Round 7 Review – PS4 NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Round Seven of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition produced a few surprises as goals continue to be the focus of the division.
In Bathurst, the Western NSW Mariners managed to grab their first win of the season by defeating Dunbar Rovers, Stanmore Hawks continued their good form to edge out Granville Rage, Gladesville took home the three points from Hawkesbury, Inter Lions smacked Balmain Tigers at Fraser Park, whilst Sydney University came from behind to edge out Dulwich Hill on Sunday afternoon.
The top of the table had our attention this week as second placed Hills Brumbies welcomed the visit of undefeated league front runners, Rydalmere Lions, to Lilys Football Centre on Saturday night.
MATCH OF THE ROUND
HILLS BRUMBIES V RYDALMERE LIONS
The top of the table encounter between Hills Brumbies and Rydalmere Lions proved to be a real showcase event for the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition, the heavyweights trading nine goals in an absolute spectacle on Saturday night at Lilys Football Centre.
Rydalmere Lions came in to the match unbeaten, with a maximum six wins from six matches, whilst Hills Brumbies were three points behind from five victories, whilst both teams boasted the best attacks in the league with 22 goals each.
And it took just three minutes to see the net bulge. Hills Brumbies’ Sean Mitchell got things going with a superb free kick, curling the ball around the wall and in to the far inside netting to put Hills one up, leaving Rydalmere goal keeper, Harrick Sinpraseuth, grasping at thin air.
Rydalmere regrouped, and eventually drew level on 16 minutes. Hills attempted to play a high defensive line, but Rydalmere’s Seiji Tarutani raced through amidst cries for offside, steadying himself before blasting past Hills keeper, Kane Wallace, to restore parity.
Four minutes later and Rydalmere managed to edge themselves in front. Yuya Samba did well to weave inside a couple of defenders on the edge of the box before slipping a ball in behind for Matthew Mayora, the burly striker swivelling before connecting first time with a left foot angled shot that rested inside the far post.
Rydalmere should’ve extended their lead in the 25th minute when Humin Lee came roaring down the middle channel, intercepting a Hills’ pass before getting in behind the defensive line. Lee rounded Hills’ keeper, Kane Wallace, but with the goal at his mercy, his hesitation to pull the trigger saw Wallace retrieve the ball after diving bravely at the Rydalmere defender’s feet.
Hills replied with a sweeping passing movement in the 32nd minute, involving four or five passes that saw the ball move across the pitch from right to left. Eventually it fell at the feet of Jordan Parfait, who took a touch before unleashing a left foot volley straight in to the arms of Rydalmere custodian, Harrick Sinpraseuth.
The Brumbies were not to be denied however, and they made it 2-2 on 36 minutes. Daine Merrin executed a diagonal defence splitting pass for Dongyong Heo to run onto. The Hills flanker got to the ball just before Hills keeper, Sinpraseuth, who couldn’t resist fouling him inside the box, earning a yellow card for his troubles.
Hills’ Sean Mitchell grabbed his second goal of the match – and his fourth in the last two games – by slamming home the penalty to bring the teams level once more.
The first half action wasn’t quite over, when right on 45 minutes, Matthew Mayora made a great run in to the right channel, squaring an enticing pass in to the path of Yoel Silvestre, who scuffed his shot from right in front, scooping the ball over Hills keeper, Kane Wallace, but wide of the upright.
It was drama from the get go in the second half, with Hills’ Dongyong Heo wriggling his way in to the Rydalmere penalty area before being brought down by Fames Aoun. Given he was adjudged to be the last man, Aoun was promptly shown a red card, and Hills Brumbies had their second penalty of the match. Sean Mitchell produced the ‘panenka’, dinking the ball straight down the middle, but alas, it sailed over the bar and Rydalmere had a reprieve.
That reprieve however only lasted three minutes. Hills Ryan Faulkner overlapped down the right and punched over a great low cross behind the Rydalmere defence, with Peter Cejkaa stabbing the ball home from a couple of yards to put the Brumbies in front by 3-2.
Hills kept at it and in the 53rd minute it was Cejkaa again going close, his point blank shot saved by Rydalmere’s keeper, Sinpraseuth, this time after a great cross from the left flank by Jordan Parfait.
The tackles were flying in as both sides kept at it, the visitors desperate to pull a goal back, whilst the home side could smell blood, having a man advantage and being in front on the scoreboard.
In the 77th minute, Hills left sided defender Marcus Zarantonello – who was solid all night in restricting the Rydalmere attack on the Lions’ right side – made two fierce tackles in succession to win his side possession. Jordan Parfait was the beneficiary, picking up the loose ball in the left channel of the Rydalmere half, before going on a slalom run past a couple of Lions’ defenders, and slotting the ball past Rydalmere’s keeper, Sinpraseuth, to give Hills a 4-2 lead.
Within sixty seconds it was 5-2, Hills’ Peter Cejkaa seizing on Humin Lee’s under hit back pass, before rounding Sinpraseuth to slot in to an empty net for his second goal of the night.
