Berger Comeback An Emotional High

PS4 NPL Victoria Men's R7 Wrap / Women's R6

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PS4 NPL Victoria

By Damir Kulas

Bentleigh Greens Soccer Club 3 (Wallace 25' 56' Thurtell 73') Melbourne Knights FC 1 (Cvitkovic 65')

The Bentleigh Greens bounced-back from last week’s disappointing loss to South Melbourne by defeating the Melbourne Knights 3-1 at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday night.

A double from captain Wayne Wallace and a further strike from substitute Matt Thurtell sealed the three points on a night where the goal of the night went to Knights playmaker Marijan Cvitkovic.

The hosts forced visiting goalkeeper Fraser Chalmers into two fantastic saves early on with Chris Lucas and Kamal Ibrahim denied by the in-from Queenslander and former Brisbane Roar shot-stopper.

A swinging corner from Jason Hicks met the head of Knights skipper Milan Batur whose header struck the crossbar and bounced back out before being cleared away the Greens defence.

That missed opportunity proved crucial as Bentleigh opened the scoring minutes later through a powerful header from Wallace who latched onto a cross from Ibrahim to head home past Chalmers.

The Englishman almost doubled his side’s lead soon after as the ball was cleared off the line only to fall into his path as he struck the post with another header as the teams headed into the break at 1-0.

The Greens started the second half in familiar fashion as Lucas teed up Ryan Paczkowski at the back post only for a Knights defender to heroically clear away and prevent a certain goal.

But a failure in defence to clear their lines saw the visitors punished when Wallace blasted the ball into the back of the net to notch up his third goal in five days to double Bentleigh’s lead.

Undeterred by the setback, the Knights pushed on and a cross from Stipo Andrijasevic was met by a flying kick from Cvitkovic who reduced the deficit in spectacular fashion to give his side hope.

But a miss-timed challenge from the experienced Ben Surey saw the Englishman pick up a second booking, leaving the visitors to finish off the contest with ten men.

The numerical disadvantaged immediately showed when a corner from the left was flicked on into the back of the net by half-time substitute Thurtell with Chalmers helpless to prevent his former Roar Youth Team teammate from making it 3-1 and ensuring Bentleigh picked up all three points.

FC Bulleen Lions 2 (Waddell 34' Nour 37') Heidelberg United FC 4 (Noon 63' Ellis 85' Sheppard 88' Athiu 90')

By Lou Verga

The match of the round was saved until last with a classic at the Veneto Club.

Bulleen opened the scoring from a set piece against the run of play before the latest piece of Sami Nour magic had the home side two goals ahead at half time.

With it all to do, Heidelberg got the crucial next goal with Harry Noon’s volley.

Bulleen continued to repel the visitors and had the lead with five minutes to go but a wonder-strike from Sean Ellis sparked an amazing finish for George Katsakis’ side.

They added two more through substitute Kaine Sheppard and a Kenny Athiu header to keep pace at the top and make a statement about their title credentials.

South Melbourne 4 (Lujic 8’, Millar 30’, Minopoulos 53’ 68’) Oakleigh Cannons 1 (Hatzimouratis 50’)

South Melbourne remained at the top of the table with a comfortable win over Oakleigh at Lakeside Stadium.

First half goals from Milos Lujic and Matthew Millar set the tone before the visitors gave themselves a chance through Dimitri Hatzimouratis.

But a brace for Leigh Minopoulos on his first league start this season continued South’s perfect record on home soil.

Hume City 1 (Markelis 74’) Pascoe Vale 0

In a tense affair at ABD Stadium it took a bit of brilliance from Theo Markelis to break the deadlock as the winger stepped inside and released a 20-yard missile into the bottom corner to give his side the lead, after Kofi Danning had seen his volley smack the crossbar earlier.

Pascoe Vale fought for an equaliser and a golden chance fell to Adrain Talarico, but Chris Oldfield came up with a fantastic save to ensure Hume got back to winning ways.

