Oikawa opened the scoring with a quality strike from the top of the box, before a second tidy finish off a cut back. Charlie Cameron added a third goal, before Robbie Ward scored his maiden goal for the 1st XI. The 4–0 win got the job done, but with the majority of possession and a large number of missed opportunities, College had to lift its game. vs St Andrew’s College The game started very even, with both teams trying to work each other out. But despite some good efforts, StAC had a clear tactic that College could not break down. There were some nice interchanges of play at times, but also some costly mistakes and a general lack of cohesion meant College could not find its rhythm. StAC opened the scoring, then College replied with a free kick by Kosei Oikawa. StAC restored the lead just before half-time. College soon equalised, before StAC went ahead again. Both teams had other chances and the game got scrappy as it went into injury time. The final result, a 2–3 loss. Alexis Georgiou was College’s man of the match for his dogged defending and effort. vs Riccarton High School A much better performance and a controlled effort. From the outset, College moved the ball through midfield, created attacking opportunities and were sound at the back on defence. Riccarton made it hard for College to get any fluency, and there were a number of missed passes and shots. Just before half- time, a nice interchange between Kynan Salt, Jake Tacon and Kosei Oikawa gave College a 1–0 lead. In the second half, College found more dominance and control. Caleb Manson scored a good goal, and Daniel Metherell found the back of the net twice. Spencer Smith and Caleb Palmer were solid in midfield. The 4–0 win a good result for the effort on the pitch. vs St Thomas of Canterbury College College produced their best match of the season against defending
champions St Thomas. The game started very even and looked like it was going to be a good contest, with both teams playing quality football. College had some early chances, and good work in the midfield by Spencer Smith and Caleb Palmer thwarted the St Thomas attack. College worked tirelessly and created more chances through the mammoth efforts of Kosei Oikawa, Kynan Salt and Caleb Manson up front, and Alexis Georgiou and Charlie Cameron out wide, with Charlie delivering a good cross that enabled Caleb to score. The work rate of all the College players was great to see, as they fought any pressure from St Thomas with pressure of their own. A big defensive effort by the back line of Daniel Metherell, Sam Averill and Jamie Barr was enough to give College the 1–0 win, an invaluable three points, and the Connetics Challenge Shield. vs Papanui High School With both teams in the top four, the game had great potential and did not disappoint. There was very little between the sides in the first half, with College having (but missing) the only real chance to score. College had a fantastic start to the second half when, following a great cross by Jake Tacon, Jordy Annand scored. Some good play out wide and excellent build-up play from Charlie Cameron and Caleb Manson soon opened up a second opportunity for Jordy. Papanui got a goal back through a penalty after one of their strikers got tripped up in the box, but College were determined not to lose this game. Daniel Metherell and Sam Averill were superb in the centre of defence and Caleb Palmer made some crucial tackles to break down any dangerous Papanui attack. It was a great team effort. College’s work rate, speed out wide and tenacity made all the difference. The 2–1 win taking College to second in the league. vs St Bede’s College Solid goals from Caleb Manson and some dogged defending were the
highlights of this game. College started steadily, creating a number of early chances with some slick passing and dynamic runs, but the score was locked 0–0 at the break. About 10 minutes into the second half, Caleb Manson pounced and through sheer determination tucked the ball home. A short time later, after some strong defensive play in midfield turned the ball over, Caleb was able to score a second goal. An ill-timed challenge gave St Bede’s a penalty, but College held firm to win 2–1. The result sent College to the top of the table, securing a semi-final spot with a game to spare. vs Lincoln High School Lincoln brought their A game and took it to College right from the start. With both teams battling hard, the first half disappeared in a flash. In the second half, College found a little more traction, but Lincoln had the better chances and before long College was behind 0–1. College really needed something to go their way. After a good solo run, Kosei Oikawa got clipped as he ran through on goal, before cleverly converting a penalty. Then, Charlie Cameron broke the offside trap and finished nicely to put College in front. The final whistle was greeted with a huge sigh of relief, and a 2–1 win. vs Papanui High School Strong wind was always going to make controlling the ball difficult. College got off to a great start, however, and dominated territory for most of the first half. Caleb Manson and Kosei Oikawa both scored, to take College to a 2–0 lead at half-time. But, after having to turn and play into a stiff breeze in the second half, Papanui came out much stronger. College fought hard and found good counter attacking opportunities – but, unfortunately, two poorly defended corners undid all the good work and with just over three minutes to go, the Papanui striker managed to fire home a dagger of a shot and break the deadlock. In the end, College went down 2–3.
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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