Defence Teams Chase Titles In Debut Football Cup

RAAF

Army has dominated the women's and masters' divisions, while Navy has taken the top spot in the men's competition at the inaugural NSW/ACT Football Cup, held at Randwick Barracks.

Army's masters' team played two matches against Air Force - as Navy did not field a team - during the August 26 tournament.

The Army team was down 2-1 at halftime but managed to come back for a 2-2 draw.

Army was on top for most of the second match but had a player sent off in the second half, forcing them to dig deep and hold out.

With the two teams tied on points, the championship was decided by a penalty shootout.

Army landed all four shots, but Air Force could only manage three.

Army masters' captain and coach, Officer Cadet Christian Layland, said the final moment was a mass celebration.

"We all just sprinted to the goalkeeper, he was the hero," he said.

In the women's comp, Army and Navy drew 2-2 in both games, but Army won thanks to a victory over Air Force.

'We faced a lot of pressure against two good teams and we learnt a lot from the experience.'

The most valuable player (MVP) for Navy's women's team, Able Seaman Stefani Arteaga-Fuentes, said their game against Air Force was more defensive because they were tired and faced numerous attacks on goal.

"We faced a lot of pressure against two good teams and we learnt a lot from the experience. It showed us what we need to work on as a team to bring home some wins next time," she said.

In the men's comp, Army defeated Air Force 2-0, Navy defeated Air Force 3-2, and then Navy took the cup, winning 3-2 against Army.

Air Force men's MVP, Aircraftman Paolo Laxamana, said there was more rivalry in the game against Navy.

"We were down 3-0 in the first half, and then we turned around and set up a new format for the second half," he said.

"We were able to almost bring it back to a drawn game."

Next year, Air Force will host the competition, with the location set to rotate annually among the single-service associations.

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