Soccer
16 September, 2024
Double delight for Pioneers
The Stawell Pioneers soccer club won two grand finals in the South West Victoria Football Association on Sunday at Pedrina Park in Hamilton: The under-10s and division two, closing off a sensational year for the club in style.
In the under-10s, they played the Warrnambool Rangers, who finished on top and won 4-3 after trailing by two goals early.
The Rangers came out of the blocks fast, scoring two goals to stun the Pioneers. With the help of Bradley Rudolph, who kicked two goals before moving as a goalkeeper in the second, and goals to Jack Smart and Joshua Bartorelli, the Pioneers took a 4-2 lead into half-time.
In the second half, they kept the game tight, with the Rangers only able to score one goal, as they walked away premiers in the inaugural under-10s competition.
It was a massive performance from the boys, as they had lost 5-7 to the Rangers in round three, drew 4-4 in round eight and lost 3-8 three weeks ago.
Bradley Rudolph was MVP with his two goals in the first half and his game-saving goals in the second.
Coach Jayden Nancarrow was proud of his team.
"I am proud of the kids for banding together and getting a win against a good team," Nancarrow said.
"As most teams do, no matter the age, the kids ran into a big group and celebrated on the ground.
"To see where they have come from and worked on the skills to get here and band together, everyone, including myself, ran on, and I am proud of them."
"The whole team played well, and they all played their part in the win, and they can be proud."
Nancarrow only started coaching halfway through the season, when his child Thomas started to play, and he co-coached with Craig Potter.
He said that moving Rudolph into goals in the second half was mainly to give everyone a chance, which is important in junior sport.
"Especially during the season, we like to give everyone a go, so in the final, we moved our main keeper, Freddie McDougall, out of the goals to give him a run on the ground."
"This is a big step for the club moving forward."
Since its formation five years ago, the Pioneers have had two senior sides: one in division one and the other in division two, the latter of which was only formed this year, making it another remarkable story.
Every year, the Pioneers have been in the division one final except this year. This year, they had the numbers to enter a division two side, and they not only won the premiership but were also minor premiers.
It hasn't been easy going, with, at times, struggling with player availability, but it all clicked for them on Sunday.
The Pioneers went 2-0 up early with goals to Stephan Tani from a penalty and Junior Issachar.
In the second half, they blew the game wide open, with Tani kicking the next three and Spencer Campbell kicking the last to win 6-0.
It was Campbell's first goal for the club. Tani has been playing with injury and fitness issues and was a late addition this week, but he came good to be the MVP of the game.
The team manager, Robert Lembo, said that everyone played their part.
"Everyone contributed and stepped up to the occasion," Lembo said.
"We had Jeffrey Maasland in defence who played extremely well and Sora Yamada in the midfield was strong all day.
"At the end of the game, all the boys ran out on the ground, and it was euphoric, especially against a powerhouse team like the Warrnambool Wolves. They are an arch-enemy, and it's always good to have a win over them."