It took just seven minutes for the Glenorchy Knights to seal their place in the Lakoseljac Cup semi-finals, as three first-half goals in quick succession saw them claim a comfortable 3-0 win over Taroona.
It was a game that lacked inspiration for much of the 90 minutes, but a brilliant burst of attacking football from the Knights saw them take control just before half time. Young winger Cade Smith played a hand in all three goals, as he assisted Nic Naden's opener, won a penalty for Alex Walter's first and forced the rebound that led to his second. Taroona were impressive in defence for much of the contest, but they were left to rue a brief lapse that was emphatically punished.
Where some games struggle to get out of first gear, this one seemed to be stuck in neutral for the best part of ten minutes. The Knights had the bulk of the early possession, but they seemingly struggled to adapt to the playing surface and the pressure from their opponents. That left their final delivery wayward at best, and their many attempts to play the ball long were easily cut out.
While the visitors did create a few early half-chances, it was the home side with the best look at goal more than 20 minutes in. A long throw found the feet of Will Darling at the near post, and his quick turn and shot on goal flew across the face and safely behind. Minutes later they felt they had a strong appeal for a penalty as a long-range shot cannoned into a Knights defender, but the referee was quick to wave it away.
That was the most action either side saw until the 37th minute, when a tactical change from Knights coach James Sherman sparked his side into action. After force-feeding the ball to Joffrey Nkoso on the left with little success, Sherman opted to switch he and Smith on the flanks. The move paid off almost immediately as Smith found space to send a cross into the penalty area from the left. A perfectly timed run from Naden saw him meet the ball unmarked, and he made no mistake in heading it home.
Taroona went close with a quick counter-attack just minutes later, but their defence suddenly found itself all at sea as the Knights surged back at them. A very tidy one-two with Walter inside the area left Smith in a one-on-one with Taroona gloveman Kieran Siedler. While the goalkeeper partially deflected the first shot, he could only drag Smith to the ground as he scrambled to clear the rebound. The referee immediately whistled the foul, and Walter sent Siedler the wrong way from the spot to double Glenorchy's lead.
They say good things always come in threes, and just three minutes later the Knights had a three-goal buffer. This time it was a set piece routine that undid the Taroona defence, as a cross from Nkoso was deftly flicked into the path of Smith. His shot forced a diving save once again, but this time the rebound rolled to the back post where Walter was able to tap it into an open net.
Thankfully for the hosts, the half time whistle followed quickly. While that provided brief respite, they were again under the pump almost immediately after the restart. Thomas Young, Walter and Smith all created chances in the opening five minutes, but none could threaten the goal.
Just when it looked like Taroona might hunker down to avoid further punishment they went centimetres from scoring three times in a two-minute burst. It started innocuously enough, as a long ball was headed back toward goal by the Glenorchy defence. Knights goalkeeper Lachlan Hart came out to collect the loose ball, but found himself beaten to the contest by Jake Stuart and stranded off his line. A heavy touch took Stuart to the byline, and his cutback set up a shot that was just barely blocked on the goal line. The rebound bobbled back in front of goal, where it was met by Darling but blasted over the crossbar. Just minutes later a thumping shot from Darragh Carey forced a reflex save from Hart with almost no time to react, forcing the Knights to scramble it clear.
That promising stretch seemed to spur on the hosts as they started to even up the possession count, but they couldn't find the final delivery to threaten Glenorchy's goal again. The Knights, meanwhile, turned to their bench as Nkoso and Smith were both removed. With victory assured they continued to move the ball forward, but without the vigour they had shown early in the contest. With no decisive chances at either end, the game crawled towards the final whistle; not even a cameo from Knights coach Sherman was enough to produce a late goal. After completing the win in comfortable fashion, the Knights will now wait to see who they will face in the semi-finals.
Taroona went close with a quick counter-attack just minutes later, but their defence suddenly found itself all at sea as the Knights surged back at them. A very tidy one-two with Walter inside the area left Smith in a one-on-one with Taroona gloveman Kieran Siedler. While the goalkeeper partially deflected the first shot, he could only drag Smith to the ground as he scrambled to clear the rebound. The referee immediately whistled the foul, and Walter sent Siedler the wrong way from the spot to double Glenorchy's lead.
They say good things always come in threes, and just three minutes later the Knights had a three-goal buffer. This time it was a set piece routine that undid the Taroona defence, as a cross from Nkoso was deftly flicked into the path of Smith. His shot forced a diving save once again, but this time the rebound rolled to the back post where Walter was able to tap it into an open net.
Thankfully for the hosts, the half time whistle followed quickly. While that provided brief respite, they were again under the pump almost immediately after the restart. Thomas Young, Walter and Smith all created chances in the opening five minutes, but none could threaten the goal.
Just when it looked like Taroona might hunker down to avoid further punishment they went centimetres from scoring three times in a two-minute burst. It started innocuously enough, as a long ball was headed back toward goal by the Glenorchy defence. Knights goalkeeper Lachlan Hart came out to collect the loose ball, but found himself beaten to the contest by Jake Stuart and stranded off his line. A heavy touch took Stuart to the byline, and his cutback set up a shot that was just barely blocked on the goal line. The rebound bobbled back in front of goal, where it was met by Darling but blasted over the crossbar. Just minutes later a thumping shot from Darragh Carey forced a reflex save from Hart with almost no time to react, forcing the Knights to scramble it clear.
That promising stretch seemed to spur on the hosts as they started to even up the possession count, but they couldn't find the final delivery to threaten Glenorchy's goal again. The Knights, meanwhile, turned to their bench as Nkoso and Smith were both removed. With victory assured they continued to move the ball forward, but without the vigour they had shown early in the contest. With no decisive chances at either end, the game crawled towards the final whistle; not even a cameo from Knights coach Sherman was enough to produce a late goal. After completing the win in comfortable fashion, the Knights will now wait to see who they will face in the semi-finals.