The Cowra Youth Men’s Soccer team faced a tough challenge on the weekend, falling 4–0 to Orange Anglican Grammar School in a match that exposed the fine margins of energy and execution.

Despite the loss, the side remains in the hunt for finals and will look to rebound with one last regular-season match before the postseason begins.

Coach Drew Willis said the match-up highlighted just how important energy can be in this competition and this time, it worked against Cowra.

“In the Youth Men’s comp, we are one of the younger and more energetic teams which usually gives us an edge in the game,” Willis said.

“This was turned against us this weekend coming up against Orange Anglican Grammar School, whose oldest player is 17 years old.”

“Our usual play style mirrors theirs, and we simply could not match their energy early, and much like last match-up against OAGS, that’s when it matters the most,” he said.

OAGS’ speed and intensity gave them the upper hand early, leaving Cowra on the back foot and fighting to stay in the contest.

For the opening 25 minutes, Cowra’s defense held firm.

Jacko Brown produced crucial stops at the back, while goalkeeper Mitch Cartwright made several important saves to keep the scores level.

But once OAGS broke through, the floodgates opened.

“It was a rough start for our boys,” Willis said.

“We managed to keep them at bay for the first 25 minutes with valiant defence from Jacko Brown and saves from Mitch Cartwright in keeper.”

“But once they scored their first, we dropped off and we paid the price with them scoring 3 goals in 10 minutes,” he said.

By halftime, Cowra trailed 3–0, and Willis admitted the team needed a spark.

A halftime rev-up from the coach helped shift the mentality, and Cowra responded with greater determination and structure after the break.

Though they conceded once more, it came only from an unfortunate handball in the box, leading to a penalty.

“After a bit of a rev at half time we finally switched on, only conceding one more goal due to an unlucky handball in the box leading to a dot shot,” Willis said.

“End result was a 4–0 loss, however the boys really turned around in the second half, but it was simply too late.”

The improved performance in the second half showed resilience, even if the scoreboard didn’t reflect it.

The loss will see Cowra slip to second place on the ladder, but Willis remains confident the side can regain momentum before finals.

“This loss will knock us back to second on the ladder, but we will still be running strong into finals.”

“With one more regular season match this weekend, it is a must-win to give us confidence going into the finals,” he said.