Sport
17 June, 2026
U23 women ‘united’ in win
INNISFAIL United’s under-23 women have become the club’s standout success story this season, extending their unbeaten run with a gritty 2-1 win over Stratford Dolphins at Stratford on 5 June.
The victory cements their position in second place on the ladder, level with Edge Hill on 28 points, after an extraordinary 10-game campaign that has produced 44 goals, while conceding just four.
Kaitlyn Musumeci and captain Kaila Musumeci scored the first-half goals to give Innisfail a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.
Stratford clawed one back with five minutes remaining, but the visitors held firm to secure another impressive result.
While the women soared, Innisfail’s premier men endured a tough outing against Edge Hill on 7 June at Tiger Park, going down 5-1 despite a spirited performance.
Jacob Moloney converted a first-half penalty to keep the Cutters in touch at 2-1 at half-time, but three second-half counter-attacks from the Tigers blew the scoreline out.
Coach John Cavanah said the final margin didn’t reflect the contest.
“The scoreline is not indicative of the game. We had plenty of opportunities but gave away too much ball in and around our box.”
With three consecutive home games ahead, all against top-half opponents, Cavanah stressed the importance of squad consistency.
“Players must make themselves available for the next three games. It would be nice to put the same starting 11 on the field two weeks in a row.”
Innisfail have bolstered their ranks with the signing of left-footer Ulysses, who made his debut against Edge Hill on Sunday.
The under-23 men also faced Edge Hill on 7 June and, despite difficult field conditions, started brightly by moving the ball well and pressuring the opposition’s backline.
But a failure to clear a loose ball gifted Edge Hill the opener, before Ashton Vecchio capitalised on a defensive error to level the scores 1-1 with a composed finish into the bottom corner.
The match remained an arm-wrestle, though two moments of passive defending cost Innisfail before half-time.
Glen Kalchiwota struck in the second half to reduce the deficit to 3-2, but the Cutters couldn’t find an equaliser.
Coach Chris Claus said there was still plenty to like. “Despite the loss, there was plenty of encouragement to take away from the team’s efforts.”