Australian Futsal Association’s very own Romeo Frediani and Pete Kenna masterminded victory in the UniSport Australia Div 2 Nationals, which took place last week at Runaway Bay Sport Complex, Gold Coast, Queensland.
Romeo is Futsal Tasmania’s State Manager, whereas Pete is a key member of the coaching team and recent recipient of AFA’s Coach Recognition Award. They both took a couple of days off Futsal Tasmania duty, to form the coaching team for the UTAS Futsal Club’s Men’s and Women’s squads.
The women’s squad finished an extremely respectable fourth, with ten universities competing. However, the men stole the show by going all the way and clinching gold.
Frediani said: “The group is feeling great, to travel to Queensland and dominate the tournament is a great feeling. We had really been unsure on what to expect, with 17 teams split into two pools we had an idea it was going to be tough.”
He continued: “The toughest game by the scoreline was the 3-3 draw with Macquarie University but we believe Western Sydney was the toughest game in our pool and also in the grand final.”
When asked about the strongest performance of the day, there was little doubt. He said: “The grand final for sure. They played very well. Down 1-0, then 1-1. Down 2-1 at half time, 3-1 down during the second half, things weren’t looking good. We then scored the a flurry of three goals in next five minutes playing a high press to go 4-3 up. The final two goals came with some great play into our target direct and supporting players made the most of the service. It finished 7-4 to us.”
Whilst Frediani was keen to emphasise the all round team performance, a few players deserved a special mention. He continued: “Yasin Mohammadi and Riquan Azri controlled the game from start to finish. Jimmy Ackerley played very well as did the keeper Boof Singh. The victory means a lot to them all. They wanted the title after two years of finishing second. The promotion of futsal at the university has now increased showing that not only do UTAS produce highly academic students but now have a sporting achievements to add to their belt.”
AFA would like to congratulate Romeo, Pete and the UTAS team on their fantastic achievement. We look forward to following their progress.
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