FINAL: 8T 2-3 6M

Gabriele showed early on that 6M meant business when he found some space on the left and shot home for 1-0.
Riccardo had a chance to equalise but shot over and then Gabriele struck again: 2-0.
8T came out strongly in the second half. Filippo missed a chance from a throw in and then turned an overhead kick over the bar but 8T pulled a goal back when Jacopo converted a penalty following a Thomas's handball.
A controversial attempt by Luca was disallowed at the end for a foul on the goalkeeper, but not everybody agreed with the decision.
Congratulations to 6M - T H E    N E W    H O M E R O O M   C H A M P I O N S

8T 1-1 7V (4-3 after penalties)

7V were leading 1-0 and 8T had one foot out of the competition when Nicholas, with an open goal in front of him, somehow managed to hit the post instead of the back of the net.

 In the second half, Zeno replaced Octavio in goal and made a couple of fine saves. 8T then found themselves a man down,  Jacopo sent off for a handball that might have denied the winner to 7V but Noah G's free kick was blocked. Finally, Riccardo saved his team again, as he had done in round 1, scoring a goal that sent the tie to a penalty shoot-out.

It was a case of going from Hero to Villain for Nicholas. Having scored his side's goal early in the second half and having played a good game throughout, his miss turned out to be crucial.

8T thought they had equalised before half time, but Referee's assistant Calento spotted a foul on Octavio as Ludovico shot home.

Guerrino, after having played an excellent match, saw his penalty fly high over the bar and it is 8T who will face 6M on Wednesday.missed a great chance to eliminate.

SEMI-FINAL: 6M 2-1 6A

Will anyone score a better goal this year than Edoardo P's opener? Picking the ball up in his own half, Edo beat two players and finished up just over the half way line and hugging the right touchline. Glancing up at full speed to check Ascanio's position in goal, he launched a perfectly-flighted shot into the top- left-hand corner of the goal: Golazoooooooo!
6A fought back determinedly and equalised with another top-quality goal. Alfonso made a terrific run down the right, beating three players on the way, and then cut back a perfect ball into the path of Ascanio who slotted it home from three meters out.
The second half was dominated by 6M but they could not score, thanks to fantastic defending by 6A, until Edo P struck again near the end, taking advantage of a goalmouth scramble to poke the ball past an unsighted goalkeeper.

8C 1-1 7V (4-5 after penalties)

Early threats from Stuart (8C) and Noah (7) came to nothing and it was left to Luka to break the deadlock with a superbly-timed header just before half-time.
8C looked to control the game in the second half and they succeeded... until the last minute. Sofia made a fantastic double save but was let down by her defence, who failed to pick up the rebound from her second save; Noah pounced on the loose ball to equalise.
Alex's miss in the shoot-out was fatal.

8T 2-0 7P

Despite the questionable tactics imposed on the team by their antipodean coach, 7P gave 8T a good run for their money before succumbing to the killer blow of Riccardo's second half goal.
Having already secured a first half lead through a Ludovico header, 8T absorbed a second half onslaught and the trio of girls at the back kept their team in the game.
Filippo C was a constant threat going forward and he dragged the opposing defence al over the place, opening up opportunities for his team-mates, one of which was converted by Riccardo, who then wasted the rest of his energy in a flamboyant celebration.

6M 3-1 7F

A thrilling encounter today saw the younger team progress to the semi-finals after a well-deserved victory over their older opponents.
Experience counted for little for 7F as 6M put together an excellent team performance: they were solid in defence, determined in midfield and inventive in attack.
Edo P set up Lorenzo in front of goal three times and Lorenzo took one of the oopportunities to put his side 1-0 in front. Francesco C battled well and managed to equalise for his team before half time. When Matteo handled the ball on the line, the crowd gasped in disbelief as referee Corcoran waved play on.
For a while, early in the second half, 7F threatened but then 6M began to take over again. Quick and dangerous on the break, they were always likely to score and Edo P eventually did. The last-minute penalty awarded for a push enabled Edo R to put the result beyond doubt.

6W 2-2 6A, 6A win after penalty shoot-out

An exciting start to the new season saw Alfonso put 6A ahead early in the first half. Edoardo then equalised and put his team in front before time and 6W could have been further ahead were it not for some good saves by Ascanio in goal.
6A swapped goalkeepers in the 2nd half; now Tristano played extremely well between the sticks and Ascanio gave his team an extra edge going forward. In fact it was Ascanio who took advantage of an excellent pass from Alfonso to score the goal that made it 2-2.
This match gaves us a chance to see some new players in action in the Middle School and many of them impressed. In particular, and apart from those already mentioned, well done to Chiara, Helene, Anna, Taro, Francesco, Riccardo.

Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!

HOMEROOM SOCCER CHALLENGE 2014

QUARTER FINALS                  SEMI FINALS                                    FINAL

QF1 Wed 10 Sep 6W vs 6A

                                                                 SF1 Thur 19 Sep WQF1 vs WQF2

QF2 Thur 11 Sep 6M vs 7F

                                                                                                                                                                 Thur 21 Sep WSF1 vs  WSF2

QF3 Fri 12 Sep 7P  vs  8T

                                                                SF2 Fri   20 Sep WQF3 vs  WQF4

QF4 Wed 17 Sep 8C vs  7V

RULES

Grade 6 teams play with NINE players

Grade 7 teams play with EIGHT players

Grade 8 teams play with SEVEN players

All teams must have a MINIMUM of THREE girls on the pitch at all times