Sale United Football Club were in four Latrobe Valley Soccer League Grand Finals last Saturday, bringing home two titles.
Under 11 SUFC Green defeated Traralgon City Red 3-0 to take out the under 11 top Purple Division title for the second year running. Henri Duggan received the award off the referee for best on ground.
Coming off an undefeated 16 rounds of regular season competition, the under 11 Green Team was already crowned LVSL league champions before heading into the knockout cup rounds.
The weather was fine and the Traralgon Olympians clubhouse sheltered their main pitch from a consistent westerly cross breeze as the U11 Greens faced off against Traralgon City Black.
Traralgon had a strong finish to the regular season, landing second on the ladder. This momentum carried them through to the finals after defeating Morwell Pegasus 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout in a semi-final match the previous weekend.
Traralgon refused to let Sale’s dominance over the season dictate the outcome of the match, and tested Sale with plenty of early attacks. Sale’s defensive line, led by Alexander Olijnyk, did not allow a single shot on goal, defended by Rhys Wakeham.
Robert Sullivan opened the scoring late in the first half with a solid shot on goal through a crowded 18-yard box. Scoring first relieved some pressure for Sale. Traralgon kept attacking and managed to slow many of Sale’s clinical passes they have become so well known for.
In the second half, Sale’s strong midfield turned up the pressure in the forward third, resulting in cracks in Traralgon’s defence. This allowed Ted Crouch to find the back of the net from close range. Best on ground Henri Duggan pushed Sale’s lead to 3-0 to see the Greens champions once again.
Coach Andrew Olijnyk said he couldn’t have been happier with his team’s results this year.
“I’m lucky to have a group of kids with an ability to focus, know the meaning of hard work and understand the rewards that come with,” he said.
“They should be really proud of their achievements this season. I know I am.”
The champion team was: Alexander Olijnyk, Elliot Graham, Fletcher Wynn, Henri Duggan, Kash Sullivan, Marli Spoljaric, Mitchell Hanckel, Ollie Bateman, Rhys Wakeham, Rob Sullivan, Ted Crouch and Trystan Wakeham.
In U13.5, Sale United White defeated Churchill United 4-0 in the Black Division Grand Final. Coach Jamie Zappulla couldn’t be happier with his chargers after winning the league title to make a double.
LVSL referee best-on-ground medal went to young gun Daniel Neilan, who was also the league’s leading goalscorer for the season.
In the U11 Black Division, Sale United were runner-up after a narrow loss to Moe United 1-2. The referee award for best on ground went to Tyler Hampson.
Sale Green were runner-up in the U13.5 top Purple Division after being defeated by the league champions, East Gippsland United, in a hard-fought encounter 4-0.
