PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 Grade 20s Round 11 Review

ROUND eleven of the Grade 20s competition was played out over the weekend; with two games washed out on Saturday afternoon.

This weekend’s match of the round saw Sydney United 58 FC record an impressive 5-0 win over Sydney Olympic FC at Sydney United Sports Ground in the only Sunday game.

Match of the Round

Sydney United 58 FC 5-0 Sydney Olympic FC, Sunday at Sydney United Sports Ground

Kyle Cimenti scored four goals for Sydney United 58 to help his side to a 5-0 victory over Sydney Olympic early Sunday afternoon at Sydney United Sports Ground. Cimenti scored twice in each half, with teammate Lachlan Roberts notching a goal of his own in the first half as United ran riot over an injury-hit Olympic team.

The home side established the pace of the game early, and won their first corner through Cristian Gonzalez within the first minute of play, though the set piece only led to a goal kick. But before Olympic could begin to settle into the game, they were behind: Lachlan Roberts burst down the right wing and curled a ball across for Cimenti, who glanced it on towards the far post, and past Olympic goalkeeper John Dimitriakas.

Olympic looked to hit back immediately, and Jason Madonis registered the first shot for the away side soon after the restart. A rollicking period of play followed, with both sides moving the ball quickly through their respective midfields, but United eventually began to dominate possession – and with seeming ease, too.

In the 27th minute, they doubled their lead when Roberts picked up a lofted ball over the Olympic backline and struck an awkward shot under Dimitriakas under pressure from a desperate defender to give his side a 2-0 lead. Barely six minutes later, Cimenti had his second; hitting a low cross from Gonzalez back across the goalkeeper from close range to extend his side’s advantage to three goals.

Olympic tried to finish the half with a goal of their own, and might have pulled one back had United goalkeeper Luke Babic not charged out to meet a dangerous through ball that almost played in striker James Andrew. Andrew had a further two opportunities before the break, but failed to put a finish to Olympic’s slick build-up play; Dushaun Youlley, Madonis and Jack Green all linking up nicely in attack to give Olympic hope of a more positive second half.

Andrew and Youlley both had shots blocked early after the break, but Olympic’s problems were compounded in the 55th minute when Dimitriakas brought down Tomislav Borovickic in the box, giving away a penalty and earning himself a red card to leave the away side with ten men for the remaining 35 minutes. Stef Petrovski came on for Olympic to face Cristian Gonzalez’s penalty, and would have been relieved to see the forward smack his spot kick against the base of the right post.

3-0 up and cruising, United understandably slowed the game and were content with allowing Olympic to test them in defence, while striking back on the break. Jack Green had a shot blocked on the line as the match passed into the final quarter, but Olympic were again made to pay for their poor finishing as Cimenti completed his hattrick in the 78th minute, the in-form forward slotting another simple shot under the Olympic goalkeeper having been played in by a cross from Tariq Maia.

The match ground towards an end through the final ten minutes; the result in little doubt since halftime. Gonzalez collected a deep pass from the United midfield on the right side and rolled the ball across to Cimenti, who finished past Petrovski from a few yards out. The final whistle blew as Petrovski picked the ball out of his net, and the match ended 5-0 to United.

"It was excellent to watch, especially in the first half," said United coach Davor Bajsic. "In the second we dropped off a bit, but we were 3-0 up and had an extra man, so it wasn’t really a problem. From halftime, it was just a matter of getting through the second half safely, and we added another two goals so I’m very happy."

Sydney Olympic coach Harry Paras reflected on a disappointing afternoon for his side: "It was very disappointing, but we’re playing with a pretty lean squad – we’ve had six players out today, and we’re hoping a few will be back next week. We copped an early goal, and had a man sent off which finished us, but we’ve only got outselves to blame."

Match Stats

Sydney United 58 FC 5 (Cimenti 2′, 33′, 78′, 90′, Roberts 27′)

Sydney Olympic FC 0

Sunday May 24, 2015

Sydney United Sports Ground

Sydney United 58 FC: Babic, Borovickic, Camera, Cimenti, Gonzalez, Maia, McGing, Roberts, Tomelic, A. Vlismas, K. Vlismas

Substitutes: Agamemenos, Munford, Temelkovski, Vrlic

Sydney Olympic FC: Andrew, D. Bonomy, T. Bonomy, Dimitrakas, Duncan, Karimi, Katsionis, Green, Nicolis, Madonis, Youlley

Substitutes: Patramanis, Nicolauo, Markovic, Petrovski, Hatzon

Saturday

Blacktown Spartans FC 1-0 APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC, at Blacktown Football Park

Blacktown Spartans bounced back from heavy defeat to Blacktown City last weekend to beat APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1-0 at Blacktown Football Park on Saturday afternoon. Adam Voloder scored the only goal of the match; the result sees the Spartans stay tenth while APIA drop to ninth.

Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 2-1 Rockdale City Suns FC, at Bonnyrigg Sports Club

Bottom of the table Bonnyrigg White Eagles won their first match of the season against eleventh-placed Rockdale City Suns at Bonnyrigg Sports Club on Saturday afternoon; Jake Douglas and Taylor McDonald scoring for the home side. Michael Loupis scored his second successive goal for Rockdale, and the Suns remain winless since March.

Sutherland Sharks 2-2 Blacktown City FC, at Seymour Shaw

Sutherland failed to continue their assault on the top of the table as they were held to a 2-2 draw with Blacktown City at Seymour Shaw on Saturday afternoon. Blacktown went ahead early through Eoin Montford, and though two second half goals from Jeremy Cox left the Sharks leading with ten minutes to play, Montford scored again in the 82nd minute to earn Blacktown City’s first away point since mid-April.

Marconi Stallions FC 4 v South Coast Wolves FC 1 at Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions proved too strong for the South Coast Wolves as they outplayed their opponents the South Coast Wolves 4-1 at Marconi Stadium.

Goals from Brandon Vella, Nikita Andricopoulos, Marcus Donatiello and Alex Boyadijan all but secured the Stallions the three valuable points in their victory over their South Coast Wolves rivals.

Parramatta FC v Manly United FC, WASHED OUT at Melita Stadium

– by Max Grieve, PS4 National Premier Leagues Grade 20s Reporter