Champions Respond Again | BRUSA Edge FFA in Semifinal Thriller

Champions Respond Again | BRUSA Edge FFA in Semifinal Thriller

BRUSA Futsal Club 4–3 Futsal Factory Academy

It felt familiar.

364 days after lifting the NFPL trophy against the same opponent, BRUSA Futsal Club once again found a way past Futsal Factory Academy — this time on the road, in front of a packed crowd, with a place in the Championship Game on the line.

The setting had changed. The result had not.

The opening stages reflected the stakes. Both teams were patient, disciplined, and deliberate, probing for weaknesses without overcommitting. Chances were limited, and when they came, both goalkeepers were equal to them. Robert Franzese-Damron and Jared Wilson traded early saves as each side tested different tactical looks.

The breakthrough came late in the first half — and it came quickly.

A turnover near midcourt, something that would quietly shape the game, fell to Eduardo Medina, who immediately turned defense into attack. His pass released Micah Vasey down the left, and Vasey’s low ball across goal found Joey Fuller for a simple finish.

Less than 30 seconds later, it was happening again.

Medina drew in his defender, slipped into space, and found Fuller once more — another close-range finish, another moment of precision. In a flash, BRUSA had a two-goal lead.

FFA needed a response, and they found it before halftime.

After earning a corner and using a timeout to organize, Thomas Dono delivered. His first touch created separation, his second drove low and hard past Wilson, and just like that, it was 2–1 heading into the break.

The second half never lost its tension. Every possession mattered, every mistake carried weight.

FFA found their equalizer through another set piece, a theme that kept them in the match. A kick-in from Leucht was driven across goal by Dono, and Ben Pritchard was there to redirect it home. The crowd responded, the energy shifted, and the match felt like it could tilt either way.

But with under five minutes to play, one moment decided it.

Another turnover from FFA opened the door, and BRUSA stepped through it. Medina and Vasey combined again, a clean give-and-go cutting through the defense before Medina lifted a composed finish over Franzese-Damron to restore the lead.

FFA pushed.

They had to.

With time running out, they committed forward, flying the goalkeeper and throwing numbers into attack. It created pressure, but it also left space behind. With under 30 seconds to play, Medina took advantage, striking from distance into an empty net to make it 4–2.

Still, FFA weren’t done.

With under 15 seconds remaining, Dono reacted quickest to a rebound from another well-worked corner to pull it back to 4–3. One final scramble followed, bodies thrown forward, the ball loose in front of goal — but the buzzer came before the equalizer.

BRUSA held on.

With the 4–3 win, they advance to the NFPL Championship Game on April 26, one step away from becoming the first back-to-back champions in league history.

For FFA, it’s a familiar ending against a familiar opponent — a dominant season undone by the smallest of margins when it mattered most.

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