A 3-0 loss to Nunawading City at David Barro Stadium on Saturday sealed their fate as the result means promotion now becomes mathematically impossible for the Orangemen.
By all accounts it was a loss deemed unflattering by Suns’ standards.
Nunawading, a side known for its short passing game and reluctance to go long, ran riot against the travelling side with a heavy possession style of football.
Which is ironic considering how the first goal was scored.
An air swing from Brandon Giaccherini inside Nunawading’s box was eventually cleared high over the top and Nico Gonzalez ran through and found the net, the ball flying through goalkeeper Jake Angelovski’s hands for the opener.
The 24th minute goal was well executed, but what came 10 minutes later was a proverbial car crash at the back.
The Suns coughed the ball up near the touchline and Angelovski sprinted out to claim a header sent home by Joe Adoo-Peters, but completely misjudged the catch.
Who else was there but Gonzalez to prod it into the net for a two-goal cushion, meaning the Suns hit the sheds at a loss for words.
Try as they might, the Suns would be given the run-around again after the break and conceded a third goal, a pearl in comparison to the second.
In 12 passes Nunawading went from the goalkeeper to the back of the Suns’ net, with a fleeting move up the field iced by Miguel Restrepo on the cutback.
Craig Carley’s side now sits equal third on the ladder following the loss.
With a bye round this weekend, the full focus turns to the monster round of 32 Australia Cup tie against APIA Leichhardt at McEwen Reserve on August 9.
