Wollongong United extended their lead at the top of the Illawarra Premier League with a 2-0 win against Bulli at Macedonia Park on Sunday afternoon.
Two second-half goals from Josh Correia and Dinko Terzic earned the side their 10th victory of the season.
It was a chance-shy opening 10 minutes of the game, with the only shot of note coming from Correia nine minutes in cutting inside from the left with the effort rolling to Seiya Miyamoto.
Three minutes later, Mason Versi performed a similar move, this time from the right, but the ball bounced into the gloves of Miyamoto.
United continued to threaten throughout the half, trying to find an early goal.
In the 19th minute a purposeful move down the right saw Kyah Jovanovski pick the ball up taking aim from the right edge of the box; however, it was straight at Miyamoto.
Versi set off on a mazy run a couple of minutes after driving through the middle of the pitch and into the box, but his shot lacked the power to trouble the Bulli shot-stopper.
The home side continued to probe in search of a go-ahead goal before the break, with fullback Bailey Barbarovski’s effort forcing Miyamoto to tip the ball round the right post for a corner.
The visitors nearly nicked the lead with three minutes to go in the first half as Tomohiro Ishii’s right-sided cross fell to Ryan Emerton on the edge of the box, whose first-time shot was blocked.
The deadlock was unable to be broken before halftime as the sides went into the sheds level.
It didn’t take Wollongong United long in the second half to open the scoring as they had the lead just five minutes in.
Mitsuo Yamada cleverly clipped the ball into the left channel of the box for Correia whose left-footed shot across the keeper wriggled its way into the far corner.
United stepped the ascendancy to the hour mark firstly, two minutes after the goal with Versi’s powerful freekick from the right edge of the box being held onto by Miyamoto.
Fifty-six minutes in, Versi’s cross from the right side of the byline found Correia at the back post but the forward’s shot was blocked behind for a corner.
From that corner, captain Danny Lazarevski rose highest in the middle; however, his header went over the bar.
The hosts added a second goal in the 72nd minute as another right-sided cross this time found the head of Terzic in the middle who sent a looping header over Miyamoto and into the goal.
Terzic could’ve had a brace with six minutes to play as Jeremy Flanagan played the ball centrally from the left of the box for the striker who blazed his effort well over the bar.
Deep into stoppage time, the side had another chance with a cross from the right finding Jayden Makowski at the back post with the substitute heading into the hands of Miyamoto.
Wollongong United went on to secure the victory and push even further ahead at the top of the table.
United will travel to Tarrawanna Oval to take on the Blueys this weekend before facing Albion Park the week after.
Bulli drop into third place after Wollongong Olympic’s win against Tarrawanna with Coniston also pulling closer in fourth.
Julio Miranda’s team have three away games in a row now, beginning with Port Kembla at Wetherall Park this Saturday.
Wollongong United 2 (Josh Correia 50’, Dinko Terzic 72’)
Bulli FC 0
Wollongong United: 60. MADDEN Jacob, 27. BARBAROVSKI Bailey, 7. CORREIA Josh, 26. KAWAKAMI Seiji, 5. LAZAREVSKI Danny, 29. SEKUTKOSKI Klime, 10. TERZIC Dinko, 2. THOMAS Sean, 23. YAMADA Mitsuo, 11. VERSI Mason, 8. JOVANOVSKI Kyah
Substitutes: 14. FLANAGAN Jeremy (VERSI 64’), 25. GUTIERREZ Jaime (JOVANOVSKI 32’), 45. NAUMOVSKI Jason, 15. CUNZOLO Daniel, 20. MAKOWSKI Jayden (TERZIC 85’)
Yellow Cards: Dinko Terzic 23’
Red Cards: Nil
Bulli FC: 21. MIYAMOTO Seiya, 5. ISHII Tomohiro, 4. BAKER Aaron, 16. ROOKE Alex, 2. JACKSON Kyle, 6. DAVIES Sam, 27. STARR Joel, 7. PATERSON Jarvis, 33. EMERTON Ryan, 11. BROWNLEE Deakin, 9. MCDONALD Ben
Substitutes: 25. ADNUM Sam (BROWNLEE 68’), 3. BAULCH Alex, 22. BRYCE Lachlan, 1. KLUDASS Braeden, 15. KENNEDY Jack
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Date: 14 August 2022
Venue: Macedonia Park, Berkeley
Referee: Bobby Mazevski
Assistant Referees: Steve Bozic and Stuart Bell
Report by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
Photos courtesy of Richie Wagner
