South Hobart have claimed a 2-0 win over Clarence Zebras in their Wednesday night Summer Cup clash at D'Arcy Street. A goal in each half, one from Siyar Kurdistan and the other from Sam Berezansky settled what was an entertaining contest featuring plenty of exciting young talent on display.
South had the best of the opening ten minutes firing off three shots that were all saved by Zebras keeper Nathan Reid, as their pace in attack challenged a Zebras defence that was looking a little shaky out of the blocks.
It was the Zebras who should have taken the lead on 10 minutes however when Cody Snell headed a chance wide at the back post after Ryan Cook picked him out with a superb ball. It was the story of the first half in many respects for Clarence, with Snell's pace causing all manner of problems for the South defence but despite getting into some brilliant positions he couldn't quite conjure the required finish from a trio of opportunities.
Huigsloot again looked a threat in attack, but the defensive pairing of Kibbler and Foley did a decent job curtailing his influence, providing a solid physical match up for him.
Their failure to capitalise on their period of control was punished by South when Siyar Kurdistan tapped home on 35 minutes. The fleet of foot Kasper Hallam, who impressed throughout the game, got the better of his marker and fired in a cross that Reid failed to handle and spilled it right to Kurdistan who made no mistake from point blank range.
That goal seemed to reinvigorate South after a 20 minute period spent on the back foot and they pushed on looking to double their advantage before the break, getting back on the attack with Sam Berezansky continuing his strong pre-season form with another impressive outing.
It was Berezansky who would double the South Hobart lead and secure the win midway through the second half when he finished off a slick move on 77 minutes, with Kasper Hallam again playing a key role in the build up.
The Zebras faded out from the second goal onwards, but had looked better in midfield in the second half with Jayden Hey coming on and adding some extra drive and muscle, whilst Matthew Pace's movement up top injected some added threat.
Chances were few and far between in the second half, with a lot of last ditch defending preventing shots from being fired off, but the game remained an entertaining contest with both sides showing some nice passing combinations in the build up.
The Zebras has penalty shouts turned aside when Riley Dillon appeared to have been dragged down, and on another night it could have been a very different final result. Ultimately South were the sharper side in the final third, and on balance of play across the full 90 minutes were probably deserved winners.
South will now face a huge game with Knights on Saturday that could well determine who meets Olympia in the Summer Cup final. The Zebras will take on the Warriors and look to end their unbeaten run in the other leg of what should be an entertaining double header at KGV, that will also help raise money for the National Bushfire relief efforts.