The LG Young Socceroos have got their preparation for the upcoming Oceania Qualifiers for the World Youth Cup off to a good start, with victory over the Coffs Harbour Representative Team, in a training match in Coffs Harbour tonight.
Marconi Stallions striker Kevo Gulesserian celebrated his call-up to the 20-man squad with a tally of four goals in the nine goal haul, putting away his hat-trick in the first half.
Sydney Olympic midfielder Greg Owens got the scoring underway in the 8th minute, quickly followed by West Ham midfielder Michael Ferrante, who put Australia up 2-0 at the 11 minute mark.
Gulesserian took the first of his four in the 29th minute, a simple tap in after Ahmad Elrich had broken through the defence and slipped the ball across the face of goal.
Owens then grabbed his second with a spectacular volley from a Ferrante corner in the 33rd minute, that effort followed by another two from Gulesserian to give the LG Young Socceroos a 6-0 lead at the half-time break.
The Coffs Harbour team pulled one back seven minutes into the second half, Greg Thomas capitalizing on virtually the first offensive move from the home team, however the Under-20 reply was swift, Gulesserian again on hand to make it 7-1.
Nick Carle added his name to the goal tally in the 74th minute, while Ferrante finished the scoring off for Australia from the penalty spot, after Scott McDonald was brought down in the area, for a full time scoreline of 9-1.
"The boys had a good hit out tonight, and while our first half was definitely better than the second, where we got a little sloppy, it wasn't a bad effort, considering we've only been in camp since Monday," said coach Ange Postecoglou after the game.
"The set up here has been fantastic so far, the pitch tonight was first class, the hospitality shown to us has been first rate, and our preparation for next week's qualifiers is right on track." he concluded.
The LG Young Socceroos continue the camp in Coffs Harbour, with a recovery session tomorrow morning, followed by a full training session in the afternoon, prior to Friday night's second and final game against the Coffs Harbour Representative team.