Colts United midfielder Daniel Purdy and Strathdale young gun Ellie Vlaeminck have been crowned the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League’s premier players for 2018.
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Purdy won a thrilling men’s division one vote count by two votes from Strathdale’s Stephen Barrett, while Vlaeminck and Colts United star Rebecca Berry had an enthralling duel in the women’s championship count.
Purdy was a consistent performer in his first season with Colts after returning to the league from a stint with Bendigo City in the NPL.
Despite Colts finishing mid-table, the creative midfielder polled consistently throughout the season.
He finished with 26 votes, two clear of Barrett on 24.
Tatura’s Thomas Leech rounded out the top three on 22 votes.
In the women’s vote count, 15-year-old Vlaeminck and Berry cleared out from the pack.
They dominated the voting for their respective teams and in the end it was Vlaeminck who finished one vote clear of Berry.
After winning the Golden Boot award last year as a 14-year-old, Vlaeminck took her game to another level in 2018.
The midfielder/striker scored 51 goals for the season to lead the Blues back to the finals where they will play Berry’s Colts United in the first semi-final next Sunday.
The battle for third in the women’s vote count was tight, with Moama-Echuca’s grabbing third on 28 votes, two clear of eaglehawk’s Chloe Parker, Shepparton South’s Alicia Rowan and Shepparton Unitred’s Sophie Papalia.
Division one leaderboard:
26 – Daniel Purdy (Colts United)
24 – Stephen Barrett (Strathdale)
22 – Thomas Leech (Tatura)
21 – Brent Hamblin (Eaglehawk)
20 – Roven Shaholli (Shepparton United)
18 – Dean Vlaeminck (Strathdale)
18 – Shaun Kane (Shepparton South)
17 – Keegan Smyth (Eaglehawk)
17 – Sean Grant (Tatura)
Women’s leaderboard:
37 – Ellie Vlaeminck (Strathdale)
36 – Rebecca Berry (Colts United)
28 – Brittany Sands (Moama-Echuca)
26 – Alicia Rowan (Shepparton South)
26 – Chloe Parker (Eaglehawk)
26 – Sophie Papalia (Shepparton United)
19 – Brigid McNamara (Strathdale)
19 – Caitlin Green (Epsom)
Division two leaderboard:
23 – Luke Tempest (Spring Gully)
20 – Tim Bordignon (Tatura)
18 – Donny Stojanovski (Shepparton)
16 – Hussain Al Hilifi (Shepparton United)
15 – Zac Hasty (Eaglehawk)
14 – Michael Kadar (Swan Hill)
14 – Jon Bryers (Strathdale)
13 – Hamish Gladstone (Epsom)
Youth leaderboard:
30 – Lewis Merriman (Spring Gully)
25 – Mahdi Heidari (Shepparton South)
22 – Flynn Harrington (Strathdale)
21 – Kallum Schepers (Eaglehawk)
20 – Pah Dah Ler (Spring Gully)
16 – Harvey Lay (Epsom)
16 – Ali Hosseini (Shepparton South)
16 – Cress Ndikumana (Spring Gully)
Other awards presented on Friday night:
Golden Boot:
Division 1 - Joel Aitken, Shepparton South
Women’s – Alicia Rowan, Shepperton South
Division 2 – Mohammed Saleh, Shepperton
Youth – Lewis Merriman, Spring Gully and Ali Hosseini, Shepparton South
Young Player of the Year:
Division 1 – Dean Vlaeminck, Strathdale
Women’s – Ellie Vlaeminck, Strathdale
