The MWFA Select team maintained its 9-year unbeaten stretch over the NSFA with a thrilling penalty shoot win after the two teams finished 90 minutes locked at 3-3 at Cromer Park last night.
The tight scoreline reflected the match with both teams playing some wonderful football and scoring some special goals, including four strikers – two each – from outside the penalty area.
The MWFA opened the scoring through Jack McGinley with a smashing 25m shot that thundered into the top corner in the 14th minute.
NSFA levelled the scores in the 23rd minute when Zach Forsyth scored for the visitors before Forest Killarney midfielder Darragh Reynor found the back of the net for the MWFA to give the home side a 2-1 advantage at half time.
The Adam Israel-coached MWFA team looked to have secured the spoils when Pittwater’s John Walker thundered a goal into the roof of the net to make it 3-1 on 53 minutes but the visitors came home strong scoring through a Shane Murray penalty (60th minute) and a fine strike by Michael Cole to make it 3-3 with 15 minutes to play.
It set up a grandstand finish in front of a healthy crowd at Cromer Park but neither team could find a winner and the match went to a penalty shoot out.
CC Strikers goalkeeper Matt Smith gave the MWFA the ascendency by saving the first penalty and when the NSFA missed a second spot kick with its 5th penalty the game was over, the MWFA taking the shoot out 4-2.
The MWFA will now regroup before taking on Manly United at Cromer Park on Wednesday 1 March. That game will kick off at 7.30pm with the MWFA looking to make it two in a row after defeating Manly United in a shoot out in 2022.
Photo credit – Jeremy Denham
