The Football Margaret River Raiders Youth League Boys played MacKillop Magik in the cup final decider last week in a tight and tough affair.
The Margaret River boys won the game 1-0 with a goal mid way through the first half.
Nick Gaman got on the end of a great pass from Angus Dowding which split the Magik defense and was coolly slotted into the back of the net.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing – the goalkeepers from both teams were kept busy throughout the game as were each of the backlines, with Margaret River players Ali White, Ryan Goh-Edwards and Brenton Tebbutt all solid in defense.
The midfield of Travis O’Shea and Jarrah Webb showed strength, both playing some of their best football of the year. The duo threw everything on the line, including their bodies, to try to maintain possession and work the ball forward.
Towards the end of the second half, the large crowd of spectators were on their feet for an amazing goal-mouth scramble.
The ball was flying everywhere, only to be saved by Jykia River in goals for Margaret River.
As the final whistle went the Raiders celebrated in style by singing the club song loud and proud along with many of the travelling supporters, club players and family that had turned up to watch.
With standout performances across the park, both teams knew they could hold their heads high after playing out a cracking Cup final in the last game of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Junior Soccer Association (LNJSA) Season calendar.
After the previous weeks’ 2-0 win over Busselton the Margaret River boys finished the season off by winning both the League and Cup titles.
This was the first time a Margaret River Youth League Boys side reached this achievement since 2013.
The dual wins were an excellent reward for all the effort and hard work put in through out the season by the boys.
It was also a fitting and happy end to the junior careers of Luke Harney, Ethan Hamilton, Nick Gaman and Brenton Tebbutt as they will move up into the Mens’ League next year.
This week also sees Raiders players Ali White, Donnie Longmore, Ryan Goh-Edwards, Jye Halsall and Jarrah Webb off to Perth for Country Week to represent the LNJSA. Well done to all the players on an amazing season.
Photos courtesy Strive South West
