Whitsunday United FC Fires Up for Finals

U14-15 Div Minor Premiers. Photo supplied: Joscelyn O’Keefe

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The opening round of the finals delivered plenty of drama for Whitsunday United, with three teams securing Grand Final places and several others keeping their campaigns alive.

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Div 1 Men booked their place with an impressive 3-1 win over Mackay Rangers. Nathan Sothmann, Darren Reynolds and Lachy Hurt scored during a dominant first half before WUFC controlled possession to seal the result.

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Premier Men remained in contention after a dramatic 2-1 victory over City Brothers. Alan O’Donnell scored twice, including an 89th-minute winner, to send WUFC into a preliminary final against Mackay Rangers.

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U23 Men fell 4-1 to Mackay Lions but will have another chance to qualify next weekend, while Div 2 Men’s season ended with a 3-0 loss to Mackay Rangers.

After collecting their minor premiership trophies, the youth teams returned to finals action.

U14/15 FQPL defeated Mackay Lions 4-2 in extra time. Austin Kelly and Shannon Matthews established a 2-0 lead before Lions fought back to level the scores. Eli Wallis restored WUFC’s advantage in extra time before Nick Moranino sealed the win with a superb long-range free kick.

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U14/15 Div 1 also produced a memorable 4-2 comeback against Mackay Country. Goalkeeper Jackson Paroz remarkably scored from halfway to force extra time at 2-2 before Kobe Marjoram struck twice to complete his hat-trick.

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U13 FQPL lost 3-0 to Mackay Rangers but will have another opportunity to reach the Grand Final next weekend.

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Contributed with thanks to Joscelyn O’Keefe.