Western United faced its toughest opponent to date in NPL 2 Victoria, taking on Pascoe Vale FC in Round 3, while the Junior Academy sides faced Melbourne Knights.
Western United NPL 2 Men’s Under 21’s
Western United 2-0 Pascoe Vale FC
Goal scorers: T.Alisandratos (24’), L.Vickery (49’)
Vaughan Coveny’s Under 21’s side was out to continue its perfect record to start the season, coming up against a Pascoe Vale FC outfit that also approached the fixture with straight wins to begin the campaign.
A finely poised match was broken open in the 24th minute when Thomas Alisandratos found the back of the net, carrying on from his hat-trick the week prior.
Pascoe Vale remained in the match until United delivered a telling blow just after half-time when Luke Vickery struck on 49 minutes, taking his season tally to four alongside Alisandratos.
United continued to see out the remainder of the match to claim an important three points, the result ensuring the team remains top of the table through the opening three rounds.
Western United NPL 2 Men’s Senior’s
Western United 0-3 Pascoe Vale FC
United’s Under 23’s also entered into a contest between two previously perfect teams but knew that it would be a difficult outing against promotion hopeful Pascoe Vale.
Isuzu UTE A-League Men players Adisu Bayew and Michael Ruhs played the full game while Dylan Pierias and Ben Collins played the first 45 minutes, after which the score remained 0-0 with United competitive throughout.
But Pascoe Vale would quickly take charge of the second half, opening the scoring in the 58th minute via Matheus Assumpcao.
United failed to wrestle back control and Terence Carter scored twice in the final 15 minutes to consign the Green and Black to its first defeat of the season.
Western United Junior Academy teams
Western United’s Junior Academy teams are approaching the halfway point of the grading period of the season and faced Melbourne Knights in Round 5 matches.
A number of opportunities were given to younger players playing above their normal age groups and the Green and Black came away with four emphatic victories.
The Under 14’s kicked the day off with a 5-1 win as Jordan Vonja struck a double before the braces continued in the Under 15’s game as Matthew Di Lorenzo and Isaac Gayed both scored twice in a 4-1 triumph.
The Under 16’s won with the same 4-1 scoreline as Karl Leban scored his first goal at that level after netting eight in four in the Under 15’s.
Another player who made an impression in an older age group was Christian Dermentzoglou who scored twice on his debut for the Under 18’s as the team romped to a 7-0 win.
Western United Junior Academy scores
Under 14’s
Western United 5-1 Melbourne Knights
Goal scorers: Z.Nicola (20’), A.Tewalde (37’), J.Vonja (52’, 58’), P.Sfyridis (55’)
Under 15’s
Western United 4-1 Melbourne Knights
Goal scorers: M.Di Lorenzo (33’, 57’), I.Gayed (40’, 69’)
Under 16’s
Western United 4-1 Melbourne Knights
Goal scorers: J.Lettieri (9’), E.Robinson (39’), K.Leban (42’), A.Zubanovic (67’)
Under 18’s
Western United 7-0 Melbourne Knights
Goal scorers: G.Aldieri (28’), N.Koek (31’), D.Farrugia (43’), C.Dermentzoglou (51’, 59’), K.Deme (53’), L.Grundy (78’)
Calder United junior girls
Two of Calder United’s junior NPL teams continued their seasons while the Under 13’s side had its first bye of the season.
The Under 15’s fell to a 4-0 defeat against Football Victoria NTC, while the Under 17’s drew 1-1 after Tuana Kul’s opening goal was cancelled out.
