Match reports for Sat. 31-May & Sun. 1-Jun

Saturday

Camberwell U11 Scorpions 9 def Malvern Red 7

The Wells started strongly with Finn Whelen dominating the midfield to assist Dale Wilson and Mason Lewis with opening goals.  Malvern made numerous strong attacks but David Quim was applying pressure to their shooters and Charles Palfreeman made save after save in goal to keep them scoreless. When Lewis dodged menacingly for his second goal the Scorpions were out to a 3-0 first quarter lead.

Malvern struck back early in the second period despite good midfield running from Zac Watt and Aidan Zupan.  Whelen showed how much his stickwork has improved when he swooped on loose balls and took running passes to drive the Wells forward. Trinity Meachem was gritty when contesting groundballs and cleared nicely on two occasions to put Camberwell into attack. Goals came from Whelen and Lewis but the Malvern barrage continued and the 5-4 scoreline at half-time gave promise of an exciting finish.  Lewis and Zupan struck early in the third with goals off assists from Whelen while Dale Wilson was playing like a quarterback to break up the opposition attack. After an 8-6 margin at the three quarter break Camberwell held on in the last to take the game out.

Goalthrowers:  Lewis 6 and 1 assist, Whelen 1 and 7 assists, Zupan, Wilson

Best: Finn Whelen, Lewis, Watt and Wilson

Camberwell U15 Storm 13 def Melbourne Uni 3

The Melbourne Uni team was playing only their fifth match as a team. While they were still coming together as a side, there was no denying their effort throughout the match and their potential to improve through this season.  Storm had to work hard throughout the game to be able to deny MU.  Good defense and running to clear the ball and force turnovers created opportunities but we need to get better at groundballs and capitalising on opportunities while in possession.  2-0, 6-0, 9-2, 13-3 reflected a good performance from both teams.  Storm players showed their improved fitness having to play with one and then none on the bench as Ethan B bowed out in the opening minutes with a twisted ankle and Finn with a sore knee after landing on it following his and Mikael’s sandwich manouvre to regain possession.  The fourth quarter proved the best display of Lacrosse with Mikael opening his goal account with two both from passes from Al who had drawn defenders behind goal.  Jamie and Ethan H continue to work hard in defense with both running up to stay in the action.  Fergus lived up to his name punching above his weight.

Camberwell U18 Chiefs 8 def by Footscray 11

We set out to play Footscray, with both team so far undefeated. Camberwell opened strong with 2 goals from Eddy but Footscray struck back and we were tied at 3-all for the first quarter. In previous games we were slow out of the gates so it was encouraging to see the boys being switched on straight away.  Both team were evenly matched, trading goals but Footscray took a one goal lead into the half time break. Our defense continued to play well but some mental lapses and a little too much stick-chasing ended up being the difference. When playing 6-on-6, we played solid team defense, but our transition defense needs to improve as Footscray scored a few too many fast break goals. Camberwell cut the deficit to a single goal on Aaron's goals off a great feed from Jimmy but sadly this was not enough. All in all, it was a good performance and the game could have gone either way but we made a few more mistakes and ended up going down 11-8.

Camberwell Div 1 Chiefs 11 def Moreland 6

With the State League team having a BYE and some State League players available, we faced the #2 ranked Moreland team. We welcomed Josh Green, home on college break from the US, Chris McLelland back from a hiatus and Reed, our new state league goalie (from UMass). The game started with a lot of energy but goals were hard to come by - a trend that pretty much characterised the entire game. Both goalies made many saves but Adam finally broke through and we went into the first break up by one goal. Both teams were evenly matched and while Moreland rattled off 3 quick goals to start the 2nd period, Camberwell quickly caught up and no team led by more than a goal. Al took a break from his customary long pole and ran the face off with great success and even score a goal on a well timed cut and a feed from Elbows. The game was very close and ended up drawn at 6 goals - into OT we go. Denis, who had landed that morning from the US, woke up and scored 3 straight goals to spark a 5-goal run in overtime for an 11-6 win - our first of the year!

Sunday

Camberwell U13 Girls 13 def Williamstown 3

The day was grey, overcast and drizzly for the bottom of the table match up with Williamstown Blue.  But that didn't dampen the spirits of the girls on either side. After a warm up and team talk by coach Georgia, the Camberwell girls were running hard onto the ball from the first whistle, with the Williamstown team showing moments of creative play and skill on the counter attack.  
However, the Camberwell defensive line stood tall, dominating the attacking efforts of Williamstown letting only 3 goals through and consistently turning the ball over for quick release to the mid-fielders. Samanda showed good anticipation in goal, catching and blocking most of what Williamstown could throw at her and was well assisted by a determined Charlotte and Poppy in the defensive line.
The mid-fielders were able to hold open positions and lead strongly to exert control over the field and keep the play flowing. By consistently linking with the forwards and supporting each other, the mid-field players enabled the scoring opportunities that Camberwell were able to capitalise on. Mila was awarded player of the day for her consistent presence on the ball, contesting anything loose, a number of attempts on goal and assists for other shots.
Being faced with scoring opportunities was a new experience for the Camberwell girls, but after some initial hesitation of being in front of the goal with the ball so often, scoring duties were shared around. Kirstie, Saskia, Meena and Lilia all getting on the board for Camberwell.
It was a pleasure to watch the open, running play that resulted from a strong defence and dominant mid-field and to see the girls building confidence in themselves and each other by chalking up a 13 to 3 win. Go Camberwell!