Port Melbourne Sharks 3 (Honos 25’, Stirton 45’, 85’) Northcote City 0

Port bounced back from a loss to Heidelberg four days earlier against bottom-placed Northcote who had Assistant Coach Duly Abdul Karim temporarily taking the reins following the departure of Alex Gymnopoulos.

An unstoppable Lambros Honos strike that went in off the post opened the scoring before David Stirton was clinical on the stroke of half time. Northcote responded in the second half but couldn’t find a way past Stjepan Gal, as a penalty on the break won and converted by Stirton sealed the result.

Avondale FC 2 (Riccobene 64' 70') Melbourne Victory 1 (Dover pen 42')

Melbourne Victory stuck first against the run of play in this crucial early-season battle to move away form the relegation zone.

Kieran Dover's first-half penalty sent Victory to the rooms in front in spite of Avondale's control of the contest.

Lucas Spinella appeared to be keeping Avondale at bay with a top solo performance, but htere was nothing he could do to keep out Phil Riccobene's crashing header in the 64th minute.

Riccobene then completed the Avondale comeback when he met Oleksiy Khrapko's cross from the right to head in his second of the game.

Richmond 1 (Caniglia 22') Green Gully 2 (Christodoulou 28' 68')

Richmond's struggle to break free of the drop zone continued after giving up the lead at home against Green Gully.

Alex Caniglia curled in the opener but Gully were back on level terms soon after Evan Christodoulou ran onto a long ball to finish.

Christodoulou then netted the winner in the second half when his well-placed left-foot shot from the top of the box found the bottom right corner.

PS4 NPL Women's

By Jordan Lim

Calder United SC 2 (Newman 54' Koca 88') FC Bulleen Lions 2 (Gudelj 10' Natoli 56’)

The clash between the league’s heavyweight pairing didn’t disappoint, as Calder United and FC Bulleen Lions exchanged blows to share a 2-2 draw.

Daniela Gudelj got Bulleen off to a flying start, netting in just the 10th minute following a smart low cross from Taryne Boudreau.

The impressive Aliesha Newman grabbed Calder’s equaliser with a vicious right-footed strike.

Alex Natoli was on hand to nod Bulleen back into the lead following Boudreau’s saved attempt before Calder thought they’d found their equaliser as a glancing header hit the back of the net.

However an infringement on goalkeeper Lauren Farrugia was enough to see the goal chalked off; instead, Gulcan Koca was left to snare a point back in the favour of Calder United with her second goal in as many games.

Heidelberg United FC 4 (Gray 19' 42' 46' Cartwright 21') Alamein FC 2 (Runnalls 12' Ayres 90’)

Heidelberg United showed great signs of getting their season back on track after registering an emphatic 4-2 win over Alamein FC - just their second win this year.

Leigh Gray was the star, grabbing a hat-trick on the afternoon, her first goals since returning to her former club.

They were forced to come from behind however as Emma Runnalls drove home from range to nab the first for Alamein, before Gray strolled through the middle of the park before dispatching her shot.

Joey Cartwright doubled the lead just a minute after connecting onto a lofted switch before running on and finishing past Melissa Maizels.

Gray had another before the half-time break - Cartwright with the assist - before completing her hat-trick just minutes after the restart.

Youngster Melina Ayres was opportunistic in grabbing a consolation for Alamein, profiting from a mix up in the 90th minute.

Galaxy United FC 4 (White x2, A. Taranto, M. Taranto) Southern United Football Club 1 (Ferreyra 45’)

Galaxy United registered their biggest win for the 2016 NPLW season, slamming four goals past Southern United, who remain winless in the league.

A brilliant brace to Kariah White got things off to a perfect start for Galaxy, her second goal a delicate chip from inside the area.

Candela Ferreyra halved the deficit for Southern with a brilliant solo effort, weaving through a few defenders before dispatching with distinction.

Sisters Adriana and Mel Taranto both got on the scoresheet, Adriana first sliding a low effort past the keeper before her twin bundled home from close range.

