Late drama decides trio of thrilling contests in Albany Junior Soccer Association under-18s comp

There were close contests in round three of the Great Southern Soccer Association under-18s competition last Saturday.

A thrilling fixture between Polonia Red and Stirling Rangers went down to the last kick of the game when Will Smith scored to earn Polonia a 3-3 draw.

Polonia Red were favourites but Stirling Rangers worked hard to close them down.

In the opening moments of the match Polonia had an early chance but the ball went high and wide of the target.

Stirling Rangers led through Harry Knowlson who made a determined run into the box and saw his powerful shot deflected into the back of the net off Polonia’s goalkeeper.

That lead was doubled about 10 minutes later when a 25m free-kick was diverted into the back of their own net by the Polonia defence.

Liam Murdoch drilled one into the bottom corner to pull a goal back for Polonia.

In the second half Stirling Rangers’ Henry Goldsmith shot low and hard through a crowded penalty area to give his side a 3-1 lead.

From that point, Polonia dominated possession but Stirling Rangers worked hard.

Murdoch got his second of the match and almost made it a hat-trick had it not been for a fine fingertip save by Stirling Rangers keeper James Knowlson.

As the match neared its end, the ball was crossed into the Stirling Rangers box and Will Smith scored Polonia’s equaliser.

The match between Polonia White and Albany Bayswater was just as exciting.

The first half finished goalless but Polonia White took the lead through Oliver Trichilo in the 66th minute.

In the 79th minute Fred Opuni equalised for Bayswater who took their opportunity to press straight from the restart. They won the ball back and Josh D’Aprile scored the winner.

Winless Caledonians and Denmark met with Denmark taking the lead. Despite Caledonians’ equaliser, Denmark earned their first points of the season with a late winning goal.