Round 14 Southern Breakers V Hahndorf Magpies

Southern Breakers V Hahndorf

Hahndorf posted an impressive win against a lacklustre Southern Breakers, a brace of goals to Leo Santangelo and a hat-trick to Kayne Stubing boosting the Magpies to an emphatic 0-6 victory.

With five rounds remaining in the South Australian Amateur Soccer League 2nd Division, the scramble for points is well underway for the clubs in the lower half of the table. Subsequently the clash at Breaker Park between 7th placed Hahndorf and 10th placed Southern Breakers held plenty of interest for the parties concerned and drew a healthy crowd on a sparkling day.

The Breakers started on the front foot from the opening whistle, using local knowledge to attack with the sun and slope behind them. The Magpies fended off the early forays, the combination of youngsters Jack Farrimond and Luke Guest with veterans Steve Noble and Andy Craig working hard to keep the Breakers at bay.

Nathaniel Brooke was busy in goal, but only faced one real test when Breakers player-coach Glen Higgins tried a shot from distance that hit the goalpost and then the rebound was slashed wide by the following forwards. Hahndorf continued to soak up the pressure before the midfield kicked into gear and Dan Hermel made a strong run down the flank to put in a low cross for forward Kayne Stubing to fire into the net.

Minutes later Hahndorf doubled their lead after a structured build up saw the Magpies attack the goal in numbers with Leo Santangelo heading a cross back to Stubing who had a simple tap in for his second goal. However it was not all beer and skittles for Hahndorf when they lost a player for a straight red card offence with twenty minutes remaining in the half.

The Magpies regrouped and quickly adjusted their structure and made light of the loss by firing in a third goal. Stubing was rampant on the flank and glided past his marker to arrow a cross to Chris Sawers, the marksman chesting down the ball before taking it past the Breakers’ keeper and blasting into goal.

Hahndorf continued to work hard throughout the half with Steve Ness, Hermel and Matt Norris harassing the opposition at every opportunity while the defence countered the pressure of the Breakers with stubborn resistance.

The Magpies went into the second half determined to hold on to their lead and not let the Breakers back into the match. The defence were organised to dull the expected attack by the home side, Craig and Guest holding the spine and linking with the midfield. Norris and Ness tirelessly trekked the midfield to make the Breakers accountable and the hosts had trouble getting a cohesive attack together.

The constant chasing and pressure by the Magpies all over the pitch led to the fourth goal, Santangelo capitalising on a slight lapse in defence to take possession and lose his marker with a smart turn before striking a curling drive into goal from the edge of the penalty area.

The fourth goal seemed to knock the wind out of the Breakers and they looked all at sea, such was the application of the Magpies towards their goal. Things got worse for the home team when ten minutes later Hahndorf gained themselves a penalty, an unlucky handball giving Santangelo the chance to put the match well beyond the Breakers. Santangelo duly stuck the penalty into the net but an infringement forced a retake of the spot kick. Lightning did strike twice with Santangelo true to form and again hitting a solid shot into goal.

Hahndorf made several substitutions, bringing Tom Holland and Jordan Webber into the match, the pair picking up the pace and intensity straight away. Holland made an impact within ten minutes, a precision pass slicing through the defence to put Stubing through on goal and the speedy forward brought up his hat-trick with a fine strike to the corner of the net.

Hahndorf kept up the intensity for the remainder of the match, the Breakers getting a few chances but Brooke had the shots well covered and the closest the sea-siders got was a cross that skimmed past the top of the post late into the match.

The win by Hahndorf was a tremendous team effort with all players applying themselves for the full ninety minutes. Man of the Match honours went to Kayne Stubing,the hat-trick hero having a tremendous match with Matt Norris and Luke Guest also outstanding throughout the game.

Reserves

The Hahndorf Reserves fought out a 1-1 draw with the Southern Breakers Reserves, both teams having the chance to take the win but unable to find the crucial goal.

Hahndorf started the match well, the Magpies getting off to a good start with Rupert “Crusher” Lindon in the mix with a couple of early headers that were on target but lacked penetration. The Breakers shaped up to a couple of opportunities but the Hahndorf defence was well organised by Angus Hambrook, with Dan Mardle, Kieran Guest and Kyle Eglinton providing good support.

The Hahndorf forward line of Chris Hyde and Jesse Konstantinoff worked with the midfield to get the Magpies into some promising positions however the finishing touches were absent, several shots going high and wide of the goal. Tom Holland and Jordan Webber produced some nice passes in combination with Eglinton as the Magpies tried to mount an attack on the flank.

The avenue did eventually prove fruitful for Webber, set free to attack the full back, he muscled his way past to run in on goal and open the scoring with a fine finish. The Breakers hit back with a structured attack but a saving tackle by Hambrook kept Hahndorf custodian, Andy Jones from facing a shot in a dangerous position.

Tom Stevens was industrious in the middle of the park, combining with Holland and Webber to keep the pressure on the Southern Breakers. Webber almost forced a second goal but the Breakers ‘keeper made a good save at the feet of the flighty wingman. The Magpies put together some flowing passes but could not convert their possession into a greater lead.

The second half opened with Hahndorf pressing the Breakers back and some good work released Konstantinoff but the ‘keeper parried the strikers shot. The match ebbed and flowed with the Magpies having the majority of the play but the Breakers also have a few opportunities to score.
The match looked like it was to be decided by a single goal with both teams finding the respective defences hard to break through.

Hahndorf brought on Scott Breaker, Stuart Thomas and Ben “Beninho” Wells to see if the injection of fresh legs could extend their goal advantage but late in the match the Breakers equalised. The intensity suddenly increased as both teams sought to find a winner in the dying stages of the match.

The points looked to be headed the Breakers way when they were awarded a penalty deep into the second half, but Jones again defied the odds to make the save, the Magpie custodian remarkably making it three penalty saves from as many chances. The penalty was the last effective scoring opportunity and the match ended with the points shared. Angus Hambrook gained Man of the Match honours for the Magpies with strong contributions from Rupert Lindon, Jesse Konstantinoff and Kyle Eglinton also prominent.

Next week Hahndorf play host to league leaders Adelaide University, the Magpies looking to carry over this weeks form to the match at the Pine Avenue arena.