The 2025 Emerging Socceroos Championships has entered the pointy end following a thrilling day of action at the Home of the Matildas.
Day three of the tournament saw the two Northern NSW Football sides walk away with a win and a draw.
The under-15s had a hard-fought battle against Football Queensland Silver that saw them walk away with a 1-1 draw and narrowly miss out on quarter-finals.
The two sides came out of the blocks firing for the hotly anticipated match-up, with the winner taking second place in Group B.
NNSWF had their chances but were unable to hit the back of the net.
The teams continued to push in hopes of breaking the deadlock, but it was Football Queensland Silver who took the upper hand into half-time after finding the back of the net in the 29th minute.
NNSWF continued to look for an equaliser, and the moment finally came in the 51st minute when Kaiden Walshe headed the ball into the back of the net from a corner.
The under-15s determination was on show as they fought to take the lead but were unable to score a second for the afternoon.
The draw placed the under-15s third on the Group B table and they will face Football Northern Territory tomorrow morning in the plate quarter-final.
NNSWF’s under-16s side finished second in their group after they defeated Football Queensland Silver 4-0.
This match was also a battle for second place in Group B, which delivered entertainment from start to finish.
The two sides could not be seprated for majority of the first half with both sides showcasing their desperation for the three points.
But it was NNSWF who broke the deadlock when Nikolas Sklavos picked up the scraps from Chase McFadyen’s denied goal and headed it just over the line in the 24th minute.
Will Kauter doubled NNSWF’s lead in the 26th minute after Sklavos charged down the field forcing Football Queensland Silver’s goalkeeper to come out of the box and clear the ball.
Kauter picked up the ball and unleashed a powerful shot from the top of the box and into the back of the net.
NNSWF went into half-time leading 2-0 but they weren’t done yet.
They entered the second half knowing their spot in the quarter-finals was not locked in but pushed to cement their position in the 42nd minute.
Harry Butcher netted the third goal of the afternoon after he intercepted a Football Queensland Silver pass and sliced the ball into the goal from the top of the box.
A fourth goal and a fourth goal scorer closed the scoring after Kauter sent a corner past a sea of players finding Kai Thompson who headed it into the top left corner and secured the under-16s a 4-0 victory.
The under-16s side will take on Football NSW Sky in the quarter-finals tomorrow afternoon.
NNSWF Talent Development Officer Brett Angell was upset for the under-15s but looked forward to the quarter-finals tomorrow.
“I’m disappointed for our under-15s because they did everything right but score. That’s unfortunately the nature of the day and we didn’t do enough to qualify for quarter-finals,” Angell said.
“The under-16s really put it to bed with their emphatic 4-0 victory and I’m glad to see them move onto quarter-finals tomorrow.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what they can produce tomorrow on a day where it’s all to play for.”
Day Four Fixtures
Placement quarter-final: under-15s
Northern NSW vs Northern Territory
Wednesday 9 July – 10am
Home of the Matildas Field 2
Quarter-final: under-16s
NSW Sky vs Northern NSW
Wednesday 9 July – 3pm
Home of the Matildas
More on the Emerging Socceroos Championships
CLICK HERE to view the Official Emerging Socceroos Championships Digital Program with Fixtures
CLICK HERE to watch* the Emerging Socceroos Championships thanks to Kommunity TV (*subscription required)
CLICK HERE to view the live tables and results
