AIC Football Summary – Round 7 (Final Round)

Marist College Ashgrove has emerged from one of the tightest AIC Football First XI competitions to claim their first title in eight years.

Saturday’s 3-0 win over Iona College was closer than the scoreline suggested which is hardly a surprise to those who followed a competition that could have been claimed by four teams depending on the outcomes of the final round.

Ashgrove went into that match with a one-point lead so victory over Iona was enough for the premiership. When Will Gullo scored an early goal, there was an expectation that the result wouldn’t be straight-forward.

Iona spent the next 20 minutes challenging Ashgrove with the gritty attack that placed them among the rush for premiership honours.

But Ashgrove pushed ahead when Zak Payne’s remarkable 30-metre free-kick found the net to prepare the home team for its first premiership since 2011.

Jackson Barrick’s final goal sealed the match for Ashgrove, completing a season that had its challenges including a draw with St Patrick’s College and a loss to Villanova College.

But Ashgrove was helped by its innovative partnership with Brisbane City Football Club.

The closeness of this year’s competition was on show at Runcorn where Villanova, the only team to defeat Ashgrove, fell 5-0 to St Laurence’s College in a stirring finish to the season.

The result was closer than the scoreline suggested and sealed second place for St Laurence’s, who stormed home after losing their two of their first three matches of the season.

Villanova enjoyed a strong season, with star striker Peter Klaasen among the best players in the competition. Their 2-1 win over Ashgrove in round five was their highlight.

Padua College finished its season on a high with a 4-2 win over a resilient St Edmund’s College playing with a man down for most of the game.

St Edmund’s received a red card for a handball on the goal-line but they continued to fight hard against Padua, which took a 1-0 lead into halftime before its home crowd.

St Edmund’s levelled the scored after the break before Padua’s Trent Millard scored twice to push the home team clear.

Padua will be buoyed by their strong finish to the season while St Edmund’s again showed its character and were a handful for rivals throughout the season.

St Peter’s Lutheran College finished the season strongly with a 3-0 win over St Patrick’s College.

St Peter’s win – their third of the season – underlined the closeness of the competition because St Patrick’s had been among the contenders for the premiership heading into the final round.

St Patrick’s – which had drawn with Ashgrove – finished the season in fourth place, one point ahead of St Peter’s.