Rugby

TRINITY COLLEGE ANNUAL 2018 241 SOCCER

SOCCER

Trinity College soccer has enjoyed another fantastic year, on and off the field. A true sense of community was established by the playing group, their parents and all coaches involved. Everyone seemed to go above and beyond in a common pursuit of success.

Success, not only measured through on-field results, but also in how all involved gained a special enjoyment from playing, supporting and coaching. I genuinely extend my gratitude to the Friends of Soccer community, as their passion, enthusiasm, love for the game and support of their sons was fantastic to witness.

The Middle School program was, yet again, a fantastic environment for Trinity’s youth players to improve and evolve. Mr Dean Evans expertly led the 7As to an unbeaten season, where every game was emphatically won. The Year 7s were supported by an overwhelming number of parents each Friday fixture, where the sidelines were a constant reminder of the incredible TC Spirit.

The 8As were led by Trent Piccicacco (’16) as he coached the same group of players for a second year running, with the squad continuing to flourish under his leadership and competing fantastically throughout the season. The team also managed to take part in a friendly match against table-topping Bayswater Under 13s NPL at Frank Drago Reserve during the school holidays – the first ever friendly game organised for a Middle School team. Despite a 4-2 loss, the experience was invaluable and the team was buoyed by the fact that they could mix it with the best that WA could offer.

The 9As were coached by Mr Martin Guest, assisted by last year’s 1st XI Captain, Sam Moffat (’17), who also coached the 9B squad. A fantastic achievement by Mr Guest and Sam as the 9A team went through the season unbeaten, with many new talents being unearthed. It was business as usual for the 10A squad, who had Mr Adrian Madaschi at the helm for the fourth year in a row. Adrian’s staunch professional mentality, coupled with his humility, allowed him to extract the best from a small, yet close-knit squad which went on to have a successful season, winning seven of their ten matches.

For the Senior School boys, the season began with the Soccer tour to Malaysia and Singapore, which occurs every even year. Trinity staff members, Mr Ben Kriszyk, Mr Martin Guest, Ms Amanda Marocchi and new 1st XI Coach Mr Daniel Bateman, led 32 boys on a trip of a lifetime. The tour was a diverse mix of exploring local activities and culture, as well as four fixtures against top class opponents. Highlights included playing against PKNS FC, who held a welcoming party in our honour, and visits to the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Marina Bay Sands Skydeck in Singapore.

The 2018 season was a drama-filled tidal wave of emotion, where all involved experienced the highs and lows of the rigorous 12-game campaign. A new head coach, Mr Daniel Bateman, was appointed for the 1st XI, with an assistant coaching role eagerly filled

Mr Ben Kriszyk

by Trent Piccicacco (’16). The Lawe Davies Cup was in the sights and minds of the players and coaches as two pre-season tournaments were played at Scotch College and Christ Church Grammar School. The large squad of very talented players involved at these round-robin style competitions allowed the coaches to fine tune their final team for the upcoming season. Performances were positive, making the task to cut the team down to a final 18 near impossible. After many hours of tinkering with player positions and roles, a squad was chosen for our opening fixture clash against 2017 winners, Scotch College.

Captain Timothy Ludovico (12.3) led the group for the first game, which was a hotly contested affair. Both sides evenly matched, the game played out like a boxing match between two heavyweights. A Daniel Fitzgerald (12.2) headed goal was the difference on the day, as Trinity left Waterford with a 1-0 win against the favourites. With that win behind the squad, the boys continued momentum with an emphatic 5-0 win at home against Guildford Grammar School and then travelled away to top contenders Hale School. The game was dictated by our ‘golden boot’, Matthew Mustica (12.6), as he opened the scoring very early on in typical poacher fashion. Trinity left Hale with a 3-0 win and the feeling in the squad was extremely positive.

