NPL Victoria
It was just your normal week in the NPL this week, a total of seven penalties awarded, a goal so good it made national headlines, five goals separated by just a goal, and one that more than truly made up for that last fact. Of course, the highlight was that 8-2 win for Heidelberg over Green Gully, who lost Roddy Vargas to injury during their warm-up.
North Geelong Warriors 1 (Luka 38’ [p]) defeated by Avondale FC 2 (Munoz 36’ [p], 74’ [p]) at Elcho Park
In the same week that relegated sides Ballarat Red Devils and Goulburn Valley Suns met in the NPL 1, the two promoted sides in Avondale FC and hosts North Geelong Warriors also did battle. An important clash for the two sides saw Avondale take three valuable points home in what turned out to be a penalty shootout clas, courtesy of the in-form Jonathan Munoz.
The former Northcote man fired his side into a 36th minute lead with a well-taken penalty, before livewire Reardo Luka equalised two minutes later with a spot kick of his own. Once again, the referee pointed to the spot in the second half, with Munoz once again converting to fire Avondale in front. The pressure seemed to have told as Matt Townley seemed to have found a late equaliser from a deep free-kick, but the goal was chalked off for what was adjudged to be a foul on the Avondale shot-stopper.
Green Gully 2 (Sanders 24’, Abdigafar 68’) defeated by Heidelberg United 8 (Govas 55’, 60’, 89’ [p], Sheppard 7’, 30’, Kolman 26’, Williams 63’, Athiu 78’) at Green Gully Reserve
It was a round of close games, and narrow scorelines. If you take this cracking game out of the picture. The 10 goals shared at Green Gully Reserve made up for the lack of goals elsewhere this round. Here they are:
7’ Kaine Sheppard (Heidelberg): Hit a tantalising curling shot from the left flank to beat the keeper.
24’ Matthew Sanders (Green Gully): The colonel and Gully mainstay prodded home a saved shot to equalise for the hosts.
26’ Necj Kolman (Heidelberg): The new signing rounded Rani Dowisha before slotting into an open net.
30’ Kaine Sheppard (Heidelberg): Sheppard had a brace within the first half hour as he saw a deflected strike home
55’ Andreas Govas (Heidelberg): Played through by Sheppard, Govas’ first was a neat effort which squeezed under Dowisha who got a touch on its way into the net.
60’ Andreas Govas (Heidelberg): Sublime. Give the man goal of the year.
63’ Jakob Williams (Heidelberg): He poked home from close range as the Gully keeper couldn’t hold Sheppards initial strike.
68’ Omar Abdigafar (Green Gully): The young winger showed heart to take the game on facing the heavy deficit, and his solo dribbled effort was fair consolation for the Cavaliers.
78’ Kenny Athiu (Heidelberg): King Kenny showed strength and composure to add a stunning seventh, as he powered through two defenders and finished well.
89’ Andreas Govas (Heidelberg): A late penalty sealed the contest in quite simply stunning fashion for the Bergers.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=829622897090845&set=vb.157991284254013&type=2&theater
Bentleigh Greens 1 (Thurtell 42’ [p]) defeated Hume City 0 at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Once again, we’re back to narrow margins as the solitary penalty for Bentleigh was the difference in a hard fought contest at Kingston Heath. There was good football on offer for both sides, but when full-back Luke Pilkington went down in the area, there was only one result. Up stepped Matt Thurtell to drive home his seventh goal of the season and maintain Bentleigh’s unbeaten start to the season.
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South Melbourne FC 2 (Lujic 45’ [p], Brennan 54’) defeated Melbourne Knights 1 (Surey 13’) at Lakeside Stadium
The second Melbourne derby of the season promised plenty and in the end, South triumphed once again, with the 2-1 scoreline mirroring the Community Shield clash in the pre-season. Another penalty for the round, scored by South’s Milos Lujic, cancelled out Ben Surey’s lightning opener for the Knights. However, Andy Brennan had read the script and once again came to haunt the Knights, scoring his second league goal for the season and his second against this opponent, to claim the three points.
