Sport
25 October, 2024
Pedrina Park under lights
PEDRINA Park was a hive of activity last Friday night when South West Victorian Football Association hosted a special ‘Friendly Friday Under Lights’ event.
South West’s two representative squads, the under 12 and under 11 teams, enjoyed matches against Football South Australia’s Limestone Coast Development Centre.
The under 11 squads entertained the crowd with a high-scoring battle.
Limestone Coast had a strong first half, after striking early and scoring two goals from strong offensive plays.
South West rallied but was unable to shut down their opponents’ strong offensive drives, going down 4-5.
In the under 12 match, Limestone Coast also scored early in the first half.
Performances from goal keepers Jonah Sabo and Ethan Lawrence (South West) and Jacob Schultz (LC) were the highlight of the match.
South West showed great offensive work and found the back of the net on multiple occasions and defended well to win 4-1.
Both groups have previously competed in gala days, however this was the first night game under lights – and also South West’s first hit-out for coach Janis Vingrys at the helm of the under 12 side.
“These friendly matches are a fantastic opportunity for our two Victorian sides to test their mettle before heading to the Shepparton Cup this weekend for our final tournament campaign for 2024,” South West secretary Melissa Condo said.
“We’re very grateful for the effort made by Limestone Coast Development Centre players and families and look forward to creating a regular Friendly Friday fixture next year.”
Limestone Coast coach Nathan Koopman said he was pleased with the standards and attitudes brought by both associations to the game, and was looking forward to more opportunities for the representative teams to compete.
South West Victorian Football Association will send representative boys and girls squads to several tournaments next year.
This will include Bendigo, the Country Leagues Football Association Country Championships, Western United, and the Shepparton FC.
The group is keen to hear from junior players interested in trialling in November to play representative football in 2025.
