Our SPX 2014 Season
video links: http://youtu.be/U6wW52ARPqo Season 2014 Photo Highlights (SQUILTY)
SPX v St Josephs NSWCIS Semi-Final https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L77dB4rT34 (PASTE TO BROWSER)
produced by SPRCARROT JFM
SPX v St Josephs NSWCIS Semi-Final https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L77dB4rT34 (PASTE TO BROWSER)
produced by SPRCARROT JFM
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A picture that says it all! |
Having
experienced two fantastic seasons since returning as 1st XI coach in
2012, it is difficult for me to believe that our 2014 team could surpass those
efforts but in many ways I feel we have.
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| SPX World Cup luncheon 2014 |
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| Dan, Mel and Me |
What, it may be asked, made it possible to have
such a sustained campaign? Probably the answer would be player commitment, just as it was in the previous two seasons. It was made clear to the 16 player squad that our preparation would be tough. That preparation involved six trial matches early on a Sunday morning at Oxford Falls.
This was against a range of School, Club youth and All Age sides including our own SPX Old Boys teams, representing both Pre and Post 2005 eras. An early good sign being our two 3-0 victories in these games. Early games also saw us down Mt Colah, Thornleigh and Hornsby Heights while securing a 2-2 draw against Men’s Premier League team Berowra. School sides St Augustine’s and St Ignatius were defeated while we drew with tough CAS side Knox. Our pre-season form in these initial games meant we were well prepared to face St Aloysius in the 2nd round of the NSWCIS Cup winning the match 4-1, having started with a first round bye.
It was clear that the quality and depth of our squad was special as almost all had at some time played representative football in addition to the school competitions. We also had a good number of experienced Year 12 students returning for a second season in the 1st XI, with two players having played last year as Year 10’s. Another key factor was that this was also the fourth season in the past five that John Chapman had led sides I had coached, we knew each other well.
When we turned out for the St Andrew’s Cup in the April holidays we allowed wasteful finishing to hinder our progress. In particular a match we lost against Barker 2-0 provided us with a lesson we would benefit from later in the year. The most immediate impact of our post St Andrew’s Cup resolve was a fine victory in the NSWCIS Cup 3rd Round on the all-weather pitch of St Spyridon’s College. This 2-0 result saw us book at date in the Semi Final with St Josephs College after Illawarra Grammar forfeited at the last eight stage.
When the ISA competition began we ran off big victories against Oakhill 4-0, St Andrew’s 5-1, SCECG’s 14-1, Oakhill 2-1 and Chevalier 5-1 before a 2-2 draw with St Patrick’s halted our winning run. These games set us up nicely for great rain soaked evening out at Hensley Park against St Joseph’s. A crowd of around 200 turned out for what was a tense, enthralling contest. In a match we dominated through Nick Refenes and Joe Esposito it finally took a strong header from Alex Drake to settle the tie and book us our second NSWCIS Cup final spot in three years. At the final whistle team relief was tangible John Chapman leading the squad to the crowd who rendered a great version of the Edmund Rice hymn with gusto. The half way mark of the season had seen us already book a spot in the NSWCIS final against old foes Barker College.
Comfortable with this knowledge we headed off for the Queensland based international High Energy Youth Cup Tournament in Brisbane.
Interesting match up with African Youth side
This was a competition we had competed in for ten years without winning the main final so we knew the task ahead was a big one.
Hard fought penalty shoot out victory in Queensland
Shoot out win
This year sides came from New Zealand, country Queensland, Brisbane, Sydney as well as an African based youth side. It was pleasing then to see SPX have a great start running up six qualification round victories without conceding a goal! Clairvaux 7-0; BBC 2-0; SHORE 2-0; Scots NZ 3-0; St Peter Claver 4-0 and African Youth 1-0.
Shoot out win
The key victory was against the African Youth side. Here was our toughest challenge of the competition, a quick and strong side with few apparent weaknesses it was a fine performance by our boys. Ranking in first place of the ten competing sides from the round robin stage saw us face GPS side SHORE in the semi-final. Goals from Nick Refenes and Joe Esposito gave us a comprehensive 2-0 victory setting us with a rematch with Brisbane based Sir Peter Claver College in the Cup Final.
Relaxing pitchside at Micheltown Football Club
On a large dusty pitch at the Mitchelton Football centre the game proved to be a messy one with way too many free kicks punctuating the game. SPX gradually worked its way into the game and going ahead with a fine finish from Claudio Rosano. Half time came and went but could not add to our score. Then, just 15 seconds from the end we conceded our first goal of the whole tournament to send the match into extra time.