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Dandenong Thunder 1 (Y.Ahmed 31’) defeated Port Melbourne Sharks 0 at George Andrews Reserve
It was a massive result for Dandenong Thunder who managed to both hold the free scoring Port Melbourne Sharks, but also grab a win for their troubles. Youngster Yusuf Ahmed has been impressive for Dandenong Thunder this year, and the forward added a third goal for 2015 with a perfect finish. The three points lifts the Thunder to 10th place, and broke their five game losing streak.
Werribee City 0 defeated by Pascoe Vale 1 (Youssef 81’) at Galvin Park
Werribee City can’t seem to take a trick at the moment as they coughed up points late once again, despite being arguably the better side. It was Paco captain Joseph Youssef who was left to claim the three points, as he finished low past Frano Saric in goals to condemn Werribee to another loss. They sit off the bottom of the ladder on goal difference.
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Oakleigh Cannons 2 (Clarke 56′, Wilford 90+3′) drew with Northcote City 2 (Handakas 50′, Kalifatidis [p] 66′) at Jack Edwards Reserve
A second half full of action made for great viewing as a 10 man Oakleigh Cannons claimed an equaliser deep into stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw. The point doesn’t do too much for either of the struggling sides, but it does build the foundations for the rest of the season. John Honos had a forgettable evening as he made a blunder to allow Aron Handakas a goal, before later getting sent off for bringing down the very same man that’d scored against him earlier. Dusan Bosnjak was impressive in the front third, and set up Ben Clarke for the equaliser, while James Kalafatidis slotted a penalty home to restore the lead. For those counting, that’s a stunning seventh penalty for the round. The imposing figure of Aron Wilford came up trumps at the end as he headed home at the far post to grab an important equaliser for the share of the spoils.
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NPL 1
It was another action packed crossover week in the NPL 1, with a number of stunning individual performances, and goal-filled matches the theme of the round. It was also a week for the away sides, 5 of the 10 games won by those travelling.
Richmond Eagles 1 (Kelly 54′) drew with Moreland City 1 (Simsek 18′) at Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Moreland had their keeper Brandon Galgano to thank for securing them a point away from home here. The visitors took the lead early, Kam Simsek taking advantage of a mistake from Richmond custodian Chris Davis. Galgano then made a double save, first from Tom Cahill, then Tim Purcell, before denying Cahill again just before half time. Cahill would provide the decisive assist, however, as Jay Kelly got on the end of a cross to make it 1-1. Richmond continued to push, but a string of second half saves from Galgano and a goal-line clearance from Yang-Tou-Yeng ensured the spoils were shared.
Sunshine George Cross 1 (Antoniadis 38’) drew with Dandenong City 1 (Zaida 79′) at KG Chaplin Reserve
Both teams left with a point in this fiery contest. Sean Seavill had the first chance for City, but his overhead kick flew straight at James Kapuranovski in the Sunshine goal. He then saw a long range volley rocket against the post five minutes later. The hosts led soon after with Christopher Antoniadis taking their first chance of note by turning and clinically finishing past Damir Salcin. Dandenong did get their goal late, Keegan Zaida flicking a header in from a free kick.
Brunswick City 1 (Aden 21’) defeated by Kingston City 3 (Konstantinidis 10’, Karvelis 45+3’, Defeo 85’) at Dunstan Reserve
The impressive Kingston continued their good recent form, dispatching Brunswick 3-1 away from home, despite Andrew Doig’s 27th minute dismissal. Kingston led early thanks to Stelios Konstandinidis’ ability to get his head onto a good cross, with the ball crossing the line despite Alex Hard’s best efforts. Fasalie Aden equalised in similar fashion with his head, as Fraser Mclaren was just unable to prevent the ball from going in.
Doig walked soon after, responding after a hefty challenge from Anthony Ianchello on teammate Benjamin Osei-Safo. Following a scuffle, the linesman and referee deemed fit to dismiss the forward. Brunswick could not make the extra number count, as James Karvelis restored Kingston’s lead late in the half, before substitute Gino Defeo rounded out an impressive victory.
