Waratah Cup Round of Sixteen Review
The last sixteen entrants in this year’s Waratah Cup all did battle on Wednesday night, and the late downpour of rain in the afternoon only added to the excitement and unpredictability of the outcomes.
Three of the eight matches were decided by the dreaded penalty shoot out, finishing well into the evening given they also had to complete two periods of extra time. Whilst six teams from the IGA NPL NSW Mens 1 competition have made it through to the quarter finals, we still have a team from the SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 league, as well as one side from the Illawarra Premier League remaining.
The last ‘Italian’ derby at Lambert Park before it undergoes it’s artificial facelift ended with a victory to the home side, APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC prevailing 2-0 against the Marconi Stallions. The Tigers went up 1-0 into the break thanks to a Jason Oswell goal. David D’Apuzzo sent a long ball through to Nick Taneski who went one on one with James Chronopoulos. The Stallions keeper saved Taneski’s effort but the rebound fell to Oswell who notched home the first.
The second goal came early in the second half via Korean import Jin Sung Lee who all but confirmed APIA’s place in the quarter-finals of the Cup.
The Central Coast Academy needed penalties to triumph over Mounties Wanderers at Cook Park, winning 5-4 from the spot after the match was deadlocked at 1-1 at both full time, and after extra time.
Penalties were also required to decide the SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 battle between St George FC and Parramatta FC, the Saints squeezing through 4-2 after the scores finished level at two goals apiece at the end of extra time.
It was a great effort by Parramatta to take it to a shootout, given just two weeks ago they were thumped 5-0 by St George in a league game and would’ve been primed for revenge this time around.
Sydney Olympic put their recent woes behind them with a second consecutive win since new coach Grant Lee took over the reins, defeating SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 side, Sydney University 2-1, and taking the Waratah Cup back to Grassroots football by playing on Peter Moore Field, on the outskirts of Belmore Sports Ground. Grant Lee made it two from two since his arrival the club as goals from youngster James Demetriou and Amaury Gauthier were enough to see the Blues go through.
Rockdale City Suns made hard work of their encounter against Granville Rage, the only remaining survivor from the State League One competition.
It was the Rage in fact who started the brighter, with Zac Watters heading a corner in to give Granville an early lead, and the livewire striker could’ve made it two minutes later when his close range snapshot was well parried by young Suns keeper, Aaron Liddell.
Young Max Burgess grabbed an equalizer for the Suns in the 55th minute via a brilliant curling shot from the edge of the penalty area that nestled into the top corner, whilst Granville’s keeper, Carl McMahon, then pulled off a couple of superb saves to keep the score deadlocked, firstly saving low to divert a 25 yard drive from Roberto Speranza, whilst the second was a brave point-blank parry from a Sam Munro volley.
Munro had the last laugh however, slotting in a cut back to give Rockdale a 2-1 lead in the 72nd minute, before Alec Urosevski scored a last minute third to knock the brave Rage outfit out of this year’s Cup.
Northern Tigers gave IGA NPL NSW Mens 1 side, Sutherland Sharks, an almighty fright at Mills Park, dominating territorially for long periods, and even taking the lead in extra time, only to concede a last gasp equalizer via Jamie McMaster, and eventually succumb in sudden death penalties. Sharks keeper Andrew Depta was the hero saving from the spot that sent the 2012 Cup winners into the quarter finals.
South Coast Wolves had new signing, Steve Hayes, on show for the visit of Bonnyrigg White Eagles, hosting the visitors at Terry Reserve, Albion Park.
An even contest throughout, the Eagles prevailed by a solitary goal, scored in the second stanza when Aaron Pederson nodded in from a dangerous David Gullo corner.
The upset of the round occurred at Macedonia Park in Berkeley, where the dream run of Illawarra Premier League side, Wollongong United, continued at the expense of IGA NPL NSW Mens 1 side, Sydney United, Wollongong winning 2-1.
Sydney United grabbed the lead after just 10 minutes through Daniel Barac, but Wollongong responded with a vengeance, as they have often done at home this season.
Wollongong equalized via Nathan Jagelman in the 19th minute, and Stefan Donevski edged the home side in front in the 26th minute with a good finish.
Sydney United’s cause wasn’t helped when Calum O’Connell was red carded on the hour mark, and Wollongong held on to progress to the quarter finals.
So the quarter finals are upon us, and 97 teams have been whittled down to just eight, with the four matches scheduled to be played on Wednesday, June 5.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers and Central Coast Mariners Academy will both be hoping to put their league form behind them when they do battle at Lambert Park, keeping the Waratah Cup as a healthy and motivating distraction from the NPL NSW Mens 1 competition.
Sutherland Sharks will be at home for the first time in this year’s Cup when they tackle the rejuvenated Sydney Olympic, having survived two very close shaves against SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 sides in the last two rounds.
A blockbuster is looming at Bonnyrigg Sports Ground, where the Bonnyrigg White Eagles host the Rockdale City Suns, two sides who have been in superb league form in 2013, and will no doubt also have an eye on this piece of valuable silverware.
The final quarter final match up will pair two sides outside the NPL NSW Mens 1 competition, when St George FC welcome Wollongong United to the historic St George Stadium.
Wollongong United have come through the competition from the outset, having won no less than five matches to arrive at the quarter finals, including the huge scalps of two IGA NPL NSW Mens 1 sides, namely Blacktown Spartans and Sydney United.
Wollongong include within their line up a St George local, Billy Tsovolos, whilst striker, Nathan Jagelman, spent much of his junior football playing for St George.
St George themselves have been setting the SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 competition alight in 2013, and coach, Manny Spanoudakis, will be quietly confident of progressing to the semi finals and continuing the club’s rampant league and Cup run.
Quarter Finals
Wednesday 5th June
APIA Leichhardt Tigers v CCMA – Lambert Park
Sutherland Sharks v Sydney Olympic – Seymour Shaw Park
St George FC v Wollongong United – St George Stadium
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Rockdale City Suns – Bonnyrigg Sports Centre
*kick-off all 7:30pm
Semi-Finals
Wednesday 19th June
Sutherland Sharks/Sydney Olympic v St George FC/Wollongong United
Bonnyrigg White Eagles/Rockdale City Suns v APIA Leichhardt Tigers/CCMA