Bayside United Football Club - WNPL 1 (Conrad 90+1') Box Hill United 2 (Camilleri 28' 36’)

In a close fought match at Kingston Heath, it was Box Hill United that registered an important 2-1 victory over Bayside United to keep pace with the top four sides.

A Melanie Camilleri double consigned Bayside to the loss, both goals coming in the first half, with Canadian import Courtney Conrad pulling a goal back late for the hosts.

Two set pieces brought about the two opening goals as the same pair of players combined twice to launch Box Hill into a comfortable half-time lead.

Kristina Hall stood over a corner kick, orchestrating a rehearsed set play which saw her knock a short pass, receiving the ball back inside the area after another relieving pass, and chipping a cross over Ingrid Philippe in goals for Camilleri to tap home.

The striker showed her poachers instinct once more to head home, again from Hall’s corner kick.

The second half saw Bayside pinned in their defensive half in its early stages, but the hosts began to find their feet and registered a number of chances to cut the deficit.

Emily Shields continued her stellar season between the sticks with another commanding display, coming up trumps to deny both Emma Robers and Conrad with a pair of brilliant saves.

In the end, her goal was breached by a sublime effort from the vivacious Conrad who’s pace with the ball at feet saw her burn two defensive markers before cutting back towards goal and sliding a low shot past the Box Hill custodian.

PS4 NPL 2 East

By Damir Kulas

Dandenong Thunder SC 3 (Sarkies 26' Barnes 58' 70') Brunswick City Soccer Club 1 (Wright pen 61')

Dandenong Thunder’s scintillating start to the season continued on Saturday night with a 3-1 victory over Brunswick City at George Andrews Reserve.

Two fantastic individual strikes from in-form forward Brandon Barnes proved to be the difference on a night when Kristian Sarkies scored his first goal for the club while Adam Wright’s penalty was only a consolation for the spirited visitors.

A cagey opening saw both sides struggles to muster opportunities inside the first twenty minutes before Sarkies went close following a curling free-kick which crept just wide of the post.

If that was a warning shot from the Socceroo then Brunswick did not adhere to the danger as he pounced upon some great play down the right flank from Barnes to fire the ball past Wesley Coles for the opener in the 26th minute.

Veteran forward Veton Korcari almost doubled his side’s lead minutes from the break but he was unable to keep his shot down as the rain poured down on the players during the opening period. C

ity should have gone into the break level when Wright’s stinging shot was spilled by Fraser Maclaren only for Hayden Kanjo to blast the ball over goal with the last kick of the half.

That miss would prove costly as Barnes beat the offside trap before driving into the box from the right side of the pitch and squeezing the ball underneath Coles and into the back of the net.

The two-goal lead would not last long when a clumsy foul by captain Brendan Elmazovski in the box saw City handed a penalty which was dispatched by Wright who sent Maclaren the wrong way.

However a defensive clearance saw Korcari tee up Sarkies on the counter as the former Socceroo released Barnes from inside his own half as the Englishman toiled away from Frank Serratore before finding space to pull the trigger and make it 3-1 with his eight goal in the past four matches.

Sarkies once more went close from the set-piece by forcing Coles into a spawning save before the Thunder’s night was soured by after a back injury forced Barnes off the park.

Welshman Wright almost grabbed his second in injury time as his powerful effort struck the crossbar and fell into the path of substitute Michael Ndjekompte whose tame header fell into the hands of a relieved Maclaren.

Murray United FC 1 (Masudi 52') Kingston City FC 2 (Konstantinidis 13' Karpeh 25')

By Jordan Lim

Kingston City continued their blistering start to the season, notching up a narrow 2-1 win over Murray United on the border.

The promotion chasers had two goals in the first half, with SteliosKonstantinidis scoring his first goal for the campaign on his return from injury - Jerry Karpeh grabbing the second for the visitors.

Lionel Masudi stoked home from a tight angle to pull a goal back for the regional outfit, but they weren’t able to continue on with it as they slumped to a fifth loss of the league campaign.

