Sport
9 May, 2024
Lowood SHS futsal girls claim top spot
Lowood State High School’s senior girls futsal team claimed top spot at the Under 19 Regional Schools Championships, played at the Lockyer Valley Sports and Aquatic Centre on Tuesday of last week.
It was the first time LSHS entered this competition, as three of Lowood’s players were U14, in addition to one U15 and four U16s.
Following a 4-0 win against Mary MacKillop College and a landslide 18-0 victory against Lockyer District, the LSHS team defeated Mary MacKillop 7-1 in the decider.
Lowood’s coach Jacob Veraart said the key to winning was “the ability to move the opposition around the court, opening space to then create a goal scoring opportunity”.
“The girls demonstrated superior technical and tactical skills throughout along with a determination to defend,” he said.
“They played in the right spirit of the game throughout the competition under some pressing circumstances.”
At the Brisbane-based Nissan Arena the previous Tuesday, most of the LSHS U19 girls represented their school at U16 level in round three of the Schools Futsal League (SFL) with even greater success.
On this occasion, the girls clinched the Western Conference title as they won all nine of their games, mostly in resounding fashion.
Lowood’s first three games yielded scores of 7-1, 10-0 and 8-0 against Kenmore, Bremer and Brigidine.
A 6-3 win over Ripley Valley was followed by a 7-3 victory against Stretton and another 10-0 win, this time against Brisbane South State Secondary College.
Next was a 5-0 win against Citipoint, before a 4-2 scoreline against St John’s was followed by a 5-0 beating of St Ursula’s.
Mr Veraart said the ability to defend as a team was crucial, to concede only nine goals in as many games.
“The team grew to have trust in each others’ abilities, and played towards the team’s strengths,” he said.
LSHS also fielded an U16 boys team at the SFL, with the boys acquitting themselves well while the results didn’t go their way as they placed ninth.
Lowood’s U16 girls will compete in the SFL finals at Coomera Indoor Sports Centre on May 29, before most of them back up for the U19s in the Southern Queensland Futsal Championships at Nissan Arena from June 19 to 21.
