MATCH OF THE WEEK

Floreat Athena (3) vs. Morley-Windmills (0)

League leaders Floreat Athena have advanced to the quarter finals of the 2007 Soccer Pools Cup following a hard fought 3-0 win over First Division outfit Morley-Windmills at Litis Stadium this afternoon.

A hat-trick from striker Jerry Karpeh guided the home side to victory against a gallant Morley outfit, which showed promising signs of a possible promotion come end of the season.

Floreat showed their division one opponent a lesson in football in the early stages of the first half with quick movement and crisp passes opening up the Windmills defence.


It only took 14 minutes for the home side to open the scoring when Karpeh surged forward, shrugging off two players before unleashing a long range shot past goalkeeper Chris Ramsey. Floreat had their second six minutes later after a ricocheted shot bounced off a Morley defender, earning Athena a penalty which Karpeh coolly converted.

Karpeh’s pace up front was causing Brad Hassell’s side headaches and he could have had his hat trick before half time when Josip Magdic’s pass put the striker in a good position to score but he unselfishly laid off to Smiljanic, who was beaten to the ball.

After the half time break, Morley came out a different side taking it up to the Premier League heavyweights, almost scoring two minutes into the second half when dangerous striker Farrell Hedges shot narrowly wide from outside the box.

The visitors certainly had the better of the second half proceedings with Hedges liveliness up front giving the underdogs hopes of a possible upset. With ten minutes remaining, Karpeh beat the offside trap with his electrifying pace and with only the goalkeeper to beat; he opted to round Ramsey and was robbed of possession.

Time was the visitor’s enemy and their hopes were tarnished when defender Will Kirkpatrick was sent off for a second book-able offence following a late challenge.

Morley became undisciplined and frustrated in the final minutes and Floreat put the icing on the cake in injury time when Karpeh chipped Ramsy in the 18 yard box for his hat-trick sealing Athena’s spot in the quarter finals.

The draw for the Soccer Pools Cup will take place next Saturday at Clipsal Stadium, during half time of the Inglewood Vs Stirling Lions match.

Football West Match Reporter: Beau Crompton



Stirling Lions (11) vs. South West Phoenix (1)

It was raining goals at Macedonia Park as Stirling Lions smashed 11 past a hapless South West Phoenix side in round two of the Soccer Pools Cup today.

The Lions had six different players on the score sheet including a hat-trick from big central defender Kevin Henderson, braces from David Dugdale, Dannie Richman and Ludo Boi as well as singles to Phil Arnold and Daniel Micevski. Despite not being given much chance to win the game, Phoenix coach Mickey Cairns must have been bewildered at the defending that allowed Stirling to constantly bombard the goal of Ryan Montgomery.

By half time, it was a 6-0 and game over with Phil Arnold, Ludo Boi and Dugdale running riot for the 45 minutes.

Arnold seemed to be involved with every attacking play for the Lions and set up the opener on nine minutes after bursting past the defence and squaring for Dugdale to slot home into the empty net.

On 21 minutes Arnold flicked in a near post corner to double the Lions advantage before Dannie Richman bagged the first of his two goals after intercepting a stray Phoenix pass out wide, waltzing past a poor tackle from Ridson and slotting past the advancing keeper from the edge of the area.

It took nine more minutes for Stirling to bag their third, Arnold breezing past the hapless challenge of Andy Cowley before squaring to Boi who smashed home first time from 20 yards, a goal that had the fans applauding.

Phoenix keeper Ryan Montgomery’s poor kicking was putting his side under all sorts of pressure as Stirling launched wave after wave of attack and on 40 minutes Arnold was again involved, chesting a cross ball down on the edge of the area before laying off to Micevski who blasted home low inside the upright.

Just as Phoenix thought it couldn’t get any worse, Stirling made it six on the stroke of half-time, Montgomery unable to hold a stinging Boi shot with Dugdale knocking the rebound home from close range.

Mercifully referee Mathew Cheeseman blew for full time without playing any injury time as Phoenix slumped back to the rooms dispirited.

Within six minutes of the restart, Henderson had his first and Stirling’s seventh after Arnold’s trickery brought a rash tackle from Cowley in the box with a penalty the end result.

Phoenix at last had something to cheer on 71 minutes as Steve Suttie side footed home after a low Hathaway centre fell to the midfielder on the edge of the box.

Stirling weren’t finished however, and hit four more goals in the final 12 minutes to seal an emphatic victory.

Cowley lost possession near the centre circle allowing substitute Vas Kalogeracos to back heel into the path of Boi who waltzed into the box and fired home for his second.

Richman had his second shortly after when he bundled home the loose ball following a save from a Kalogeracos effort.

On 42 minutes, Henderson curled home an indirect free kick from just inside the area to make it double figures before a comical series of events led to another penalty and Henderson’s hat-trick.

Kalogeracos was played through and rounded the keeper but with the defenders getting back to cover, the ex-Glory man twisted and turned back out of the box before Arnold took over and was dumped in the area by Phoenix’s James Turbitt.

Henderson slotted the penalty to record his hat-trick however the score line could have shown an even greater winning margin but for some tremendous second half saves from Phoenix keeper Montgomery to deny Kalogeracos on a number of occasions.

Stirling coach Mick Lyons saw his Premier division side just too strong for his first division opponents.

“The lads proved too strong today and it was pleasing we scored so many but on the same token, we missed an awful lot too. Hendo was delighted, I think it’s the first hat-trick he has ever scored,” said Lyons.

“Two of our young lads made their debuts, overall today we had seven lads on the pitch who were under the age of 19, they are our young lion cubs and I think they are doing well and am really pleased for them,” he said.

Football West Match Reporter: Ben Fitzpatrick



Armadale (0) vs. Dianella White Eagles (0)

Armadale progressed to the quarter finals of the 2007 Soccer Pools Cup after a thrilling penalty shootout victory over Dianella White Eagles in their second round match at Alfred Skeet Oval this afternoon.

The score was still deadlocked at 0-0 after regulation and extra-time failed to separate the two sides.

After a tight opening it was the visitors who had the first chance of the game through Jon Greenwood who was allowed to run into the penalty area unmarked but headed wide from 15 yards.

Armadale’s best opportunity in the first half came in the 18th minute through Simon Brooks who headed straight at the Dianella goalkeeper from 12 yards.

Darren Kingston was unlucky not to score for the home side in the 58th minute when his glancing header following a Dusan Macura free-kick sailed narrowly wide.

The White Eagles almost pinched the victory in the 85th minute when Mladen Gligorski headed narrowly wide.

With the score locked at 0-0 after regulation time, the game moved into extra time. The best chance during the extra thirty minutes fell to Joel Baptist, who fiercely shot into the upright from 12 yards.

Shortly afterwards Armadale’s Craig Anderson was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

After the teams couldn’t be separated during the extra period, the match moved into the lottery of a penalty shootout.

Daryl Platten of Armadale took the first penalty but saw it saved by the visiting ‘keeper. Ray Rose saw his effort for Dianella, the first penalty taken by them, saved by Cyril Sharrock.

Each team then converted their next five penalties before Ben Howe scored for Armadale to take the score to 6-5 in the shootout. Paul Hickey then blasted his effort over for the White Eagles, handing Armadale the victory, which moves them into the third round of the Soccer Pools Cup.

Football West Match Reporter: Jacob Kagi