Unanderra Hearts FC-3, Thirroul JFC-1 @Unanderra Oval
Unanderra got some revenge over their early cup exit against Thirroul, with a win to keep them top of the table.
In the 8th minute, the game had a heated start with the loss of Petar Jurisic to an early red card, to put Unanderra down to ten men.
Elisseo Chiodi made up for the loss with a goal five minutes later to put the home side at an early advantage.
Thirroul answered back in the 22nd minute with Tyler Ball, who pounced on the chance to equalise.
Mark Picciolini disrupted the tie between the two with a fired-in effort to Unanderra back in the lead to 2-1.
The home side put the Thunderbolts to sleep with a 68th-minute goal to seal their victory, which came from Chiodi again.
His brace was a factor in deciding the result.
Unanderra take the long road to Hume Oval to verse Picton, who trail far in seventh place.
As for Thirroul, they take on Fernhill, who could be surprised with another defeat, as they’ve had two losses in a row in their campaign.
Fernhill FC-1, University of Wollongong-5 @Ray Robinson Oval
University got their first win at the shocking expense of the Grand Finalists, Fernhill, with a 5-goal upset.
Callum Weafer was the first to break the deadlock of the game in the 41st minute to put University one goal up.
Hasan Ayoub doubled the lead just before the first half ended with an executed penalty.
Not long into the second half, Adam Bassuni went on a goal rampage in the span of twelve minutes with a hat-trick, scored in the 52nd, 56th and the 64th respectively.
The Foxes only replied with one goal in the 85th minute by Kento Yamamoto to make it 5-1 in Wollongong’s favour.
Fernhill are spared a game against Thirroul, who sit at the bottom of the table without a win.
A victory for the Foxes can put them back into the top-four fight.
With the surprise win, University can be hopeful in their next game; however, it comes against Balgownie, who are in fourth spot.
Balgownie Rangers-2, Oak Flats Falcons-1 @Judy Masters Oval
The challenge for the top four ended in Balgownie’s favour, with a win that came at the death.
The Rangers took the helm of the game in the 31st minute with Anthony Stefanelli, who knocked in the first goal.
With less than five minutes left to the end whistle, the Falcons clawed in a late goal to put both sides level, courtesy of Brodey Jelliffe in the 86th minute.
The game went into stoppage time, which gave Hayden Manevski enough time to bag in the goal to crown Balgownie as the victors.
Balgownie keep their fourth spot with their late victory.
The Rangers continue against University of Wollongong, who hope to make another upset after their shock win against Fernhill.
Oak Flats have a tough couple of games ahead with the second round of the Bert Bampton cup against Port Kembla FC and then verse third-place Shoalhaven in the fifth round of the league.
Shoalhaven FC-0, Dandaloo FC-2 @Ison Park
Dandaloo stepped one spot closer to first place after two goals scored late in both halves helped down Shoalhaven.
Both teams were locked even for the first 40 minutes of the game until Aaron Hales bagged in a goal to break the tie in the 41st minute for the Lions.
Shoalhaven looked to find a way back in the game to draw both teams even again, but Dandaloo came late again with Nick High in the 86th minute to seal the game.
That is now three goals scored altogether in three separate games in a row for the forward.
Dandaloo have a must-win game against Gerringong, as a win could put them ahead of Unaderra, who are in first place only by goal difference.
Shoalhaven have another test, which is against Oak Flats, who seek to get into the top four.
A win for Shoalhaven can also put them into first place, depending on whether results land in their favour in the next round.
Picton Rangers-1, Gerringong Breakers-1 @Hume Oval
Both teams settled with shared points after a fight to get into the mid-table and top-four of the league ladder.
The first half was goalless for both sides, with neither team able to get an advantage over the other.
In the second half, Jacob Jeffrey decided to put the game in his hands with a goal in the first six minutes of the second half to make it 1-0 for the Breakers.
The lead was then ruined in the 75th minute by Spencer Barnes, who answered with a netted finish to lock both teams together level.
In the end, both teams couldn’t find a response to give their side the three points to get them out of the bottom half of the table.
For the next fixture, Picton hosts an unfavourable opposition with league leaders, Unanderra.
Gerringong also have a tough battle with a match away against Dandaloo, who are in the top four, and are keen to make their way to first in the table with a win.
Report by Thomas Panayiotou
File photo: Brett Nielson Photography
