Round 8 Review – NPL NSW Men’s
Wollongong Wolves has stretched their lead at the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition after an exciting weekend of Round 8 action.
Luke Wilkshire’s side snatched a draw to keep their winning streak alive and move to four points ahead of APIA Leichhardt who suffered a shock loss to Sydney Olympic.
Sydney Olympic have jumped up to second spot with a big win against Sydney FC while Marconi’s last ditch draw may have kept their unbeaten streak alive they were unable to prevent dropping down the ladder to fourth.
Manly United wrap up the top five at the end of week eight.
Sydney Olympic 3 v APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1 at Belmore Sports Ground
Sydney Olympic returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over APIA Leichhardt Tigers in a Grand Final rematch on ANZAC Day.
The reigning champions managed to replicate the result from their Grand Final victory last season, with Spanish star Alex Sanchez again scoring a double.
Sanchez’s two goals accompanied one from Jinya An, to thwart APIA’s one goal to Chris Payne.
The win gives Olympic a much-needed lift after a slow start to the season, while diminishes APIA’s chances of catching up to league leaders Wollongong this round.
Sydney FC 1 v Sydney United 58 3 at Lambert Park
Peter Simonoski has continued his incredible return from injury scoring twice to help Sydney United 58 to a 3-1 victory against Sydney FC at Lambert Park.
Simonoski hit the back of the net on each side of the half-time break to tae his tally to five goals in two games and lift United 58 to consecutive wins.
The victory catapults Sydney United to third on the ladder but tied on points with second placed APIA Leichhardt.
A lighting start from Sydney FC gave them the lead after only eight minutes but they were unable to maintain the intensity as the Sydney United took control of the contest.
A sensational solo strike from Uraguayan import Sebastian Gallegos gave them a 2-1 lead at the break before Simonoski wrapped up the win only seven minutes after the restart.
Sutherland Sharks 2 v Wollongong Wolves 2 at Seymour Shaw
A second-half strike from Taylor McDonald has saved Wollongong from defeat as the league leaders snatched a 2-2 draw against last placed Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw on Saturday.
It was a heartbreaking result for the Sharks who looked on track to end their six game winless streak but instead it was the Wolves who kept a streak alive as they stretched their incredible undefeated run to eight games.
Juan Romero opened the scoring before a stunning scorpion kick goal to Nikola Djordjevic, a serious contender for the goal of the season, cancelled out the lead during the first-half.
Raul Romero tucked the ball away from the spot in the second half to give Sutherland a 2-1 lead, but it wasn’t to be the match winner as McDonald stepped up to net his first for the Wollongong and restore parity for the second and final time on the night.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers 3 v Marconi Stallions 3 at Popondetta Park
A dramatic Mirjan Pavlovic strike in added time has helped Marconi Stallions snatch an incredible 3-3 draw against Mt Druitt Town Rangers in a six goal thriller at Popondetta Park on Saturday.
The Stallions were forced to fight back twice against a resilient Rangers team including Pavlovic’s nail-biting 91st minute equaliser only moments after Mt Druitt took the lead in the final minute of regulation.
The Rangers showed they were made of stern stuff, as the team sat in eleventh fell behind early but scored twice to take a half-time lead through Toufic Alameddine and Luke Clifford.
After defending their goal for much of the second half, Fabricio Fernandez’s delightful chip looked to have sealed their second win but it was more late heartbreak for the Town Rangers.
For the visitors, a point was gathered through sheer will and determinism. Marko Jesic gave the Stallions the perfect start before they were pegged back. Marijan Pavlovic kept fighting until the end, picking up a brace to ensure the Stallions winning streak was extended.
Manly United FC 2 v Hakoah Sydney City East 1 at Cromer Park
A dramatic last-minute own goal saw Manly United secure a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over an unfortunate Hakoah Sydney City East at Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon.
Following an uneventful first period, the contest sprung to life moments after the interval as Hakoah marksman Amaury Gauthier capitalised on a miscued defensive header from Sam Gallagher, lobbing the visitors into the lead.
Manly struck back on the hour mark thanks to a thumping Brendan Cholakian header, which brought the healthy Northern Beaches crowd to life.
In a see-saw encounter, momentum regularly changed hands as both outfits struggled to stamp authority upon the contest; however one final twist to the tale arrived in the 89th minute.
Just as it appeared they would have to settle for a share of the spoils, Bradley Walker’s desperate attempted clearance was misdirected into the back of his net, cruelly handing all three points to a euphoric Manly side.
Blacktown City FC 0 v Rockdale City Suns 1 at Lily Homes Stadium
A stunning solo strike from Alec Urosevski has lifted Rockdale City Suns to their third win on the trot as they defeated Blacktown City 1-0 at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday.
Urosevski came off the bench to break the deadlock in the 62nd minute and maintain interim coach Nick Porecca’s perfect record since taking over the Rockdale hot seat.
It was a frustrating clash for Blacktown as they were unable to make the most of their multitude of chances with wasteful finishing and lapses in concentration proving costly.
The result catapults Rockdale into the top five while Blacktown drop further away from the finals race.
