With Round 14 of the Men’s and Women’s Futsal Premier Leagues competitions wrapping up last week, it’s now semi-final time for both leagues!
Men’s FPL Semi-Final 1 | 6:30pm Wednesday
Prawns (1st) v O’Connor Knights (4th)
Previous Results | R7 – Prawns 10 def. O’Connor 3, R14 – O’Connor 1 def. by Prawns 7
Prawns have gone through another season as the clear dominant outfit in the competition, dropping points only once and that was in a draw back in round two against Boomerangs Blue. Since then they have won 10 on the trot, including a big win just last week against tonight’s opponents O’Connor to cap off the regular season. They’ll be hard to beat and Golden Boot winner Stephen Domenici will take some stopping up front after netting four goals in their round 13 win.
The Knights started the season brightly and went into the mid-season break in hot form but have faltered since then, winning only once in their previous six outings. That’s hardly ideal form to bring into a semi-final meeting, particularly against a team that has easily had their number in the two previous meetings. Knights know that they can score given chances, their 7-6 round 13 win against Boomerangs Blue is evidence of that but they need to ensure they keep Prawns chances to a minimum to be in with a shot here.
Men’s FPL Semi-Final 2 | 7:30pm Wednesday
Timberwolves FC (2nd) v NCU Navy (3rd)
Previous Results | R4 – Timberwolves 2 def. NCU Navy 0, R11 – NCU Navy 5 def. Timberwolves 3
NCU Navy come into this match in strong form and on a four-game winning streak through the back end of the season, and conceding only seven times in those four matches. They’ve only let in nine total in the five games since the break, and have stormed into finals on the back of it. A 5-3 win over Timberwolves a few weeks back levelled the season series and lends credence to their ability to knock off their fancied opponents here.
Timberwolves have struggled more since the break than they did prior, winning only twice, losing twice and drawing a game as they slowed from a strong start to the campaign. But they still did enough to lock in second place on the table and will back themselves to get the job done here as they did earlier in the season. Breaking down a rugged Navy backline will be key but preventing their in-form opponents down the other end will also be of importance as they look to avoid turning this game into a shootout.
Men’s & Women’s Finals will be held next Wednesday at the AIS Training halls, streamed LIVE thanks to BarTV Sports.
