U15 Yellows 25/26 - Qualitas
UFCA Yellows vs Qualitas
It was an impressively strong start from the Yellows last Saturday against the league leaders.
We were more than a match for Qualitas, who are certainly one of the more direct teams in this division. The intensity of our midfield trio set the tempo by being on the front foot, winning their respective duels and competing for every second ball. Our CB pair of Perry and Broadbent were solid, not allowing the Qualitas frontline to impose their aggressive style.
In the early period, the Yellows’ midfield were able to combine and utilise our wide players, engineering a handful of threats on goal. On 4 minutes, assisted by Ncube, OMV was able to dispatch his shot, hitting the target just inside the left of the box to make it 1-0 to UFCA Yellows.
During the 2nd quarter, as anticipated, the game swung in terms of momentum with Qualitas opting for direct balls in behind. This was a challenging period for the boys, having to find different solutions to spoil the flow of Qualitas, who were now firmly on the front foot. While we were able to limit them to only a few clear-cut chances, the Qualitas number 8 was a real threat and was able to open his account for the day with a well-taken finish for the equaliser.
The visitors doubled their lead shortly after, with the referee spotting a foul in the box. Qualitas were awarded a penalty, with the initial strike being brilliantly saved by the outstretched Gorse. Unfortunately, the rebound fell kindly to Qualitas, who converted at the second time of asking.
During the 3rd quarter, the Yellows struggled to regain composure, which played into the hands of a robust and hard-working Qualitas side. With the visitors increasing their lead to 3-1, the Yellows couldn’t quite carve out an opportunity to respond.
In the final period, the Yellows demonstrated some real quality and composure on the ball. Having the vast majority of possession, we were pushing to get back into the game and were undone one final time on the counterattack during the final minutes of the game. This led to the eventual 4-1 defeat.
While the scoreline may not reflect it, the Yellow team have come a long way since we played Qualitas on the opening day of the season. This was highlighted by the Qualitas coaching staff, who were convinced we were a different team. Credit to the players who matched Qualitas physically, outran them for large periods, and for much of the game were the better footballing team. The biggest difference on the day was productivity in front of goal, of which Qualitas were particularly efficient.
Well played, lads.
Player of the match - Rocco Gorse