Box Hill United 4 (Dao 47' Osei-Safo 64' 84' Boahene 86') GV Suns 1 (OG 31')

A rampant second half performance from Box Hill United saw the hosts blast four unanswered goals past Goulburn Valley Suns at Wembley Park.

An own goal from United gave the Suns a slender lead heading into the half-time break, and staring down the barrel of a fourth defeat of the campaign, turned the dial up to steam past the Suns.

Alex Dao and Kobbie Boahene grabbed goals from midfield, however, the show was stolen by Ben Osei-Safo who grabbed a second half brace to consolidate the result.

Dandenong City Soccer Club 2 (Cassar 12' Carroll 90+2') Eastern Lions SC-The Official Site (Saric 14' Havercroft 90+5)

Drawing comparisons from Eastern Lions coach Jim Williams to Liverpool’s dramatic win over Borussia Dortmund and Melbourne Victory’s late collapse against the Roar, goalkeeper Rob Havercroft found the back of the net to salvage a 2-2 draw against Dandenong City at Frank Holohan Soccer Complex.

Much like those other games, there was a spate of late goals with Dandenong City defender John Carroll scoring what appeared for all money to be the winning goal late into injury time.

But having been given the signal to push up the park, a Johnny on the spot Havercroft was able to adjust his body well after initially hitting the upright with his first shot, to steer an effort under the crossbar, earning a share of the spoils.

Goals flowed early in the piece as well, with Anthony Cassar profiting in the 12th minute from a lovely weighted switch from Ash Cattermole, the forward making no mistake from inside the area following Gonzalo Freddi’s saved effort.

A rehearsed free-kick caught out Dandenong just a minute later - two players dummy running over the ball for Sam Broadfoot to eventually swing a low cross in for Slavisa Saric to glance home with the deftest of touches.

Chances were kept at a premium throughout the contest, but regardless, an enthralling final five minutes will ensure this game lives long in the memory banks of those watching from the sidelines.

Nunawading City FC 2 (Siamoa 65' Damey 74') Springvale White Eagles FC 5 (Blumenthal 15' 44' 58' Pykett 18' Turer pen 79')

From a clash of the heavyweights to a cellar dweller scrap, Springvale White Eagles got a much needed win under their belt to steam past Nunawading 5-2.

There were goals a plenty in the match up, as Springvale - under the stewardship of new manager Nick Kovacevic - raced away to a 4-0 lead, three of which came in a rampant first half.

Bradley Blumenthal grabbed a hat-trick on a memorable outing, and had two to half time, with John Pykett grabbing the other.

A late surge from Nuna saw Jordan Siamoa grab a goal back with a classy finish, before Emile Damey brought it back to 4-2 soon after.

The goals were left in vain as the bottom side conceded a late penalty, converted by Fatih Turer to round off the scoring.

PS4 NPL 2 West

By Ahmed Yussuf

Moreland Zebras FC 7 (Papadimitriou 5' 20' 61' Yousif 14' 85' 87' Shamoon 66') Bendigo City FC 1 (Basha 59')

Ten men Moreland Zebras put on a master class to thrash strugglers Bendigo City 7-1 at CB Smith Reserve on Saturday afternoon.

Moreland opened the scoring within five minutes through James Papadimitriou, who neatly finished after clever build up play between Baggio Yousif and Josh Sabidussi.

Moreland built on their lead, scoring twice in the space of five minutes, to be 3-0 up before the 20-minute mark. Goals from Yousif and opening scorer Papadimitriou helped last season’s promotion challengers closer to victory.

However right after going three goals up, Dean Campelj’s flailing elbow reduced Moreland to ten men with more than 60 minutes of football to play.

The home team rallied despite being a man down, and looked the better side for most of the first half.

Bendigo struggled to create a shot on goal to claw their way back into the game. The closest the away side got to troubling Moreland was David Younan’s multiple shots blocked by Moreland captain Mile Medjedovic outside the area.

