Shepparton United’s Grace Kirunga was all smiles as her side went on a goal spree against La Trobe University.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
There was drama everywhere you turned in an action-packed round of Bendigo Amateur Soccer League action.
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The headline act was the League 1 men’s clash at Truscott Oval, as Tatura and Eaglehawk produced a nine-goal belter that probably takes the cake for game of the season.
Facing a potential back-to-back defeat for the first time in six years, the Ibises' young squad had to dig deep without key playmakers Tom Leech, Max Traverso and Tristan Zito.
That ambition was dealt an early blow in the eighth minute courtesy of Keegan Smyth’s opening goal, but Tatura’s Xavier Black was up for the task of cancelling that out with his own strike four minutes later.
The Ibises striker doubled his haul in the 29th minute before Gerald Corbo made it 3-1, but with Tatura pushing hard in the Saturday night fixture, the lights at Truscott Oval had other ideas with a power outage halting play for up to 15 minutes.
And while coach Cody Sellwood admitted it may have halted his side’s momentum, he wasn’t using that as an excuse for what came next.
Eaglehawk’s Dan Kelly goaled just before half-time, before Brent Hamblin’s strike after the break levelled proceedings.
Corbo’s second goal handed the lead back to Tatura, but still Eaglehawk couldn’t be denied, with Caden Meeks tying up scores 4-4.
Smyth then played the hero for the home team, firing home the match-winning free kick and wrapping up a sensational contest.
“It would have been a good game for the spectators to watch, that’s for sure,” Sellwood said.
“We obviously didn’t get the result we wanted, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy with a loss.
“We were missing a few key players and we only had about 11 fresh legs as well as a young squad.
“I thought we were the better team for most of the game, but then the experience comes in to play and credit to Eaglehawk, their experience shone through — they ground it out and got themselves the three points.”
At Vilbert Reserve, a last-gasp penalty saw Shepparton South retain its unbeaten run at the expense of Shepparton.
South struck first after some probing Shepparton forays into the box, with Nick Murphy’s 17th minute header at the other end helping the black and white to a 1-0 buffer at the half.
Abdullah Farhood’s goal closing in on full-time tied the game one-all, but South’s Craig Mathieson was judged to have been impeded in the box nearing the final whistle, sparking pandemonium on the sideline.
The referee pointed to the spot and the burly striker coolly converted the penalty in the 90th minute to seal a 2-1 win and another week in second on the ladder.
At the top of the ladder remains Shepparton United, which shook off a plucky La Trobe University at McEwen Reserve for its third consecutive win.
Hassan Alhilfi’s first-half brace for United proved pivotal, while Willie Sailuma’s lead-extending goal straight after half-time looked to have secured a decisive 3-1 buffer.
Muhammad Atif Saeed had other ideas to get La Trobe back within a goal in the 59th minute, but the ripple through the United camp proved baseless as Marcus Thomas and Zulfiqar Alizada found the back of the net.
United’s women’s team was feeling similarly ruthless, blasting six goals past La Trobe.
The 1-0 scoreline at half-time proved a red herring for an even contest, with Sarah Loverso and Janna Lawson each nabbing a brace as United produced a five-goal second half and third spot on the ladder.
Meanwhile, Tatura kept its grip on first with a 2-1 win over Eaglehawk, as Mia Calder’s two first-half goals within eight minutes giving the Ibises the space they needed to claim their fourth win.
Spring Gully continues to challenge the status quo, defeating Strathfieldsaye 4-2, while Shepparton South fell on the wrong side of a 5-4 defeat to Border Raiders.
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