SENIOR players at Daylesford and Hepburn United Soccer Club returned to the field for the first match of the season at Morshead Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
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The seniors just managed to scrape together enough players to compete in this year's Ballarat District Soccer Association season though the division one and two teams were down by four players.
The division one seniors played last year's champions - Sebastopol Vikings.
On a windy day, the Vikings managed to put on a strong performance and hold Daylesford's efforts during the first half of play.
The Saints' Owen Turbitt, Adam Fireman and Jono Buress all came close to scoring but the Vikings managed to counter all of their efforts. The score was 0-0 at halftime, but the Vikings powered back in the last 30 minutes to score two goals.
Jordy Barnes was an asset in defence and the best on ground for the day. Jack Nulty and Hiroshi Masuda ran hard all day as did Lachlan Torpedo and James Melesi in defence and up the field.
In division two, the Saints also took on the Vikings. Many new faces were playing for the Saints, with Jaycob Paddon making a return and Josh Butler scoring the only goal.
Daylesford was comfortable for most of the game but the Vikings were aggressive in their play in the second half. The Saints almost held on for a draw but ultimately went down 2-1.
It was a promising start for both teams who will have a few more players return next week at home against the Forest Rangers.
