SD Raiders knock out Ilinden in Australia Cup upset
League One high-flyers SD Raiders have moved one step closer to an elusive first ever Round of 32 Hahn Australia Cup entry following an enthralling 5-4 victory on penalties over National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW heavyweights Rockdale Ilinden at Ernie Smith Reserve on Tuesday night.
Noah Anderson stunned the 2024 NPL Men’s NSW Premiers with an early goal in the 5th minute before towering Rockdale defender James Nikolovski restored parity soon after. Chris McStay put Rockdale ahead in the 31st minute before Charlie Ragg dragged one back for the Raiders midway through the second half and it was game on.
The hosts then went ahead through Lachlan McGrath and a ‘Cupset’ was on the cards before Brendan Cholakian scored an injury time equaliser to send the match into extra-time. The hosts held their nerve from the spot kicks as they prevailed when the state’s most lethal marksman Alec Urosevski missed which triggered scenes of ecstasy for the Raiders who booked their ticket into Round 7 of the Preliminary stages of the Cup.
Finally, another League One Men’s side Hills United stamped its ticket to the final round of the Cup with a hard fought 1-0 win over Illawarra Premier League outfit Shellharbour FC thanks to an 80th minute winner from Noah Casserly.
Here are the remaining teams that have qualified for Round 7 of the Preliminary rounds of the Hahn Australia Cup:
- APIA Leichhardt FC (NPL Men’s)
- Blacktown City (NPL Men’s)
- Granville Rage (League Two Men’s)
- Hills United (League One Men’s)
- Marconi Stallions (NPL Men’s)
- Northern Tigers (League One Men’s)
- SD Raiders (League One Men’s)
- Sydney United 58 (NPL Men’s)
The winners of the Round 7 matches will qualify and represent NSW at this year’s Australia Cup Round of 32 as well as earn a spot in the 2025 Waratah Cup Semi-Finals.
All 4 matches will be shown live and exclusive on Football NSW’s YouTube channel.
The Round 7 draw will be released tomorrow (Thursday 15th May) so stay tuned for updates on that.
