NPL Victoria
Bentleigh Greens 1 (Thurtell 30’) drew with Green Gully 1 (Jones 87’) at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Faced with it all to do against Bentleigh Greens, a 10-man Green Gully stole a point late against Bentleigh Greens in a game of few chances. The contest was a fairly even one until Matt Thurtell once again found the net; this time with a well executed diving header. Gully were down to 10 by the end of the first half as midfielder Aaron Cohen was given his marching orders. But it mattered little, as they weathered a mini storm – in which Jamie De Abreu missed a sitter – to nab a late equaliser via a Daniel Jones free-kick.
Port Melbourne 4 (Ibrahim 50’, 63’ Krousoratis 86’, 90+1’) Defeated Oakleigh 0 at JL Murphy Reserve
A tight opening 45 minutes was blown apart by former Melbourne Heart/City winger Kamal Ibrahim who has been in scintillating form in 2015. The game was poised delicately to fall either way in the first half, but neither side took ascendency in an even term. But after the break, a fast starting Sharks took advantage of a static Oakleigh defence as Ibrahim struck twice in quick succession. Substitute Nick Krousoratis hit a late double to rub the salt in the wounds of Oakleigh.
North Geelong Warriors 3 (Zadworny 30’, Pugh 61’, Paleka 73’) defeated by Pascoe Vale 4 (J. Nakic 29’, Youssef 62’, 66’ 79’) at Elcho Park
It was an enthralling contest at Elcho Park as North Geelong fell to their second straight 4-3 defeat. Clearly they know how to find the net, but their defence hasn’t been as water tight as they’d have liked in recent weeks, and it was exploited early by Jake Nakic, who tapped him from close range. Robbie Zadworny pulled one back in quick-time before Josh Pugh put them into the lead just beyond the hour mark. But like North had previously, Pascoe Vale struck back, with Joseph Youssef heading home a hat-trick. A Mark Paleka goal wedged in between kept the contest close, but in the end Paco held on in a memorable contest.
Northcote City 2 (Kounavelis 28’, Kalifatidis 65’) defeated by Avondale FC 3 (Khrapko 2’, Irwin 33’, Munoz 78’) at John Cain Memorial Reserve, Thornbury
Another great affair saw Avondale FC oust Northcote City three goals to two as former City midfielder Jonathan Munoz haunted his former side with a late goal to win the tie. The lead exchanged hands several times, as Oleksiy Khrapko first fired Avondale into an early lead on two mintues. Evan Kounavelis found an equaliser on the half-hour mark before winger Chris Irwin restored the lead for the visitors. James Kalifatidis once again drew level with a well-worked goal before Munoz struck the winner.
Werribee City 1 (Zappia 82’) defeated by Melbourne Knights 2 (Uskok 59’, Batur 86’) at Galvin Park
Werribee continue to show good signs despite another loss, as they once again too the game up to a high-flying opponent, falling short against top-of-the-table Melbourne Knights 2-1. The visitors took their season record to five wins from five as skipper Tomislav Uskok scored on the hour mark to make it 1-0. A late equaliser from Werribee’s Simon Zappia made for an intriguing final 10 minutes, but it was centre-half Milan Batur who won the game with a later header.
Dandenong Thunder 0 defeated by Hume City (Schroen 71’, Aguek 85’) 2 at George Andrews Reserve
Two sides with contrasting trajectories battled at George Andrews Reserve, and there was no surprise as Hume City ran out 2-0 winners. They did leave it fairly late however as a sturdy Thunder resistance held out for 70 odd minutes, and it was former man Marcus Schroen who did the damage. A late sealer to Deang Aguek ensured the points would return to Broadmeadows.
Heidelberg United 1 (Sheppard 65’) drew with South Melbourne 1 (Lujic 12’) at Olympic Village
South Melbourne raced out of the blocks in the derby, taking the lead in the 12th minute through Milos Lujic and stifling Heidelberg for the remainder of the half. The tides turned in the second period when the Bergers stepped up a gear and started peppering Nikola Roganovic’s goals. South had the chance to go 2-0 up when Andy Brennan was denied from point blank range, with Kaine Sheppard receiving the ball at the other end and putting away the equaliser. Whilst Heidelberg had the better chances to go ahead, both sides had to settle for the draw.