The next Saturday the weather was putrid which tainted the match away to a winless Aquinas College. Playing in heavy rain and squally winds, the squad seemingly couldn’t cope in the conditions falling behind early, then eventually trailing 3-1 with 20 minutes to go. Conceding scrappy goals and set pieces, Trinity came fighting back to salvage a point at 3-3 in the final stages, unlucky to not go on and win the game. Lessons were learnt that

day about how the squad perceived themselves and about how any opponent can step up on any day.

It was a very tense affair against Wesley College on a Thursday when Trinity come away 1-0 winners and an 82nd minute goal for Matthew Mustica secured an amazing 4-3 win at home to Christ Church Grammar School with the last kick of the game. With the first half of the season finished unbeaten, the energy in the squad was immense as there was belief that this was the year.

A bye round was followed by the return fixture away at Scotch, where this match not only held great ramifications on the scoreboard, but also in the mentalities of both players and coaches. The match was a feisty affair in the first half, both sides going into the break at 0-0; however, the floodgates seemingly opened in the heart of our defense as we fell to a 4-1 loss. Devasted, the team could quickly bounce back away at Guildford on the following Thursday. Although Trinity hammered their counterparts in the first fixture, the small pitch unpredictability of a Thursday fixture and the diminishing mentality of the group culminated into a strange afternoon where the game was highly contested. Ending in a frustrating 1-1 draw, the squad went into the holidays disheartened.

Keen to lift spirits, there was an intense holiday training schedule coupled with weekly morning pilates and the boys pushed their bodies to the limits in a search to rekindle the previous on-field results. Subsequently, the returning match against Hale was a do-or-die clash, where anything but a win would surely squander the sides chances of securing the Lawe Davies. On a day of torrential rain, skidding and unlucky deflections, the side fell 4-2, after being level at 2-2 with 15 minutes to go. Deflated, the boys went on to draw 2-2 with Aquinas on the annual Pink Sock Day fixture, followed by a 3-1 loss to Wesley. The final fixture, a 2-1 victory over Christ Church was an overwhelmingly positive performance by the players, where the team was untouchable in the second half, a dominant display that will never be forgotten.

It was another year, much like 2016, where the team seemingly got ahead of itself, starting fantastically and ending indifferently. In saying this, it was an extraordinary season to be a part of and it was extremely enjoyable to watch the boys play every week. I extend thanks to Captain, Timothy Ludovico for his measured sense of leadership, Vice-captain Joshua Martelli (12.4) on another tremendous year and congratulate Raymond Teakle (12.1) on a superb season; he will be sorely missed in seasons to come.

Our season concluded on 24 August, with the Soccer Presentation Evening with more than 270 players, coaches and parents in attendance. It was very humbling to see so many parents on the night showing their support for Trinity soccer. Thank you to all who attended on the evening and/or sent in donations for the raffle. I also take this opportunity to thank all parents of departing students, your support of Trinity soccer is greatly appreciated and is what makes my role such a rewarding experience. I hope your sons continue to play the greatest game in the world in some form and level in future.

Mr Ben Kriszyk 1st XI Manager

Captain Timothy Ludovico

1ST XI SOCCER

BACK ROW: Hayden Boffey, Dylan Murphy, Daniel Fitzgerald, Cooper Brown, Zachary Robinson, Raymond Teakle, Max Thorniley MIDDLE ROW: Mr Ben Kriszyk, Nicholas Radonjic, Toby Robertson, Mr Daniel Bateman, Ben Kelly, Tomas Despotovski, Mr Trent Piccicacco FRONT ROW: Jojo Parise, Michael Boffey, Joshua Martelli, Jacob Del Casale, Timothy Ludovico (Captain), Matthew Mustica, Alexander Moffatt

2ND XI SOCCER

BACK ROW: Ms Lissa Coleman, Tyrone Mola, Michael Todaro, Tommaso Cairoli, Jamie Strudwick, Matteo Amata, Luca Rossi, Dimitri Sarris, Kyron Milosavljevic FRONT ROW: Jake Pizzuto, Samuel Symons, Alexander Rossi, Brandon Duong, Thomas Miocevich, Adam Ricci, Nicholas Cattalini ABSENT: Joseph Dodo-Balu