Whittlesea Ranges 3 (Ofli 61’, Pirania 71’, Kundevski 90+1’) defeated Eastern Lions 1 (Page 27’) at Epping Stadium
Arguably the upset of the round as the Ranges defeated the high-flying Lions. Eastern took the lead midway through the first half through Chris Page. Whittlesea had chances, but were unable to get back into it until the floodgates opened in the final 30 minutes. Atilla Ofli got past two defenders on the edge of the box, before firing into the corner.
Munyaradzi Nyadzayo then hit the side netting for Eastern, before a long free kick wasn’t cleared by the Lions defence, allowing Mario Pirania his first goal of the season. Eastern threw the kitchen sink to get back into it but ultimately couldn’t, the result sealed by substitute Matthew Kundevski who got on the end of a counter-attack to confirm the result.
Bendigo City 0 defeated by Melbourne Victory 2 (Howard 33’ Own Goal 49’) at Epsom Huntley Reserve
Victory remain top in the East, defeating Bendigo 2-0 away from home in a dominant performance. The opening goal came following a stunning through ball from Kieran Dover who picked out George Howard, with the striker finishing past a helpless Gianmarco D’Orio. Howard was involved in the second goal too, as he saw his cross skewed into the net by a Bendigo defender. Victory squandered a number of chances following this, but the result was never really in doubt.
Murray United (Walker) 1 defeated by Bulleen Lions 3 (Nishimoto, Ballan, Lorenzi) at La Trobe University
Zac Walker scored for Murray, before Takanori Nishimoto equalized. Captain Matteo Ballan then gave Bulleen the lead from the spot, before Dean Lorenzi wrapped it up. The result saw Bulleen go top in the west.
https://www.facebook.com/fcbulleenlions/posts/963149653695607
Ballarat Red Devils 3 (S. Romein (p) 33’, Murphy 76’, Karras 90+ 2’) drew with Goulburn Valley Suns (Ellis 14’, 36’, Carley 35’) at Morshead Park Stadium
Goulburn overran the first half, scoring three in the first 36 minutes via an Ellis brace and a Craig Carley single, with Ballarat scoring from the spot in the 32nd after Dom Swinton was felled in the box and captain Shaun Romein stepped up to finish expertly.
Two second half goals to Murphy in the 76th minute and Karras in added time ensured the Red Devils got a deserved point after dominating the contest. Almost as entertaining as the game was Ballarat’s match report, which begins with, “If the Ballarat Red Devils had won the match 7 – 3 or 8 – 3 this would have been a much fairer account of the match, a match in which the Reds dominated from start to finish.”
Springvale White Eagles 0 defeated by Moreland Zebras 2
No match report is available online here. However, Moreland scored in the 24th and 66th minute via Steve Martin and James Papadimitriou to run out victors on the road against Springvale.
St Albans Saints 1 (Waterson 62’) defeated Box Hill United 0 at Churchill Reserve
A sole second half goal saw the Saints get over Pythagoras here. Lucas Johns had the first chance for the vistors, but his shot dribbled past Stuart Webster in goal and onto the post. Barry Devlin then saw his shot saved neatly by Alex Connell, before St Albans had a goal ruled offside. The goal came in the second half when Ross Harvey drove a brilliant free kick from 40 yards into the path of Trent Waterton, who headed the ball under Connell.
Joey Calderone was denied in the 90th minute, his shot from distance was destined for the top corner if not for the brilliance of Webster. St Albans then had a shot by Devlin cleared off the line, with shouts for handball falling on deaf ears. It was a moot point however, as they held on for the victory.
Nunawading City 1 (Anthony Giannopoulos 41’) lost to Melbourne City 7 (Marino 1’, 26’, 29’, 55’, Millar 2’, Dekker 22’, Luka Prelevic 47’)
A stunning 5 goals in the first 30 minutes killed the game for City in this one. Marc Marino opened the scoring within a minute, curling in a stunning strike. It was soon two in two, as Matthew Millar’s cross was deflected in off Trung Luu. Wade Dekker then got in on the action, tapping in following a save from Keegan Coulter. Marino had a second not long after, finishing easily following Heman Espindola’s deflected shot, which fell to his feet. He had a hat-trick within the first half an hour, latching onto a sublime through ball from Luka Prelevic, before calmly finishing.
