Despite a goalless draw kicking off Round 16 between Pascoe Vale and Bentleigh Greens, an exciting and entertaining week of action nevertheless unfolded.
Goran Zoric and Dean Piemonte both bagged a brace as Oakleigh demolished Port Melbourne 4-0 whilst Saturday’s only fixture saw Northcote City edge out Ballarat by a goal to nil.
Sunday’s action saw a total of 13 goals as Heidelberg smashed five passed a struggling Goulburn Valley whilst on the other side of town, Knights put four passed Werribee City.
South Melbourne and Hume also triumphed in less emphatic fashion, defeating their respective opponents 1-0.
Formation 3-5-2
GK: Chris Oldfield (Hume City)
Hume had custodian Chris Oldfield to thank for preserving their 1-0 lead against Dandenong Thunder on Sunday afternoon. The keeper had a vital impact on his way to a clean sheet, crucially foiling the visitors from an immediate response as well as a stoppage time point-blank save amongst his highlights.
RB: Jeremy Walker (Hume City)
Consecutive selections in our Team of the Week for the former Melbourne Heart full-back. Since his introduction into the National Premier League set up with Hume, Walker has been simply outstanding, reinforced by a man of the match performance as nominated by the match reporter present on Sunday afternoon.
CB: Steve Pace (Heidelberg United)
Heidelberg’s main man at the back has become something of a regular in the Team of the Week this season. The former Victory defender wasn’t far off a best on ground performance on Sunday evening, displaying his usual composure, emphatic work ethic and resilient defending.
LB: Kris Kioussis (Dandenong Thunder)
The full-back was nominated as a standout performer against Hume City on Sunday afternoon despite his side eventually falling to a 1-0 defeat. The defender saw plenty of it as the ball found itself down his flank for a large spell of the afternoon, yet held his own in an impressive performance.
RM: Goran Zoric (Oakleigh Cannons)
A well taken brace capped off a superb day at the office for Zoric. The in-from winger bagged his double just after the half-time break, proving to be a dangerous outlet on the counter for Miron Bleiberg’s Cannons.
CM: Daniel Vasilevski (Heidelberg United)
Playing in the heart of midfield, Vasilevski netted twice in a man-of-the-match display against Goulburn Valley Suns on Sunday evening. Involved in the thick of the action, the former victory player netted his double either side of the interval.
CM: Dominic D’Angelo (Oakleigh Cannons)
D’Angelo was a strong anchor in the midfield for his side on Friday night as Oakleigh thrashed Port 4-0. His box-to-box running and impressive work rate was crucial in Oakleigh’s domination over the Shark’s midfield.
LM: Dean Piemonte (Oakleigh Cannons)
Much like his partner on the opposite wing, Piemonte netted two goals of his own in Oakleigh’s 4-0 rout of Port Melbourne, completing his brace in the space of four minutes. A complete midfield performance from his side sees him become the third Cannons midfielder to make the cut.
CAM: Daniel Visevic (Melbourne Knights)
The Knights attacker jumped to the top of his club’s goal scorer charts with a brace against Werribee on Sunday afternoon. His impact was game changing despite only featuring for 60 minutes with the midfielder also assisting Stipo Andrijasevic for Melbourne’s first.
ST: Wade Dekker (Northcote City)
The young forward was singled out by coach Goran Lozanovski for a stellar performance against Bentleigh last week, and he backed it up on a wet and difficult pitch in Ballarat. Dekker did not stop running and his efforts did not go unnoticed by the travelling fans, who stood and applauded the striker when he was substituted late in the game.
ST: Nelson Salvatore (Ballarat Red Devils)
A rare shining light in what was a disappointing outing for James Robinson’s men. Salvatore’s work rate down the left was immense, constantly chasing every ball and putting pressure on Northcote’s defenders until the dying seconds.
Substitutes:
Alistair Bray (Bentleigh Greens)
Bentleigh’s shot stopper made some outstanding saves to keep his side in the match when it counted, preserving a well earned clean sheet against Pascoe Vale on Friday night.
Luca Santilli (Pascoe Vale)
Despite the 0-0 scoreline, Santilli looked to be the game’s most likely scorer. Shots from range, from close and set pieces all agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock throughout the match as he toiled away against a resilient defence.
James Kalifatidis (Northcote City)
Came to life in the second half against Ballarat when the Red Devils were looking to get back into the game. His constant darting runs ensured that the opposition sat slightly deeper despite chasing a goal.
Ben Surey (Melbourne Knights)
A solid performance in the middle of the park for Knights captain. Surey controlled the midfield and even earned himself a goal in the first half, albeit from a deflection.
Kosta Kanakouris (Heidelberg United)
The forward had an extraordinary game on Sunday evening against Goulburn Valley, which included a stunning goal of his own in the second half.