It was a dramatic weekend of NPL Victoria football for Western United as the senior sides took on Northcote City in the penultimate round of the NPL 2 season.
The Junior Academy teams all returned home to Alcock Road Reserve while Calder United fought for another piece of silverware, meeting FC Bulleen Lions in the NIKE F.C. Cup Final.
Western United NPL 2 Men’s Senior’s
Northcote City 1-1 Western United
Goal scorer: O.Lavale (39’)
Western United hit the road to face Northcote City on Friday night with the NPL 2 Victoria season reaching a dramatic climax.
With the players intent on taking care of business on the pitch, one eye off it was on Manningham United’s away trip to Kingston – for a Manningham win and a Western United win would have secured the Green and Black’s promotion with a week to spare.
Diogo Ferreira’s side battle against what has been a rejuvenated Northcote side in recent weeks, needing almost all of the first half to take the lead.
The goal came from a familiar source, with Oliver Lavale scoring his third goal in two matches to continue his brilliant run of form in the back half of this season.
Once the ball came to him in the box, Lavale needed only one swing of his right foot to send the ball flying into the net via the left-hand post.
United had its lead but Northcote continued to make it a tough contest on their home turf with tough challenges and high tension on both sides approaching the final stages.
There was heartbreak for the Green and Black at the beginning of injury time as Yuki Uchida controlled, evaded Michael Vonja and fired into the roof of the net from close range.
Deflated after conceding, United could well have lost or won the game in the remaining seconds. Khoder Kaddour was to thank for a stunning goal line clearance and Lucas Byrns nearly scored an excellent breakaway goal, smashing a shot at the goalkeeper at the near post.
In the end, United had to make do with a point but Manningham’s stunning 5-0 win over Kingston City ensured the Green and Black’s fate rests very much in its own hands.
Heading into the final match of the season against FC Bulleen Lions, United holds a two-point advantage over both of those sides while also boasting a better goal difference, meaning a result against Bulleen will wrap up promotion.
Western United NPL 2 Men’s Under 21’s
Northcote City 0-3 Western United
Goal scorer: R.Hayek (22’), A.Iedom (60’), O.Tanic (77’)
Western United’s Under 21’s side has already clinched a top two berth and a week off to start the finals series, but first place remained a possibility heading into the second last round.
As it was, United’s 3-0 win and Melbourne City’s 1-1 draw with Brunswick Juventus brought Vaughan Coveny’s side to within a point of its rivals at the top of the division.
Rashid Hayek got United off to a strong start with the opener in the 22nd minute before Ahmed Iedom added a second on the hour mark to follow up his hat-trick against Kingston last time out.
Oscar Tanic completed the comfortable victory with his second goal in as many outings, continuing his brilliant run of form since joining United and progressing through the Under 18’s.
United’s Under 21’s will face a tricky test against third-placed Bulleen next week, but a win and any dropped points for City would see the Green and Black move into first and carry confidence into finals.
Western United Junior Academy teams
Western United was back home across the JBNPL 1 competitions with four games on at Alcock Road Reserve on Sunday.
The Under 14’s set the tone for a successful day with a 5-0 triumph over Altona Magic, thanks in large part to a hat-trick from Alex Tewalde.
Despite taking the lead through Nahom Yohannes, the Under 15’s fell to a 3-1 defeat against Northcote Citybefore the Under 16’s staged a brilliant comeback to draw 2-2 with South Melbourne. Ethan Robinson and Michael Lettieri scored the goals, coming in the 76th and 80th minutes respectively.
The Under 18’s then rounded out the afternoon with an identical result to the Under 14’s side, sweeping South Melbourne away with an impressive 5-0 win as five different goal scorers contributed to the rout.
Western United Junior Academy scores
Under 14’s
Western United 5-0 Altona Magic
Goal scorers: A.Tewalde (5’, 11’, 16’), B.Trajcevski (20’), J.Woldegiorgis (59’)
Under 15’s
Western United 1-3 Northcote City
Goal scorers: N.Yohannes (12’)
Under 16’s
Western United 2-2 South Melbourne
Goal scorer: E.Robinson (76’), M.Lettieri (80’)
Under 18’s
Western United 5-0 South Melbourne
Goal scorer: H.Lumu (44’), C.Dermentzoglou (46’), A.Marmura (60’), L.Grundy (76’), G.Aldieri (82’)
Calder United NPLW Senior’s
Calder United 2-0 FC Bulleen Lions
Goal scorer: L.Richards (78’), R.Deralas (90’)
Calder United continued its remarkable run of success in the NIKE F.C. Cup, winning the title for the sixth straight occasion with a 2-0 win over FC Bulleen Lions in the final on Sunday.
Lucy Richards and Raquel Deralas each struck within the final 15 minutes to add yet more success to Calder’s rich history.
Calder United junior girls
Calder United’s junior sides put together a splendid weekend collectively, going unbeaten across the day against three top South Melbourne sides.
The Under 13’s scored a brilliant 2-0 win, stunning a South Melbourne side that are the runaway league champions at that age level.
A 0-0 draw for the Under 15’s was also an impressive result with South in second place, and the Under 17’s picked up a point in a 1-1 draw to remain ahead of South Melbourne at the end of the weekend.
Calder United junior’s scores
Under 13’s: South Melbourne 0-2 Calder United
Goal scorers: P.Cotsis (8’), S.Muraca (21’)
Under 15’s: South Melbourne 0-0 Calder United
Under 17’s: South Melbourne 1-1 Calder United
Goal scorer: A.Talevski (26’)
