Round 2 Review – State League Men’s
Round two of the Men’s State League means it’s time to bounce back, consolidating or even get off to a good start for one side.
We saw goals aplenty in our Match of the Round as well as games at St George Stadium and Ilinden Sports Centre.
Whilst some tight yet thrilling contests occurred on Saturday night which means there was something for all of us.
So, sit back and enjoy the read!
Match of the Round
UNSW FC v FC Gazy Auburn
UNSW FC defeated FC Gazy Auburn by four goals to one in challenging conditions at Heffron Park on Monday afternoon.
The hosts flexed their muscles on multiple occasions throughout the ninety minutes and were rewarded for their efforts. Ben Dexter, Florim Binakaj, Nima Beck and Luiz Lobo all got on the scoresheet for the hosts in a dominant display.
Whilst Ricardo Mennilo scored to give the visitors a late consolation.
University were first on the board after a quick start saw a Luiz Lobo cross found Ben Dexter who duly converted his header.
Luiz found himself with a chance himself as he pounced on a wayward ball out from the back but his shot was wayward.
Gazy Auburn had their first chance just before the ten-minute mark when Javier Salinas had his shot blocked in a crowded box.
Their best chance came shortly after when a wayward keeper was beaten, a Rodriguez cross found Salinas who couldn’t get his shot off in time.
Eventually after multiple failed attempts, University did make them pay when Florim Binakaj pounced on a Beck cross after Lobo forced a good save from the auburn keeper seconds earlier.
Midfielder Giles Penfold was a constant threat throughout the game and nearly took his side into the break with an unassailable lead, but his shot went over the bar.
An inevitable reaction had to come and it did for the visitors after the break. Both of their strike partnership had an opportunity early in the half.
Their best chance though came from Gerbe Magela who almost opened their account with his shot from inside the box forcing the university keeper into a diving save to his left.
University regained their composure around the hour mark and resumed their bombardment of the oppositions goal (at least that’s what it felt like).
Their best chances continued to come from Lobo and Penfold.
These two players remarkably managed to hit the woodwork once each within a couple of mins and they were almost made too pay immediately on the counter with a Gazy shot soaring past the right post to just miss the net.
It seemed only a matter of time till University sealed it and they did when Lobo won a penalty with some quick footwork which Beck converted.
The hosts rounded it out just before the 75th minute with Luiz Lobo doubling his goal tally with a low shot finding the bottom right corner.
Gazy Auburn did restore some pride with a direct pass finding Mennilo who scored with what turned out to be the last kick of the game.
UNSW Coach Gabe Knowles was delighted with the team’s performance.
“I am pretty pleased with how we performed, we created a lot of chances but know we can do better converting them in future.”
He singled out Giles Penfold for special praise.
“He worked really hard for team, put in a good shift and was unlucky not to score.”
FC Gazy Auburn coach Leo Sansone lamented his sides start.
“We started with the wrong formation and were punished.”
He continued, “The lads were second to every ball and were slow to react. We changed formation, looked better, got one consolation goal and could’ve had another.”
Match Stats
Monday 2nd April, 2018
Heffron Park Synthetic, Matraville
UNSW FC: 4 (Dexter, Binakaj, Beck, Lobo)
FC Gazy Auburn: 1 (Mennilo)
Referee: Adam Susz
Assistant referees: Matthew Reidy and Oliver Lawton
UNSW FC: 1. Ian Johnson, 3. Alex Nolan (14. Luke Petterson 70’), 4. Michal Lalik, 5. Benjamin Dexter, 7. Christian Soares, 8. IIan Kessler, 9. Nima Beik, 10. Luiz Lobo (12. Bede Leyland 75’), 17. Bastian Monroy Vargas, 19. Giles Penfold, 39. Florim Binakaj (18. Marcus Naoum 73’)
Subs not used: 2. Ryuji Takeuchi, 31. Nicholas Croucher
Yellow Cards: Dexter 91’
Red Cards: Nil
FC Gazy Auburn: 2. Alexander Barsic, 4. Maximilian Nendza, 5. Edilson Silva (15. Cristiam Chavarro 67’), 6. Nathan Adams, 7. Panyar Maliet (11. Jack Wetney 37’), 8. John Di Biase, 9. Javier Salinas, 10. Ricardo Mennillo, 12. Pablo Meza, 13. George Iliopoulos (3. Lee Myungjae 45’), 16. Gerbe Magela.
