Quarterfinalists: Byron Bay High School’s U/15 boys side. Photo Rachel Milgate
Byron Bay High’s U/15 boys soccer team won their round-of-16 clash last week, but three days later went down 1–0 to Newcastle High in the quarterfinals, ending their stellar run in the Bill Turner national knockout football competition.
The narrow loss to the Newcastle side took place in Coffs Harbour last Friday.
‘The team put in their best effort. What more can you ask?’ Byron Bay coach Harley Schmidt said after the team’s charge to the finals ended.
‘At the end of the day it was not the result we were after but the boys have put in a great effort throughout the whole tournament. To get to this stage is a really great achievement.
‘The bounce of the ball gets you sometimes,’ he said.
Three days earlier Byron Bay beat St John Paul College (Coffs Harbour) on penalties after the game was locked at 2–2 in their round-of-16 game played at home. The win put them into the quarterfinal against Newcastle.
The St John Paul team got off to a great start with a goal in the first minute, but Byron soon grabbed the ascendency when Zahi Addis scored back-to-back goals in the 14th and 18th minutes. The game was locked up early in the second half when the visitors equalised.
Byron Bay won the penalty shot out 4–2.
The Bill Turner Cup is a high school competition for students 15-years-and-under in a knock-out format with 450 teams from Cairns to Melbourne, all regions of NSW and the ACT.
Correction
In an earlier report (Echo 33.09) Zahi Addis was incorrectly named as Khai Addis; the photo in the story was of his brother Hani Addis.
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