To Rydalmere’s credit, they pushed men forward in search of goals, even with a man down. This created plenty of space and opportunity at both ends, with the action at a frenzied pace.
With ten minutes remaining, Rydalmere gave themselves a faint hope when Zac Elrich cut inside from the left flank, and hit an absolute bomb of a shot from fully 35 yards, the ball slicing through the air before dipping over Hills keeper Kane Wallace’s head and under the cross bar.
Hills have a habit of conceding late goals and making their fans bite their finger nails right until the bitter end, but it wasn’t to be this time. In the 85th minute the Brumbies made it 6-3 when substitute, Liam Lawler, delivered a dangerous cross after a super run down the right wing. Rydalmere defender, Miguel Lopez, could only divert the ball in to his own net as he tried to block the cross.
No doubt the sending off early in the second had an impact for Rydalmere Lions. Falling behind soon afterwards meant they had no option but to throw men forward in search of goals, leaving them exposed at the back. But this loss will merely serve as a hiccup for Tony Basha’s men, and no doubt they’ll bounce back from this. Zac Elrich ran hard all night, trying to inspire his team in attack, and was rewarded for his efforts with a brilliant individual goal, whilst Seiji Tarutani and Yuya Samba worked tirelessly across the middle third and showed some neat touches on the ball.
Hills Brumbies have proven ruthless in attack this season, and this effort was testament to that fact. They transition with numbers, with players running in all directions to give the ball carrier plenty of options, and their effort in this match was endless – they certainly looked up for this clash from the get go. The three points sees them move to 18 to join Rydalmere, although they sit second on goal difference. Sean Mitchell was again instrumental, linking well with his team mates, possessing a good awareness of options around him and delivering some telling passes – he also grabbed two goals and could’ve had a couple more; Dongyong Heo was a menace on the right, his speed and trickery with the ball causing Rydalmere all sorts of problems; Ryan Faulkner and Marcus Zarantonello were effective wide backs, fierce in the tackle, and often providing support with overlapping runs.
Match Stats
HILLS BRUMBIES 6 (Mitchell 3’ / 36’ pen, Cejkaa 50’ / 78’, Parfait 77’, Lopez own goal 85’)
RYDALMERE LIONS 3 (Tarutani 16’, Mayora 20’, Elrich 80’)
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Lilys Football Centre
Referee – Dale Fuda
Assistant Referees – Jarryd McFarlane & Michael Kimber
HILLS BRUMBIES; 1.K.Wallace, 5.T.Brandon (capt) (2.P.Down 22’), 18.P.Cejkaa, 4.R.Faulkner, 16.G.Giovenali, 58.D.Heo (7.W.Giovenali 81’), 9.S.Mitchell, 11.D.Merrin, 53.J.Parfait (14.L.Lawler 69’), 56.M.Zarantonello, 6.B.Robertson.
Substitutes Not Used –19.G.Kelshaw, 21.P.Ferrara.
Yellow Cards – 2.P.Down 64’.
Red Cards – Nil
RYDALMERE LIONS SC; 1.H.Sinpraseuth, 23.F.Aoun, 7.Z.Elrich (capt), 5.H.Lee, 4.M.Lopez, 15.M.Mayora (9.L.Owusu 77’), 25.M.Pritchard, 6.Y.Samba, 17.Y.Silvestre (27.J.Steenbergen 64’), 16.S.Tarutani (13.C.Ekwerike 81’), 19.S.Zahra.
Substitutes Not Used – 21.L.Doretto, 18.L.Tengbeh.
Yellow Cards – 7.Z.Elrich 7’, 1.H.Sinpraseuth 36’.
Red Cards – 23.F.Aoun 47’.
HAWKESBURY CITY SC – GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC 0-1
Saturday, May 14
David Bertenshaw Field @ 5-00pm
Gladesville Ryde Magic took home the spoils in a tight encounter on Saturday evening, overcoming Hawkesbury City by the solitary goal.
It was a reasonably even first stanza, both teams cautious and tight at the back.
Hawkesbury’s James Mawein and Gladesville’s Majid Eslami were looking especially dangerous in the attacking third for their respective teams, but it remained scoreless at the break.
Twenty minutes in to the second half Hawkesbury were reduced to ten men when Ben Gough received his marching orders, and Gladesville pounced shortly after to take advantage of the extra personnel.
A long ball was played down the line to Majid Eslami, who beat his man before crossing for Joel Carter to score.
Hawkesbury drop to the foot of the ladder, whilst Gladesville Ryde Magic move to 12 points with the win, now sitting in 7th spot on the ladder on goal difference.
WESTERN NSW MARINERS FC – DUNBAR ROVERS FC 4-2
Saturday, May 14
Proctor Park @ 5-00pm
Western NSW Mariners finally cracked it for their maiden victory on Saturday night, overcoming Dunbar Rovers 4-2 in an effective display at Bathurst.
But it was the visitors who had the better of play early territorially, going at the Mariners who remained tight and structured defensively.
The home side took the lead just after the half hour point of the first half.
