Hanwood FC 1
Yoogali SC 1
HANWOOD Football Club were left counting how many lives they had left after surviving a second-half barrage by Yoogali Soccer Club to escape with a point, thanks to their draw at EW Moore Oval yesterday.
Yoogali SC had almost all of the possession in the second stanza but Hanwood goalkeeper Todd Dixon and his defenders scrambled well to keep out the attacking trio of Grant Davidson, Stevie Crombie and Scott Graham who bombarded the goal for the entire half.
Despite having a number of chances thanks to set pieces and outright shots on goal, Yoogali SC coach Tony Santolin said he was happy with the way his side met the challenge in the second half, in what was a replay of last season's epic grand final.
"At the end of the day I'm proud of the boys after they stepped it up in the second half and some games will just go that way, but we know we didn't leave anything in the tank -but in the first half we should have done better," Santolin said.
"The team at half-time were pretty frustrated they hadn't given it their best shot so they came out and try and take the game to Hanwood.
"We said if a team's going to score then it needs to be a special goal because we were trying to not give away cheap goals.
"Obviously Hanwood didn't want to get too far behind in the season so it was very important for them to come out and have a good game as well and they came out and gave us a good contest as they always do."
Yoogali SC striker Scott Graham showed why he is one of the most dangerous players in the competition, when he led the second-half charge for his side, with several excellent raids nearly leading to the game breaking goal as time ran out.
"Hanwood had to scramble to contain him (Graham) and they tried different options because he had a top game and as usual he was unselfish," Santolin said.
"He's got a hard work ethic because obviously he's a product of where he's played before and he plays to a certain standard each week and it's a bonus to have somebody like that playing for us."
Hanwood Fc coach Joe Catanzariti admits his side was counting its blessings at times as the game went on the line, but lauded praise on his defenders and 'keeper for their effort to keep their side in the game.
"The first half I thought we had the better of the play, in the second half they (Yoogali) stepped it up and we had a bit of luck and the defenders busted their backsides to keep them out," Catanzariti said.
"They scrambled very well and they were very desperate and showed a lot of desperation, and when they've got the right attitude they show good fighting qualities and they play a good brand of soccer.
"The way they played in the first half the scoreboard didn't reflect how well they played and we just have to play the full 90 minutes, if we can do that then we'll win more often than not."
The battle in the midfield early in the game meant either side's best attacking opportunities came from counter attacks, but the first goal to Yoogali SC was not one for the hall of fame.
After a hint of offside, Hanwood defenders stopped awaiting the call from the officials, with Dem Torino scrabbling a goal to give side the lead in the 12th minute.
Hanwood was not able to make the most of its chances on gaol until Ryan Spencer was able to cooly slot a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Despite being a scoreless second half the action was no less frenzied, as with each passing second, both sides realised their chance of claiming early season favouritism was slipping away.
hanwood' lack of possession meant they had to pull the trigger at goal whenever they were in range, while Yoogali's domination allowed Graham and company more time on the ball.
But despite a glut of possession and some sparkling play on the ball, Graham an the rest of the Yoogali side were unable to find the gaol they desperately wanted.
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