Round 10 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
The party rolls on for the high flying Stanmore Hawks after they consolidated their position at the top of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s table.
Stanmore Hawks and Western NSW Mariners enjoyed thrilling 4-3 victories in their respective fixtures as Hawks strengthened their grip on first place while Western’s triumph has put them on equal point with second last Parramatta.
Parramatta succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Bankstown City at Melita Stadium; Dulwich Hill and Granville Rage drew 2-2 at Arlington Oval; Stanmore Hawks preserved their position as league leaders as they overcame SD Raiders 4-3 at Ernie Smith Reserve; Bankstown United suffered a 4-1 defeat to Dunbar Rovers at Jensen Park; Western NSW Mariners fought until the final whistle in their encounter with Sydney University as they recorded a 4-3 win at Sydney University Football Ground while Gladesville Ryde Magic put four unanswered goals past Hawkesbury City at Christie Park.
Football NSW stepped outside of the office at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday night to witness the clash between Inter Lions and Camden Tigers.
Inter Lions FC 3 Camden Tigers FC 1
Inter Lions came from behind to secure a 3-1 victory against Camden Tigers at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday night.
It was Inter who prevailed over the course of the 90 minutes as the home side proved to be a lot more clinical when it came to converting their chances in the final third.
Tigers’ attacking trio Mitchell Brooker, Dean Mugridge and Bailey Simpson created all sorts of problems for Inter’s defence and it was the visitors looked odds on favourites to draw first blood.
A fast-paced match from the outset there were also plenty of robust challenges in the opening exchanges with both teams sussing each other out in the early stages.
Despite being camped in their half for the first quarter of an hour it was the hosts who produced the first opportunity of note when Julian Rinaldi’s fleeting run from the right wing saw him cut inside and provide the first stern test for Camden goalkeeper Michael O’Rourke.
A free kick after 19 minutes saw Inter produce another fantastic chance on goal as Alex Becerra flashed his header into the keeper’s path after he was picked out by Dom Tripodi’s free kick from midway in the Tigers’ half.
Camden were unlucky not to open the scoring 34 minutes in after Eric Mcguire’s volley forced a reflex save from John Soulios after the home side failed to clear the danger from a previous Tigers’ attack.
The breakthrough for the visitors eventually arrived through Mugridge after a crafty overlap from left back Blake Szumski saw him play the one-two with Simpson before his cross fell to the chest of Mugridge who took care of the rest.
A proven threat from the dead ball it was Tripodi who manufactured the last opportunity of the first half as his free kick led to a top shelf save from O’Rourke. The young shot stopper clawed the ball out of the top left-hand corner of the goal to prevent an equaliser from the hosts only moments before half time.
An inspiring half time team talk by Inter coach John Theo must have done the trick with the hosts an entirely different proposition in the second half.
The home side returned to equal term three minutes after the restart thanks to Chris Lawson after he headed home Tripodi’s free kick.
With the scores locked at one a piece it was the Tigers who were next to go on the offensive as skipper Sean Doherty’s volley struck Soulios after he connected with Brooker’s cross.
The remaining half hour saw Inter score twice with the first arriving in the 64th minute via the boot of Nathan Scicchitano after he smashed the ball into the visitor’s net from just inside the 18-yard box. The Inter striker on his toes as he pounced on Callum Rogers’ botched clearance.
The hosts made sure of the points with 17 minutes left to play after right back Rami Alassmi bombed forward, playing a one-two with Sam Armson in the opposition’s box before he slotted it past the Tigers shot stopper into the left-hand corner.
Only a matter of minutes after the home side’s third of the contest, Brooker produced a stunning free kick which came close to dropping into the back of net if it were not for the heroics of Soulios in goal.
Referee Danny Horstead did his best to play peace maker for the final quarter of an hour as a host of emphatic challenges forced him to reach into his pocket as he attempted to maintain order in what was a high-octane contest.
Match Stats
National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s
Round 10
Saturday, May 11, 2019
INTER LIONS FC 3 (Lawson 48’, Scicchitano 64’, Alassmi 72’)
CAMDEN TIGERS FC 1 (Mugridge 41’)
INTER LIONS FC; 3.S.Richardson, 4.A.Becerra, 5.C.Lawson, 6.D.Tripodi(capt.), 7.J.Rinaldi, 11.Z.Ribeiro, 14.R.Alassmi, 21.J.Soulios(gk), 23.N.Scicchitano(16.D.Habib 88’), 29.S.Armson, 36.G.Paradanta(9.F.Berisha 45’).
Substitutions Not Used – 2.N.Ballard, 26.G.Cebada, 51.P.Fouracre.
Yellow Cards – 4.A.Becerra 68’.
CAMDEN TIGERS FC;2.J.Harris, 5.B.Szumski, 6.S.Doherty(capt.), 8.C.Rogers, 9.M.Brooker, 10.D.Mugridge, 11.B.Simpson(19.A.Gorgievski 89’), 12.E.Mcguire, 13.B.Brooker(20.R.Chand 73’), 15.D.Morley(30.L.Rixon 85’), 21.M.O’Rourke(gk).
Substitutions Not Used – 1.M.Johnston, 14.M.Lynch.
Yellow Cards – 15.D.Morley 75’.
