FC Leopold juniors Will Norris and Lachlan Bartels debut in the senior team

Last weekend, two community clubs in the Geelong area celebrated key player achievements in local league play.

After Armstrong United Pelicans, FC Leopold is the youngest soccer team in the area, having debuted in 2017.

By starting two juniors in Sunday's Division 1 match against the Pelicans, the Greens advanced further in the club's brief history.

Former Greens junior Lachlan Bartels came off the bench to play the final 10 minutes of the game after Will Norris had started and played the whole first 90.

Mitchell Vials, one of the club's co-founders and the organization's first president, said it was a watershed moment for the Estuary Reserve group.

"Both boys started out on our very first under-12s team that we had back in 2017 and to see them have their first crack at senior football is absolutely magnificent," Vials added.

Both athletes "weren't named in the'ressies' squad, but were instead placed on the senior's team that plays in the local league's Division 1 tournament.

"Both turned in impressive first-game efforts, which bodes well for our club's long-term prospects."

He went on to say that other young players could follow the lead of the two rookies before the season is through.

Meanwhile, Nicole Carter played her 100th game for the Drysdale SC senior women's squad last Saturday, when they lost 2-5 to Bell Park in Division 1 of the Geelong Region women's league.

Carter, a native of Warrnambool, is only the second Drysdale female footballer to play in 100 games.

Celeste Scott, one of Carter's teammates, made history earlier this season by being the first woman to accomplish that accomplishment.

A club news release describes Carter as "a Drysdale legend and team captain who is synonymous with the Bellarine outfit," citing her long history of service to the club as both a committee member and an integral member of the senior women's team.

According to the statement, "Nicole has been a leader within our club for many years," and she has served in a variety of capacities, including as vice president, captain, and a member of the committee.

"You are a superstar, and the yellow and black are extremely fortunate to have you play for them!"