Round 16 Review – League Two Men’s
The second round of matches started with a bang in the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s season, with plenty of ladder movement following a big Round 16.
The Match of the Round this week saw Sydney University SFC come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Central Coast United FC in a match with plenty of big chances.
Saturday, 24th May 2025
Match of the Round: Sydney University SFC 1-1 Central Coast United FC
The only draw of the round came in the Match of the Round as Sydney University SFC came from behind to ensure they did not lose a fourth-straight head-to-head match against Central Coast United FC as the battle near the bottom ended in a 1-1 draw.
A quiet first quarter of the match saw neither side test the opposition goalkeeper, but University did start the better of the two sides regarding possession and chances.
In the 27th minute, Jay Goodwin looked to test Sydney University goalkeeper Kota Arakawa, but his effort from range went straight into his arms.
Two minutes later, University had a header from close range go over the bar for a goal kick as they continued their strong start to the contest.
At the other end off the next attack, Central Coast’s Ben Flakus had a shot from range go wide, too, as both sides looked to test the other’s goalkeeper from range.
In the 32nd minute, University had another effort from range hit the side netting on the left in their pursuit of the opening goal.
One minute later, Flakus set up Alexander Arbelo who shot wide right of the target from range for the Pirates.
In the 39th minute, University’s William Lane got in behind down the right and fired a shot from close range but had his effort blocked by Central Coast goalkeeper, Zayd Husain.
Flakus had the last chance of the half for the Pirates from range; his strike was the final action of the half, with both sides scoreless as the break.
The Pirates struck with the first chance of the second half in the 46th minute when a quick throw-in from Michael Singh found Cayleb Murray, who played the ball first-time to Flakus inside the penalty area; he turned his defender and found the top-left corner with a right-footed strike to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
University had a few chances following that goal as they looked to stay in the contest.
At the other end, Central Coast had a golden chance to double their lead on the hour mark when Arbelo pinched the ball off University following a University goal kick but hit the left post with a right-footed shot from the edge of the box to the dismay of the away side.
Less than two minutes later, University made the most of their lifeline in the match when they won the ball in midfield and played it out wide right to Daniel Barrett; he got to the byline and squared the ball to Jethro Thornton, who tapped the ball home from six yards to level the match at 1-1.
In the 83rd minute, University had another chance when the ball was delivered in from the right to the feet of substitute Stefan Visscher, but he had his shot blocked away for a corner by Pirates’ substitute Jekai Mead.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Central Coast had a golden chance to grab all three points when a ball over the top found Jack Ragen, who left the ball for Jai Mcnamara; he fired a strong right-footed shot low at goal, but it was saved well down to his right by Arakawa for University.
After three minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew for full-time, with neither University nor Central Coast able to be separated in the 1-1 draw.
The draw for University was their fourth of the season as they awaited their first win still, rooted to the bottom of the league, while for Central Coast they moved to within one point of 13th-placed Camden Tigers FC.
University will hope to cause an upset when they welcome the league-leading Hurstville Zagreb FC next week, while Central Coast will hope to pick up the three points when they host 9th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Sydney University SFC 1 (Jethro Thornton 62’)
Central Coast United FC 1 (Ben Flakus 46’)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 1-2 Nepean FC
Nepean FC won their first match in five and extended their head-to-head unbeaten run against Gladesville Ryde Magic to four matches after a rapid start led them to a big 2-1 away win.
Nepean had a rapid start to the match when Alexander Purves scored within the opening three minutes to give the away side a 1-0 lead.
That lead was doubled less than two minutes later when William DiMartino scored for a 2-0 Nepean lead in rapid style.
In a tight first half, Nepean made the most of their two shots on target to lead by two goals at the break.
After half-time, both sides came out with attacking intent, but it was Gladesville who struck in the 62nd minute through Mandlenkosi Ndlovu to reduce their deficit to one goal at 2-1 down.
Maverick Anderson was shown a second yellow card late for Gladesville in the 85th minute as Nepean held on for a big 2-1 away win over the Magic.
The loss for the Magic was their first in five matches as they stayed in 9th, while the win for Nepean was their first in five as they stepped up one spot from 12th to 11th.
Gladesville will hope to respond when they travel to face 14th-placed Central Coast United FC next week, while Nepean will hope to build off this win when they make the trip to face 13th-placed Camden Tigers FC.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 1 (Mandlenkosi Ndlovu 62’; Maverick Anderson 85’ red card)
Nepean FC 2 (Alexander Purves 3’; William DiMartino 5’)
Fraser Park FC 4-1 Camden Tigers FC
The home team prevailed once again in this fixture after Fraser Park FC converted a quick start into all three points against Camden Tigers FC to get their season back on track.
