SUPA IGA NSW NPL Mens 2 Round 5 Review

The heavy downpours throughout Friday night and Saturday reduced the weekend’s schedule by half, but that didn’t prevent reigning champions Northern Tigers from assuming top spot in the league following Mounties Wanderers enforced postponement.
The Tigers leapfrogged Mounties into first after defeating Mount Druitt Town Rangers 3-0, setting up a tasty clash next weekend when the two meet at Cook Park.
Sydney University v St George 
St George continued on with their recent good form with an ultimately comprehensive 4-1 win over Sydney University, taking their tally of goals to thirteen in three games, as they move up to third in the current league table.
The game was effectively over ten minutes after the break after St George scored twice in quick succession early in the second half to add to their 1-0 half time lead. The three goal buffer was never likely to be seriously threatened by Uni, although one goal was brought back just prior to the hour mark.
Missing the unavailable Michael Smith and Juan Chavez, last weekend’s four goal hero for Saints, the visitors still didn’t take long enforcing an early dominance, with a number of chances coming their way in the first fifteen minutes. Matt Sadler brought a reflex save from Julian Harders after getting on the end of a deep cross, and Aleks Jovovic looked certain to open the scoring on thirteen minutes but drove against the bar when it seemed easier to score, from right in front. George Lagoudakis then had a go, but it was his turn to be denied by Harder’s, again.
But after this early flurry, Uni worked their way into the match and caused some grief of their own. St George took an interminable amount of time to scramble away a Uni attack, before a shot rifled over the bar. A direct free kick from Jamie Watt showed potential, but Saints keeper Dion Shaw comfortably claimed.
Just after the half hour, St George did take the lead. A bustling run by Sam Messam took him down to the byline, but a turn back in caught out Uni, and Messam was able to power a shot home, deflecting through Harders’ legs.
Seven minutes before half time, Uni captain Peter Crevani lined up a free kick, and a slight deflection could have proven dangerous, but again, Shaw safely held.
Though it was those ten minutes after the break that put St George in the driving seat.
Matt Sadler, getting himself into the area down the right, was upended by Anthony Villazon and there was little hesitation in the award of the penalty. With regular taker Chavez not in action, Messam shot low and hard to notch his first brace of the season, and to double St George’s lead.
Within another three minutes, it was 3-0. Again it involved Sadler, who turned scorer this time, neatly shooting home from close range after a perfectly weighted low cross from the left by Jovovic. 
To their credit, University didn’t concede the game, pulling one back after fifty eight minutes. It was from set pieces that Uni looked most likely to score, and Crevani was instrumental in most free kicks. The opportunity arose after Shaw twice handled the ball in his area, after an initial control, resulting in an indirect free kick just outside the six yard box. A packed St George goal line was unable to prevent Uni scoring, Crevani intelligently striking high into the top left hand corner, rather than an attempted drive through the wall.
Uni continued with their enthusiasm, and Nathan Amore down the right was particularly dangerous, but St George were resolute in defence and offered up little as the game wore down. When the lead was extended out to 4-1 with just over ten minutes to go, the three points were safe. The final goal was the best of the night, crisp and accurate passing down the right from Jovovic to Sadler and then substitute Marino Musumeci, resulting in a nice strike high into the net.
Sydney University 1 (Peter Crevani 58’) v St George 4 (Sam Messam 31’, 52’ pen, Matt Sadler 55’, Marino Musumeci 79’)
Saturday 20 April 2013
at Hensley Field, Pagewood
Referee: Andrew Higgins
Assts: Nick Brisbane and Sam Grasso
Sydney University: 1. Julian Harders 17. Nathan Amore (18. Adrian Porcu 75’) 2. Jonathan Hurtado Pacheo 5. Harry Ascroft 7. Anthony Villazon 4. Daisuke Kataoka 6. Peter Crevani (c) 20. Joel Anscomb 23. Hayato Wakino 10. Jamie Watt 11. Aaron Kidd.  
Subs not used: 31. Riley Keayes 8. Jeremy Butnuru 13. Alex Sopina 14. John Chine
Yellow Cards: Nil
Coach: Mark McCormack