Trophy win Queensland
This proved inconclusive and it went to penalties. The shoot-out swung both ways, we missed early but keeper Greg Frelingos gave us the chance to win it, saving after Claver had also missed. Up stepped Ben John to calmly score the winning kick and the High Energy Youth Cup was ours! Celebrations were immense, SPX winning the Queensland competition for the first time.
High Energy Youth Trophy won in Queensland
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Players, Coaches and Family 2014 |
Returning to Sydney gave us no real time to rest on our laurels because we were to face St Patrick’s in the ISA then Barker just two days later. In the event we lost to the Strathfield side 2-1 but most agreed that this did not harm us as we prepared for the NSWCIS Cup Final at Hensley Park. Oh what a night. With many SPX supporters in the crowd of 400 we made the worse start possible in the final, conceding in the first minute! What followed next has gone down in the annals of our football history. We drew level by half time with a penalty from John Chapman but we absolutely overwhelmed the opposition in the second half. The final score of 6-1 in no way flattered our side. We were NSWCIS Champions for the second time in three years. Claudio Rosano scored four second half goals in a brilliant performance. It was the crowning moment in a season where he represented NSWCIS and scored a record 50 goals!
Claudio Rosano 50 goals for the season
Having won the NSWCIS Cup we returned to our own ISA Competition. Three clear victories over St Andrew’s by 5-2; Chevalier 2-0 and SCECGS’s 8-0 enabled us to wrap up our third consecutive ISA Minor Premiership. We led the final ladder by five points with a record of 8 wins 1 draw 1 defeat; scoring 48 and conceding 10 goals.
It was thus a big disappointment when we went down to St Patrick’s, who had finished fourth in the regular season, by 2-1 in a classic game at Oxford Falls. Both sides played very well but in the end the ‘men in black’ from Strathfield prevented us from adding a record third Competition to a stellar season.
Lifting the NSWCIS Cup second time in three seasons
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NSWCIS Cup winners 2014 |
Qualifying to represent the NSWCIS at the All Schools Championship was an honour. In a new format, the winners of the Independent, Catholic and State knock-out cups came together in a 'Champion of Champion' event down at Seymour Shaw Stadium. We literally drew the short straw having to play consecutive matches, the second being against Westfield Sports High who were fresh! In the first game we led 1-0 against Holy Spirit Bellambi, had a second disallowed and probably should have won the game. In the event we gave up two late goals to go down 2-1. In the second game we found it very tough against Westfield. On the back foot we trailed 2-0 at the break. To our boys credit we dug deep second period and had two very near misses with the keeper beaten. Conceding a third late goal was disappointing but we fought so well throughout. Westfield also beat Holy Spirit 3-0 so were deserved champions. They are the Australian schools benchmarch, we recognise this and are working to close the gap.
SPX indeed seem to be in the middle of a rich seam of football
talent and success, a dynasty unseen previously in our history. Personally, I would like to once
again thank and acknowledge the role of fellow coach Mr Simon Yue in season
2014. We form an effective coaching team. Mr Matt Stearn and Principal Mr John
Couani have of supported us throughout and we thank them for that. Mrs Melissa
Chapman has organised the Oxford Falls team receptions brilliantly. While her
husband Neil Chapman, provided the pictures to the words of Mr Danny John in
the quality 1st XI publication ‘Shape, Tackle and Goal’ which mapped
our wonderful season 2014. Miss Leisa Proc, trainer Chris Semaan and Simon
Aitkin have all also played an important role in our season.
Finally, it
is my pleasure to acknowledge the brilliant SPX 1st XI squad of 2014. They were
patient, committed and undoubtedly winners. I have no doubt that this is the
strongest squad we have had in terms of depth and in 2015 we will have to
recruit ten new players, but then that is the part that makes my job as First
XI Coach so interesting!
Steven Quilty
1st XI Coach
Our season
Competition
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Played
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Won
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Drawn
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Lost
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Goals for
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Goals
against
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ISA Division One
|
11
|
8
|
1
|
2
|
49
|
12
|
Minor Premiers
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NSWCIS Cup
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5
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
13
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2
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Won final
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St Andrew’s Cup
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5
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
7
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Sixth place
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Queensland High Energy Youth Cup
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8
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
22
|
1
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Won final
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All Schools Championship
|
9
2 |
7
0 |
2
0 |
0
2 |
50
1 |
16
5 |
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Trial matches
Totals |
9
38 |
7
29 |
2
5 |
0
4 |
50
138 |
17
43 |
Goalscorers:
Rosano 50; Esposito 20;
Refenes 13; Chapman 10; Bersee 10; Morton
9; Desa 7; Drake 7 ; Clay 4; Luicci 2; Borceski 1; Browning 1.
