IMAGE: Smile For Peter
Pascoe Vale has climbed to third on the NPL ladder after a Davey van’t Schip brace was the difference in a 3-1 win over St Albans Saints at Churchill Reserve on Sunday.
The hosts started brightly as Alex Pavlidis was called to action in the Pascoe Vale goal, tipping a curling shot from Hernan Espindola over the bar for a corner.
After finding space, van’t Schip was released down the left flank with a long ball before playing it centrally to the top of the box. A combination of passes in the middle allowed van’t Schip to find space at the top of the box to retrieve the ball before firing an effort into the back of the net to open the scoring after 35 minutes.
Paco looked to have doubled its lead on the hour mark as Moustapha Quaynor intercepted a poor defensive clearance before darting into the box and firing a shot towards goal but Chris May was able to parry the effort before Luca Santilli’s follow up flew just over the bar.
The visitors would be on target six minutes later as van’t Schip netted his second goal of the game in exquisite fashion. Finding space in the box between the defenders, the 26-year-old controlled a low cross from the left wing with his first touch before volleying the ball over his head and into the back of the net.
Matthew Lazarides looked to have put the result beyond doubt as the game reached the final stages after being the beneficiary of a turnover in the Saints’ defence and the midfielder looked to catch goalkeeper May off his line with a lobbed effort from just outside the box but his effort struck the top of the crossbar.
St Albans was then able to peg a goal back – its first of the season – through the head of Rodrigo Covarrubias. Finding space for the aerial contest between two defenders, the striker rose highest to nod home from the delivery of Joseph Monek.
Any hopes of a late comeback were extinguished soon after as Luca Santilli added a third goal for Pascoe Vale, finishing off an incisive attack down the left side. Teammate Lazarides unselfishly squared the ball to Santilli at the top of the box whose resulting shot was tucked away with precision.
The result leaves St Albans rooted to the bottom of the table with a solitary point after four rounds while Pascoe Vale remains one of four teams in the league yet to taste defeat this season.
***
Two teams also yet to taste defeat played out a 1-1 draw at Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday afternoon as Avondale’s winning streak came to a halt as Oakleigh Cannons recorded its fourth consecutive draw.
Oakleigh opened the scoring in the 23rd minute as Giuseppe Marafioti netted his first goal for the club since joining from Melbourne City’s NPL squad last year. Positioning himself at the top of the box for Dusan Bosnjak’s cross on the right wing, he drove a low volley into the bottom corner, marking the end of a run of 293 minutes without Avondale condeding a goal this season.
Avondale didn’t take long to find an equaliser however, as Aron Wilford was adjudged to have elbowed Jonatan Germano in an aerial contest and referee Lewis Giuseffi had no hesitation in awarding a penalty to Avondale. Germano then stepped up to take the spot-kick and made no mistake, emphatically firing his effort into the roof of the net.
The penalty decision would not be the first time the referee caught the ire of the Oakleigh camp however, and in the second half, coach Gus Tsolakis would be sent to the stands after a few exchanges with the fourth official.
On the pitch it was a typically hard-hitting affair and few were hit harder than Shayan Alinejad who was able to see out the match despite concerns of a potential concussion following a heavy knock late in the second half.
It might have been a different result but for a number of superb saves from Oakleigh goalkeeper John Honos. The shot-stopper was at his best to deny the likes of Kaine Sheppard, Craig Carley and Evan Christodoulou who each looked to give Avondale the lead on separate occasions.
Nonetheless both sides had to settle for a point each as Avondale retained its place at the top of the table while Oakleigh drop to 10th place as it will look to claim its first win of the season next week against Heidelberg United on Friday night.