Round 2 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
We were greeted to another weekend of high-octane football with plenty of highlights and talking points as we dissect all the action from around the grounds.
It was goals galore at Arlington Oval on Saturday night as Macarthur Rams triumphed 7-3 against Dulwich Hill; Dunbar Rovers and Central Coast United could not be split as they drew 1-1 at Heffron Park; Stanmore Hawks recorded a 3-1 win away to Bankstown United; Inter Lions enjoyed a winning start at their new home ground as they secured a 3-2 victory against Bankstown City; Rydalmere Lions also won at their newly renovated home ground as they beat Sydney University 2-0 while Canterbury Bankstown posted their first three points against Gladesville Ryde Magic with a 3-1 win at the Crest.
Dulwich Hill FC – Macarthur Rams FC 3-7
A 10-goal thriller took place at Arlington Oval as Macarthur Rams ran out 7-3 winners against Dulwich Hill in an end-to-end battle on Saturday night.
The Rams opened the scoring through Mitchell Brooker on 18 minutes before Dully turned around the deficit to take a 2-1 lead.
Goals from Macarthur duo Mark Symington and Sam Onana as well as a spot kick from the hosts saw the score locked at 3-3 as both sides headed to the sheds for the interval.
The Rams turned on the burners after the restart, putting four unanswered goals past the home side.
Mitchell Brooker got his second of the evening on 49 minutes before his brother Blake got in on the action a minute later to make it 5-3.
Symington scored his brace on the hour mark to make it 6-3 before Bailey Simpson rounded off the scoring with his strike three minutes later.
Next up for the Rams is a home clash against high-flyers Rydalmere whilst Dully visit Bankstown City in what is guaranteed to be an entertaining encounter.
Dunbar Rovers FC – Central Coast United FC 1-1
There was a case of déjà vu at Heffron Park on Saturday night as Dunbar Rovers and Central Coast United recorded a 1-1 draw, the same score line as when they first met prior to the enforced break.
Special mention must go to Dunbar shot stopper Luke Del Vecchio who pulled off a stunning save to deny the visitors what appeared to be a sure-fire goal.
However Central Coast’s goal arrived shortly after as Cade Mapu broke the deadlock with his pinpoint effort just before half time.
However, as the old saying goes, you’re always most vulnerable after you score and that rung true when Dunbar equalised almost immediately after thanks to Aram Tayebi’s glancing header.
A highly entertaining second half saw chances aplenty for both sides, but it was the Pirates who would have been feeling worse off after they missed an open goal late on.
Rovers will meet Magic at Christie Park next Sunday while Central Coast visit Arlington Oval on Saturday night to face off against Stanmore.
Bankstown United FC – Stanmore Hawks FC 1-3
Stanmore Hawks came from behind to register a 3-1 win against Bankstown United at Jensen Park on Saturday night.
Bankstown’s Mitch Cross got his name on the scoresheet for the first time this campaign after he volleyed in Eros Bergamin’s cross at the back post on 20 minutes.
An attacking onslaught from the Hawks in the final 10 minutes of the first half saw them race to a 3-1 lead.
They capitalised off a short corner routine to make it 1-1 thanks to quality Angus Chance’s strike before Timothy Wohfliel scored a belter from 25 yards out to give them the lead for the first time in the contest.
A United own goal on the stroke of half time gave Stanmore some breathing space as they headed into the sheds.
Things went from bad to worse for Scott Belgre’s men in the 55th minute after Josh Spina was sent off for a second bookable offence.
A back to the walls performance from Bankstown in the remaining 35 minutes saw them keep the Hawks at bay and avoid a possible blow out.
An away trip to Sydney Uni awaits Bankstown next round while the Hawks have a meeting with Central Coast at Arlington Oval in their next fixture.
Inter Lions FC – Bankstown City FC 3-2
Inter Lions enjoyed a perfect start to life at Majors Bay Reserve after they toppled Bankstown City 3-2 on Saturday night.
It was the visitors who struck first in this contest thanks to an Ante Tomic screamer from around 40 yards out which left Inter goalkeeper John Soulios stranded.
Inter equalised around the quarter hour mark via a Nico Paras penalty after Fikiret Berisha was brought down in the box.
Paras then got his second of the night shortly before halftime after he weaved his way through the opponent’s defence before expertly placing the ball into the bottom corner to give his side a 2-1 lead heading into the break.
Inter made it 3-1 after the interval thanks to a pinpoint penalty from Meco Tripodi after some slick build up play between Zac Ribeiro and Sam Armson which resulted in a foul in the area.
The visitors reduced the deficit with around 20 minutes remaining after Nikola Todoroski opened his account for the season with a curling finish.
However, it was Inter who were able to hold on as they recorded their first victory of the campaign.
They travel to the Crest to take on Canterbury Bankstown next Saturday while City have a meeting with Dulwich Hill at Jensen Park on Sunday.
Rydalmere Lions FC – Sydney University SFC 2-0
Rydalmere came out on top 2-0 against Sydney Uni in a fiery affair at Rydalmere Park on Saturday night.
Uni went a man down in the 35th minute after Charlie Day was given his marching orders after he racked up two yellow cards in the space of five minutes
The hosts broke the deadlock shortly after as Matt West turned in Ali Mckie’s cross on 41 minutes.
The Lions doubled their lead in the 50th minute after Scott Tonkin rose highest to head home his second goal of the season.
The hosts also finished the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Charles Samushonga was shown a straight red when he took down a Uni striker who was clear on goal.
Uni could not find a way past the Rydalmere defence and so the match ended 2-0 as the hosts become one of only two teams in this competition to maintain a perfect record after the first two rounds.
The Lions’ next fixture sees them take on the Rams at Lynwood Park while Uni will host Bankstown United on Saturday night.
Canterbury Bankstown FC – Gladesville Ryde Magic 3-1
Canterbury Bankstown posted their first victory of the season after they triumphed 3-1 at home to Gladesville Ryde Magic.
It was Magic who struck first in this fixture after Harris Gaitatzis scored for the second week running.
An Andrija Mandic penalty ensured that the hosts entered the break with the score locked at 1-1.
An inspired second half performance saw the Berries run away with it after Andre Guzman’s header at the near post made it 2-1 before Abdul Zahra’s long range effort made it three for the home side.
The Berries will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins when they host Inter next Saturday while Magic will be hoping to get their first points on the board when they welcome Dunbar to Christie Park on Sunday.
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-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
