Goulburn Valley Suns trekked to Geelong on Saturday night to face a buffed-up Makedonia opposition and after going 2-0 up early, it looked like a simple set of three points in the Victorian Premier League Two were inbound.
But in a game that zig-zagged more than the drive to Stead Park itself, the Suns walked away from Geelong with a 3-3 draw — a result that both stings and soothes in equal measure.
Tossing away a two-goal lead is, on one hand, a cardinal sin of football.
But when factoring in the hostile environment and ability to rally back late, Suns coach Craig Carley labelled Saturday’s draw “a solid point in the end”.
“It’s a really intimidating place to go, Geelong; it’s not a very nice place in terms of the crowd and the atmosphere they create, so it can be daunting,” Carley said.
“But I thought we started really well, got off on the front foot with two early goals, but it was disappointing to concede the goals we did.
“Full credit to the boys, we stuck in there and kept trying to play and were looking for the win in the end.”
The Suns had smacked Geelong 5-0 in the reverse fixture in round nine.
But this time, the Orangemen were forced into a war of attrition as a Geelong side, sporting six new mid-season signings, went for the jugular.
The Suns started with style as a seventh-minute set piece sent into the mixer was flicked on twice before Callum Schorah emerged from the mess, composed as ever, to slide the opener past a sprawling keeper.
Eight minutes later, the Suns doubled their lead as Brandon Giaccherini scythed his way to the byline before feeding Laywi Niyonkuru, who did enough at the near post to dribble it in.
At 2-0, the Suns were flying.
However, 10 minutes from the break, Geelong pulled one back through Giovanni Calosi after a scrambled goalmouth mess and on the eve of half-time, Bruno Gervasoni’s cool finish after a smart cutback made it 2-2.
From ecstasy to agony in 11 chaotic minutes, the Suns used half-time to wipe the slate clean.
“Like every game this season, everyone’s got something to play for just with the structure of the league, so we told them to breathe, take it easy and play our game again,” Carley said.
Though the Suns settled, Geelong came charging out of the sheds and made things worse for the visitors shortly after the hour mark.
A back-post header from Gervasoni gave the host a shock 3-2 lead and left the Suns stunned.
But in the end, it was Niyonkuru — who bookended the game with goals and graft — to rise highest in the 75th minute to nod home the equaliser and preserve a precious point.
“Lawyi was fantastic, not just his goals but his general play,” Carley said.
“He’s a real handful for defenders and he’s really starting to come into his own again this season.
“He probably lacked a little bit of confidence earlier in the year, but is starting to find his feet and hopefully he can score a few more leading towards the end of the season.”
The Suns have kept a hold of sixth spot and will look to climb further up the ladder when welcoming Box Hill United to McEwen Reserve on Saturday.
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