Sirens ASC 12

ASA Youths 7

(1-1, 3-3, 3-2, 5-1)

The ASA Youth team produced their best performance so far and surely coach Anthony Farrugia should be quite satisfied with the effort being shown.

It was only in the last four minutes of the game, with a tight 8-7 score for Sirens, that the latter took total control and closed the game with four consecutive goals.

The first two sessions ended at par at 1-1 and 3-3 respectively. Sirens opened the score through Karl Rizzo Naudi but two minutes later Nikolai Lubrano equalised on a J. Rizzo Naudi exclusion.

The Youths had a good start to the second session as goals from James Spiteri Staines and Peter Borg put them 3-1 in the lead.

However, until the session’s end, Sirens clawed back to 3-3 with a Julian Rizzo Naudi netting (with Borg excluded) and Paul Privitera scoring after a time-out.

Karl Montfort put Sirens 4-3 ahead with 20 seconds to go but this lead was short lived as Timothy Agius eqaulised six seconds from the change of ends.

Pace’s exclusion led to Tyson Debono putting Sirens back in the lead and three minutes later David Cutajar scored his first of three goals with Lubrano excluded for 6-4.

However the Youths replied immediately with two goals in 42 seconds, first by Miguel Manara and then by Ryan Mock who made it 6-6.

Cutajar grabbed his brace with a goal 42 seconds from the third session’s end and then team-mate Clint Mercieca opened an 8-6 lead for the winners early in the last session.

Mock scored his second and gave fresh hope to the Youths with seven minutes to go.

Three minutes later, with Pace making his third personal foul, Mercieca made it 9-7 and a minute later, the gap was widened further when Cutajar grabbed his hat-trick with a penalty shot.

Two goals from Privitera (the first on a man-up) closed the game in Sirens’ favour.

Sirens: A. Grech, P. Fava, K. Rizzo Naudi 1, P. Privitera 3, J. Rizzo Naudi 1, E. Bonello, J. Borg, D. Cutajar 3, K. Mtfort 1, C. Zammit, C. Mercieca 2, R. Attard, J. Sammut, T. Debono 1.

ASA Youths: R. Sciortino, J. Spiteri Staines 1, M. Manara 1, J. Gabaretta, T. Agius 1, R. Mock 2, N. Lubrano 1, K. Grixti, A. Bajada, P. Micallef, D. Caruana, M. Pace, P. Borg 1.

Refs: R. Spiteri, P. Giordano.