Parramatta FC – Bankstown City FC 0-1
Bankstown City scored the only goal of the contest as they ran out 1-0 winners away to Parramatta at Melita Stadium on Saturday night.
The Eagles were unfortunate not to share the points on this occasion, with plenty of pace upfront, they wreaked havoc on Bankstown’s defence while Ahmad Elrich posed a threat with his incisive set pieces.
Bankstown City’s captain fantastic Nikola Todoroski led from the front yet again as he scored the crucial goal after 63 minutes with a header which whistled past Parra shot stopper Stefan Giglio.
However, if it was not for the inspired form of Giglio, the Lions could have won by more as the keeper made a string of impressive string of saves to ensure that the visitors struck just the once.
Dulwich Hill – Granville Rage 2-2
Dulwich Hill left it late as they escaped with a 2-2 draw against Granville Rage at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.
Granville’s Timothy Raftopoulos opened the scoring after 16 minutes as he registered his first goal of the campaign.
It was not until the 67th minute that Dully restored parity via a superb headed effort from Nick Dimitropoulos after he was picked out by Peter Crevani’s free kick.
The visitors retook the lead only six minutes later as they converted from the spot to make it 2-1 with 17 minutes left to play.
A great finish from Jayme Canhada Alves saw the home side steal a point at the death with the equaliser arriving with just one-minute remaining in the game.
SD Raiders FC – Stanmore Hawks FC 3-4
The top of the table clash saw a 10-man Stanmore Hawks side hold on to record a crucial 4-3 victory away to SD Raiders at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday night.
Stanmore opened the scoring just after the 10-minute mark thanks to a penalty which was converted by Jovan Blagojevic after a Raiders player handballed Nathan Niski’s ball into the box.
The visitors doubled their lead just before the 25th minute mark as Peter Yannopoulos slotted the ball past Raiders’ goalkeeper Michael Rutherford after he was expertly picked out by Alberto Perea Henche’s missile of a through ball.
Raiders reduced the deficit with five minutes left to run in the first half as a well worked corner routine reaped its rewards.
Yannopoulos scored his second and his side’s third of the night just before the interval after he finished off a fluid attacking move which began with left back Angus Chance.
Chance played through Blagojevic on the left-hand touchline before the striker’s cross found Yannopoulos free at the back post.
The hosts made it 3-2 midway through the second half after Daniel Bittar strike whistled into the top right-hand corner of the net after he was the first to act on the loose ball in Stanmore’s 18-yard area.
Hawks restored their two-goal lead just under 10 minutes later as Sam Awad flicked home Perea Henche’s corner at the front post.
The home side did not roll over despite the score line and they made it 4-3 after they cut through Stanmore’s defence before Anthony Proia lobbed it over Nick Carosi.
A second booking for Hawks’ Timothy Wohlfiel in the closing exchanges made for a nervy finish with the visitors forced to deal with a barrage of shots from their opponents with luck on their side after Proia had a goal disallowed for offside in what was virtually the last kick of the game.
Bankstown United FC – Dunbar Rovers FC 1-4
Dunbar Rovers secured a positive result from their travels as they triumphed 4-1 against Bankstown United at Jensen Park on Saturday night.
Dunbar took the lead after just nine minutes thanks to Daniel Fornito as he latched onto a misguided back pass.
Fornito had to wait only a matter of five minutes to score his second as he gave his side some breathing space just before the quarter hour mark.
The visitors third of night arrived in spectacular fashion via a beauty from Conor Earley after his sensational strike from within his own half found the back of the net.
Bankstown were unlucky not to reduce the deficit after 26 minutes as they had an effort rattle against the left upright.
However, they eventually pulled one back with ten minutes remaining in the first half.
David Ustimenko shored up the points as he scored his side’s fourth and final goal of the evening in the 83rd minute to round off a profitable away day for Rovers.
Sydney University SFC – Western NSW Mariners 3-4
A last gasp winner saw Western NSW Mariners register an incredible 4-3 victory against Sydney University at Sydney University Football Ground on Saturday night.
Western took a 1-0 lead into the break after Jeremy Judge converted from the spot following a foul on James Christie.
The game really sparked to life in the second half as Uni matched Western’s intensity which made for thrilling viewing with six goals being scored over the course of the half.
Western doubled their lead early in the second half thanks to Jaiden Culbert’s long range effort from 20 yards out.
However, two quick fire goals from Uni’s Michael Loupis saw the home side cancel out their opponent’s lead.
Western veteran and super sub Adam Scimone restored his side lead and it appeared as though that the score line would remain 3-2 if it were not Loupis who once again popped to score and complete his hattrick in the process.
The visitors never dropped their heads throughout the encounter and were rewarded with the all-important winner in injury time as Scimone poked home from his side’s corner kick.
Gladesville Ryde Magic – Hawkesbury City FC 4-0
Gladesville Ryde Magic registered a comprehensive 4-0 victory from their encounter against Hawkesbury City at Christie Park on Sunday afternoon.
All four of Magic’s goals arrived in the second half as they steamrolled the opposition while also significantly boosting their goal difference along the way.
Chris Triantis and Peter Voukidis scored within five minutes of the restart to give their side a healthy lead.
Magic completed the scoring in the final 15 minutes of the contest with a Chris Gaitatzis strike on the 77th minute mark before Christos Tomaras found the back of the net two minutes later to complete the scoring for the afternoon.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
