Western United NPL Weekly Wrap: Big comeback in the east

Western United travelled east to take on Manningham United in NPL 2 Victoria this week, while the junior sides headed off to Ballarat City and Calder United took on Preston Lions.

Western United NPL 2 Men’s Senior’s

Manningham United 2-4 Western United

Goal scorer: M.Bisetto (48’, 59’), A.Walatee (70’, 84’)

A five-goal second half saw Western United complete a brilliant comeback to defeat Manningham United 4-2 in the NPL 2 Victoria Round 7 clash.

The home side took a 1-0 lead into the break but United quickly erased it in the second half. Abel Walatee saw his delicate chip rebound back off the post but the No.7 was alert to the rebound, getting back on the ball before putting it on a plate for Max Bisetto to tap home from virtually on the goal line.

Bisetto got his second barely 10 minutes later, providing the finishing touch to a dazzling United move that featured Walatee, Charbel Shamoon and Josh Divin.

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Manningham equalised in the 68^th minute but United regained the lead moments later when Walatee got a deserved goal, rifling a driven strike into the bottom corner from outside the box.

The home side continued to search for a route back into the game but Walatee killed the game off with another clinical finish late on, taking United level on points at the top of the league ahead of a big game against Melbourne City.

Western United NPL 2 Men’s Under 21’s

Manningham United 0-8 Western United

Goal scorers: L.Vickery (4’), C.Dovison (10’, 35’), L.Byrns (p.57’), N.Koek (75’), O.Eze (77’, p.84’), L.Coveny (89’)

That win followed what was another dominant performance from Vaughan Coveny’s Under 21’s who put eight past Manningham in a ruthless display.

Luke Vickery got the ball rolling just four minutes in with his eighth goal of the season before Campbell Dovison scored twice before half-time, taking his season tally to four in just three matches.

Lucas Byrns converted a penalty just before the hour mark before United put the foot down in the final 15 minutes with another four goals, included a brace from Obiora Eze.

United remains the only team with a perfect seven wins from seven alongside Melbourne City, making for a huge meeting at Parade College in Round 8.

Western United Junior Academy teams

Western United’s Junior Academy teams headed to Ballarat for the penultimate round of grading matches with spots in the top tier still very much up for grabs.

The Under 14’s set the tone with a 7-0 triumph as Alex Tewalde hit a hat-trick and Jordan Vonja scored twice. The win crowned the side as league winners in the West division for the grading portion of the season.

That was followed by a hugely important 5-0 win by the Under 15’s with five individual goal scorers getting the job done. That result leaves the team simply needing to win its final game against Geelong SC next week to secure a place in the top division.

The Under 16’s then fell to a surprise 3-0 defeat but the Under 18’s rounded out the day with a 9-0 victory. A seven-goal first half featured a Luke Grundy hat-trick as United romped to victory.

That win all but confirmed a place in the first tier for the Under 18’s meaning three of the four Junior Academy teams have earned their spot, with the Under 15’s looking to follow suit next week.

Western United Junior Academy scores

Under 14’s

Ballarat City 0-7 Western United

Goal scorers: J.Vonja (2’, 14’), A.Tewalde (4’, 9’, 55’), E.Abraha (36’), P.Sfyridis (40’)

Under 15’s

Ballarat City 0-5 Western United

Goal scorers: M.Di Lorenzo (14’), N.Alumbulwa (19’), N.Tzimos (36’), N.Grieve (63’), N.Yohannes (64’)

Under 16’s

Ballarat City 3-0 Western United

Under 18’s

Ballarat City 0-9 Western United

Goal scorer: J.Ristevski (5’, 86’), G.Aldieri (10’), L.Grundy (11’, 21’, 29’), C.Dermentzoglou (25’), H.Casci (38’, 67’)

Calder United NPLW Victoria Senior’s

Preston Lions 1-0 Calder United

Calder United was looking for its first win of the new NPLW Victoria season, travelling to face Preston Lions on a wet Friday night.

After riding an early period of dominance from Preston, Calder began to assert itself on the match in the first-half but just couldn’t find consistent chances on goal.

Lara El Hayek made a stunning save on the hour mark to deny Melissa Camilleri but she could do nothing to stop the Preston striker moments later when she rifled a shot in off the crossbar to give the hosts the lead.

Calder searched for an equaliser but one wasn’t forthcoming on a frustrating night in front of goal, leaving Calder to regroup over the bye week before taking on Southern United in Round 5.

Calder United Under 19’s

Preston Lions 1-3 Calder United

Goal scorers: M.Daskalovska (9’), O.Anderson (16’), E.McGorian (77’)

Calder United’s Under 19’s ensured Calder took some joy from the night, overcoming Preston in a tight contest at BT Connor Reserve.

The visitors got out to the perfect start when Mia Daskalovska and Olivia Anderson both scored within the opening 16 minutes.

But Preston remained in the game and pulled a goal back just after half-time. Calder stood up to the pressure, though, and Eva McGorian’s 77^th minute goal ensured the Under 19’s picked up a third straight win to start the season and remained top of the table.

Calder United junior girls

Calder United enjoyed an undefeated weekend among its junior teams, with the Under 17’s and Under 15’s both defeating Bayside United while the Under 13’s played out a 1-1 draw.