Western United will hope to hold onto its top of the table status in both senior NPL 2 Victoria competitions with a trip to the south-east to take on Langwarrin SC.
Match Details
NPL Victoria Round 9
Langwarrin SC vs Western United
Saturday, 15 April
Kick-off: 12:45pm AEDT (Under 21’s), 3:00pm AEDT (Under 23’s).
Lawton Park Reserve, Langwarrin
Last time out
Western United continue its outstanding run of form in NPL 2 with a perfect day out against Melbourne City at Parade College last week.
The Under 21’s started the day with a 4-0 win as Thomas Alisandratos and Luke Vickery both continued their hot streaks in front of goal, jumping to nine goals each on the season.
The Under 23’s followed that up with an identical win in another ruthless performance away from home.
Abel Walatee scored a brace for the second straight game while Max Bisetto added another to his total as United romped to an impressive victory.
Both those results left each team in outright first place on their league tables, with the Under 23’s leading by a point and the Under 21’s enjoying a three-point buffer.
The Opponent
Langwarrin SC have become a well-established side in NPL 2 Victoria, providing one of the toughest away trips for travelling teams across the season.
After achieving a mid-table finish in seventh place last season, Langwarrin have started the 2023 campaign strongly and occupied first place early on after winning the opening three matches.
Just one win in the subsequent five fixtures has seen Langwarrin fall back to sixth on the table but they will be looking forward to only their third home match of the season and hoping to pick up points.
Langwarrin’s Under 21’s have struggled slightly more than their senior side. Despite scoring the most goals outside of the top four teams, Langwarrin sit 10th with two wins from the opening eight rounds.
Junior Academy sides enjoy break ahead of season proper
Western United’s Junior Academy teams will enjoy two weeks off before picking back up at the end of April to begin the season proper.
All four sides came through the pre-qualification period having secured a top tier position and each side will be eager to test itself against Victoria’s best.
Calder United back in action against Southern United
Having served its first bye of the season last week, Calder United will return to NPLW Victoria action and go in search of a first win of the new season.
The new-look Calder side has shown glimpses of its potential so far and will hope to put together a strong performance to claim three points at home.
The Under 19’s will hope the bye has done nothing to stunt their momentum after three consecutive wins to begin the season.
Having won the Premier’s Plate last season, the Under 19’s will look to continue building through the season in search of more silverware in 2020.
Match Details
NPLW Victoria Round 5
Calder United vs Southern United
Saturday, 15 April
Kick-off: 1:00pm (Under 19’s), 3:00pm (Senior’s)
Keilor Park Recreation Reserve, Keilor Park
Broadcast: The match will streamed live and free on NPL.tv
Calder United junior sides take a week off
The NPL Junior Girls seasons take a week off this weekend, allowing Calder United’s three teams to recharge after the opening portion of the season.
All three sides are in the top five positions on the table, with the Under 17’s only four points off top spot in a supremely competitive division so far.
The Under 13’s and Under 15’s teams have shown plenty of promise are nine points behind first in their respective leagues with a view to climbing up the table in the coming rounds.
