MATCH OF THE ROUND
Southern & Ettalong 1 – Berkeley Vale 1
BPL Round 2 Match of the Round saw Southern host Berkeley Vale in a very attacking game of football that seen both teams walk away with a point.
In a tough game between 2 teams, the first half of the match saw a real arm wrestle between both sides, with Southern having the better of the opening 20 mins before Berkeley finally managed to get into the game and control the last 15 minutes of the half. Southern created some good goal scoring chances in the first half but their execution and great goalkeeping denied them from taking the lead, the score remained 0-0 at half time.
The second half saw much of the same as the first half as both Southern and Berkeley played a very attacking style of football. The introduction of Troy Mumford from the Berkeley Vale bench saw him inject the Wombat side some life as Berkeley pounced on a defensive error and Mumford was able to capitalize with a good team goal within minutes of coming on. With 10 minutes left in the game, Southern was awarded a penalty as Keith Gumbs was fouled in the box. Southern’s Jacob Lepre stepped up and converted with precision to take the game level (1-1). Berkeley Vale felt they were harshly done by after having a penalty claim of their own turned down late by the official, the game ended 1-1.
Southern coach Dale Eggleton was pleased with his squad after the game having not given up when going down 1-0. “I’m pleased and proud of the SEU performance considering it was our 3rd game in the first week. When we conceded I could see straight away our team were determined to not lose and turn things around”
When asked about the game, Berkeley coach Mark Pratt only had this to say, “Points shared, move on to next week.”
Wyoming 1 – Avoca 7
Avoca fired a warning shot to the rest of the competition after beating Wyoming with an emphatic 7-1 win in Round 2.
The first half saw Wyoming reduced to 10 men after defender Kaelan Burke was shown red for the Tigers. Avoca being a man up, managed to score 4 of their 7 goals in the first half and take a very comfortable 4-0 lead into half time.
Avoca would look to continue their first-half form into the second as they added another 3 goals to their score sheet. Avoca’s Jesse Parnell walked away from the game with 4 to his name, while Josh Edwards, Nixon Jowett and Shaun Izzard all recorded singles for the Sharks. Wyoming would end up with a goal of their own, thanks to their number 7 Timothy Hopkins.
“Great performance by us, but Wyoming showed great integrity throughout the match and the result would have been a lot closer if they have had the full 11 players for the complete 90 minutes,” Avoca’s coach Neal Hide added after the match.
Wyoming will look to turn things and pick up their first points of the season in round 3. Coach Ian McAndrew stating, “we were poor, and Avoca played us off the park. Their coach had a great plan and executed it perfectly.”
Terrigal 4 – Woongarrah 2
Martyn Griffiths Terrigal side came from behind against Woongarrah to keep their perfect start to the season going, winning 4-2 at home.
The start of the game saw both teams have clear chances to take the lead but quality defending from either side would keep it level. Terrigal had the majority of territorial advantage during the first 45 minutes but was unable to capitalize when in good scoring opportunities. This allowed Woongarrah to grow in confidence and on the stroke of half time, Karl Gavin would make a great run down the left flank before laying it off to Striker Jamie Bartlett who would find the back of the net for the Wildcats and give them a 1-0 lead at half time.
Luke Rogers Woongarrah side started strong early in the second half and should have doubled their lead only to see the shot go narrowly wide of the upright. Terrigal came out fighting in the second half and 10 minutes in Stuart Adams was able to force home an equalizer when he was the quickest to react in Woongarrah’s box to score. It was Adams again who headed home his and Terrigal’s second from close range to put them in the lead 2-1. Adams completed his hat-trick when he stabbed home an effort to give his side a 2-goal cushion. With 10 to go, Woongarrah broke quickly again down the left flank as Jayden Rogers beat the Terrigal offside trap as his effort found the back of the net to bring Woongarrah back into the game. This made for a potentially nervy finish for Terrigal until the home side was awarded a penalty, Cameron Wilkinson stepped up and sealed the points for his side.
Although winning by 2 goals, Griffiths stated. “It was a closer game than the scoreline suggests and Woongarrah gave Terrigal a stern test at Duffy’s Oval”.
Rogers after the game added, “It was a hard game to win away from home against a quality side whose coach has them playing great football. It was a much-improved performance from our boys this week, who will only get better as the season progresses.”
Kanwal 0 – The Entrance 2
Away from home, The Entrance claimed their first 3 points of the year after beating a tough Kanwal side 2-0.
Kanwal received 2 red cards in their round 1 clash against Killarney which saw them without key players on the field for round 2. A slow start from Kanwal saw The Entrance take the lead 20 minutes in. Some great lead up play in the midfield from The Reddies led to Matt Johnson getting in behind the Kanwal defence as he hit a rasping 18-yard strike that beat Kanwal’s goalkeeper at his near post. Kanwal slowly started working into the game but failed to convert the few chances they had. 10 minutes before the break, The Entrance’s Bradley Smythe hit a stinging half-volley to finish off some good combination and give his side a 2-0 lead heading into half time.
The second half saw Kanwal come out strong and playing well in patches, Kanwal created nice passages of play in the midfield but to The Entrance’s credit they were well structured and did very well of limiting any real chances or threats. Kanwal looked very dangerous from corners all game, one corner saw a scramble in The Entrance box that was eventually cleared off the line. The Entrance had plenty of chances to kill off the match but was denied each time either by wayward finishing or Kanwal’s defence. The second half remained scoreless as The Entrance won 2-0.
Kanwal Coach Ryan Walker was happy with the Kanwal boy’s effort and is hopeful, “If we can take our chances will be extremely competitive this season.”
The Entrance coach Matt Page was also delighted with the performance of his side, “For us it’s still a work in progress, getting all our new players pulling in the same direction and getting some cohesiveness. It was pleasing to get the 3 points today, it’s important we don’t start too far behind the lead pack if we want to play finals this season,”
Killarney 4 – Kariong 2
Killarney come from behind to secure their 2nd win of the season, beating BPL newcomers Kariong 4-2.
An early goal in the 5th minute of play through Keiran Montaser had the Cougars running with confidence at the start of the match but it wouldn’t take long for the home side to hit back as Killarney’s Andy Klijn grabbed the equalizer just minutes later to take the score to 1-1. Kariong had a great chance to grab another after the equalizer but was prevented by the post. On the 18th minute mark, Ethan Hall grabbed his first goal of the game for Killarney to send the 2020 League Champions up 2-1. Hall grabbed his second of the match on the 30th-minute mark while teammate Klijn also secured his 2nd goal of the match 10 minutes later. Killarney did well to capitalize on Kariong’s defensive errors as they took a 4-1 lead into half time.
The match saw Killarney dominate for long periods of play but were unable to take advantage with more goals due to the fine debut by Kariong’s goalkeeper and resolute defending. A better second half from Kariong saw them score through James Draper whilst also keeping a clean sheet in the last 45 minutes.
“It was a hard week for the boys with the midweek semi-final of the cup, so to get a win and escape with no injuries was a big plus before next weekend’s Mate Association Cup final against red hot favourites Terrigal.” Said Killarney’s, Chris Ackerley.
Kariong’s coach Mark Owen was happy with his team performance after losing their opening match 8-1, “It was a much-improved effort after a tough round 1, the boys knew they had to dig deep and step up. It was a top effort from my boys, and I couldn’t be prouder of their efforts. Also, a big shout out to Alex Muscat who is new to the squad and only recently turned 18, 15 minutes prior to kick-off he was told he was starting and had a fantastic game.”
Written by Adam Blunden