Round 9 Review – NPL 2 NSW Men’s
The last weekend of April had the usual amount of close contests and games going down to the wire, nothing surprising for the National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s competition.
However, there were also a couple of big wins, none more so than in our Match of the Round.
Match of the Round: Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs GHFA Spirit FC
Western Sydney Wanderers sent a message to the rest of the league on Sunday afternoon after a dominant 6-0 victory over GHFA Spirit FC.
Marley Peterson stole the show with a hat trick, while there were also goals from Jarrod Carluccio, Rory Jordan and Mohamed Adam.
The Wanderers didn’t take long to get going, opening the scoring in the third minute after Carluccio was fouled on the edge of the area. Peterson stepped up, curling the set piece into the net to give his side the perfect start.
As the teams battled for control of the game, Spirit’s first opportunity came through Andrew Robertson, with Wanderers goalkeeper Elliot Carwardine making a comfortable save.
A few minutes later, David Perkovic’s men had another chance after good hold up play from Duncan Stewart, with Louis Bozanic firing wide.
In the 25th minute, the Wanderers made it 2-0, and Peterson was involved again. After Fabian Monge forced a turnover, Peterson did brilliantly to switch the ball for Carluccio, who cheekily lobbed the ball over Spirit goalkeeper Tomislav Romic from outside the box.
Romic was kept busy, and he made two good saves in the space of a minute from Wanderers defender Thomas Aquilina, but he would be powerless to intervene on the stroke of halftime as Peterson struck again.
Once again it was a dead ball situation that did the damage for the home side, with Peterson sending another precision strike into the net to give his side a three goal lead at the break.
Spirit responded with their best spell of the contest early in the second half, and Stewart headed over from Robertson’s cross.
Bozanic and Christopher Arditti were also denied by desperate lunges, but then the Wanderers would put the game well out of reach of their opponents with three goals in eight minutes.
The fourth goal came after Rory Jordan, just on as a substitute, latched onto an excellent pass from Mohamed Al Taay and slotted the ball home.
A few minutes later, it would be 5-0, with Adam getting his customary goal to take his tally to ten for the season. Jordan was involved again, skipping past a challenge and playing a neat pass, with Adam’s shot taking a slight deflection before nestling in the back of the net.
Incredibly, the Wanderers would score again in the 73rd minute. Al Taay showed his passing range once more, finding Aquilina in space on the right flank. His cutback wasn’t put away by either Adam or Jacob Vasiliou, but Peterson was in the right spot to complete his hat trick from close range.
To their credit, Spirit kept going until the end. Robertson had a shot deflected just wide of the goal, while Grant Cornwell got on the end of a cross from Futoshi Kondo, volleying inches wide.
However, there was no doubt that this day would belong to the Wanderers, and they could even have had more goals, with Carluccio and Adam having goals ruled out for offside, while Jordan was denied by Romic in stoppage time.
The victory means the Wanderers extend their lead at the top of the table, and are now three points ahead of North Shore Mariners.
The next round sees the Wanderers facing another top six team in Bonnyrigg White Eagles, with Spirit having a home game against St George FC.
Match Stats
Western Sydney Wanderers FC 6 (Marley Peterson 3’ 45’ 73’, Jarrod Carluccio 25’, Rory Jordan 65’, Mohamed Adam 69’) vs GHFA Spirit FC 0
Sunday 28 April 2019
at Sydney United Sports Centre
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 18. Elliot CARWARDINE, 4. Mohamed AL TAAY, 6. Fabian MONGE, 9. Marley PETERSON, 12. Andrea AGAMEMNONOS (c) (5. Dean PELEKANOS 75’), 14. Mohamed ADAM, 15. Noah PAGDEN, 16. Lochlan CONSTABLE (24. Rory JORDAN 61’), 19. Daniel WILMERING, 22. Thomas AQUILINA, 25. Jarrod CARLUCCIO (21. Jacob VASILIOU 67’)
Subs not used: 7. Bailey RULE, 20. Oliver KALAC
GHFA Spirit FC: 1. Tomislav ROMIC, 3. Jacob HARRIS (7. Domonic FURNESS 55’), 4. Futoshi KONDO, 5. Andrew ROBERTSON, 8. Grant CORNWELL (c), 9. Duncan STEWART, 10. Louis BOZANIC (11. Travis COOPER 73’), 13. Pasqualino CAPPUCCIO, 21. Lewis BEUMIE, 22. Samuel DE OLIVEIRA, 23. Christopher ARDITTI (17. Ahmed SWEEDAN 65’)
Subs not used: 2. Dylan WHITLOCK, 12. Jacob FORSTER
Yellow cards: 5. Andrew ROBERTSON 75’, 8. Grant CORNWELL 89’
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 1 (Richard Darko 33’) vs North Shore Mariners FC 1 (Hugo Forlico 90’)
A tight, physical affair was expected at the Bonnyrigg Sports Club, and that’s what the spectators would end up witnessing.
