There was no shortage of goals in Round 1 of the Men’s Premier League 1 competition, with most of the competition favourites all recording wins.
MATCH OF THE ROUND – Wollongong Olympic 2-0 Bulli @ PCYC
Both sides started the match with good intensity, stroking the ball around looking to penetrate the opposition.
An Olympic corner inside the opening 10 minutes found Rick Goodchild lurking on the edge of the box. His volley was skied well over the bar.
On 13 minutes, a Bulli freekick midfield was launched into the box by Samuel Sisounon. It was partially cleared to Zac McLaren, whose half volley had Hayden Durose scrambling to tip it over the bar.
Just a few minutes later, an error in midfield by Sisounon saw Lucas Moreira pounce on the loose ball before sending Mitchell Brooker through on goal; however, Daniel Collison did well to smother his effort.
Midway through the half, a swift counter launched by Zane Stroemer saw him play Deakin Petersen down the line on the left. He used his pace and skill to get past the defender before putting in a teasing ball that saw Joel Starr sky it from just six yards out and the goal at his mercy.
Neither side was able to add to the highlights as the teams went into the break all square.
Olympic had a golden chance early in the second half after Brooker broke quickly down the right side. He delivered a ball into the box that was pushed away by Collison. It fell neatly to Yasukawa Matsato, who hooked his shot wide from just inside the box.
Down the other end, Petersen was causing the Olympic defence some headaches as he weaved his way into the box before seeing his low shot comfortably pushed aside by Durose.
On the hour and after some sustained possession, Olympic got the breakthrough. Jarrad Wiley received the ball on the left side. His low cross was flicked on by Nicholas Littler as it nestled into the bottom corner.
Just ten minutes from time, some ordinary defending saw a couple of misfired clearances fall the way of Wiley in the box. He buried a left foot drive into the near post through a crowd of players to punish the opposition and essentially sealing the win.
Wollongong Olympic did well to weather the early storm before settling into the game. They head up the freeway next week as they face a tricky game at Helensburgh whilst Bulli’s start to the season doesn’t get any easier as they host heavyweights Albion Park White Eagles.
Tarrawanna 1 – 4 Shellharbour FC @ Tarrawanna Oval
It was the Daniel Romanov show at Tarrawanna, with the lanky striker netting all four of Shellharbour’s goals to get them off to a flying start.
In fact, Romanov only joined the club earlier in the week after his transfer from Canterbury Bankstown.
Romanov got the scoring started in the 15th minute before adding a second midway through the half.
A youthful Tarrawanna side came out of the sheds with more intent, and they were rewarded with a goal from Kade Kinsella.
Just as the Blueys thought they had a sniff, Romanov netted his hat-trick just 90 seconds later to extinguish any thoughts of a comeback.
He capped a wonderful debut for his new club by finishing neatly his fourth in 72 minutes.
The Blueys will need to regroup as they face Wollongong United next weekend, with Shellharbour taking on Coniston in what should be an intriguing match-up.
Photo Credit: @Gragrapix
Berkeley Sports 1 – 5 Wollongong United @ Berkeley Sportsground
Berkeley Sports learned quickly that they will be in for a tough season as Wollongong United put them to the sword with a comprehensive win.
A healthy crowd was on hand to enjoy the local derby, and despite the home side hanging in for the majority of the first half, two quick goals took the wind out of the sails.
James Stojanovski finished a nice move on 30 minutes before Jordan Nikolovski doubled United’s lead just two minutes later. He added a third just before the half to break the game wide open.
Seconds later, the home crowd cheered on their first goal of the season, with Christopher Hollingshead showing some good skill to reduce the deficit just before the break.
Stojanovski restored their three-goal buffer on the hour as he grabbed a brace.
Things got worse for the goats as Ronan Mezedi was dismissed for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity midway through the second period. Right at the death, an unfortunate error from Damien Bedwell gifted United their fifth, rounding out the scoring.
Berkeley will need to dust themselves off as they face South Coast United in an all-important round 2 encounter, whilst United will fancy their chances as they host Tarrawanna.
Photo Credit: Richie Wagner
Albion Park White Eagles 3-1 South Coast United @ Terry Reserve
South Coast United headed into this match with nothing to lose, and Anthony Vrlic shocked the Eagles with the goal inside the first 90 seconds.
New signing Gabriel Cleur showed his class as he equalised for the Eagles midway through the half.
The Eagles dominated possession and chances; however, United showed good structure and resilience in defence.
Just as the fans were contemplating a draw, Michael Mendes nipped in on 93 minutes to break South Coast hearts, who, to be fair, will consider themselves unlucky.
Mendes sealed the win just a few minutes later after converting from the penalty spot after Chris Skara was adjudged to have brought down an attacking player.
One expects the Eagles will need to be more ruthless as they face Bulli away next week, whilst South Coast United, based on their effort, will be confident as they tackle Berkeley next Saturday night.
Port Kembla 2 – 4 Helensburgh Thistle @ Wetherall Park
The Thistle will be delighted to come away with three points following a devastating first half where they literally won themselves the game.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing early as Sandy Lowcock marked his return to Wetherall Park with a sublime finish to put the hosts ahead after just seven minutes.
Burgh responded almost immediately, with Michael McStay burying his opportunity before Charlie Jones turned the match on its head, putting them ahead.
Helensburgh were awarded a penalty just seconds later which Daniel Loe converted and just ten minutes after they were behind, Thistle was now two ahead.
Jones finished off well on 37 minutes to make it four as Port Kembla were imploding.
Both sides rang in changes early in the second half, but it was to no avail as Burgh had already done the damage in the first half.
There was some late drama as Port Kembla’s Rene Vescio saw red for a rash challenge in injury time. Substitute Jordan Prentoski grabbed his first goal for his new club deep into stoppage time, but it was too little, too late as Burgh took home the biscuits.
Port Kembla have a short turnaround as they travel to Cringila next Friday night, whilst Helensburgh will be hoping to sting Olympic next week in their first home game of the season.
Photo Credit: Jack Baldassari
Cringila 2 – 3 Coniston FC @ Crehan Park
We saw a cracker of a game on Sunday to wrap up the round, with Coniston grabbing two goals late in the game to effectively steal the points from Cringila’s den.
Toby Norval put Coniston ahead as early as the sixth minute; however, Cringila settled into the game with their midfield starting to take some control.
Cringila’s pressure told as Mitchell Di Pietro turned one into his own goal to level the scores midway through the first half. The reigning top scorer and youth player of the year Isaac Kostovski was rewarded with a start, and he didn’t let his team down with a nifty finish on the half hour to put the Lions ahead.
It was a bruising and sometimes physical game as both sides wrestled with momentum.
Joshua Correia levelled the scores on 80 minutes to set up a grandstand finish and we got one with Keiran Kuzmanovski taking his chance on 88 minutes as Coniston FC completed their comeback.
Both sides will need to defend better next week as Cringila host Port Kembla and Coniston host Shellharbour FC.