Nuanwading did have something to smile about, as Anthony Giannopolous drove into the box, finishing past Yaren Sozer at the near post. Prelevic grabbed a goal following the resumption of play, latching onto the end of an impressive team move. Marino then rounded Coulter with 35 minutes to play to grab his fourth, and his side’s seventh.
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WPL Victoria
Whilst the resolute Cobras were able to hold off Bundoora for the best part of 40 minutes – largely in part due to Jaye Todd’s heroics in goals – it was Louisa Bisby that smashed home the opener to to instill a bit of relief and calm into the hosts. The home side then turned it on in the second half, with Elly Curo nodding home a Deanna Fruscalzo cross, Bisby curling in her second directly from a corner kick, and Monique Ianella going on a mazy run from right-back to beat three markers and place the ball into the back of the net.
South Yarra were on the verge of a sensational upset, leading twice before Julia Nicolaci spared Heidelberg’s blushes. Sara Alberici stunned the visitors in the 9th minute, finishing off Marcela Marques’ through ball, before the lead was cancelled out on the stroke of half time when Madeline Jona’s clearance unfortunately flew into her own net.
Not to be deterred, South Yarra once again pushed on and regained the lead after the restart, with Alberici this time playing provider to Eliza Mealin. With less than 20 minutes remaining the Nicolaci show resumed; her first goal crashed in off the woodwork, while the 82nd minute winner was a stunning free kick that Claire Imray – who had been brilliant all day – could not prevent.
Shaun Ontong made a dream managerial debut when his Boroondara Eagles put away the in-form South Melbourne. Taryne Boudreau got in behind the defence and opened the scoring right from kickoff, while Amy Jackson added a second less than 15 minutes later. Alison Baker pulled one back for South after some good build-up work, but again Eagles were too clinical in transition, with Aliesha Newman skipping past Lauren Farrugia in goals. Jackson then scored to make it 4-1 before half time.
After the break, Natalie Martineau took matters into her own hands and looked to spark South Melbourne with an early goal. Boroondara had an answer for everything though, with Jackson’s corner kick evading Farrugia and bundled over the line by Sarah Sumner, before the star of the show completed her second hat-trick of the season with a scorcher from distance.
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Ashburton United 1 (Ayres 2′) defeated Box Hill United 0 at Knox Regional Football Centre
One may have though this contest was going to be a high scoring thriller when Georgia Cloepfil was allowed too much space to get a ball away for Melina Ayres to control and score in just the second minute, but it proved to be a cagey contest thereafter, remaining 1-0 to the final whistle. That wasn’t before a frantic ending, with Box Hill missing out on an equaliser when Melanie Camilleri spurned a chance and Annie Remman was denied by Melissa Maizels, while at the other end, both Emma Checker and Rachel Jarvis missed opportunities to put the contest to bed.
There was another heartbreaker this weekend for a side seeking its first win of the season, with Casey this time denied by Sandringham’s two stoppage time goals. It was an ideal first half for the Comets, taking the lead when Candela Ferreyra-Bas found Sheridan Dudley in space to compose herself and score, while Nicola Westwood’s reply was flagged for offside. With time running out, Casey seemed to become deers in Kinston Heath’s headlights, allowing Annabelle Gibney a 92nd minute header from a corner kick, while Westwood had the last laugh, breaking through and scoring the miracle winner.
A frantic first half saw four goals split 3-1 in favour of the NTC. Adriana Taranto started proceedings with a screamer from distance, before Cindy Lay responded just two minutes later by chipping the ‘keeper. Ashleigh Lefevre restored NTC’s lead after getting on the end of Whitney Knight’s cross, with the latter then scoring her own effort to stretch the lead to two. The goals dried up in the second half, with the visitors holding on to chalk up an upset victory over the more fancied hosts.