Shepparton South's Nicholas Murphy and Samuel Campisi celebrate a goal.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Shepparton South coach Luke Viney demanded a confident response from his charges after surrendering a 2-nil lead in its opening clash against Shepparton United.
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And the South mentor got it in spades as they strode onto McEwen Reserve with a point to prove against Bendigo-based Strathdale in their Bendigo Amateur Soccer League clash.
The black and white wave had more than half the squad represented in the goal-scoring column, going 3-0 up at half-time of the round two fixture before doubling that by the time the final whistle was blown.
“I feel we had a point to prove to ourselves,” Viney said.
“We wanted to be more confident with the ball, try to keep it on the floor and play through the lines.
“I felt like we let ourselves down a bit last week in terms of how we were playing and our style. Going into this week, we were on the track working on a few routines and I feel like it really paid off.
“We were in control for most of the game and I think that showed by the scoreline.”
Shepparton South's Nicholas Murphy and Strathdale's Darius Thomas get tangled up.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton South's Craig Mathieson collects the ball.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton South's Nathan Radevski and Strathdale's Ryan Merriman contest for possession.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Strathdale's Daniel Purdy lays a tackle on Shepparton South's Rohan Byrne.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton South's Trent Newbound closes in on Rhys Clayton.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton South's Joel Aitken rises for the header.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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Shepparton South's Nicholas Murphy takes the ball and advances down the pitch.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The 6-1 victory yielded half-a-dozen individual scorers, including Liam Nash, Rohan Byrne, Craig Mathieson, Trent Newbound, Sam Campisi and Joel Aitken.
They were well-served with some slick ball movement out of the back half, with Viney singing the praises of not only his entire squad, but one of his young defenders.
“When you have a win like that, it’s more of a team effort,” he said.
“Liam (Nash), Craig (Mathieson), Rohan Byrne and Jaxon McDonald played well; he’s a young guy at right back and he’s stepped into his role really well.”
The result lifts South to third on the table, but its five-goal margin was pipped at the post for the round’s largest.
That honour goes to Shepparton United, which enjoyed a significant early boost to the goal difference by blasting 11 through Epsom’s net.
Riki Koyanagi led the demolition with a hat-trick, while Marcus Thomas, Hassan Alhilfi, and Zulfiqar Alizada scored two goals each as United sealed an 11-1 victory on the road.
Meanwhile, Tatura kept itself atop the standings with a gritty 3-0 over La Trobe University.
Thomas Leech opened the scoring just before half-time to take the slight advantage into the break, before Aaron Niglia stepped up with two goals in the second half to hand the Ibises a 3-0 win, two on the bounce to start the season.
Shepparton found itself in a similar tussle against Eaglehawk at Truscott Reserve, but fell on the wrong side of the scoreboard, still searching for a maiden win after the 3-0 defeat.
At Epsom, the league held its annual Female Football Round with 37 games headlining the showcase of women’s football and the competition’s more than 1000 registered participants.
It was a milestone moment, especially for Shepparton United secretary and long-time stalwart Vanessa Loverso, who was bestowed the BASL 2025 Female Volunteer of the Year Award, honouring her contribution not just to the club, but the women’s game.
Loverso was presented the accolade before the 6pm clash between United and Spring Gully, a match-up the latter was a 3-0 winner in.
Earlier, a Deanna Trask brace helped Tatura to a 5-1 win over La Trobe and second consecutive win.
Shepparton South found itself matched up against a red-hot Strathfieldsaye, with Aleisha Nardella the sole goal-scorer in the 7-1 loss.
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