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NPL 1 East/West
Moreland Zebras 2 (Papadimitriou 19′, Nikolic 40′) drew with Dandenong City 2 (Ziada 25′, Cattermole 71′) at CB Smith Reserve
Moreland twice gave up a lead against Dandenong City to have to settle for a draw. James Papadimitrou opened the scoring from Simon Symeoy’s assist, with Keegan Zaida pouncing on Johnny Crivelli’s error to equalise. The Zebras would once again take the lead on the stroke of half time through Papadimitriou’s good work, who earned a penalty for Joel Nikolic to convert.
Just when the hosts thought they would go on to win second time around, Dandenong had the final say via Ashley Cattermole, who pounced on a moment of lapsed concentration to score after a failed clearance from a corner.
Murray United 1 (Walker 72’) drew with Brunswick City 1 (Neighbour 64’) at La Trobe University
Brunswick City earned their first point of the season against a team in the opposite conference, in a hard fought draw on the road – a very long road at that – to Murray United. After a quiet first half from both sides, the contest sprung to life in the 64th minute when James Neighbour headed home from a cross. Not to be outdone, Murray hit back almost immediately through Zac Walker, who put away Adam Waters’ cross following Tom Morrison’s expert long ball to the latter.
Springvale White Eagles 1 (Fesseha 12’) drew with Melbourne City (Marino 40’ pen.) at White Eagles Stadium
Springvale White Eagles are still looking for their first win of the season, and thought they were on their way to doing so after taking an early lead through Abel Fesseha, who got on the end of Hernan De Rito’s ball to fire past Yaren Sozer. Milan Jovanovic nearly doubled the lead when his shot was cleared off the line, before sometime senior player Marc Marino’s penalty squared the ledger after Wade Dekker was pushed in the box.
Dekker went from hero to villain after receiving his second yellow card in the second half, but that didn’t stop City, who almost pipped the win when Stefan Zinni’s shot was also cleared off the line after beating the ‘keeper.
Nunawading City 2 (Cui 56’, Giannopolous 58’) defeated by Bendigo City 3 (Slevin 17’, 27’, Slefendorfas 42’) at Mahoney’s Reserve
This was a tale of two halves, with Bendigo’s three first half goals almost cancelled out by Nunawading’s two in the second, enough to propel the regional side to the top of the NPL 1 West table. Corey Slevin had a brace after 27 minutes with some good individual work, while George Slefendorfas nabbed the third before the break, though Nunawading may feel aggrieved at having a penalty shout turned down moments prior.
Nonetheless, the hosts rallied after half-time, with Mincen Cui converting a penalty won by David Morovic in the 56th minute, before Jordan Templin’s mazy run found Anthony Giannopolous for a neat finish just moments later. Bendigo City were able to hold off the hosts’ charge for the remainder of the contest, however, hanging on for a 3-2 win.
St Albans 0 defeated by Eastern Lions 3 (Rodrigues 41’, Ajao 72’, Nyadzayo 81’) at Churchill Reserve
It was an ugly day for St Albans at home, slumping to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Eastern Lions, who moved to equal top of the NPL 1 East table. After Barry Devlin threatened early for the hosts, Daniel Rodrigues hit on the counter after swapping wings with Munyaradzi Nyadzayo in what proved to be a tactical masterstroke. With the hosts pushing for the equaliser after the break, Philip Ajao was the next to strike with a sucker punch, dribbing past two defenders and finishing coolly.
Richmond 1 (Cahill 6′) drew with Bulleen Lions 1 (Aysoli 70′) at Kevin Bartlett Reserve
The Bulleen Lions salvaged a 1—1 draw away to Richmond in a game where the visitors dominated much of the proceedings. Richmond marksman Tom Cahill opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a looping header. The visitors responded and came close to equalising on two separate occasions as Takanori Nishimoto and Matteo Ballan were denied by the inspired Chris Davis in Richmond goal.
