Mens State League 1 Round 13 Review
With Gladesville holding Hakoah to a draw this week, the gap at the top of ladder has been cut to only three points as Northbridge close in on the top spot.
Elsewhere there were crucial wins just outside the finals spots with Balmain and Hawkesbury getting on the winners list.
Stanmore Hawks v Dulwich Hill
The Inner West derby finished all square with Stanmore Hawks and Dulwich Hill playing out a pulsating 3-3 draw at Rydalmere Park on Sunday afternoon.
Stanmore came into this game with some personnel changes and new Coach John Theodoropoulos taking the reigns as first grade coach midweek.
On a beautiful day for football, both teams started cautiously, with most of the early play coming down the wings. The Hawks began by pressing Dulwich high up the pitch and didn’t allow them any time on the ball.
Despite a tight start, the game came alive in the 10th minute when Dulwich Hill took a 1-0 lead courtesy of Mark Pinto. Some good work between Aaron Cordova and Adam Johnston saw the ball being whipped in from the right hand side and fall to winger Pinto, who finished smartly from the edge of the box.
With Dulwich in the lead Stanmore looked to answer quickly and had a good chance in the 18th minute when a corner was whipped into the box and met by veteran defender Evangelos Petratos, only for it to be parried by keeper Matthew Kasbarian onto the post and away for another corner.
This time a smart delivery saw Jamal Boutkabout unleash an unstoppable half volley from the edge of the box, the stunning strike pulling Stanmore level and back into the game.
With the Hawks now full of confidence, the momentum swung their way and only three minutes later they found themselves in front when left back Reo Morinaga charged up the field and put in a through ball for Thibault Marchal. The right winger timed his run to perfection and got a touch on the ball before being brought down in the box by the keeper and winning a penalty. Hitman Neil Philippou stepped up and converted from the spot to put the Hawks up 2-1.
Dulwich Hill looked to get back in the game as the match picked up in intensity, but it was a real stop-start affair with neither team being able to hold solid possession.
The next opening fell to Stanmore Hawks after midfielder Harvey Ashley-Nark won a crunching tackle in the centre of the park and charged unopposed to the edge of the Dulwich box, only for his stinging drive to be well saved by the Dully keeper.
The 35th minute saw Nicholas Mouzourakis flash a shot wide from a Dulwich Hill corner, before another good chance for Jacob Maruca also went close to providing the equaliser for Dully, but his goal-bound shot was just cleared off the line by defender Reo Morinaga.
The chances continued and in the 42nd minute Stanmore nearly snuck in another goal when an innocuous looking free kick was missed by everyone except for the alert Dulwich keeper, who managed to get a hand on it and push it away from danger.
As the half came to an end there was time for one last twist when Dulwich Hill were awarded a penalty, with the referee pointing to the spot after an infringement by Stanmore off a Dulwich Hill corner. And Adam Roundtree was able to keep his nerve and hit a firm strike to the bottom right hand side of the goal to bring the scores level.
The second half started where the first left off, with another goal coming after just three minutes to put Dulwich Hill in front again. The play started with Jacob Maruca and culminated with Adam Roundtree playing a defence splitting pass to Aaron Cordova, who with still plenty of work to do found the top right hand corner of the goal with a good finish to make the score 3-2.
Still shell shocked from such an early goal, Stanmore looked to get back into the game and had a good chance only three minutes later when a shot from midfielder Thibault Marchal was deflected and went just wide of the post.
The next stage of the game saw Dulwich Hill try to capitalise on the early goal by putting some pressure on the Stanmore defence.
The Hawks meanwhile struggled to hold possession at this stage of the match, with some loose passes creeping into their play. Although they were still well in the game the Hawks seemed to lack a bit of creativity going forward, with Neil Philippou having to drop deeper to try and create a spark for the team.
In the 70th minute the dangerous Philippou tried his luck from distance to no avail, as the match turned into a real midfield scrap with plenty of fouls and free kicks keeping the stop-start pattern of play.
A good chance to draw level fell to Stanmore in the 73rd minute when Marchal played in second half substitute Costa Bakoulis, and with the keeper rushing out, his shot went just wide of the goal.
However moments later the side was awarded a penalty for an infringement from a corner in the 75th minute, mirroring almost exactly the penalty Dulwich Hill were awarded in the first half. This time it was midfielder Marchal who stepped up and hit the bottom left corner to once again level the scores.
The remainder of the game was tense as neither team refused to give an inch. No clear cut chances were created in the last minutes, with only a few long range efforts from either side as both defences held firm to claim a hard earned point a piece.
Considering some of the changes at Stanmore this week, it was a battling display by the Hawks and they showed their resilience and fighting spirit for the full 90 minutes. Best on field for the team included left defender Reo Morinaga, who was very solid at the back all afternoon, consistently winning his aerial battle as well as providing some steady distribution from the back. Right winger Thibault Marchal also had a fine game, showing plenty of attacking threat with his intelligent runs and good ball work. Up front Jamal Boutkabout provided a physical presence for Stanmore and also scored the goal of the game in the first half.
Coach John Theodoropoulos thought it was a well-earned point, “I’m really pleased with the boys, I think the goal before half time hurt us, but they worked for the entire 90 minutes and got a result”.
