The first year boys got their soccer season under way with a sterling performance. After several weeks of training, the boys were involved in their first competitive games representing Ardscoil today in the Waterford round of the FAI First Year Futsal qualifications. The spectacle of the WIT Arena did initially have the boys somewhat nervous as we started our campaign with a 0-0 draw with St Paul's. We played some beautiful football but just could not find the net. This was not to be the case for the rest of the day. Waterpark had been beaten already by one of two De La Salle teams when we stepped on court to play them. The initial jitters were soon forgotten as we cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win in game two. With one win and one draw it was essential that we win our final group game to top the table. We did just that in tremendous fashion with a star turn from Tommy Smyth, who, in true super sub style, came off the bench to bag two goals. It finished 3-0 to us against De La Salle A. This result saw us play the runners up of the other group, De La Salle B. It was an epic battle but we came out victorious with a 1-0 win securing our place in the final. It was a contest of biblical proportions with our team facing some very tall and strong first years from Mount Sion. It was a very close match with both teams having several shots on target and our keeper Leon Murphy having to be at the top of his game, pulling off a number of important saves. A dubious decision led to our opposition nicking a goal to go ahead in the tie. We hit the bar in the dying moments, trying to get the game to go to penalties. Just as one of our strikers broke forward with our last push of the game, the whistle sounded and we had to settle for runners up in the competition. It was the least the team deserved after a passionate and skillful day's football. They did their school proud, their coach proud, their parents proud but most of all they did themselves proud. Well done boys!
Leon Murphy, Ciaran Shanahan, Jack Ahern
Sean O'Donoghue, Kane Hilliard, Jack Whelan
Tommy Smyth, Tommy Fanning, Jim Brennan
Sam Duffy Niblock, Sean Fitzgerald, Emmet Kirk