Round 18 of the Illawarra Premier League delivered a thrilling set of games, with 27 goals across six matches.
Here is the rundown of another exciting week of action, with the season edging towards its conclusion.
Match of the Round: Port Kembla 2 Berkeley Sports 4
Berkeley claimed a clinical 4-2 win against Port Kembla at Wetherall Park on Sunday, taking a big step towards Illawarra Premier League safety.
Port Kembla dominated the play in the early stages.
Jordan Prentoski struck the post just six minutes in, before Dane Corolla drew a low save from Berkeley keeper Blake Horton five minutes later.
Despite the hosts early positive play, Berkeley took the lead 13 minutes in as Hollingshead reacted fastest to a loose ball in the box, sliding a finish into the bottom right corner.
The Goats pressed on and grabbed their second goal just after the half-hour mark.
Hollingshead was the architect this time, chasing down a right-wing ball, which he eventually drilled back into the danger area for Brent McCance to lash into the roof of the net.
Port responded quickly and halved the deficit six minutes later, when Kota Kakinuma steered his back-post header from a right-sided corner into the far corner.
Berkeley were a serious threat on the break away, with a determined Hollingshead hunting down every loose ball.
The striker snatched the ball down the left in the 39th minute and cut it back for Will Provino, who sliced an effort wide from the edge of the box.
The visitors found a third goal moments before halftime. Luke Boersma’s corner from the right caused chaos at the far post, where Keiji Nishikawa skilfully prodded the ball home.
Berkeley went into halftime with a two-goal advantage after an exciting first half at Wetherall Park.
The side made a fast start to the second half with Port Kembla scrambling to defend two dangerous free-kicks inside the first 10 minutes.
Port soon found their feet with Prentoski firing wide and Taiga Nakayama seeing his shot cleared from the line by Berkeley defender Keegan Carter over the next 10 minutes.
The home side’s persistence paid off in the 66th minute, courtesy of a mazing run from Kakinuma in the left of the box, picking out Nic Tomasiello for a simple tap in.
Port looked to make the most of this momentum, with Horton called into action to claim Corolla’s rolling effort from outside the box moments later.
With Berkeley fighting hard to remain in front, Hollingshead stepped up with a crucial contribution in the 80th minute to take the pressure off.
The former Balgownie Rangers attacker executed a well-taken finish in the right of the box to give the away side breathing room in the contest.
Berkeley held on to a win that saw them move eight points clear of Shellharbour in last.
The Goats are now looking up the table, according to coach Darren Jones, eager to rectify disappointing defeats to Tarrawanna and Shellharbour in the first half of the season.
He said while he was pleased with the win, the team could have played better when in possession.
“We were able to punish their mistakes all the way and finish off our chances, which ended up making it comfortable in the end,” Jones said.
“Ultimately, I thought we were in control for large parts of the game.
“We just needed to be a bit more polished in our performance.”
Berkeley face a huge challenge up against Albion Park White Eagles next week. To finish off the year, they travel to Tarrawanna and Shellharbour, hosting Coniston in between.
Port Kembla face tricky encounters in their final five games, travelling to Wollongong Olympic, Wollongong United, Albion Park and Bulli, as well as hosting South Coast United.
Cringila Lions 3 Helensburgh Thistle 1
Cringila continued their superb form with a 3-1 win against Helensburgh on Saturday at Crehan Park to push further into the finals football conversation.
The teams could not be separated heading into the sheds, with the deadlock still to be broken.
It took just eight minutes after the restart for the hosts to hit the front through Isaac Kostovski, with the 18 year old adding his eighth goal of the campaign in all competitions.
Cringila doubled their lead in the 76th minute, when midfielder James Anagnostopoulos popped up with another goal following his signing from the Wollongong Wolves earlier in the season.
The visitors fired back less than seven minutes later, courtesy of Michael McStay’s goal, but Stiven Sitnikoski got on the scoresheet in the 90th minute to snuff out any prospect of a comeback.
Cringila have been flying in the last few weeks with seven wins in their last eight games, seeing them up to fourth on the table.