Dulwich Hill, while not at their best today, also showed some fighting spirit and had a much improved second half after starting slowly. Standout players included left back Jacob Maruca, who worked both sides of the ball by shutting down any threats on his wing and also offering plenty going forward. Midfielder Aaron Cordova looked the most likely all afternoon, creating space for his team by consistently beating his marker and running at the Stanmore defence, while striker Adam Roundtree was involved in most attacking plays, providing an assist for one of the goals as well as slotting home a penalty.
Coach Norman Tome shared his thoughts on the game, “We were a bit slow in the first half, but the second half I thought was a lot better. It was a stop-start game, and I don’t think the pitch helped with ball possession, but it was one of those games”.
Match Stats
Stanmore Hawks 3 (J. Boutkabout, N.Philippou, T.Marchal)
Dulwich Hill 3 (M. Pinto, A Rowntree, A Cordova)
Sunday, 22nd of June, 2014
Rydalmere Park, Rydalmere
Referee: James Barnes
Assistant Referees: Luke Morgan, Greg Roberts
Stanmore Hawks: 5.Evangelos Petratos, 9.Neil Phillipou 10.Jamal Boutkabout, 21.Max Esposito, 2. Harvey Ashley-Nark (62.Neil O’Sullivan), 47. Marchal Thibault, 6.Yorgi Mavrou, 83. Reo Moringa, 26.Nicolosi Alexander (12.Vincent Leto ) 4. Kristopher Stasi (13.Costa Bakoulis), 18.Peter Theodosi
Substitutes Not Used: 71. James Adams,
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Dulwich Hill: 11.Mark Pinto (7.Frank Calcagno), 12.Aaron Cordova, 5.Sam Cornish, , 6.Adam Johnston, 1.Matthew Kasbarian, 2.Jacob Maruca, 9.Robert Morrison, 4.Christopher Pinto (17.Anthony Dahdah), 19.James Cross, 41.Nicholas Mouzourakis (8.Pedro Campos) 18.Adam Rowntree
Substitutes Not Used: 22.Costa D’Addona, James Villazon
Yellow Cards: 6.A Johnston, 1.M Kasbarian
Red Cards: Nil
Hawkesbury City SC v Nepean FC
Hawkesbury claimed bragging rights for season 2014 with a 2-0 victory over local rivals Nepean on Saturday night.
The home side took an early lead when midfielder Evan Daglis opened the scoring in the 8th minute. In a hard fought and physical encounter both sides created some chances but it was Ryan Trussel in the Nepean goal who made some crucial saves.
Nepean were reduced to 10 men in the second half with Jack Long receiving a red card, before a late goal to Paul Cooper sealed the points for Hawkesbury.
Hawkesbury City SC 2(E.Daglis, P.Cooper) Nepean FC 0
Gladesville Ryde Magic v Hakoah Sydney City East FC
Gladesville put on a brave effort to hold league leaders Hakoah to a 2-2 draw on Saturday afternoon.
A Chris Gaitatzis volley gave the home side the lead in the 20th minute, but Hakoah drew level when Lloyd Owusu found the back of the net.
Gladesville striker Majid Eslami was then brought down in the box and awarded a penalty, with midfielder John Martinez stepping up to convert the spot kick to give Gladesville the lead again at 2-1.
In a tight second half Hakoah were able to equalise again in the 70th minute when Daan Ranshuijsen made it 2-2, and despite chances for both sides the game ended all square.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (C.Gaitatzis, J.Martinez) Hakoah Sydney City East FC 2 (L.Owusu, D.Ranshuijsen)
Western NSW Mariners FC v Granville Rage
Granville Rage took all three points in their trip to Mudgee with a 3-0 victory over the Western NSW Mariners.
An early goal to Daniel Bortolazzo got the Rage on the front foot, and while both teams had more chances in the first half, only one goal separated the teams at the break.
The second half saw the Mariners come out hard and create some chances, but they were unable to find the back of the net and were punished at the other end when David Harding made the score 2-0.
Nenos Bobo then wrapped up the scoring the make the final score 3-0 for the Rage.
Western NSW Mariners FC 0 v Granville Rage 3 (D.Bortolazzo, D.Harding, N.Bobo)
Northbridge FC v Camden Tigers
Northbridge FC claimed a hard fought 2-1 win over a gallant Camden Tigers on Sunday afternoon.
The home side took the lead when some good work by Lewis Walker led to striker Oliver Babington getting the scoring underway.
Camden hit back later in the first half with Adam Smutek to leave the scores level at half time.
Ninety seconds into the second half Northbridge reclaimed the lead when Michael Cole found the back of the net, and despite a few late chances for Camden, Northbridge held on to take the three points.
Northbridge FC 2 (O.Babington, M Cole) v Camden Tigers 1 (A.Smutek)
Balmain Tigers v Inter Lions SC
Balmain claimed a crucial victory against Inter Lions on Sunday afternoon.
In a real tight encounter, the only goal of the game came in the 90th minute, with Rosario Occhipinti getting on the end of a Domenic Di Mento cross to grab the late winner for the tigers.
The win now sees Balmain only two points out of the top five.
Balmain Tigers 1 (R.Occhipinti) v Inter Lions 0
-By Diego Munoz
