Image: Drazen Jurina
An extraordinary total of 33 goals were scored across the 5 NPL2 East games on Saturday as the two Dandenong sides kept the pressure on each other up while there were much needed wins for the likes of Goulburn Valley Suns and Springvale White Eagles as Box Hill United defeated near neighbours Nunawading City in a thriller at Wembley Park.
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Round 14’s standout fixture in the East saw second placed Thunder host third placed Melbourne City on a cold evening at George Andrews Reserve. Brandon Barnes continued his clinical goalscoring form of late by netting the opener after just seven minutes before Samuel Catherine doubled the home side’s advantage 12 minutes later.
Barnes grabbed his second ten minutes after the half-time restart by delicately chipping the ball over City custodian Yaren Sozer for what was his 21st goal in 14 league matches. The Englishman then turned provider as his cross was bundled home by former Melbourne Heart skipper Simon Colosimo, who returned to the starting XI following suspension.
City put some respectability back on the scoreboard as goals from defender Jordon Hall – his second in the space of seven days – and Austin Wong halved the deficit.
Former Thunder junior Mersim Memeti made his senior debut for the A-League Youth side having come off the bench late in the 82nd minute.
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Earlier in the day, Dandenong City ensured they cling onto top spot on the ladder via goal difference following a 6-2 thrashing over the struggling Eastern Lions at Gardiners Creek Reserve. Makeshift number nine Shaun Filipovic netted a brace either side of a Nick Kalmar strike inside the opening 32 minutes. 23 year-old Filipovic completed his hat-trick in the 58th minute and now has 12 goals from 14 league games – by far his best return in Hajduk colours.
Mate Dugandzic made it five one minute later with his seventh of the campaign before former City marksman Philip Ajao doubled his goal tally for this term with a double either side of Nick Kalmar’s second as the Lions’ slide down the table continued.
Eastern Lions v Dandenong City the highlights from Eastern Lions Soccer Club on Vimeo.
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Up on the border, the Springvale White Eagles came from 2-0 down to defeat Murray United 3-2 in an enthralling encounter at the LaTrobe University Albury-Wodonga campus. The hosts welcomed back Archie Thompson into the starting line-up as former White City striker Chad Bugeja slotted in his fourth goal of the season in the 10th minute. One quickly became two in the 23rd minute as Murray player-coach James Coutts fired in his second goal in the space of a week to give the home side a comfortable advantage.
Enter White Eagles interim player-coach Nebojsa Pejic. The one-time Bosnia and Herzegovina international reduced the deficit with a brilliant strike from 25 metres out to give the visitors some much needed confidence heading into the break. Re-energised following the interval, Springvale levelled the scoring five minutes following the restart of play thanks to the head of Damir Stoilovic – his third from 13 games this year and his first since Round 4.
A successful Cody Martindale penalty three minutes later proved to be enough for White Eagles who will no doubt have made a happy return back to Melbourne following the triumph.
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Down at Wembley Park, Box Hill’s revival continued after a 3-2 victory over an in-form Nunawading City made it three wins from their last three for United. Pythagoras grabbed the lead on the half hour mark following a fantastic volley from an acute angle by Ryan Go, only for Mitch Cooper to equalise in the 57th minute with his ninth league goal of the campaign. Go then gave United the go-ahead goal 13 minutes from time with his fierce strike having too much power on it, only for James Brown to level the scoring once more in the 87th minute.
Just as the game appeared to be heading for a draw, Box Hill won it on the stroke of the 90 following a freak goal by former Nunawading midfielder Jack Gow, who had the ball hit into him and it sailed over custodian Jordan Franken and into the back of the net.
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Finally, the Goulburn Valley Suns continued to heap more woe over Richmond after a 7-2 win over their opponents at McEwen Reserve. Welsh import Robert Hughes gave the home side the half-time lead following another superb free-kick in the 26th minute. That lead was doubled three minutes into the second half thanks to midfielder Stefan Papageorgiou.
Richmond pulled two goals back either side of strike from Shaun Kane, with captain Alan Mulcahy and defender Halil Gur the visitors’ goalscorers. However, Goulburn player-coach Nick Kalafatis extended the hosts lead in the 65th minute before Hughes completed his hat-trick with two goals late on as Papageorgiou also grabbed another one on a sorry afternoon for the wounded 2015 NPL2 Champions who are last on the standings and face the very real possibility of a double-relegation into the third tier next year.
62′ GOAL 4 – 2 | Kalafatis scores the @GVSuns second free kick against @RichmondSC1953. Goals galore, 5 in the second half. @FFV365 pic.twitter.com/o062tk7FoQ
— Adem Barolli (@adembarolli) May 13, 2017