Fraser Park started strongly and were rewarded after eight minutes when Fenn Hodgson-Yu forced a turnover and released Harry Skotadis in behind, who finished well to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Fraser Park were awarded a penalty less than five minutes later when Matthew Lecce was fouled inside the box after he had turned; Stavros Palapanis stepped up and converted from the spot for a 2-0 Fraser Park lead.
The hosts had a 3-0 lead less than three minutes after that, in the 15th minute, when Gregory Ehiozee scored with a header at the back post off a corner.
Camden responded with two substitutes in the 26th minute and that paid dividends in the 30th minute when Jack Harris split the Fraser Park defence with a pass to Francesco Giannetto, who scored to give the Tigers a foothold back in the match.
The Tigers had a big chance to get another goal back before the break in the 44th minute through Giannetto once again but he was unable to finish as Fraser Park took a 3-1 lead into half-time.
Fraser Park drew first blood in the second half through Skotadis once again, who scored on transition to give Fraser Park a 4-1 lead.
Both teams continued to attack, evidenced by Camden forcing a strong save at full stretch to 17-year-old goalkeeper Jayden Pham, who kept Fraser Park’s three-goal lead intact for a big 4-1 home win.
The victory for Fraser Park was their first in six matches as they remained in 10th on the ladder, while the loss for Camden saw them move to seven matches without a win as they stayed in 13th.
Fraser Park will hope to grab back-to-back wins when they host 7th-placed Dunbar Rovers FC, while Camden will hope to end their winless run when they host 11th-placed Nepean FC.
Fraser Park FC 4 (Harry Skotadis 8’, 69’; Stavros Palapanis 12’ pen; Gregory Ehiozee 15’)
Camden Tigers FC 1 (Francesco Giannetto 30’)
Bankstown United FC 0-1 Hawkesbury City FC
Hawkesbury City FC recorded their first win in six head-to-head attempts against Bankstown United FC after they held on for a big 1-0 away win.
In a tight first half, Hawkesbury took the lead in the 18th minute when a low cross from Declan Cotter was not dealt with by Bankstown goalkeeper Sebastian La Luz; Zane Hickman bundled the ball over the line from the rebound to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead at half-time.
After the break, Hawkesbury goalkeeper Daniel Schwarzer pulled off three big saves to keep the visitors in the lead; two off close-range headers from corners and one off a low shot.
At the other end, La Luz made two big saves for Bankstown to keep them in the match off the boots of Jacob Micallef and Cotter, respectively.
In the end, Hawkesbury did enough to break their head-to-head drought against Bankstown with a big 1-0 away win.
The loss for Bankstown saw them drop from 5th to 6th on the ladder, while the win for Hawkesbury saw them surpass Bankstown as they moved from 8th into 5th.
Bankstown will hope to keep up with the top sides when they host 2nd-placed South Coast Flame FC next week, while Hawkesbury will hope to take a step up the ladder once more when they host 3rd-placed Prospect United SC.
Bankstown United FC 0
Hawkesbury City FC 1 (Zane Hickman 18’)
Dunbar Rovers FC 0-2 Hurstville Zagreb FC
The league-leading Hurstville Zagreb FC extended their lead atop the ladder to nine points after they completed the league double over Dunbar Rovers FC, winning by the same scoreline they did in Round One.
An intense start saw multiple turnovers from both sides, with Nikola Todoroski dangerous for Hurstville as he forced Dunbar goalkeeper Benjamin Wrigley into a save early.
Dunbar looked to hold the ball to create, but the Hurstville defense stood up and dealt with their danger in the first half.
Hurstville broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when Todoroski broke through the Dunbar defense and slid the ball across to Hesan Soufi, who finished well against his old side to give the away side a 1-0 lead.
One minute later, it was double delight for Hurstville when Samuel Shainfeld won the ball and played Soufi in again; this time, Soufi chipped Wrigley from halfway to the delight of his teammates to complete his double and score his ninth goal of the season for a 2-0 Hurstville lead.
Wrigley saved a one-on-one chance from Andre Guzman to end the half as Hurstville took a 2-0 advantage into the break.
In the second half, Hurstville had a few chances to Soufi which went over the bar, while Todoroski had a shot blocked off the line by the Dunbar defense.
Dunbar controlled the ball well and threw players forward late looking for a goal back but despite being dangerous from corner and free kicks, were unable to find a goal as Hurstville ran out 2-0 winners.
The loss for Dunbar saw them drop from 6th to 7th, while the win for Hurstville saw them extend their lead from six to nine points atop the ladder.
Dunbar will hope to bounce back in their pursuit of the top sides when they travel to face 10th-placed Fraser Park FC next week, while Hurstville will hope to continue to fire at the top of the league when they make the trip to face last-placed Sydney University SFC.
