Unanderra Hearts defeated Picton Rangers 3-1 @ Hume Oval
Daniel Carella got the Hearts off to a perfect start after he finished off a move inside four minutes that saw the visitors go in front.
Both sides created opportunities that went begging throughout the first half.
Elisseo Chiodi chimed in with a goal midway through the second half to double Hearts’ lead.
Mark Picciolini all but sealed the win with a goal on 80 minutes before Liam Gregory grabbed a consolation for Picton at the death.
The keeps Hearts in top spot on a congested leaderboard. They have a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash next week with Dandaloo to look forward to.
After winning their opening game, Picton haven’t won since, and they will be hoping to get their season back on track with their visit to Thirroul.
Dandaloo FC defeated Gerringong Breakers 2-0 @ Dandaloo Sportsground
Dandaloo now have four straight wins after their opening round defeat, and they are perched at the top of the ladder courtesy of a 2-0 win over Gerringong.
It wasn’t quite smooth sailing as Gerringong put up a stubborn effort and weren’t without their own chances.
Kyle Senior put Dandaloo ahead right at the stroke of halftime after placing his effort low to the left and beyond reach.
Dandaloo’s energy troubled the Breakers right throughout, and a cheap turnover in midfield saw Kyle Kirkland chip the ball over Joel Lockard to put the home side two up.
They managed to see out the game and keep their third clean sheet in a row. They face one of their biggest challenges yet in a blockbuster clash with Unanderra next week.
Gerringong competed well but was no match for Dandaloo, and they will be hoping for a bit more effort and luck when they host the Falcons.
Balgownie Rangers defeated UOW FC 2-1 @ Koolobong Oval
The Rangers left it late to storm home against University in a thrilling match.
University has shown a steady improvement over the course of the season, and they would have been buzzing after their emphatic win over Fernhill last week.
In a very competitive first half, neither team was able to trouble the scorer.
Ten minutes after the break, University were awarded a penalty which was duly converted by Hasan Ayoub to put them ahead.
The students were ten minutes away from going back to back; however, when Hayden Manevski blasted home with ten minutes left, Balgownie suddenly had some genuine momentum.
With virtually the last kick of the game, Manevski came up trumps again after dispatching his effort to earn the Rangers all three points.
University will need to pick themselves up and dust themselves off as they travel to Shoalhaven next week. Meanwhile, Balgownie will be buoyed by their comeback and have a renewed fight about them this year. They have the opportunity to go top of the league next week if they can knock off Fernhill and Unanderra draw.
Thirroul FC drew with Fernhill FC 3-3 @ Thomas Gibson Park
Thirroul picked up their first point of the season in a see-sawing battle over Fernhill FC, who are battling player injury and availability.
Fernhill got off to a promising start when Dylan Hogan knocked in after just five minutes.
They held the lead for half an hour; however, Thirroul equalised from the penalty spot courtesy of Tyler Ball.
Daniel Djukic put the Foxes ahead once again just after the break; however, that was short-lived as Seamus Macken-Walsh levelled things up yet again for Thirroul.
Just four minutes later, Kento Yamamoto finished a good move with the Foxes taking a third lead in this match.
Ill discipline cost Fernhill as they gave away another penalty on 73 minutes. Macken-Walsh made no mistake as parity was once again restored.
Try as they might, neither side found a winner, with both teams forced to settle for a draw.
Thirroul welcome Picton to Thomas Gibson Park whilst Ferhill host Balgownie Rangers.
Oak Flats Falcons defeated Shoalhaven FC 4-2 @ Keith Bond Oval
The Falcons put on a late first-half blitz that effectively ended the game as a contest.
In the space of 15 minutes, the Falcons piled on four straight goals.
Brodey Jelliffe scored after 27 minutes before a five-minute double from Ky Nunn set Shoalhaven back. Jelliffe grabbed another just before the break to make it 4-0.
It was a disappointing end to the half, and it was highly unlikely that Shoalhaven would recover from that.
Alex Boardman breathed some life back into the contest with a goal just six minutes after the restart, and Logan Connell scored a second for the visitors mid-way through the half. There were a few nervous boys out there.
Oak Flats were all of a sudden hanging on, and when they lost Luke Palermo to a red card deep into the game, there was a little bit of hope.
It never came as the Falcons held on to secure the win.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season so far for the Falcons, and they will be hoping they can string two wins on the trot as they head to Gerringong.
After a bright start to the season, Shoalhaven have lost their last two matches, and they won’t have an easy time against a vastly improved Uni side.
Feature image – File photo – JK Media