Subs Not Used: 1. Gabriale Andrea, 14. Bruno Marin Ponce.
Yellow Cards: Adams 70’
Red Cards: Nil
Hurstville FC 1 v 1 Wagga City Wanderers
Hurstville hosted a travelling Wagga outfit for the second weekend in a row.
The two teams played out a hard-fought draw at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday evening.
It was the home side who took the ascendancy for much of the first half.
They controlled the possession patiently and were rewarded just before the break when the returning Dario Borovickic opened the scoring.
The second half saw Wagga start to take back some control after a tactical change however Hurstville were unable to convert on three clear cut chances.
The Wanderers equalized when Tyler Allen combined with Caylum Barber to earn his side a penalty. Brad Fangus scored from the spot and things remained to at 1-1 to earn the visitors a point away from home.
Hurstville City Minotaurs 2 v 3 Bankstown United FC
Bankstown United made in two from two as they defeated Hurstville City Minotaurs in a thriller at St George Stadium.
It was two goals to Mitch Cross and one to Shannon Hawkins which sealed the victory.
The goal account which was busy throughout was opened early on with a penalty to Bankstown on 15 minutes.
The penalty was duly converted to give the visitors the lead.
The Minotaurs struck back before the half with a goal to Jordan Young after some good football from the hosts.
The sides went into the break even.
Bankstown were ruthless early in the second half with two mistakes by the hosts pounced on which saw them jump out to a 3-1 lead.
A spectacular consolation goal to Davide Gritti from 50 yards saw the hosts come back into it.
The visitors unfortunately for the Minotaurs were too determined and held out.
Nepean FC 1 v 1 Central Coast United
It was a clash of two predicted competition heavyweights at Cook Park on Saturday night.
It didn’t disappoint and the two teams could not be separated in the end.
It was a fast start for the visitors who managed to open the scoring within the first few minutes thanks to a goal from Adam Woodbine.
The first stanza continued in an even fashion with the other notable chance being a penalty to United, which was saved by Nepean shotstopper Thomas Hamilton.
However, like a few games on Saturday night, there was a response from the opposition.
Nepean came out a better side in the second half.
Despite missing some chances, Nepean did manage to find a crucial goal from Simon Ly which ensured that the chocolates were shared this Easter long weekend.
Prospect United 1 v 1 Western Condors
Prospect United fought back from being a goal down at home to eventually seal a point against a much improved Western Condors.
The visitors controlled much of the first half with Prospect giving away “easy possession” in a nervous first half by the hosts.
A goal on the half hour mark to last week’s hat-trick hero Cristian Martinez ensured the Condors capitalised on their dominance giving them a deserved lead at the break.
United came out in the second half a different team, much more composed in their play and build up. They were rewarded for this after 70 minutes as Ben Lam levelled the scores when the condors were unable to clear a goal line. Despite efforts from both teams, the score remained that way and both teams had to settle for a point.
Balmain Tigers FC 0 v 5 South Coast Flame FC
Another week, another hefty loss for Balmain Tigers as they went down to a very hungry South Coast Flame on Sunday evening.
Flame keeper Matthew White however was kept rather busy early on in the piece but produced a number of saves that kept his side in the match.
For South Coast though, it was another dream debut for an expansion club.
An early goal to Caleb Grace set them on their way after 12 mins before Bojan Caric doubled the lead just before the half hour.
Star man Matt Mazevski opened his season account with a header just after the break, before goals to substitute Cameron Hansen and Dion Sterjovski made sure it was a 5 star start with a 5 star goal with an exquisite chip inside the box rounding the game off 5-0.
-By Justin Smith