Despite this, Bulleen would get their due reward when Bardhi Aysoli’s long-range strike flew past Davis and into the back of the net for a well-deserved equaliser. Davis once more proved to be the Lions’ nemesis as his double save denied them the lead before, Cahill almost snatched Richmond the victory in stoppage time when his shot cannoned off the post, as the sides shared the points.
Moreland City 1 (Richards 56′) defeated Box Hill United 0 at CB Smith Reserve
A second half-strike by Gareth Richards was the difference between Moreland City and Box Hill United as the hosts ran out 1-0 winners in an evenly contested affair. A cagey opening hour saw few clear cut opportunities before City keeper Brandon Galgano was at his best to deny United’s Stanislav Goldberg in the game’s first meaningful opportunity on goal.
Richard Thomas had the hosts’ best opportunity on the stroke of half time but he was denied by the onrushing Alex Connell in Box Hill goals. The deadlock was broken ten minutes into the second half when Richards tapped the ball into an empty net after some good build-up play from Mo Korocu. Richards had a golden opportunity to extend Moreland’s lead but was denied by a fantastic one-handed save from Connell. Despite the visitor’s best efforts, City hung on for a crucial 1-0 victory.
Sunshine George Cross 0 defeated by Goulbourn Valley Suns 4 (Shamoon 11′, Carley 46′, Own Goal 61′, Scott 82′) at Chaplin Reserve
Goulbourn Valley Suns cruised to a rampant 4-0 away victory over Sunshine to continue their impressive early season form. The Suns came into the contest with 15 goals in their opening three fixtures, and showed no mercy once more by smashing four more on a torrid day for the hosts.
Vani Shamoon opened the scoring for the away side with a neat finish past the goalkeeper in 11th minute, as the Georgies struggled to cope with Suns intensity in the first half. Craig Carley pounced on a Sunshine error immediately from the restart to extend the lead in the 46th minute. A calamitous own goal from a sliced clearance on the hour mark compounded the Georgies misery, before Adam Scott added a fourth with ten minutes to go, to cap off a golden day for the Suns at Chaplin Reserve and keep their perfect record intact.
Whittlesea Ranges 2 (Tolomeo 22′, Cundari 44′) defeated by Kingston City 3 (Osei-Safo 39′, McIlroy 82′, 86′) at Epping Stadium
A late Sean McIlory double snatched Kingston City a priceless 3-2 away victory over Whittlesea Ranges on Saturday afternoon. Gisue Tolomeo broke the deadlock for the home side early when he pounced on a James Karvelis error before neatly tucking the ball past City goalkeeper Fraser MacLaren. The hosts spurned a number of opportunities to extend their lead afterwards and paid the price when Benjamin Osei-Safo equalised for Kingston with a powerful effort.
Just as it looked like the sides would go into the break level, Ranges restored their lead when Matthew Cundari met Daniel Peluso’s pinpoint cross. The second half was starved of goalscoring opportunities until former Dandenong Thunder striker Sean McIlroy altered the course of the contest with a late superb double inside a four minute period to give the visitors all three points.
Ballarat Red Devils 1 (Romein 18′) defeated by Melbourne Victory 4 (Maclean 32′, 50′, 90+4′, Dover 75′ at Morshead Park
A brilliant hat-trick from John Maclean has secured Melbourne Victory a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over Ballarat Red Devils to continue their impressive form of late. The visitors almost took an early lead when Joey Katebian’s shot bounced back of the post and were forced to pay for this missed opportunity when Josh Romein launched an effort from 25 metres from goal that breezed past Lucas Spinella in Victory goals.
From there on it turned into the Maclean show as the former Oakleigh Cannons youngster slotted in an equaliser after some good work from George Howard. Maclean gave Victory the lead five minutes after the break when he pounced upon a poor error from the Ballarat defence. The Victory extended their lead with 15 minutes to go when Dover’s shot took a deflection past Red Devils goalkeeper Aaron Romein, who despite the scoreline was in top form. Maclean would take the match ball home when he completed his hat-trick in injury time to condemn the hosts to a 4-1 defeat against the slick Victory youngsters.