APS Bank Men’s National League

Aloysians 22 – Kavallieri 21 (H.T. 9-12)

Aloysians survived Kavallieri’s final assaults in a breath-taking match to hold on to their title aspirations. Aloysians started off well as they gained a 2-0 lead after two minutes. However, Kavallieri took control of the first half after scoring four consecutive goals to take the lead. Kavallieri kept up the pressure with some well taken goals as Aloysians tried to get back in the match.

In the second half, Aloysians played much better as they avoided most of their silly mistakes made in the first half. After just five minutes, they took the lead by two goals and seemed to be back in control. Kavallieri didn’t demoralise and fought till the very end. Unfortunately, Kavallieri made a lot of mistakes when trying to exploit counter-attacks and that helped Aloysians hold on to their advantage. With just 25 seconds left, Kavallieri scored a goal to be just one goal away from grabbing a point. Aloysians immediately tried to conclude however they lost possession of the ball. Kavallieri had the last chance to level terms and Christopher Galea came excruciatingly close to an equaliser as his strong long-range effort hit the post and bounced away from the goal. Roberto Ragonesi scored nine goals for Aloysians while Christopher Galea scored five for Kavallieri.

Player of the Match: Roberto Ragonesi (Aloysians)

La Salle 22 – Depiro 17 (H.T. 15-6)

La Salle managed another win this season after quite a strange performance for the present champions and title contenders. The first half saw the best of La Salle as their quick passing and lethal shots caused a lot of damage to Depiro’s rearguard. Depiro tried to fight back however La Salle increased their lead to 12-4 after 20 minutes and made sure to hold on to their nine-goal advantage before half-time.

In a sudden change, La Salle had a strange transformation in the second half as their performance left much to be desired. Depiro took advantage of La Salle’s slump and started a good comeback. However, Depiro were heavily punished as Joseph Tanti received his marching orders after losing his nerve on a dubious decision by the referee. Despite all this, Depiro kept on trying hard to get back in the match however, La Salle’s sloppy performance managed to weather the storm and hold on to the win. Dimitar Milev scored eight goals for La Salle while Joseph Tanti and Dennis Zammit scored four goals each for Depiro.

Player of the match: Dimitar Milev (La Salle)

Standings: La Salle 18, Aloysians 18, Kavallieri 3, Depiro 3.

APS Bank Women’s Promotion League

Aloysians 20 – Depiro 10 (H.T. 6-4)

Aloysians remained undefeated this year as they beat Depiro in their last competitive match. Having already won the league, Aloysians were out to defend their positive streak of wins. However, Depiro gave them a shock start as they convincingly took a 0-3 lead in the first few minutes of the match. Despite playing with only 6 players for the whole match, Aloysians managed to turn round the tables and score some good goals thanks to Brenda Camilleri and Janice Sargent.

In the second half, Aloysians seemed to have regained their usual form and were more convincing in their attacks. Their efforts were rewarded as they reached a 10 goal advantage towards the end of the match. Depiro fought bravely to try and defend their early lead however they had to bow down to Aloysians’ superiority. Brenda Camilleri and Janice Sargent scored 12 and fourgoals respectively for Aloysians while Daniela Bezzina and Claire Agius Conti scored three goals each for Depiro.

Player of the Match: Brenda Camilleri (Aloysians)

Kavallieri 15 – La Salle B 18 (H.T. 5-8)

La Salle B had to fight hard to earn a win in their last match of the season as Kavallieri put up a good display and almost managed to create a shock win. The match was balanced for the first 10 minutes were both teams scored twice. It was only midway through the first half that La Salle started to open up a gap and took a 2-6 advantage in the space of five minutes. Kavallieri managed to fight back and reduced their deficit to three goals before half-time.

In the second half, Kavallieri seemed more determined to get a point out of this match. As time went by, Kavallieri slowly were cutting down their disadvantage as La Salle started to panic. With four consecutive goals, Kavallieri drew level with only 10 minutes left on the clock. It was then that La Salle’s experience made the difference as they replied with four consecutive goals to seal the match in their favour. Bernardette Vassallo scored 13 goals for La Salle while Marie Louise Aquilina scored seven for Kavallieri.

Player of the Match: Bernardette Vassallo (La Salle)

Standings: Aloysians 22, La Salle A 16, La Salle B 10, Depiro 4, Kavallieri 3.