An epic battle between Coniston FC and Bulli FC was showcased on Saturday afternoon at Macedonia Park, in what was an Elimination Final for the Men’s Illawarra Premier League.
An early brace from Tobias Norval saw Coniston take the lead in the 10th minute of the match, later grabbing their second goal through Christopher Arditti at the 39th minute mark.
Bulli came through with a goal in the 69th minute with a chance to potentially even out the scores, but it was Arditti who would not only bag his second for the day, but would secure Coniston’s 3-1 victory!
The first few minutes of the match saw Bulli start off strong when a corner ball from Lachlan Bryce headed towards the back post and straight into the head of Yuki Hashimoto, but the hands of Kaydin Harrison found the ball shortly after.
Coniston immediately fired back, and did so successfully, when a run through the midfield from Arditti saw a chance out wide, sending a low ball into Tobias Norval who fired his shot into the top right corner for a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute of the fixture.
Another chance for Pierro’s side came 9 minutes later, when an impressive Samual Matthews travelled through the midfield before an angled ball fell towards Cassidy Tanddo who would later send Arditti in behind Bulli’s defence line, but a ruthless Braeden Kludass quickly snatched up a save.
Bulli’s Lewis Grimshaw raced down the line, crossing a ball into Ryan Emerton who’s powerful shot trialled Harrison but headed wide off the far post in the 30th minute.
Coniston continued to be an attacking threat through Arditti, and after numerous chances, the striker finally grabbed his well-earnt goal.
In the 39th minute, Matthews dropped a clear ball into Norval who headed straight toward the byline, where Arditti sat in the centre of the box and made no mistake in front of goal, giving Coniston a 2-0 lead going into the half-time break.
It was a slower start to the second half and it showed, with the closest attacking chance coming in at the 57th minute.
Bulli’s Kyle Jackson crossed a ball into Alexander Baulch, but his chance at scoring was shortly denied by Harrison. Just minutes later, Grimshaw would also send an effort toward the net but his shot was blocked.
After several attempts, Bulli’s Grimshaw dominated in the centre, combining well with Miguel Clarino who sat out wide, before an angled ball found Jarvis Paterson who made an excellent connection as he striked the ball past Harrison, setting the score at 2-1 in the 69th minute.
Grimshaw came close once more, with a powerful strike that looked to be the equaliser, but was once again saved by the gloves of Harrison.
In the 81st minute, captain Lukas Stergiou showed class in the midfield with a notable ball over the top and into Arditti who brought the ball down with an exceptional touch towards goal but his shot was easily saved.
An identical situation would repeat itself in the 85th minute, but this time would pay off. Stergiou sent another precise ball into Arditti, where he would bag his second for the day and Coniston’s third for the match.
Both teams continued to showcase some great football, but once the final whistle blew, it was Coniston who secured a 3-1 victory over Bulli and will advance into their second semi final next weekend.
Coniston FC 3 (Norval 10’, Arditti 39’, 85’)
Bulli FC 1 (Paterson 69’)
Coniston FC: 1. HARRISON Kaydin, 2. MATTHEWS Samuel, 3. KAYANO Takayuki, 4. BLACK Tyson, 5. LOE Daniel, 6. STERGIOU Lukas, 10. ARDITTI Christopher, 11. MORLANDO Jake, 13. TANDDO Cassidy, 17. ZUFIC Jason, 19. NORVAL Tobias
Substitutes: 7. FLORO Matthew, 9. TOMASIELLO Nic (BLACK), 12. ZUFIC David, 14. STERN Daniel (TANDDO), 32. MATTHEWS Dane, 36. GARRETT Callum
Bulli FC: 1. KLUDASS Braeden, 2. JACKSON Kyle, 5. MATHIE Logan, 7. PATERSON Jarvis, 8. ASHBURNER Cody, 10. GRIMSHAW Lewis, 12. CLARINO Miguel, 22. BRYCE Lachlan, 25. ADNUM Samuel, 27. HASHIMOTO Yuki, 34. EMERTON Ryan
Substitutes: 3. BAULCH Alexander (ASHBURNER), 13. LEWIS Mitchell (EMERTON), 14. PALERMO Luke, 19. CLARINO Julian (CLARINO), 21. GROOM Brandon, 46. ELPHICK Mason
Date: Saturday, 26 August 2023
Venue: Macedonia Park
Referee: Peter Ilcevski
Assistant Referees: Brendon Fotheringham and Casey Flemming
Report by Alison Dinh, on Twitter @alisondinh_
