Image: Man in the Stands
Defending was a non-factor in NPL2 East this week as 26 goals were scored across just four matches, with the Dandenong Derby postponed until near the end of the season. That’s six-and-a-half goals per game which included some mammoth individual efforts. Eastern claimed a huge win which could prove a significant boost to propel them to safety, while Box Hill continue their resurgence, defeating high-flyers Murray United.
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Absolute madness at Wembley Park on Saturday saw Box Hill United come from behind four times to beat Murray United in a nine goal thriller.
Gonzalo Freddi started for the visitors after his midweek move from Richmond and took all of five minutes to get on the scoresheet. Box Hill levelled the scores through Todd Dekker, whose calm finish got the large home crowd going. Freddi once again got on the scoresheet in an impressive debut, pouncing on a rebound after Ashley Dunn’s long range shot hit the post.
With three minutes of injury time to be played in the first half, both teams would have been forgiven for getting into half time and reassessing a fast-paced opening period but they had other ideas.
Todd Dekker equalised for the hosts before Lewis Greenwood headed into at the back post almost immediately. But the scores were levelled again 30 seconds later, Dekker completing his hat trick and sending the teams in at half time with the score at 3-3.
The second half started a bit slower than the first half but it was Murray again who went in front after good play from Zac Walker saw his shot parried into the path of Archie Thompson who fired into the net. Cue THAT celebration.
It was Dekker however who levelled it up once again, the corner whipped in and his header flew past Koc in the Murray goal. 4-4!
The turning point in the game however was the dismissal of Murray United captain Ashley Dunn for a second bookable offence. This allowed Box Hill to really push for the winner and it came in the 88th minute by…you guessed it…Todd Dekker. Five goals for the striker and a memorable win against a strong Murray United line up.
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The Goulburn Valley Suns leapt ahead of the Springvale White Eagles into fifth with their third consecutive win at White Eagles Stadium following a 4-2 triumph on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts handed a debut to former Perth Glory forward Jerry Karpeh while the visitors welcomed Craig Carley back into the side after his year away playing top tier football in Melbourne.
Welshman Robert Hughes handed the Shepparton-based outfit the dream start with a well-taken strike past Lajos Oliveria only for Damir Stoilovic to equalise after dropping the shoulder to beat his marker and strike the ball past returning Suns goalkeeper Muntadhar Al-Gazaly following a great ball through by Cody Martindale.
Two headers led to two goals either side of the half-time break allowing Goulburn to reclaim and then extend their lead via new signings Carley and fellow Englishman Lewis Coyle, both left criminally unmarked in the area.
Carley then beat the offside trap to net his second and his side’s fourth before Springvale debutant Gavin de Niese came on and won a penalty which was duly converted by Stoilovic, who appears back to his best form after a slow start to the campaign, having netted four from his last three games.
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Eastern Lions had their biggest result of the season, pulling off a smash and grab at Mahoney’s Reserve over Nunawading with a 6-1 win, Ryan Losty the chief destroyer with four goals.
The Lions made the most of Nuna being down to 10 men for much of the game, when a defensive error allowed Kostas Droutsas through on goal. Jordan Franken came out of the box to nullify the threat, but the referee deemed him to have handballed in the process and sent him off.
In similar circumstances, an error playing out of the back cost the hosts as backup keeper James Loterzo was left stranded, allowing Chris Droutsas to cut back to Losty for a tap in into an empty net.
He had a second before the break, nodding in Phil Ajao’s header across the face from the returning Ziggy Razuki’s cross.
The goals continued to pour in after the break, Losty completing his hat-trick when played through by a clever Ajao flick on.
Nuna did pull one back when Mitch Cooper was on hand to score a rebound from a saved shot, but K. Droutsas ended any hopes of a comeback with Eastern’s fourth.
Sliding in to dispossess a defender on the wing, he then skipped past another before applying a neat finish into the bottom corner.
Losty added another to his tally to end the game on four, then Razuki capped off proceedings with the team’s sixth.
Third result shakes up the relegation race with Eastern now moving a point above Richmond (who go last despite picking up a point), and sitting alongside Nunawading on 15 points but with an inferior goal difference.
NPL2 2017 Nunawading City v Eastern Lions the goals from Eastern Lions Soccer Club on Vimeo.
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Brian Vanga’s first game in charge of Richmond yielded a decent effort from his side to take a point off third-placed Melbourne City, though he’d be feeling it’s two points dropped after letting slip a lead twice, especially when considering City had to play with 10 men for much of the contest following Lucas Portelli’s sending off after being caught out at the back.
The hosts subsequently grabbed the lead in the 33rd minute when Rob Taylor netted from a corner situation that wasn’t cleared the visitors. Valli Cesnik almost had a second before the break but struck the woodwork.
Marko Delic equalised in the 49th minute with a superb effort, receiving the ball and bursting into the box before applying the finish.
The hosts once again took the lead when Ratip Cileli was played through by Rob Taylor who pounced on an error and played the former through.
But again City struck back as Gerrie Sylaidos picked up a cross in the box, before finding Austin Wong for the finish from close range.
The scores remained 2-2 at the final whistle, a result that doesn’t necessarily help either side as City couldn’t make more of an inroads on the top two, while Richmond still ended the round at the bottom following Eastern’s win over Nunawading.