Goulburn Valley Suns have retained the Mimmo Lia Cup, defeating the Shepparton All-Stars in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night.
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It was a thrilling contest at McEwen Reserve, with the Suns holding a one-nil lead for the majority of the game thanks to a Brandon Giaccherini goal.
That was until a late All-Stars goal to Ermal Marku drew the sides level, with the Suns eventually taking the win after a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory.
Suns coach Craig Carley was pleased with his side’s performance and said it was a great game overall.
“I felt we controlled the majority of the possession and moved the ball really well and we stuck to the game plan, so I was really pleased with that,” Carley said.
“Obviously the All-Stars made it interesting by equalising in the 88th minute, but I thought it was a real good game.
“Mimmo has been a fantastic servant to soccer in the region and I feel like we put on a really good spectacle and game to recognise his contribution to the sport.”
All-Stars co-coach Nathan Sali said his side showed a big improvement on last year.
“We had an extra month or so to prepare, so the boys were a lot fitter this time around,” Sali said.
“It was a really good game, good for local soccer and good for the community and it was a good turnout from the spectators.”
Carley and Sali acknowledged the importance of the Suns in growing the local game, with 11 of the All-Stars line-up previously pulling on the orange shirt, and the clash showing the ‘‘soccer ecosystem’’ of the region working well.
With the NPL2 season kicking off next week, Carley said the Suns were tailoring down their pre-season and had pencilled in two final pre-season fixtures this weekend.
“We’re really looking to get minutes into everyone now,” Carley said.
“We’re really excited for the season to start now, it’s been a long pre-season, but we’ve worked really hard and I think we’re at a place now where we wanted to be, so hopefully we can kick on while competitive games start.”
The Suns’ final pre-season fixtures will take place on Saturday, with the seniors taking on the Sandown Lions at 2pm and the under-21s battling Shepparton United at 4pm, at McEwen Reserve, Shepparton.