Rangers’ players hit new court highs

By Bec Torsello
MONBULK Rangers Soccer Club saw five of its teams crowned champions this season – the men’s Forest, men’s Arrows, under-18 Pythons, under-14 Power and the under-12 Rascals.
The Pythons and Rascals went on to play in a championship round of finals against the top teams in the state and both were runners-up champions, ultimately going down in the grand final.
The Rascals played Heatherton, the eventual champions, twice. Both times, they drew 2-2 and lost through penalties. But they lost only one game during the season and are keen to work towards another championship next season. The Rascals are the Victorian U12C runners-up.
The Pythons started their finals against Essendon last Wednesday night, losing in a penalty shoot-out. Essendon was winning 2-0 when goals from Geordie Scott and Captain Jacco Kerstens levelled the score just before full time. It went to penalties, which the Pythons lost 7-8.
They went on to play South Melbourne in the preliminary finals, winning 3-0. The Pythons were slow to start while South Melbourne was first to the ball.
In what was an aggressive and challenging contest, the Pythons increased the pressure and began to play their game. Three goals from Josh Newman, Lachy Webb and Jacco Kerstens in the space of 10 minutes saw the Pythons straight into the grand final.
Having been beaten by Essendon in the semi-final, the Pythons were keen to meet them again in the grand-final.
They started strong and dominated possession in the game in windy conditions at East Bentleigh.
Essendon made the most of its few chances and was first to score. Josh Newman scored an equaliser and at half-time scores were even.
Essendon came out firing in the second half and scored a further two goals. The Pythons had more opportunities up front than Essendon but were unable to convert.
The result of the hard-fought encounter was a 3-1 victory to Essendon. The Pythons were undefeated throughout the season. Their only two losses came in the finals series.