Flanker Matthew Hobby latched on to a diagonal through ball in to space, lobbing the stranded Dunbar goal keeper, Stephen Deasy, from outside the box.
Dunbar responded almost immediately, when Alexander Nicolosi cut in from the wing and beat Mariners keeper, Adam Brakenridge, with a speculator from distance.
The pre-half time frenzy continued when Western NSW edged themselves back in front moments before the break. Hobby was at it again, racing down the wing before delivering a superb far post cross that was met by skipper, Adam Scimone, who’s header back across goal sent the home fans in to raptures.
Just after the hour mark and the Mariners netted a third. A free kick was awarded out near the left touchline, and Eduardo Berruezo’s delivery in to the mixer was met by Matthew Corben who headed home goal number three.
Kenny McCall then scored arguably the goal of the match for Western NSW Mariners, beating couple of would be challenges before firing in a cracker from outside the box, the ball hitting the top corner of Dunbar’s goal.
It was now 4-1 to the Mariners, a lead that has been none too unfamiliar this season, especially when playing at home. But they were a more resilient bunch on this particular night, and were determined not to suffer the same fate of previous games where they contrived to lose the match.
Dunbar’s enigmatic midfielder, Andrew Doddy, did catch the Mariners out with a quickly taken free kick with about ten minutes remaining, shooting low and hard whilst the home side were still setting up their wall.
But Western NSW Mariners held out to record their first win of the season, the subsequent three points moving them off the bottom of the ladder.
STANMORE HAWKS – GRANVILLE RAGE 2-1
Saturday, May 14
Arlington Oval @ 7-00pm
Stanmore Hawks continued their impressive start to the season when they accounted for Granville Rage on Saturday night at Arlington Oval.
The Hawks were missing Michael Toscano in attack, but brought in Neil Philippou in his place, and the experienced striker opened proceedings on 25 minutes.
Philippou seized upon a sloppy pass in the Granville defence to side foot past Granville goal keeper, Carl McMahon, edging Stanmore in to the lead.
That lead was doubled minutes later by Domenico Tripodi, his free kick beating McMahon all ends up before nestling in to the top corner of the net.
The match opened up somewhat after the break as Granville threw numbers forward, looking to drag themselves in to the match, whilst Stanmore could’ve capitalised but missed a few gilt edged chances.
Daniel Bortolazzo did eventually pull a goal back from the Rage around the hour mark, and it was game on. Granville kept pushing, but good keeping by Hawks keeper, James Webb and some close shaves kept the scoreboard as is until full time.
The loss sees Granville Rage remain in 9th spot on 5 points, whilst Stanmore move ominously to 15 points and equal 3rd place on the ladder, ahead of their crucial clash next week against Rydalmere Lions.
INTER LIONS – BALMAIN TIGERS FC 4-0
Sunday, May 15
Fraser Park @ 3-00pm
Inter Lions made easy work of Balmain Tigers on Sunday afternoon, winning 4-0 at Fraser Park.
Lachlan Wright, Daniel Fornito and a brace of goals to Daniel Fogarty gave the home side an emphatic victory.
The loss sees Balmain remain in 8th spot on the ladder on six points, whilst the subsequent three points moves Inter on to twelve points on the ladder, equal with Dunbar Rovers and Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Footnote – the clash last week between Dunbar Rovers and Inter Lions was postponed on 62 minutes due to an injury to Roberto Maiorana, the Inter goalkeeper. The good news is Maiorana was released from hospital and is back on his feet, and will be due to return to the playing field within the next week or so. The remaining 28 minutes will be played out this coming Wednesday, May 18, at Hensley Athletic Field, kicking off at 8-45pm, with Dunbar leading 4-1.
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY – DULWICH HILL FC 2-1
Sunday, May 15
Sydney University Football Ground @ 3-00pm
Sydney University moved to third on the competition ladder, just three points from the summit, when they overcame Dulwich Hill 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.
But it was Dully who took the lead, and no prizes for guessing the goal scorer. Tom Bentham picked up the ball some 25 yards from goal, turning sharply before drilling a long range strike past Uni goal keeper, Oliver Gibson. It was Bentham’s fourth goal in as many games since joining Dulwich Hill four weeks ago.
Sydney University came out after half time full of vigour, and parity was restored when Johnny Gowdy cut inside from the left flank, placing a perfect angled effort past the despairing dive of Dully’s keeper, Michael Frost.
Dully were far from finished, and a Hrysanthos drive midway through the half produced a superb save by Uni’s keeper, Gibson. Minutes later and Dully’s keeper, Frost, parried a Gavin Wenyon effort in to the path of Uni’s skipper, Tommy Hyde, who swept the ball home.
Alas for Hyde, the referee’s assistant had his flag up for offside, and the goal was ruled out.
But the ‘students’ were not to be denied, and it was that man, Gowdy, who conjured the winner with a quarter of an hour remaining. A half clearance from the Dully defence reached the Gowdy and he drilled the ball home, much to the delight of the home fans.
The visitors threw everything at Sydney Uni, but the home side held firm and grabbed all three points.
