MACQUARIE United have stormed into the Bathurst District Football Association first grade final after a last-gasp extra-time goal from Brenton Soetens gave them a 2-1 preliminary final win over CSU on Sunday.
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With under a minute to play in the second 10-minute period of extra time, Soetens was on the end of a perfectly weighted cross from Aaron Kilby and calmly slotted the goal off his left foot to end a 1-all stalemate that looked certain to be decided by penalties.
Macquarie had earlier fought back from a goal down before they were frustrated for over 30 minutes by a gutsy but ultimately out-sized and out-hussled university side.
The CSU team had trouble containing Macquarie’s bigger bodies and tried to fight United’s aggression with some physical play of their own, but it didn’t help them and a slew of yellow cards eventually led to them playing the last 15 minutes of extra time with 10 men.
“It’s been a little bit of our history I suppose that in big games we’ve made a lot of chances but tended to struggle to make the most of them and I thought it was going to be the same again today,” Macquarie United captain Jason Field said.
“We did come into the game though thinking we’d do well, we know CSU are a younger and fitter side than we are, but we boast a bit more experience and aggression and I think that wore them down.”
Early on it looked as though CSU were primed to book themselves a rematch against the Young Lions who defeated them a week prior, and they hit the front after 20 minutes.
A high ball over the back of the Macquarie defence drew their goalkeeper Jason Rae forward to contest the ball, but he got an unlucky bounce that cleared him, bounced off the left post and back into the path of Nick Young who had made a 40 metre dash to the goal mouth.
From there the contest evened out as Macquarie began to create chances, though none seriously threatened the students, and they led 1-0 at the break.
The second half was in complete contrast to the first as Macquarie dominated possession and territory.
Things began to get a little bit edgy after some solid clashes on and off the ball and in the 65th minute things were all square when CSU goalkeeper Will Saunders parried a Macquarie shot straight down to Phil Lyons who found the back of the net.
Saunders made up for it a few minutes later with a freak save that tipped a United free kick over the bar, and made two further saves in one attacking raid from his opposition shortly after.
Despite having all the momentum Macquarie just couldn’t put away the match-winner as extra-time beckoned.
CSU defended stoutly throughout the extra 20 minutes but did not threaten to break the deadlock, captain Mitch Cohen admitting afterwards that his tired team were effectively hoping for a penalty shoot-out long before full-time.
For the second week in a row Cohen was a proud but disappointed leader.
“I think we were well on top early on but in that second half when they started to dominate we turned off a little bit and started to play for a draw,” he said.
“Macquarie play a pretty rough brand of football and you can get a bit carried away with the physicality of it rather than just playing your own game. If they want to play that way and they can do it effectively, then good luck to them.”
MACQUARIE UNITED 2 (Brenton Soetens, Phil Lyons) defeated CSU 1 (Nick Young)
