South Hobart lose to Lions for first time since 2009 but still qualify for Summer Cup Final

Photo:  Shane Cartwright (left) is pressured by South Hobart's Patrick Kibler [PlessPix]

(NPL Southern Tasmania Summer Cup, KGV Park, Friday, 6 March 2020)

Kingborough Lions United 2 (S Cartwright 55, 82)

South Hobart 1 (S Tooze 17)

HT:  0-1   Att:  130   Ref:  M Piesse

Kingborough Lions United:  Mackie  -  Douce, Bighin, Cowen, Sammut  -  Trac, Vivarelli, Downes, Verdu Sanchez  -  Cartwright, Hall  (Subs:  V Turner, Nugent, Kingston, M Khasif, Kantzos)

South Hobart:  Webert  -  Herweynen, R Morton, Kibler, Semmler  -  Kemp, Larby, Lakoseljac  -  Hallam, Tooze, Berezansky  (Subs:  Attfield, Divin, Evans, Juju, Moncur)

Photo:  Kingborough keeper Lee Mackie outjumps South Hobart's Patrick Kibler to take a cross [PlessPix]

South Hobart qualified for the Summer Cup Final despite losing to Kingborough Lions United 2-1 because Clarence Zebras, the only team that could displace them from the final, lost to Glenorchy Knights.

This was the first time that South Hobart had lost to Kingborough since 2009.  The sides had met 40 times in that period and this was the first time South Hobart coach Ken Morton had suffered defeat at the hands of the Lions.

South Hobart got off to a good start and young centre-forward Sam Tooze put them ahead in the 17^th minute with a marvellous shot from just outside the box and to the right of the D.

Kingborough had hardly threatened at that stage and South could easily have gone further ahead but for some stout defending by the Lions and a good performance by goalkeeper Lee Mackie.

Photo:  Kingborough custodian Lee Mackie again rises to the occasion [PlessPix]

Kingborough’s best chance came, significantly, from Shane Cartwright, who had a header tipped over the bar by South Hobart’s American keeper, Chase Webert.  Cartwright was to wreak serious damage after the interval.

South Hobart’s Sam Berezansky was slow to shoot in the 50^th minute and the chance went begging, but 5 minutes later, Cartwright put the Lions level when he nodded home a Chris Downes corner from the left.

Kingborough earned a penalty just past the hour-mark when substitute Tae Evans handled Cartwright’s attempted pass, but Downes, going for power rather than placement, sent his spot-kick high over the bar and into the darkening sky.

Javier Verdu Sanchez then lofted a shot over the bar from the left corner of the 6-yard box as the Lions gradually asserted their authority.  Sanchez appeared to be taking that authority a little too far later when he was booked and, in trying to assuage the referee, he gently patted Mr Piesse’s hair as he ran back upfield.  Even in Spain, it is surely not the done thing.  Players should not touch the officials, even in a friendly gesture.

Photo:  Kingborough skipper Danny Cowen tries to impede the progress of South Hobart's Kasper Hallam [PlessPix]

Kingborough’s winner came in the 82^nd minute.  A long free-kick from inside their box found Cartwright unmarked just outside the South Hobart penalty area.  The South defence appeared to be AWOL and the technical gifted Cartwright controlled the ball, and seeing Webert way off his line, neatly lobbed the ball over the keeper and into an empty net for the winner.

South Hobart, of course, did not know at that stage that they were through to the final so they spent the next couple of hours sweating on the result of the Glenorchy Knights versus Clarence Zebras game.  Knights won that and South Hobart can now prepare for the final against Olympia Warriors next Saturday.

Photo:  Kingborough's Keenan Douce about to hit the ball upfield as South Hobart's Sam Berezansky moves in [PlessPix] 

Photo:  Lions keeper Lee Mackie blocks a shot from Kasper Hallam [PlessPix]

Photo:  Danny Cowen blocks a shot from South's Sam Berezansky [PlessPix] 

Photo:  Kobe Kemp prepares to take a free-kick for South Hobart [PlessPix]