The IFS Futsal Club achieved excellent results in the recently concluded state futsal season. Heading into the final round of the season against West City Crusaders, eight of nine teams were still playing for a place in the Championship series.
Five of our teams qualified for the Championship series. The 12 Boys, 15 Girls, and 17 Girls all progressed to their Grand Final. The 17 Girls won against Sydney Futsal Club to finish with both the Premiership and Champions trophy.
Under 12 Boys
The 12 Boys played a great season of futsal, making consistent improvements under the guidance of Andre Gumprecht. Making the finals wasn’t even a consideration amongst the players when they entered the final round of the tournament. A strong result saw them sneak into a top 4 position by goal difference to qualify for the Championship series.
The team came into their own in the championship and showed just how far they had come, playing some of the best futsal seen by onlookers from any team in the Under 12 Boys age group. They knocked out West City Crusaders with a 3-2 win to progress to the Preliminary Final against Central Coast Futsal Club who they also overcame 3-1 to go on to the Grand Final.
The Grand Final couldn’t have been closer. Sydney Futsal Club were the clear standout in the division all year round but this didn’t faze our boys at all, finishing a neck-and-neck game in a 3-3 draw. In extra time both sides had plenty of chances with Sydney Futsal Club scoring with less than 2 minutes left to play. The team continued to push being awarded a 10 metre penalty with only seconds to go and the opportunity to equalise after the final buzzer. The ball was struck superbly, but a small touch from the opposition’s goalkeeper was just enough to push it onto the goal post to win the game at the death for his side.
Despite the result, the smiles on the boys faces as they came off the court could have easily been mistaken for a side who won.
Jye Bailey was the top scorer with 9 goals.
Under 13 Girls
The Under 13 Girls came out of the blocks firing, securing their place in the finals within the first half of the season, followed by some very close games in the second half of the season that left the girls in a position where a win in the last round would see them finish in the top two.
The girls finished 4th and went on to play Sydney Futsal Club in the Minor Semi Final. Against tough opposition our girls played their best futsal which unfortunately wasn’t enough on this occasion, going down 4-2 ending what was overall a very strong campaign.
Paris Blair was the top scorer with 10 goals.
Under 14 Boys
It was a tough season for the squad of mostly 13-year-olds playing against their older rivals but they showed up week in week out doing their best. Despite a difficult first half of the season without a single win, the team didn’t give up and continued to work at their play. They were rewarded with some wins and boosted themselves up the ladder to finish the season in 6th place. If the team sticks together and continues to build with the same work ethic, they will become a very successful team in the 2016/2017 season.
Bayley Lowe and James Fussell scored 4 goals apiece to be top of the sides goalscorers list.
Under 15 Girls
The 15 Girls team, like the 13 Girls, had already secured their place in the Championship series in the first half of the season with several strong performances that saw them finish in 3rd place. First they faced Central Coast Futsal Club in the Minor Semi winning 4-3 in a close match to progress to the Preliminary Final against West City Crusaders. It was a thrilling game and the girls trailed 3-1 at the interval, but came out firing in the second half. Two goals in the final two minutes gave the girls a 4-3 win and a place in the 15 Girls Grand Final.
A very tough opponent in Sydney Futsal Club awaited and the girls were well prepped under the guidance of Will Piriz but unfortunately it wasn’t their day and they went down 3-1 fighting right until the final whistle.
Hannah Batten was the top goal scorer with 11 goals to her name.
Under 16 Boys
After many exciting displays in all their matches across the season the 16 Boys target of a position in the Championship series was decided in the final round versus West City Crusaders. Despite the dominant performance the side struggled to capitalise on their chances, going down 5 goals to 3, tying for 5th place with Parramatta Pumas Futsal Club, just missing out on the Championship series.
Bailey Chaplain was the top goal scorer with 9 goals.
Under 17 Girls
The 17 Girls played a near perfect season, displaying dominance in virtually every match they played. In a season with only 10 matches, two games less than all other divisions finishing first, the girls managed to rack up an amazing goal difference of 61 (79 for, 18 against), 50 more than their closest rival, West CIty Crusaders.
Our 17 Girls beat West City Crusaders 4-2 in the Major Semi Final to progress to the Grand Final at Valentine Sports Park where they met Sydney Futsal Club. Every player displayed dominance through the entire match and won 5-1 to secure both the Premiership and the Champions cups.
Emily Diaz finished with 30 goals to top the scorers list, followed by Jessica Garrett scoring 11, Tamar Felsch with 9 and Sara Piriz with 5. The all made the season’s top goal scorers list.
Youth Men
One of the most exciting divisions to watch and also one of the most intense this season, the Youth Men’s team were rarely outclassed all season in what was the tightest table of all divisions. They finished 5th, slipping out of the top four in the final round of competition.
Trent Vegter and Dylan Perlowski were the top scorers with 11 goals apiece.
Open Women
Setting themselves up early in the season as the team to beat in the Open Women’s division, the girls were tested week in week out, often taking away the spoils to finish the regular season in 2nd place and easily qualifying for the Championship series.
They entered the Championship series with high expectations but couldn’t overcome Sydney Futsal Club with a 4-1 loss in the Major Semi Final, followed by a disappointing 3-1 loss to West City Crusaders – who the girls had beaten 7-0 just two weeks prior – to be knocked out of the Championship series.
Emily Diaz and Rochelle Johnson were the top scorers with 8 goals apiece.
Open Men
The Open Men’s team had a difficult start to the season. A number of factors resulted in just one win throughout this period. The second half of the season saw a rejuvenated side and they made life difficult for everyone they came up against, with some extremely close games and several wins propelling them into 5th place. Entering the final round of the season meant they qualified for the Championship series, though unfortunately it was not meant to be. The signs however hint at a successful 2016/2017 season.
Emily Diaz
After an outstanding season with both the 17 Girls (Premiers and Champions) and Open Women’s (Runners Up) teams, Emily finished the regular season with 30 goals to claim the Golden Boot Award for the 17 Girls division. She scored double the goals of her closest rival for the award, which she extended further with another 4 goals in the 17’s Grand Final. Emily also scored 8 goals while playing in with the Open Women’s side.
A clear standout in the competition, Emily also took the peer-voted ‘Under 17 Girls Player of the Year Award’ at the Football NSW Futsal Gala Dinner on Saturday Night.
Sara Piriz
As mentioned in a previous blog, Sara was Central Coast Sports College Futsal Club’s first player to be selected to play with the NSW Lightning 15 Girls for the FFA Futsal Nationals. Sara performed extremely well in all of her sides’ games throughout the tournament becoming IFS Futsal Club’s first National Champion after defeating state rival NSW Thunder 3-1 in the final.
This achievement was bolstered further with Sara making the Grand Final with our 15 Girls side, as well as being Premiers and Champions with the 17 Girls.
Paris Blair
Paris is another standout performer in the 13 Girls, who also backed up regularly with the 15 Girls, scoring 9 goals to top the 13 Girls teams goalscorers tally. Paris was voted Player of the Year in the 13 year Girls division to cap a strong season.
Following a largely successful season, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make the season what it was, in particular the coaches, Will Piriz and Andre Gumprecht, Paul Chapman and all the players and families who worked hard week in and week out, both on training days and match days. It couldn’t have happened without your continued support.
Planning for the next season of futsal is already well under way, with some very exciting developments on the horizon as we continue to work toward the pinnacle of the futsal scene.
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