Tarrawanna Blueys earned a 2-0 win over Cringila Lions in a stop-start clash on Friday night at Crehan Park.
Despite generating plenty of chances towards the end of the first half, they were unable to find the breakthrough heading into the sheds.
Zachary Mazevski opened the scoring on the hour mark before Matias Toro stunningly doubled the visitors’ advantage in the final 10 minutes.
The hosts had the first shot of the match six minutes in through Anthony Krsteski. The winger shifted the ball inside in the left of the box and drove a low effort goalwards that Kaydin Harrison saved comfortably.
Tarrawanna took the ball down the other end and won a corner on the left. The subsequent in-swinging delivery was cleared away from the line by the Lions.
In the 12th minute, the Blueys earned another set piece, this time a free-kick on the left that Toro sent a dipping effort from but Kenji Sawada caught the ball confidently.
Moments later, the ball fell to Cringila’s Taylor McDonald in the right of the box whose deflected effort spun wide of the left post.
Set pieces continued to provide chances in the game. In the 28th minute, Jarrad Wiley lined up a shot from the right of the area that flew narrowly over.
With eight minutes of the first half to play, Toro took on a curling effort from the left edge of the box that Sawada had to palm behind for a corner.
Soon after, Cameron Morgan drilled in a left-sided cross for the visitors that Mazevski volleyed over.
In the 41st minute, Toro looked dangerous for the Blueys, with another curler just missing the far post.
Tarrawanna failed to profit from their flying finish to the first half as they went into the sheds level with Cringila.
The Lions produced the first opportunity of the second period, nine minutes in, when Andre Dias lined up a powerful drive from the edge of the area that Harrison held onto.
However, six minutes later, the Blueys broke the deadlock. Mazevski raced through on goal one-on-one with Kenji Sawada. His original strike rebounded back to him, where he bundled the ball over the line from close in.
The side came within centimetres of a second four minutes after that, when Jason Pappas cleared Robert Delbanco’s shot off the line.
It went from bad to worse for the home side in the 77th minute when captain Peter Simonoski saw red for a late challenge near the sideline.
Tarrawanna carried on their pursuit of further goals, and three minutes later, Sawada saved Cody Waller’s free-kick.
With eight minutes to play, the Blueys finally added their second goal. Toro with a searing half-volley from the left edge of the box that nestled in the roof of the net.
In the final minutes of regular time, the side were reduced to 10 players themselves when Mitchell Brooker received his second yellow card.
Krsteski had one final foray forward for the Lions in stoppage time, getting in a right-sided cross that Dias fired at Harrison.
The Blueys saw out what remained to secure a victory that keeps them in the finals football conversation.
Tarrawanna are next in action on Tuesday against Wollongong Olympic in the Bert Bampton Cup, while face Wollongong United in the same competition on Wednesday.
Report by Tim Gibson
