Capricorn Cougars recorded their first home win of the season, a 2-1 upset over Olympic FC, the visiting team’s third loss in a row. NQ Razorbacks kept a firm hold on the last finals spot with a 4-1 win over Bundaberg Spirit, while Queensland Academy of Sport jumped to fifth following their victory against Logan United.

Redlands City Devils and Brisbane Strikers was always going to be an intense encounter but it was unlikely that anyone predicted it would be so lively! Adam Sarota’s third goal in two games opened the scoring for the visitors, then Gareth Musson celebrated his first QSL start with Strikers’ second. The last 15 minutes was when it all happened - Devils’ Andy Barton, captain Ryan Bridge and Josh Filewood all received their marching orders, as well as Matt Smith of Brisbane Strikers. Amongst all the drama, Peter Bannon’s men managed an equaliser after confusion in the box resulted in defender Shane Robinson turning the ball into his own net, but it simply wasn’t to be for the men from Cleveland.

NQ Razorbacks beat Bundaberg Spirit 4-1 at home, but the result was not as straightforward as the scoreline may suggest Despite going 3-0 up in 25 minutes thanks to goals from Chris Scuderi, David Mayes and Sean Burke, the home team’s concentration lapsed after that and Spirit kept their opposition on their toes with periods of sustained pressure. Spirit captain Brett Kitching’s second-half goal gave the Razorbacks a small scare but David Mayes’ second in the 80th minute ensured that it was too little too late for Spirit.

Olympic FC will want to get their season back on track following their 2-1 loss to Capricorn Cougars away from home. The game marked the second of Olympic’s five away games and the second in a row that they lost to a team placed lower than them on the table. They did, however, score first through midfielder Stephane Lago but Cougars’ coach Justin Kilshaw’s decision to bring on Tristan Fraser as a substitute proved to be the decisive one with the midfielder scoring two in six second-half minutes, giving his team their first home win of the season.

Sunshine Coast FC extended their lead at the top of the table by four points, a comfortable 5-0 win over Whitsunday Miners. The game showed the depth of the Sunshine Coast squad, with five different players hitting the back of the net. David Muta scored the first on his return from a groin injury and his fellow countryman Kema Jack netted his fourth in two games, before Michael Scarff’s deflected shot from outside the box gave the home team a three goal buffer at the break. Shaun Blackman’s eleventh of the campaign made it 4-0 and Lewis MacKinnon rounded up the scoring with a goal on his QSL debut.

Logan United made the short trip north to Brisbane to play Queensland Academy of Sport in the last game of the round. The youth of QAS turned out to be too much for Walter Oldenburg’s men, with the emerging as 5-2 winners. Joshua McVey’s brace and sole goals from Tommy Oar, Jordan Mason and Elliott Ronto were enough to see off United, who pulled two back through hardworking Josh Chelpy and Dean Le Petit. The result sees Logan stay bottom of the QSL table, and QAS leapfrog Olympic FC into fifth.

Words - Michelle Tobin

Picture - Keith Eigeland

QSL RESULTS – ROUND 9
Redlands City Devils 1 (Shane Robinson OG) - Brisbane Strikers 2 (Gareth Musson, Adam Sarota)

NQ Razorbacks 4 (David Mayes 2, Sean Burke, Chris Scuderi) - Bundaberg Spirit 1 (Brett Kitching)

Capricorn Cougars 2 (Tristan Fraser 2) - Olympic FC 1 (Stephane Lago)
Sunshine Coast FC 5 (Kema Jack, David Muta, Michael Scarff, Shaun Blackman, Lewis McKinnon) - Whitsunday Miners 0

Queensland Academy of Sport 5 (Joshua McVey 2, Tommy Oar, Jordan Mason, Elliott Ronto) - Logan United 2 (Dean Le Petit, Josh Chelepy)

For more information, up-to-date results and match reports, visit www.qldsl.com.au