Dunbar Rovers FC 0
Hurstville Zagreb FC 2 (Hesan Soufi 37’, 38’)
Inner West Hawks FC 1-2 Parramatta FC
Parramatta FC went an eighth-straight head-to-head match unbeaten against Inner West Hawks FC after they scored late for a big 2-1 away win in the battle of the birds.
An early goal in the 4th minute to Parramatta helped them settle in the match; Christopher Arditti played the ball to Marco Sama, who finished well inside the box to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Both sides played counterattacking football at times, with one chance falling to the Eagles through Ethan Oliver, who forced an acrobatic one-handed save from Hawks’ goalkeeper, Gene Marantos, while at the other end Lawrence Claxton and Peter Phillips were unable to convert, respectively.
Yusuf Aydin and Sama combined later in the first half but the two were unable to combine to find the back of the net as the Eagles took a 1-0 lead into half-time.
The second half was a different story, with Parramatta losing possession and the Hawks looking lethal, especially from crosses into the box from Christian Cirino.
A Cirino cross paid dividends in the 50th minute when the ball floated into the box was not dealt with by Parramatta goalkeeper Benjamin Marchant, who dropped the ball into the back of his own net, an error which levelled the match at 1-1.
The match turned into an arm wrestle with direct ball from the Hawks challenging the Eagles.
Inner West had a golden chance to take the lead in the 62nd minute when the Hawks were fouled in the box by Lewis Fraser; however, from the spot, Peter Yannopoulos saw his penalty attempt saved by Marchant, who atoned for his earlier mistake to keep the match level.
The Hawks hit the crossbar late through Jacob Palamidas but it was Parramatta who took the 2-1 lead in the 82nd minute when Arditti played a ball across the face of goal to Noorulah Afzaly; he in turn played the ball to Sama who completed his double for his 12th goal of the season to give them a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles had more chances late to add a third goal but settled for the 2-1 win away from home.
The loss for the Hawks saw them drop from 11th to 12th, while the win for Parramatta saw them go four matches unbeaten and strengthen their spot in 4th, one point away from both 3rd-placed Prospect United SC and 2nd-placed South Coast Flame FC.
Inner West will hope to regroup when they return after their Round 17 bye, while Parramatta will hope to continue to climb when they host 8th-placed Granville Rage in a local derby.
Inner West Hawks FC 1 (Benjamin Marchant 50’ own goal)
Parramatta FC 2 (Marco Sama 4’, 82’)
Granville Rage 0-5 South Coast Flame FC
South Coast Flame FC scored at least five goals in a match for a second-straight week and completed the perfect league double over Granville Rage after they recorded a 5-0 away win.
The Flame had the perfect start to the match within 90 seconds when Matthew Mazevski found Adam Timpano-Voloder, who volleyed the ball first-time across goal to Kade Kinsella; Kinsella buried the chance to give the Flame a 1-0 lead early.
The Rage almost struck back in the 12th minute from a corner, but Timothy Borg-Williams’ header just went over the crossbar.
The host’s best chance came in the 20th minute when Borg-Williams drove down the left and squared a ball to Jad Moussa, who slotted his effort wide from close range.
The Flame made the most of their chances and doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Jyden Harb lobbed the ball over the Rage defense to Timpano-Voloder; he chipped Rage goalkeeper Samuel Bortolazzo to give the Flame a 2-0 lead.
Will Lee-Harvey almost pulled a goal back for the Rage before the break but saw his shot go wide, while Harry James also had a shot go wide at the other end as the Flame took their two-goal advantage into half-time.
Five minutes after the break, Harb picked up the ball in midfield and drove forward before he slotted the ball under the advancing Bortolazzo; the league’s leading goal scorer scored for a seventh-straight week, grabbing his 17th goal of the season for a 3-0 Flame lead.
The away side added a fourth goal in the 77th minute off a counterattack when Harb found William Provino, who scored to give the Flame a 4-0 lead.
The Flame wrapped up their scoring in the 86th minute when Harb combined with Timpano-Voloder, whose first touch set him up for a strong finish for his ninth goal of the season and his fifth from his past two matches.
In the end, the Flame recorded another big win in a 5-0 away success over Granville Rage.
The loss for the Rage saw them drop from 7th to 8th, while the win for the Flame saw them rise from 3rd to 2nd.
Granville will hope to respond when they travel to face 4th-placed Parramatta FC in a western Sydney derby next week, while South Coast will hope to strengthen their spot in 2nd when they travel to take on 6th-placed Bankstown United FC.
Granville Rage 0
South Coast Flame FC 5 (Kade Kinsella 2’; Adam Timpano-Voloder 32’, 86’; Jyden Harb 51’; William Provino 77’)
Prospect United SC had a bye in Round 16 and dropped from 2nd to 3rd.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
