By ALASDAIR SCOTT
FOR two weeks in a row, Noosa Lions scored five goals to claim emphatic victories.
However, last week’s 5-1 win at Caloundra was a more satisfying and accomplished team performance than Saturday’s 5-2 defeat of local rivals Coolum.
A late equaliser for Coolum had thwarted the Noosa Premier Reserves’ hopes of consecutive victories.
On Friday night, the two ladies teams were in direct opposition, with Whites winning 7-1 despite a promising performance by the Blues. Elo, Ellie and Ursula were the standout players on the night.
There were mixed results for the over-35s with Noosa Blue beating Caloundra 11-0 and Noosa White going down 6-2 to Coolum despite a Schneider penalty, which made it 32 consecutive seasons of goal scoring for Noosa’s evergreen Wolfie. He was outdone on the longevity and record breaking though, with the sending off of 82-year-old Bobby Chalmers to the bench, for holding on to the ball – proof there is still life in the old dog.
In the Premier Men’s match, the visitors started brightly and a sluggish Noosa defence were punished when Coolum took an early lead. Coolum almost made it 2-0, but for some brave and determined goal-keeping by Nathan Brown. Stung into action, Noosa began to use their wide players, Hollingworth and Waters, to impose some control on the game.
The equaliser came in the 25th minute, a Dave Macrae shot from just inside the area, ricocheting into the back of the Coolum goal. Galvanised by the goal, the strong-running Hollingworth crossed from the right for Dan Upton to apply a deft touch past the Coolum keeper.
Playing coach Ben Cahn and Macrae were beginning to take control of the midfield, while Matt Thompson and Upton were causing plenty of problems for the visitors’ defence. In the 39th minute, Upton latched on to a through ball, calmly taking the ball around the keeper and giving Noosa a 3-1 lead into the interval.
Both sides created plenty of chances in the second half, with Brown having to be at his best on a number of occasions to prevent a Coolum comeback. Macrae made it 4-1 with another powerful shot, which the Coolum keeper could not hold onto.
The pace of the Coolum forwards continued to trouble the Noosa defence and a mistake was punished to give Coolum a lifeline back into the match.
Noosa full backs, Mikola-Dori and Jancevski showed their pace and skill coming forward, but the home side lacked the cohesion and control they had displayed at Caloundra.
When Thompson was upended in the box, Macrae duly dispatched the penalty for his hat-trick and a 5-2 scoreline.
The result moves Noosa into second place on the ladder.
The Lions are away at Nambour Yandina United this Saturday, kicking off at 4pm and 6pm respectively for the Reserves and Premier Men’s teams.
