Over the weekend, Sale United Football Club hosted the 32nd annual Kendall Cup competition, featuring eight men’s and two women’s teams competing for the championship title.
Hosted each year on the last weekend of February, the Kendall Cup is in honour of Sale United player Jamie Kendall, who tragically died at 18.
Kicking off at 9am, Sale United’s 2013 premiership-winning team returned to the pitch for a special 10-year reunion taking on Leongatha Knights Football Club in the competition’s opening game.
Despite their fitness, or lack thereof, aging joints and generally broken bodies, Sale Old Boys demonstrated their high knowledge of the game, the team fitting back together like a dusty old jigsaw puzzle, defeating Leongatha Knights 1-0, with a goal from Ash Ross following a class layoff from Tommy Nguyen.
On the back pitch, it was a Latrobe Valley Soccer League face-off as Moe United Soccer Club took on Fortuna 60 Soccer Club, with Moe coming out on top 2-0.
At 10am, Sale United Football Club met Korumburra City Football Club on the main pitch, defeating visiting opponents 4-0. On the back pitch, Sale United 2023 Swans, SUFCs reserve side, played Casey Panthers Soccer Club. Casey Panthers were too good for the Swans, claiming their first win of the day 3-1.
Fortuna 60 met Sale Old Boys at 11am, claiming their only win of the day in a 2-0 victory. Leongatha Knights stunned Moe taking out a 3-2 win.
It was a Sale United showdown on the main pitch at noon, with the Swans defeating their reserve side 4-0 while on the back pitch, Casey Panthers claimed their second consecutive victory conquering Korumburra 4-0.
Moe United triumphed 2-1 over Sale Old Boys on the main pitch at 1pm, with Leongatha Knights defeating Fortuna 60 2-1 on the back pitch.
Casey Panthers defeated Sale United 2023 1-0 in the closing game before finals, Korumburra drew 2-2 with Sale United 2023 Swans.
The clock struck 3pm; Sale United Football Club women lined up alongside 2023 Kendall Cup Grand Final opponents East Gippsland United Football Club, both teams ready to take the field.
Having last met on the same field for the 2022 Browne-Huizer Cup Grand Final in September last year, Sale’s first grand final match in more than 10 years in which they claimed a 6-0 victory, East Gippsland was out for redemption.
The Swanettes took to the pitch with victory in mind, Sale United women having yet to claim a Kendall Cup Grand Final win in the club’s history despite coming close in 2022, ultimately going down to Bayside United 5-6 on penalties.
A cool breeze, a welcomed change following a morning scorcher, whistled across the park as teams donning green and blue entered the field.
With formalities out of the way, it was time for the game to be played.
Taking the first kick-off, Sale United pressed forward, squandering a handful of chances to take an early lead, resulting in an uneventful opening 15 minutes.
East Gippsland’s Sally Hoffman claimed the match’s first goal, pounding down the right wing and kicking a screamer from outside the 18-yard box.
Sale was quick to even the score with a goal from Alana Jeffries off a corner kick from Anouk Meereboer.
A pass from holding midfielder and playing coach Madelaine Breakspear to attacking midfielder Zoe Askew, who played a through ball to Sale striker Soreti Anderson, resulted in Anderson scoring, giving the Swans a 2-1 lead at the break.
A class goal from a corner kick saw Breakspear claim Sale’s third goal in the opening minutes of the second half, with Meereboer finding the back of the net shortly after bringing Sale to a 4-1 lead.
Having found their structure and rhythm, Sale dominated play in the second half, terrorising an exhausted East Gippsland defence as the Swans tenaciously attacked.
A penalty awarded to Sale saw Askew kick Sale’s fifth and final goal, the Swans defeating East Gippsland 5-1, claiming the 2023 Kendall Cup.
Casey Panthers and Sale United advanced to the men’s 2023 Kendall Cup Grand Final, meeting in front of a large crowd for the concluding match of the day.
The Swans and Panthers entered a penalty shootout after neither team scored by the end of the second half or in overtime.
Jude Taylor, Isaak Jondahl, Cooper Coleman and Jacob Richardson found the back of the net for Sale United, but four wouldn’t be enough to beat their Melbourne-based opponents.
With goals from Amin Yousefi, Ali Hussaini, Backy Barakzoi, Nile Soliman and Dylan Axt, Casey Panthers netted five goals from the penalty spot defeating Sale United 5-4 in a nail-biting 2023 Kendall Cup Grand Final.
Sale United’s Anouk Meereboer was named best on the ground in the women’s 2023 Kendall Cup Grand Final, with Cooper Coleman taking out the men’s 2023 Kendall Cup Grand Final best on ground and player of the tournament.
Casey Panthers’ Ali Hussaini won leading goal scorer of the tournament, while Sale United’s Xavier Boughton was awarded goalkeeper of the tournament.