Saturday’s victory extends Cringila’s lead over Helensburgh in fifth to seven points, with four matches remaining.
Fifth place is good enough for Helensburgh to make the finals series for the first time since promotion in 2023, but Bulli have closed in, now only behind the Thistle on goal difference.
Albion Park White Eagles 3 Tarrawanna 1
Albion Park kept pace in the title race, downing a valiant Tarrawanna side 3-1 on Saturday at Terry Reserve.
The Blueys did well to hold the title-chasing White Eagles goalless at halftime, but just seconds after the restart, Damon Gray converted from the spot to put the home side in front.
Jayden Makowski added a second goal for Albion Park nine minutes later, elevating his team into a commanding position heading into the latter stages of the contest.
Kade Kinsella made things interesting in the 72nd minute, when he too scored from the spot to halve the deficit for the Blueys.
But, Emmanuel Gonzalez made an impact less than three minutes after coming on to restore the hosts’ two-goal advantage, which proved sufficient to secure the points.
Albion Park are still only three points behind leaders Wollongong Olympic, but Olympic will play their game in hand against Port Kembla on Wednesday night and could move six points clear.
Tarrawanna remain in 11th position, one point ahead of Shellharbour at the foot of the table, but must now contend with a tricky final four games against many of the teams chasing finals football.
Coniston 2 Wollongong United 2
Coniston shared the points with Wollongong United in an exciting 2-2 draw at JJ Kelly Park on Saturday.
The first half could not have been more entertaining, with all four goals coming within the first 37 minutes.
Josh Galevski put United in front with 16 minutes on the clock in what was the fullback’s second goal in his last three matches.
The reigning league champions kept pushing and added a second goal six minutes later through Kyah Jovanovski, but Coniston had no intention of making this a straightforward afternoon for their opponents.
Cameron Morgan scored his ninth goal of the season in the 35th minute, and only a couple of minutes later, Toby Norval restored parity for the hosts with an amazing free kick strike.
An exhilarating first half concluded with the teams locked at 2-2 heading into the sheds.
Both teams needed the points in this contest, with United still fighting for the league championship, and Coniston eying off a late finals push.
Neither team could find a winner in the second half, with both having to settle for a point.
Wollongong United stay in second position, having played an extra game on league leaders Olympic, while Coniston are four points away from fifth.
South Coast United 0 Wollongong Olympic 3
A second-half flurry from Wollongong Olympic helped the side to a 3-0 win against South Coast United on Saturday at Ian McLennan Park.
The scoring started in the 64th minute with Yasukawa Masato, and seven minutes later, the Japanese scored again to his take tally to 11, and give Olympic a two-goal cushion.
Mitchell Brooker added a third for the team in the 75th minute to confirm another three points for Olympic at the top of the table.
Finals football will be a tall order for South Coast United, with four straight defeats, seeing them drop six points away from fifth, but they still remain eight points clear of last.
Bulli 5 Shellharbour 1
Bulli overcame an early deficit to register a 5-1 win against Shellharbour on Saturday at Balls Paddock.
Danil Romanov put the away side in the lead just five minutes, with a sensationally caressed first-time finish from the right of the box that looped into the top left corner.
Bulli equalised in the 18th minute, when Lewis Grimshaw performed a neat spin just inside the box and fired the ball into the bottom left corner.
The hosts wasted little time after the break, and nine minutes in took the lead. Grimshaw latched onto Samuel Sisounon’s ball over the top to poke the ball past Adam Rodriguez in Shellharbour’s goal.
Grimshaw has been on fire for Bulli since making his 100th appearance for the club, with five goals in his last two matches.
Bulli didn’t stop there, with experienced forward Ben McDonald getting on the scoresheet 71 minutes in, racing onto Mason Elphick’s left-wing ball to finish first time.
The side scored twice more in the dying embers of the match, through Joel Starr’s well-taken close-range volley and Zane Stroemer’s sweeping strike from inside the box.
Three wins in their last four games has given Bulli a chance at finals football, level with Helensburgh in fifth.
Shellharbour remain in last position, and are a point behind Tarrawanna in the place above.
