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Taroona should have had this match won in the opening half, but Christian United, to their credit, did not surrender and almost took the game to a penalty shoot-out.
But, with seconds remaining, Alex Edwards scored with a free-kick from just outside the box to give Taroona top spot in Group B and a semi-final meeting with New Town Eagles.
Taroona did everything but score in the first half.
Edwards lifted the ball over the bar from close range in the 6th minute after perfect service from the right by Toby Dove.
Dove headed Lucas Wyatt’s free-kick straight at the goalkeeper in the 8th minute, while in the 14th minute, Wyatt should have done better than head a corner over the bar.
On the quarter-hour, Dove clipped the top of the crossbar with a fine shot, while six minutes later, he missed an absolute sitter.
It was a different game in the second half as Christian rose to the challenge and dominated for long periods.
Their main danger was Ashley Page, who shot over the bar in the 35th minute and then, four minutes later, had an excellent shot well saved by keeper Jonathon Burridge.
In the 42nd minute, Kim Dae Won showed great skill on the right, but his chip sailed just over the Taroona crossbar.
Midway through the half, Page’s superb shot hit the inside of the far left-hand post and the ball rebounded across the face of goal and back into play off the right-hand upright.
Having survived that, Taroona got their lucky break at the end with the free-kick and the goal by Edwards.
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- Taroona coach, Greg McVeigh, said:
“We played very well in the first half and probably should have been at least one up at half-time.
“In the second half, I think they competed a lot better for the ball and we just dropped off a bit.
“A nice finish in the end from Al [Alex Edwards].
- Christian United defender, David Noble, said:
“It was a pretty hard-fought game.
“I think we played all right. It was just a bit disappointing to drop that one in the last ten seconds.
“The free-kick was just one of those that gets called and there wasn’t much in it.”
- Christian United’s Angus Livingstone said:
“I thought we played pretty well, especially in the second half, when we were on top.
“We hit both posts and were a bit unlucky to lose in the end.”
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Taroona: Burridge - Flonta, Clarke, Schaap, R Carey - Macgregor, Wyatt, Atkinson, McGuinness - Edwards, Dove [Substitutes: Brown, Hagan, Hazlewood, Gates]
Goals: Edwards 61
Christian United: Nicholson - T Wierenga, Noble, Nettlefold, Mannasseh - Livingstone, Kim Dae Won, Walters, Van Sant - Lumago, Page [Substitutes: J Wierenga, De Hoog, Reader, Gwolo]
Ref: G Speight
Att: 100
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