In this clash featuring two excellent defensive units, the first goal was always going to be crucial. Despite early North Shore domination, it was Bonnyrigg who would strike through winger Richard Darko.
A second half red card to Mark Rodic put the White Eagles under pressure, but just as it looked like they would hold out, North Shore struck in the 90th minute, with Hugo Forlico picking a perfect time to net his first goal of the season.
Both teams maintain impressive runs, with the Mariners making it five games without loss, while Bonnyrigg are now unbeaten in seven matches.
St George FC 4 (Paolo Mitry 12’, Marcus Beattie 19’, Kevin Lopes 51’ 63’) vs St George City FA 1 (Matthew Mayora 72’)
The inaugural St George Derby went the way of the Saints, thanks to some ruthless finishing and a great team performance.
18 year old attacking midfielder Paolo Mitry opened the scoring when he found the top corner from outside the area, and the Saints were in control at the interval after a close range finish from Marcus Beattie.
The chances kept coming in the second half for the Saints, and Kevin Lopes celebrated his return to the starting lineup with a double, repaying head coach Wally Savor’s faith.
Meanwhile, it was another tough weekend for City in their first year at this level, but there would be some late consolation after a headed goal from Matthew Mayora.
Hills United FC 1 (Alex Vlismas 16’) vs Central Coast Mariners 0
At Lilys Football Centre, Hills United would keep the pressure on the top two with a narrow victory over Central Coast Mariners.
Hills made the brighter start, getting a deserved goal through Alex Vlismas.
There were opportunities for United to add to their lead, but in the second half it was a different story. Central Coast took control of possession and could have gotten themselves back into the game, but Hills remained organised and had some chances on the counter.
In the end, the Mariners would rue missed opportunities, going closest to an equaliser in the last minute through Joshua Nisbet. The result sees Patrick Zwaanswijk’s men move up to third, while the Mariners drop to eighth.
Macarthur Rams FC 1 (Clement Ebahece Waoci 65’) vs Canterbury Bankstown FC 0
As generally happens when two teams are at the bottom of the ladder, it was a very nervous affair at Lynwood Park.
With both sides desperate to gain control, the first half was very even, and both teams had their chances to break the deadlock.
It was the Rams who would come out just that little bit stronger in the second half, and the decisive moment came in the 65th minute. After an attack down the right wing, the ball was cutback for Clement Waoci, who made no mistake to give Macarthur a priceless win.
The victory sees the Rams move away from the foot of the table, with Canterbury still searching for that elusive first win of the year.
Northern Tigers FC 1 (Shervin Adeli 86’) vs Blacktown Spartans 1 (Connor Eldridge 60’)
A good crowd greeted the teams at North Turramurra Recreation Area, and they watched a close battle between two teams just outside the top six.
It was a game in which both goalkeepers would be tested repeatedly. Spartans forward Connor Eldridge came the closest to scoring in the opening period, but his header came back off the crossbar.
However, Eldridge would not be denied on the hour mark, taking a pass from Lachlan Rose, beating two defenders and netting his fourth goal of the season.
Predictably, the Tigers would throw everything at Spartans, and the Rooty Hill outfit almost held on, before conceding a late penalty. Shervin Adeli was the hero once again, keeping his composure and sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to rescue a point for Adam Hett’s side.
Rydalmere Lions FC 0 vs Mounties Wanderers FC 1 (Bruno Pivato 65’)
Mounties are now in fifth place after a narrow victory over Rydalmere Lions at Valentine Sports Park.
The game got off to a frantic start, and it was no surprise to see the two main strikers, Matthew West for Mounties and Hassan Jalloh for Rydalmere, looking the most likely to break the deadlock.
However, despite multiple chances in the opening stanza, fans would have to wait until the second half for a goal. Sean Rooney entered the fray in the 50th minute, and his introduction off the bench would prove to be a masterstroke by Mounties head coach Brian Brown.
A few minutes after a big chance for Rydalmere winger Dillan Kahale, Rooney flicked the ball on for Bruno Pivato, who showed great vision to chip the goalkeeper from 35 yards.
Rooney almost grabbed a goal of his own with 15 minutes remaining when he was denied by a goal line clearance from Simon Nicholas. The final stages saw the Lions push hard for an equaliser, but despite a late flurry of set pieces, Mounties would take the points.
By Eric Subijano
Twitter – @eric_subijano
