Power on Sunday afternoon. It was a much improved display from the short-handed Power who stunned the Fire before being reeled in.
Goals from Hassan Alnuwaysir and Arnold Choi gave the Power a 2-0 lead before the Fire found their groove with five unanswered goals in quick succession. Luca Florez pulled one back before Maxx Green, Samuel Thomson and Brandon Hawker gave league leaders the advantage.
James Wilson pulled one back with the first headed goal in the men’s competition, but Hawker’s second had the Fire in command at the break. The Power refused to crumble and fought back well in the second half as Alnuwaysir struck again, assisted by goalkeeper Mahmoud Halawani, who became the first ‘keeper to net in the competition. However, Fire would not be quelled, and Riley Brown and Green made sure they came home with the points.
MEN
Friday 2 December
ANU Apex 6 (Thornton 18’, Stevens 24’, 37’, Fitzgerald 29’, Braulio Melo 34’, Shore 34’) UC Stars 6 (Rinaudo 8’, 25’, 29’, Moscaritolo 8’, Falusi 17’, Hajdu 24’)
Saturday 3 December
West Canberra Lightning 3 (Forward 12’, Sheppard 31’, Blount 40’) South Canberra Swift 5 (Alcazar-Stevens 4’, James 14’, Ospina 24’, Paesler 29’, 31’)
Sunday 4 December
Queanbeyan-Palerang Power 5 (Alnuwaysir 4’, 27’, Choi 5’, Wilson 17’, Halawani 37’) North Canberra Fire 8 (Florez 9’, Sorensen 11’, Green 12’, 37’, Thomson 14’, Hawker 15’, 18’ Brown 23’)
TABLE
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Fire | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 24 | +33 | 13 |
| 2 | Swift | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 9 |
| 3 | Lightning | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 8 |
| 4 | Apex | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 5 |
| 5 | Stars | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 43 | -18 | 2 |
| 6 | Power | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 54 | -42 | 1 |
LEADING SCORERS
15 Maxx GREEN (Fire)
9 Luca FLOREZ (Fire), Samuel THOMSON (Fire)
7 Edward MCCARTHY (Swift), Patrick SHORE (Apex), Nicholas SUBASIC (Lightning)
6 Riley BROWN (Fire), Bailey SORENSON (Fire),Luke STEVENS (Apex)
5 Lucas ALCAZAR-STEVENS (Swift), Daniel FULTON (Lightning), Juan Sebastian OSPINA (Swift), Jackson PAESLER (Swift), Kai THORNTON (Apex), Own GOALS
4 Jake FITZGERALD (Apex), Johnny HAJDU (Stars), Brandon HAWKER (Fire), Brad MALONE (Fire)
3 Sherab GUO (Stars), Clyde HOLO (Stars), David JENKINS (Power), Michael RINAUDO (Stars), Blaise VLAZLOVSKI (Apex)
2 Andrew AITCHISON (Stars), Hassan ALNUWAYSIR (Power), Ben BASSER-SILK (Lightning), Ashley BLOUNT (Lightning), Julian BRITTON (Apex), Sam CARTERS (Lightning), Jenno CERUTI (Apex), Alistair DAVIS (Fire), Jason FARRELL (Lighting), Connor FALUSI (Stars), Brett FORWARD (Lightning), Hamed JADEER (Stars), Michael MOSCARITOLO (Stars), Alen JAMES (Swift)
1 Vinnie BRASIL (Stars), Michael CAHILL (Power), Arnold CHOI (Power), Mahmoud HALAWANI (Power), Lachlan HARRINGTON (Stars), Robert MCKAY (Fire), Braulio MELO (Apex), Bruno MELO (Apex), Michael NOLAN (Lightning), Zach PRITCHARD (Stars), Marko RATHOUSKI (Stars), Daniel ROBERTS (Swift), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Power), Martin SANTOS (Power), Jordan SELEMS (Power), Will SHEPPARD (Lightning), Michael SYDNEY (Lightning), James WILSON (Power)
