Recap
The first half was a very even affair with both sides having chances. Matt Wakeford tested Ethan Kelleher in the Marist goal early on. Marist’s best chance in the first was a bouncing free from Josh Furze that forces Niki Emery into a save. Emery and Kelleher were both on form, keeping the score 0-0 until half time. Kelleher in particular was quick off his line to clear Paroa through balls several times throughout the game. The second half started much the same, with both sides evenly matched. Marist had plenty of pressure in attack, but no real clear chances, until Furze found himself 1 on 1 with Emery, only to chip the ball right into Emery’s arms. Shortly after Paroa finally got the one bit of luck that both sides were waiting on when, after a cross into the Marist box wasn’t cleared effectively, the ball fell right to Wakeford who finished into the bottom left corner for his third goal of the season. Kye Thomson forced Emery into a fingertip save with a cracking shot from outside the box as Marist chased an equaliser. Emery made yet another fine save, this time at his near post after a great shot by Tamati Taewa, to finish the game with a deserved clean sheet. Despite the goalkeeping performance, Martin McDonald was awarded Paroa’s player of the day, which could easily have gone to either of the central midfield pairing of McDonald and Marcus Zintl. Marist will be disappointed with the result, though not the fine performance. Furze, Marist’s player of the day, was a constant threat throughout the game and was unlucky not to come away with a goal.