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The Warriors put the pressure on South Hobart in Round 19’s opening match, thumping Glenorchy 12-0 on Friday night.

Knights week went from bad to worse as Olympia ripped them apart to bolt away to an 8-0 half time lead, adding four more in the second stanza, going on to a 12 goal thumping. The Warriors were switched on from the first whistle and found themselves 3-0 ahead within only 10 minutes.

Forward Emmanuel Tsakiris began the rout in the second minute with a great finish that even the outstretched Alex Woodham couldn’t stop as the ball went across him and into the bottom right corner.

Midfielder Luke Eyles had his side’s second goal after just five minutes when he found the bottom right corner after a run from the left into the penalty area.

One of Slice of Cheese’s favourite sons Nick ‘The Lettuce Farmer’ Meredith also found the bottom right corner in the 10th minute  with a strike just inside the 18 yard box, and the result was already all-but put to bed in these opening exchanges.

The trio of Tsakiris, Eyles and Meredith all bagged another goal in the first half, while live-wire Fabian Gustafsson found the score sheet, and an own goal rounded out an alarming 8-0 half time score line.

In the second half the Warriors didn’t find the back of the net until the 69th minute but it wasn’t through lack of effort with the Warriors continuing to pepper the Knights goal, eventually they added a ninth when Mearns hit a 25 yard wonder goal.  The 24 minute drought was due to a lack of finishing prowess and some fantastic saves by Woodham, rather than an improvement in Knights’ general play.

Eyles rounded out his hat-trick with a 71st minute tap in after Woodham saved a Tsakiris one-on-one. Tsakiris redeemed this miss in the 85th minute to wrap up a hat-trick for himself with a great headed goal from a Luke Eyles corner.

Outside of the title race heating up this week, the PFD Golden Boot also heated up Tsakiris knocked in his fourth of the night and 22nd of the season in the closing minute, moving into second on the Golden Boot tally a goal behind Adam McKeown following a brace on Saturday for the Zebras, while reigning golden boot Brayden Mann remained in the mix with a goal, taking his yearly tally to 21.

Launceston City put in a dominant performance to belt Devonport Strikers 5-0 at Mitsubishi Park in a tussle that had plenty riding on for both sides.

Launceston City had a few half chances early to open the scoring but it took until the 24th minute for them to find the back of the net. Aaron Campbell’s corner dropped to Nicholas Ruta at the top of the six yard box and he slammed it home with authority to make it 1-0.

City made it 2-0 in first half injury time. Nathan Bartlett harassed the Devonport defence off the ball and ran in to place the ball past goal keeper Tom Pearce.

The half time break didn’t slow City down as they continued to dominate the game throughout the second half.

Dominic Rossi stamped his authority on the game early in the second half, scoring two goals in a sharp 10 minute spell.

His first came in the 51st minute when he burst through the heart of the Devonport defence, shrugged off Strikers defender Dom Smith, and calmly struck the ball under Pearce to make it 3-0.

Rossi’s second came from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. He beat Pearce with the first penalty but he had to retake the penalty due to his teammates encroaching. He finished off the second time also, the only difference being that Pearce got a hand to this one, but the score still moved on to 4-0.

City made it a commanding handful of goals in the 80th minute. Substitute Andy Compagne played a delightful through ball to Isaac Degetto who laced it past the hapless Pearce to round out the scoring.

The spoils were shared between the Kingborough Lions and Hobart JEEP Zebras today with a thrilling 3-3 draw at Lightwood Park. It was the Adams doing the respective damage for their sides. Adam Hedge and Adam McKeown both notched braces in starring roles.

he opening ten minutes of the game were action packed. Spectators were just settling into their seats when the Zebras made their first foray forward and it was the feisty James Sherman was brought down inside the 18 yard box in the second minute of the game, seeing Zebras to the spot. Referee Brenton Kopra made no hesitation in pointing to the spot and McKeown duly stepped up and dispatched the penalty to make it 1-0.

Just five minutes later it was all square again after Danny Cowen played Hedge in on goals. The Zebras were caught square and pushing forwards in an attempted offside trap, but Hedge raced away and slotted it into the bottom left corner for his first of the day.

The Zebras pounced again two minutes later after Mattias Toghill crossed to McKeown at the back stick, before he controlled and smashed it away into the bottom right of the goals to make it 2-1 to the Zebras.

n the 22nd minute, Damian Pearce scored from a Kingborough corner. He rose to meet it on the full and flicked a header into the back of the net to square the game up once again. The frenetic pace of the opening 25 minutes fizzled out slightly for the remainder of the half and the teams went in to the sheds deadlocked at 2-2.

