Wolves prove too strong for Mariners
Wollongong Wolves got back to winning ways with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Central Coast Mariners on Sunday afternoon at WIN Stadium.
Jake Trew gave the home side a halftime lead, before notching his second just before the hour mark.
Takumi Ofuka added a third in the final ten minutes to round out the win.
It was an end-to-end opening to the match, however, neither side had a shot before the 10th minute.
Lachlan Bayliss was played in behind down the left cutting it back to George Daniel, whose effort flashed wide of the right post.
Wollongong returned fire midway through the half as Trew lined up a powerful strike from outside the box that Mariner’s goalkeeper Anthony Pavlesic managed to hold onto.
Just before the half-hour mark, the Wolves found the first goal.
Walter Scott’s left-sided corner deflecting awkwardly and forcing Pavlesic to parry it into the path of Trew who nodded in from close range.
The visitors almost restored parity before halftime with Daniel finding space on the edge of the box for a shot that Wollongong goalkeeper Tomas Butkovic caught.
The Wolves took their slender advantage into halftime with a chance to win their first game since round five.
After a slow start to the second half, the Mariners had a great opportunity to equalise in the 55th minute.
Olayinka Sunmola dancing his way through several challenges and making his way into the box before the ball fell to Nicholas Duarte who scuffed his effort wide.
The side would be left to rue this missed opportunity as Wollongong doubled their lead only a couple of minutes later.
Trew driving down the left in space before lashing a fierce effort into the top left corner.
Central Coast went close again in the 63rd minute with a corner from the right meeting the head of Joshua Hong in the middle who nodded over the bar.
As the game went on, the hosts started to find space on the break and added a third goal with eight minutes to play.
Substitute Takumi Ofuka playing a one-two with Trew, getting into the right of the box and sending a low finish back across goal in off the post.
Marcus Beattie had an opportunity to score the side’s fourth in stoppage, but he blasted the ball wide from inside the box.
Seconds later, the final whistle was blown with the Wolves securing an important three points against the Mariners.
Wollongong Wolves coach David Carney was delighted with the three points and was especially pleased with his team’s organisation and defensive structure.
“They were magic,” he said.
“Performance wise it was spot on and I’m really happy with the lads.
“The lads put in a shift, played a lot of good football and were probably unlucky not to a few more up.
“If we keep a clean sheet, we’ll win games and we’ve got players that can score goals.”
Mariners coach Abbas Saad was also impressed with the performance of his team, believing they were unlucky not to walk away with something from the match.
“We dominated most of the game, but got punished,” he explained.
“I thought we kept possession very well. I thought we moved them around really well and we created the chances.”
“We just didn’t have anybody on the end of them and that’s what we need. We just need to start scoring goals.”
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves FC 3 (Jake Trew 31’ 57’, Takumi Ofuka 82’)
Central Coast Mariners FC 0
Sunday 26 March 2023
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Referee: Jake Rose
Assistant Referees: Ethan Zvargulis and Hayden Michlmayr
Fourth Official: Lucy Nothrop
Wollongong Wolves FC: 13. Tomas Butkovic (GK), 21. Ethan Beaven, 3. Harrison Buensel, 5. Banri Kanaizumi (C), 23. Walter Scott, 8. Samuel Riak, 88. Christopher McStay, 25. Alex Masciovecchio (7. Marcus Beattie 51’), 10. Mirza Muratovic (9. Takumi Ofuka 58’), 99. Joshua Macdonald (6. Senna Stevenson 77’), 14. Jake Trew
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Nenad Vekic (GK), 11. Nav Darjani, 29. Ben Gaison
Yellow Cards: Christopher McStay 43’
Red Cards: Nil
Central Coast Mariners FC: 20. Anthony Pavlesic (GK), 3. Joshua Hong (18. Max Middleby 64’), 4. Dean Larson, 5. Cameron Windust (C), 6. James Bayliss, 7. Maksim Kasalovic (12. Olayinka Sunmola 46’), 8. Lachlan Bayliss, 9. Miguel Di Pizio (16. William Arnold 76’), 10. Nicholas Duarte, 15. Jordan Segreto, 17. George Daniel (14. Aydan Hammond 64’)
Substitutes Not Used: 30. Dylan Peraic-Cullen (GK), 32. Matej Busek
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Jake Trew (WW)
2 – Samuel Riak (WW)
1 – Tomas Butkovic (WW)
-By Tim Gibson
