Narrabri Eleven FC suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss in the Namoi Premier League reserve grade preliminary final at Hogan Oval on Saturday.
The score was locked at 2-all at full-time and remained that way following extra time, but the visitors outscored the Elevens 3-2 in the shootout to join Narrabri FC in this Saturday’s grand final in Inverell.
Narrabri’s Andy Carling and Moree’s Aden Bridge bagged doubles during the 80 minutes of regulation time of the preliminary final.
Moree went into half-time with a 1-0 lead after Bridge opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he charged in behind the Elevens’ defence down the left edge onto a through ball, took a touch to set himself, and then fired a strike from just inside the 18-yard box over the head of Elevens goalkeeper Andrew Neave.
The hosts equalised seven minutes into the second stanza when Jesse Weekes made a piercing run down the left edge and played a pass inside to Carling, who charged into the box and picked out the bottom left corner with a powerful strike.
Moree then went ahead again in the 70th minute when Bridge scored his second goal of the game with a first-time strike from the edge of the box after running onto a cross from the right, but the Elevens equalised through Carling five minutes later when he picked out the bottom left corner from the penalty spot after Moree had handled the ball in the box.
Full time was blown five minutes later with the score still at 2-all, and neither side could add a goal in 20 minutes of extra time as the game went to penalties.
Tyler Allen stepped up for the first kick of the shootout and put Narrabri Elevens ahead 1-0, which was the way it remained when Moree Services FC veteran Steve Pinner missed the away side’s first.
However, the home side missed three of their next four shots while Moree scored all three of theirs as the visitors prevailed to join Narrabri FC in the decider.
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