Virginia Earn Double The Hard Way
Toowong 1 (Capelli 110’) Virginia United 1 (Geddes 113’) (After extra time. Virginia United win 3-2 on penalties) HT 0-0
Played at Elder Oval
They were forced to navigate three penalty shootouts in the final series before taking out the double when Virginia United drew 1-1 with Toowong at the end of extra time, with United keeper Chris Couesnon once again the hero in the spot kick lottery.
It took until the 110th minute for the deadlock to be broken by Josh Capelli who went on a raking run across the penalty area and was fortunate to see his shot deflect off a defender and into the net. But three minutes later Virginia were back in the game when a corner was only partially cleared away and a great cross into the box found Michael Geddes unmarked at point blank range and he powered home a header which had been coming for a long time. United missed two of their first three penalties but with victory almost certain for Toowong, Couesnon saved three in a row and won the second trophy of the season. Toowong started the game well and despite struggling to create meaningful chances, they had the balance of play at halftime. After the break, Virginia found their feet and kept their opposition on the back foot but were unable to convert their domination into goals. Late in normal time, Toowong bundled the ball into the net but the goal was disallowed by Referee Lara Lee for a foul in the lead-up. Their were some great match-ups between players who are surely getting used to marking each other which contributed heavily to the stalemate, but when Capital League 3 Player of the Year Geddes began to make an impact on the left hand side, all the momentum was with Virginia. With everything on the line, the Grand Final tone of the weekend was kept alive as both sides went into challenges with a take no prisoners attitude and there will be plenty of bumps and bruises to deal with tomorrow. So, the season comes to an end and despite nearly ending up with nothing at all, Virginia eventually ran away with all the prizes and both combatants today can now look forward to planning for a tougher 2017 in Capital League 2.
FB Media Player Of The Match: LF Jordan Pitt - Virginia United
Pitt worked tirelessly all game and his ability to find space through all the congestion was the source of inspiration for his team to go on and win the game.
Team line-ups
Toowong: Dennis (gk), Jackson, Morrow, Lutton, Needs, Gondim, Brown, Howard, Eggleton, Capelli, Janes. Subs: Alderton, Armit, Hill, Kane, Kimura. Virginia: Couesnon (gk), Medhurst, Murphy, Kehoe, Long, Passaris, Harbeck, Pitt, Milne, Geddes, Nicolaidis. Subs: Cordery, Kranjec, MacDougal, Tobok, Riggall.
Referee: Lara Lee