In the 58th minute, an amazing goal by Hedge gave the Lions the lead for the first time in the game. Harrison Thomas was nearing the halfway line with the ball and played a blind sideways pass towards his central defenders and Hedge read it best. Pouncing, hitting a shot first time from about 40 metres out that sailed over the top of Graham Wright, who had come off his line to become a sweeper as their attack was moving forwards.

The score remained 3-2 until the 75th minute when a free kick was awarded to the Zebras about 25 yards out and in their inside right attacking channel. Kurt Engels stepped up and drilled a curling, dipping shot into the top left window from the free kick. It was an amazing effort and worthy of levelling the game up.

Northern Rangers pulled off a huge shock at the NTCA this afternoon, defeating South Hobart 3-2 to put a massive dent in the defending Champions’ title defence as well as keep themselves in fourth spot in the PS4 Victory League ladder.

South Hobart encountered their third game in seven days, including a 120 minute FFA Cup thriller on Tuesday night and Rangers proved too strong for the tired South legs. It was an exciting five goal second stanza that decided the game with the Rangers doing Olympia a major favour, knocking the reigning champions out of top spot with a last gasp winner securing a massive upset victory.

The game was deadlocked at 0-0 at half time.

The second half was one that will live long in the memory at NTCA and it was Rangers who flew out of the traps, almost taking the lead in the 46th minute when Cristy met a superb cross from Pat Lanau-Atkinson but his left footed effort was cleared off the line by Matt Lewis.  Just three minutes later they came close again, this time Dylan Headland hit a cracking left footed volley from a tight angle but Pierce did brilliantly to dive low and tip it round the post.

In the 52nd minute Rangers did take the lead, Rigby sent in a lofted free kick which Tenzing Anderson leapt to meet at the back post before sending a fantastic header looping over Pierce and into the back of the net.

The lead only lasted four minutes though, South Hobart hitting right back in the 56th minute after Leszczynski did brilliantly to latch onto a Mann header, turn his man and thump the ball home with his right foot.

Then just two minutes later South Hobart grabbed another to snatch the lead, Mann finishing coolly from the penalty spot after Rigby had been penalised for handball.

In the 66th minute the ebb and flow of the game continued, Rangers this time being awarded a penalty after a dangerous Cristy corner was clawed away by Pierce from under his bar and as the ball came back in Alfred Hess clumsily went into the back of Nick Swirad and the referee pointed to the spot.  Rangers’ Danish striker Schalde Andersen stepped up and sent Pierce the wrong way to grab his fifth goal of the season and an important equaliser.

South Hobart were desperate to regain the lead and they threw everything at Rangers in the last twenty minutes but Swirad and Lanau-Atkinson in particular put in stellar defensive shifts to keep the visitors' attacks at bay.

Then with the game in the 92nd minute, Yitay Towns burst down the left wing and brilliantly beat his man before cutting the ball back to Kenta Yamane who sent the ball goal ward.  Time seemed to stand still for a second as a despairing South Hobart defender tried to clear the ball but the referee adjudged that it had crossed the line and awarded the winning goal to send the noisy home support into raptures. 

Ladder after 19 rounds attached.

PLAYSTATION 4 VICTORY LEAGUE – ROUND 19

Glenorchy Knights 0 Olympia FC Warriors 12 (Emmanuel Tsakiris 2? 38? 85? 90?, Luke Eyles 5? 15? 71?, Nick Meredith 10? 26?, Fabian Gustafsson 29?, OWN GOAL 41?, Nick Mearns 69?) 

HALF TIME 0-8

VENUE: KGV FOOTBALL PARK, GLENORCHY

Kingborough Lions United 3 (Adam Hedge 7’, 58’, Damian Pearce 22’) Hobart JEEP Zebras 3 (Adam McKeown 2’ pen., 9’, Kurt Engels 75’)

HALF TIME 2-2

VENUE: LIGHTWOOD PARK, KINGSTON

Launceston City 5 (Nick Ruta 24’, Nathan Bartlett 45+3’, Dom Rossi 51’, 61’ pen., Isaac Degetto 75’) Devonport City 0

HALF TIME 2-0

VENUE: MITSUBISHI PARK, PROSPECT

Northern Rangers 3 (Tenzing Anderson 52’, Schalde Andersen 66’, Kenta Yamane 90’+2) South Hobart 2 (Alex Leszczynski 56’, Brayden Mann 58’ pen)

HALF TIME 0-0

VENUE: NTCA, LAUNCESTON