St George: 23. Dion Shaw 6. Sean Thomas 19. Nick Napoli 5. Bill Tsanidis 3. David Dascal (35. Costa Andricopolous 38’) 22. Matt Sadler (10. Chris Gomez 80’) 16. Jonathan Castano-Acero 18. George Codrea 7. George Lagoudakis (c) (8. Marino Musumeci 70’) 12. Aleks Jovovic 9. Sam Messam.
Subs not used: 60. Daniel Nash 40. Stephen Grbevski.
Yellow Cards: Jonathan Castano-Acero, Nick Napoli.
Coach: Manny Spanoudakis
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Northern Tigers 
Northern Tigers came away from Popondetta Park with a healthy 3-0 victory to lift them back to the head of the table. An early double to Liam McConaghy, the first within five minutes and the second within twenty, set the Tigers up for the win.
Playing some of their best football of the season so far, the Tigers were dominant in the first half, also hitting the cross bar, but the Rangers lifted during the second period, testing the Tigers on occasion. But a strike from outside the box by Tom Spencer, with ten to go, sealed the comfortable win. 
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0 v Northern Tigers 3 (Liam McConaghy 2, Tom Spencer) 
Parramatta FC v Bankstown Berries 
Parramatta and Bankstown Berries played out a 0-0 draw at Melita Stadium but it was a point won by the Berries after being second best for the majority of the game. Parramatta outplayed the visitors but were unable to make their dominance count where it mattered, not for the first time this season.
“It was a disappointing night”, stated the Berries’ John Calleja. “We were pretty poor to be honest and we were “off” from the start. We struggled to get any control at all, especially in the middle of the park and we were always chasing”.
“We had a couple of chances, Dimitri Zakilas with a header, and John Tsironis late in the second half, but apart from that…”
“But it was our first clean sheet of the year, so we can be happy there at least”, Calleja finished.
For Parramatta’s Lee Sterrey, it was certainly another night of missed opportunity.
“We are playing some great football and creating plenty of chances, but our execution in the front third is killing us”, he stated. “We have scored four goals in five games, which is a low conversion rate considering the number of chances we have had”.
“If you look at the table, we have five points after five games, and the danger is that the competition will blow out if we don’t start scoring soon. At the end of the day we are a young side, but we can’t use that as an excuse…we will have to learn to execute.”
“But I am very happy with the overall football content, and sooner or later, we are going to hurt someone”.
Parramatta FC 0 v Bankstown Berries 0 
Under 20s
St George moved to the top of the table on goal difference from Bankstown Berries after a hard fought 3-2 win over Sydney University. Despite being without a victory so far, Uni made the Saints work all the way and it was only a goal a quarter of an hour from time that secured the win. Jason Garrido gave Uni a 1-0 half time lead, but Johnathan Kontalis equalised for the visitors early in the second half. Stephen Grbevski then put St George in front on the hour before Daniel Mifsud headed home from a corner to tie at 2-2, after seventy minutes. The winner came from the boot of James Spanoudakis four minutes later, earning St George the three points.
Bankstown Berries overcame Parramatta at Melita Stadium by 2-0 with goals to Michael Gaitatzis and Joshua Mathie earning the Berries the win.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers moved up to fourth after a 4-2 win over the visiting Northern Tigers, running away with the win in the second half after the scores stood at 1-1 at the break.
Results: Sydney University 2 v St George 3, Parramatta FC 0 v Bankstown Berries 2, Mount Druitt Town Rangers 4 v Northern Tigers 2. 

WASHED OUT

Fraser Park v Macarthur Rams

Hills Brumbies v Mounties Wanderers

Spirit FC v Bankstown City

Leading Goalscorers

6 –        Saso Petrovski             (Bankstown City)
5 –        Juan Chavez                             (St George)
4 –        Liam McConaghy                      (Northern Tigers)

Sam Messam                            (St George)

3 –        Peter Crevani                            (Sydney University)

Peter Halstead              (Macarthur Rams)

            Ben Vidaic                                (Fraser Park)
            Dimitri Zakilas                           (Bankstown Berries)
-By Peter Rowney