A beautiful sunny morning again embraced the teams at Coffs Football Centre ahead of day two of the 2022 Champion of Champions.
It was a perfect environment for the awaiting fixtures in a day full of fun, vibrant football.
Under-12s Girls: Nothing to split the sides, three-way-tie on table
Northern Storm and Stockton JSC played out another hotly contested fixture containing much end-to-end action. But neither side could convert a chance, leaving the fight for the grand final still wide open.
The penultimate game for the under-12s saw Northern Storm face Port United. Despite Storm’s thunderous efforts in the second half, it was not enough to surpass the strength of Port United’s defence, leaving the result at 0-0 and setting up a do-or-die clash between Port United and Stockton later in the afternoon.
Port United won 1-0 against Stockton thanks to a goal from Millahni Moore. The result meant all three teams in the under-12s finished on the same points (5), goal-difference and goals scored.
Due to the three-way tie, the three sides will play another round of football Wednesday morning to decide the two finalists. Northern Storm, Port United and Stockton JSC under-12s will play 10-minute games in a round-robin. If any match ends in a draw, each team will be given one point and a penalty shoot-out will take place, with the winner given an extra point to add to their tally. If teams are tied on the table after the extra round, a draw will take place to determine the two finalists.
Fixtures have been updated on the Squadi app.
Under-14s Girls: Cooks Hill confirmed for final, plenty up for grabs
Cooks Hill United under-14s began day two of Champion of Champions with a vengeance. The side from Newcastle thrashed Sawtell 4-0 with goals to Edie Wilton, Clodagh Murtagh and two for star attacker Abbey Roser, bringing her total to three so far this tournament.
Garden Suburb picked up their first points, holding the passionate Tintenbar East Ballina to a 0-0 draw. Tintenbar followed up with a 0-0 draw against Sawtell FC later in the day and remain the only undefeated team despite sitting third with one round to go.
Byron Bay's woes continued from yesterday with a 3-0 loss to Maitland. Lilliana Craig, Ella Shelton and Mackenzie Cronin added to their goal tally for the travelling Magpies.
But the Rams finally found their footing against Garden Suburb. Alice Woods struck first with an easy tap-in and the pacy Zali Black settled the game with a breakaway goal to end it 2-0.
Cooks Hill United came from behind to beat Maitland 2-1. Addison McQueen gave Maitland the advantage going into the second half but a goal from Grace Pigram and a wonder strike from 35-metres out by captain Clodagh Murtagh completed the comeback. Cooks Hill jumped to the top of the table before the final round on Wednesday morning.
Sawtell cruised past Garden Suburb 2-0 in the day's final fixture, teeing up an all-important second-against-third match against Maitland.
All bar the top-two final places in the under-14s are up for grabs come Wednesday morning. Cooks Hill United secured a top two finals spot, while Sawtell’s win saw Garden Suburb confirmed the fifth and sixth place final.
Under-16s Girls: Harriett heroics in Bellingen goal frenzy
Bellingen set their tone for the rest of the day in the day two opener for the under-16s slamming three goals past Nelson Bay. Goals to Ellie Field, Indianna Brodbeck and Harriett Pagulayan-McCabe inspired confidence for the Bats to turn it up a notch for the later fixtures.
The concurrent opening fixture saw Maitland remain scoreless after three games, holding out a persistent Byron Bay to a 0-0 draw. During the next fixture, Sawtell and Coffs City United also played out a scoreless draw.
The Bellingen Bats continued their rampage against Byron Bay.
Harriett Pagulayan-McCabe opened Bellingen’s account for the game. Pagulayan-McCabe unintentionally caught the Byron Bay goalkeeper off her line as her cross floated into the goal.
Bellingen went on to score four more well-worked, composed goals in the second half. Prue Burnett and Ellie Field registered a goal each, with Pagulayan-McCabe almost securing a hat-trick. An own goal deflected from the winger’s shot to unfortunately deny her the match ball.
Byron Bay had their chances against Bellingen's might but could not convert as the game ended 5-0.
Rylee Wilson starred in Coffs City United's 2-1 win over Maitland JFC, scoring two goals for her side in a nail-biter and potentially finals-defining game.
Saysha Hopkinson and Maisie McCormick's goals secured Sawtell under-16s their first win of the tournament, beating Nelson Bay 2-0. Hopkinson continued her goal-scoring heroics, finishing the lone goal in a 1-0 win against Byron Bay during the late-afternoon fixture.
Maitland are the only side to hold the rampant Bellingen at bay so far, keeping the Bats to a 0-0 draw in their final fixture for the day.
Coffs City United had the opportunity to confirm their spot in the final but were upset with a 2-2 draw against bottom-of-the-table Nelson Bay. With the score one-a-piece at half-time, Nelson Bay took an early lead in the second half as Coffs City were forced to throw everything they had at their opponents for a result. Chloe Hodge of Coffs City found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and calmly slotted her shot into the bottom corner.
The 2-2 result means the Lions need at least a draw against Bellingen on Wednesday morning to make the first and second-placed final to face the Bats.
With only one game to go, the final fixtures are near-all confirmed for the under-16s. Bellingen are flying high and mighty on 10 points and will play Coffs City United or Sawtell FC. Maitland, who finished fourth, will face Coffs City United or Sawtell FC. And Byron Bay will play Nelson Bay in the fifth and sixth-placed final.
Explainer: How the Champion of Champions works
The Northern NSW Football Champion of Champions tournament brings together the best youth community football teams from across NNSWF's seven Member Zones' top competitions to challenge for the title of Champion of Champions in their age group.
In a change to previous formats, in 2022 all clubs are invited to enter any teams competing in their Member Zone’s top division. The tournament kicked off on Monday and will see seven age groups across girls and boys competitions to determine the NNSWF community football Champion of Champions.
More about the 2022 Champion of Champions tournament can be found HERE.
Key Champion of Champions Information: