Western United striker Noah Botic scored a spectacular brace to guide his side to a commanding 3-1 victory over Newcastle Jets at Ironbark Fields on Friday evening.
Both Botic strikes came after Riku Danzaki had lifted the home crowd in Tarneit with the opening goal after just 15 minutes.
United’s star young striker then took over with a goal either side of half-time, the first a bullet header and the second a thumping 30-yarder that arrowed into the top corner.
The Green and Black will now enjoy an extended break after a busy run of fixtures, with the next match coming back at home against Central Coast Mariners on Wednesday 29 January.
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The matchday squad was unchanged for John Aloisi’s men but there was one tweak to the starting XI with Danzaki coming back in to replace Luke Vickery on the wing.
The red-hot forward pairing of Botic and Hiroshi Ibusuki led the line again, while Ben Garuccio walked out as club captain for the first time in a home match at Ironbark Fields.
First half
Western United started on the front foot, winning a series of corners and looking to keep up the constant pressure.
Danzaki and Abel Walatee were having plenty of joy on the wing and Rhys Bozinovski and Angus Thurgate immediately assumed control of the midfield as United brought its typical high-octane pressing and attacking intensity.
That energy brought about a reward just after the quarter-hour mark after a lovely bit of build-up. Walatee picked out Thurgate with a fabulous through ball and in a flash the ball was at Danzaki’s feet to blast into the net from close range.
United was entering the Newcastle box at will and kept in search of more goals and breathing space in the game.
Botic had his first sighter in the 31st minute with a powerful strike from range on his left boot before Ibusuki came even closer minutes later, both efforts being well saved by Ryan Scott.
The second goal wasn’t too much longer in coming with another lovely bit of team play – Botic was on hand in the six-yard box with a textbook header into the top corner after Garuccio whipped the ball right onto his head.
United remained in control heading into half-time with eyes set on securing a commanding home victory in the second period.
Second half
Newcastle weren’t about to lie down and came out with a strong response in the second half, penning United back in its defensive third in the opening exchanges.
Clayton Taylor had two big chances for the visitors, first flashing the ball across the face of goal before bearing down on goal and clearing the crossbar when presented with a one-on-one opportunity against Matt Sutton.
The Jets would rue those missed opportunities just four minutes later as Botic picked up the ball just in front of halfway, scampered into some space and launched an absolute rocket that flew into the top left corner.
That goal gave Aloisi’s side the insurance to see out the rest of the contest and despite Lachie Rose pulling a goal back, the Green and Black remained in relative control throughout.
A strong Friday evening crowd at Ironbark Fields pushed the team towards the final whistle before celebrating a second straight win on home soil and a fourth game unbeaten in Tarneit this season.
