PORT Macquarie’s Eastcoast Eagles men’s and women’s futsal teams have won their respective grand finals at the ASN Port Macquarie Futsal Cup on Sunday afternoon (March 26).
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They defeated tournament favourites and professional outfit Atletico Brisbane in both divisions.
The women won 2-0 in a tough battle which they dominated, however the men did it a little tougher.
They won 6-5 after Brisbane sensationally had their goal keeper sent off for repeated misconduct in the first half.
Brisbane crawled back from a player down and a 4-1 deficit to make it 4-4, then 5-5 with 10 minutes to play.
They held on and forced the game into golden goal extra time, where Riley Brennan headed home the winner, sending his team mates and supporters wild.
Some outlandish skill from Patrick Hamilton opened the men’s Eagles account, as he darted down the sideline and belted home a goal.
It was all the Eagles from there, as they piled on the pressure, leading to frustration from Brisbane, their goal keeper receiving two yellow cards in quick succession and ordered out of the stadium.
Brisbane managed to claw two goals back, one from a free kick and one from a long range shot, but it was not to be as the local side hung on for the victory and a massive upset.
The women’s Eagles came out firing to grab the lion’s share of possession.
It paid off with a goal to Jess Hayes.
They defended brilliantly, keeping their opponents to nil at the half time break.
The second half began in the same fashion as the first, with the Eagles dominating possession.
Goalkeeper Britt Hargreaves did a tremendous job saving some powerful Brisbane efforts, while Courtney Anderson’s aggression almost led to a second for the local team.
They scored a second goal just minutes from full time to seal the victory.
It was a massive effort from both teams, according to proud coach Mick Day.
“The women only conceded one goal all tournament, which is an outstanding thing to do,” he said.
“The men were up against one of the country’s most polished teams.”
This was the first time an international size court competition was held in Port Macquarie, with many state and national level teams coming to compete, as well as local teams.
The event, which come up once every four years, was held at the Port Macquarie Sports Stadium.
Last month it celebrated the completion of a $7 million Indoor upgrade.
That included three new timber floor courts, multi purpose rooms, café, new changing room amenities and car park.
Matt Attard
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