Yousif was at it again down the left side. He dribbled his way into the penalty area jinking past defender but was taken down by Joe Williams inside area.

The referee took little time making his decision, pointing the spot immediately.

Yousif put the ball on the spot to score his second, but was denied by Bendigo ‘keeper Thomas Donte who guessed the right way.

The second half started brighter for Bendigo, they began to trouble Moreland shot-stopper Nikola Kostadinovski.

Second half substitute Solomon Yabio made an instant impact with a long range shot from distance, forcing Kostadinovski to pull of a fingertip save.

But from the resulting corner Bendigo found some joy.

Basha Godwill, another second half substitute, made his presence felt with a header on goal. Kostadinovski missed the flight of the ball and Bendigo found the net.

Moreland seemed to be energised after conceding, they went on a rampage scoring four goals in 25 minutes.

Papadimitriou capped off his hat-trick with a poacher’s goal five yards from goal, after Yousif’s shot-come-cross found him.

Moreland sub Vani Shamoon who was eager to get into the action.

He picked up the scraps from a deflected shot to muddy the sheet of Donte further, collecting the his parried save to score.

Yousif wanted to complete his brace, and when a cross from wide found him with space right outside the area, he did.

The winger controlled with his chest and volleyed first time, seeing his shot nestle into the top corner.

Shamoon moments later would try to upstage his teammate, when a cross from wide found him inside the area. The super-sub took it on first time to bulge the net to make it 7-1.

Moreland City Football Club 1 (Paz 41') Werribee City FC 0

Moreland City hosted Werribee City after coming off a 6-4 loss against league-leaders Whittlesea Ranges a week ago. Where they lead at one point 3-0 away from home.

However, they were determined not let a lead slip again, as they faced rock bottom Werribee City at home, looking to make up for last weeks missed opportunity.

Lisandro Paz opened the scoring on the stroke of half time.

Moreland held on to ensure they grabbed all three points at home. Not giving the lead away this time, as they look to climb the table.

North Geelong Warriors 0 Whittlesea Ranges 0

North Geelong came against a dominant Whittlesea side who sit atop of the NPL2 West table, but were able to come away relatively unscathed with a point.

Whittlesea remain the leagues only unbeaten side eight rounds in, with 18 points out of a possible 24.

North Geelong had opportunities to get the all-important goal with chances falling to the likes of Nicholas Jurcic and Kene Eze.

Eze found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Luke Gallo, but wasn’t able to beat Ranges’ shot-stopper.

The mood quickly changed when North Geelong’s Matt Thorne received his second yellow with less than ten minutes of regulation time to go.

North Geelong’s defensive rearguard of Matt Townley and Darren Lewis came up big to secure a point.

Ballarat Red Devils 3 (Karras 35’, Trigger 58’, Launton 86’) Sunshine George Cross 0

Ballarat Red Devils continued their positive form with a 3-0 home win against Sunshine George Cross.

Ballarat opened the scoring after some consistent pressure on goal with shots from range by Michael Trigger.

But it was Pat Karras’ 20 yard strike from the outside the area that opened the floodgates for the home team.

Ballarat showed some defensive solidity before half time to hold onto their lead. Goalkeeper Dave Romein produced a double save to deny Sunshine’s advances on goal.

The first attacking foray in the second half for Ballarat resulted in a penalty for the home side.

Last weekends stand-in ‘keeper Michael Trigger stepped up to take the spot kick. After having to retake it for encroachment, he slotted home on his second attempt.

Youngster Brandon Launton capped off the performance tapping home the third, after Nelson Salvatore surging run out wide.

St Albans Saints 0 drew against Melbourne City 0

Melbourne City continued their diminishing form making four games without a win away at St Albans Saints.

Despite all of City’s attacking power they were unable to create any clear-cut opportunities on-goal.

The best chance of the game fell to defender Michael Grgic, who struck a long range strike from distance, forcing a save out of City ‘keeper James Delianov.

Tomi Fadljevic was sent off in stoppage time for a second bookable offence at the end of an otherwise clean game.