Match of the Round
Weston Bears 2-2 Broadmeadow Magic
Despite the Weston Bears asserting their dominance early, Magic fought back to earn a 2-2 draw on Sunday.
In the 37th minute, Yuta Konagaya received the ball at the halfway line, sprinted down the right wing, cut inside, and skilfully fired a left-footed shot into the corner of the net to fire the Bears 1-0 ahead.
Bailey Wells of Broadmeadow almost immediately responded with a break into the penalty box striking the post from a difficult angle.
Konagaya, the influential midfielder, frequently found space on the right side of midfield and often opted to cut inside onto his favoured left foot, coming close on multiple occasions.
The Bears extended their lead to 2-0 when Aaron Niyonkuru breached the defence from the left, finding the back of the net.
Magic managed to pull a goal back when Josh Benson reacted quickest to a deflected corner, bringing the score to 2-1.
Broadmeadow applied significant pressure with several more corners and believed they had equalised when Jayden Stewardson nodded the ball down to Riley Smith for a finish. However, the referee disallowed the goal due to an infringement on the defender.
With ten minutes remaining, Smith stormed into the penalty box and skilfully lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper, with Josh Benson being credited for the final touch.
In the 84th minute, Magic were reduced to 10 men when Cale Graham was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
This result sees both teams dropping down a spot on the ladder, with the Bears now third and Magic seventh.
Maitland 3-0 Lambton Jaffas
Maitland continued their impressive ascent up the table with a dominant 3-0 victory over the Lambton Jaffas at Cooks Square on Saturday.
The scoring opened just eight minutes into the game when a well-placed ball over the top found Rhys Cooper, who exploited the Jaffas' defensive line for James Thompson to bury the ball into the back of the net.
The Jaffas' troubles only got worse three minutes later when Maitland’s Flynn Goodman intercepted a free kick and was able to swiftly feed the ball to the Braedyn Crowley to extend their lead out to 2-0.
In the second half Crowley skilfully nutmegged the goalkeeper, securing his 12th goal of the season and effectively sealing the victory for the Magpies.
With an impressive record of five clean sheets in their last six games and the formidable form of Braedyn Crowley, Maitland is mounting a strong defence of their premiership title.
Coach Michael Bolch can see the team starting to build in momentum.
"We're starting to build a bit of momentum, but there's still a long way to go. We're taking it one week at a time,” Bolch said.
“The combinations in our front third are improving every week, and we've scored 22 goals in our last 5 games, so I'm very happy.”
Edgeworth 1-1 Newcastle Olympic
Edgeworth and Newcastle Olympic couldn't be separated in a match which ended 1-1 at full time on Saturday.
Newcastle Olympic broke the deadlock after 53 minutes when Edgeworth didn't defend a 40-yard free kick. Jye Rodway was the first to react from the set piece bundling it over the line to give Olympic the lead.
In the 82nd minute, Jacob Pepper was pulled back in the box resulting in a penalty. Andrew Pawiak stepped up and converted the penalty to earn his team a share of the points.
Newcastle Olympic coach Joel Griffiths had mixed emotions about the match.
"Not happy with the result as I feel we dominated most of the game. However, I am happy with the effort and how we are improving week in and week out, which is so encouraging with such a young squad,” Griffiths said.
Edgeworth sit in second on the ladder with 24 points and Olympic in fourth with 20 points.
Valentine 2-3 Adamstown Rosebud
An inspired Adamstown Rosebud comeback resulted in a 3-2 victory over Valentine at Hunter Sports Centre on Saturday evening.
Valentine took the lead after 53 minutes when Scott McGinley found the back of the net. However, instead of demoralising Adamstown, the goal sparked the side.
Just seven minutes later, Peart scored a crucial equaliser for Rosebud.
The momentum continued to shift in Adamstown's favour when Dino Fajkovic confidently converted a penalty, driving the ball low and hard to the right, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.
But Fajkovic wasn't finished making an impact, unleashing a rocket of a free kick from 30 yards, effectively sealing the victory for Adamstown and securing three much-needed points.
Thomas Duggan pulled a goal back for Valentine in the 88th minute, with a weaving run from the right wing that culminated in a thunderbolt shot that struck the crossbar and bounced into the net to narrow the gap to 3-2.
Valentine launched a spirited attack in the dying minutes of the match, desperately seeking an equaliser. However, Rosebud's defence held firm, and they managed to hang on for a hard-fought victory.
The win provided a much needed three points for Rosebud, demonstrating the resilience of the young squad, still sitting in 11th spot.
Valentine remains eighth on the table.
Charlestown Azzurri 2-1 New Lambton
Charlestown snatched an unlikely 2-1 victory from New Lambton on Sunday.
For almost nearly 60 minutes, there was nothing between the two teams until New Lambton's Dylan Bozinovski beat the offside trap to put New Lambton ahead 1-0.
The writing looked on the wall for league leaders Charlestown Azzurri who were 1-0 down with ten minutes to go. However, two goals in two minutes from centre-back Nigel Boogaard rescued the points for Azzurri.
In the final minutes of the game, the set piece masters won a free kick which Boogaard headed home for the Azzurri to equalise 1-1.
Two minutes later Luke Callan was fouled in the penalty box and Boogaard gave the goalkeeper no chance, as he converted a textbook penalty into the top left corner.
This result has allowed Azzurri to extend their lead on the table to four points.
Joint second place Edgeworth and Weston Bears could only manage a draw which opened the door for Azzurri to extend their lead at the top of the table to four points.
Lake Macquarie City 1-4 Cooks Hill United
A string first half helped to secure a 4-1 victory for Cooks Hill over Lake Macquarie City at Macquarie Field on Sunday.
In the 17th minute, a reverse pass from Cooks Hill's Nick Russell sliced through Lakes' defence and hit the back of the net, placing Cooks Hill in the lead at 1-0.
Just five minutes later, Berrigan's sliding side-footed finish extended Cooks Hill's advantage to 2-0 after the goalkeeper's parry landed in the six-yard box.
With ten minutes remaining in the first half, Beveridge nodded the ball into the net, securing a 3-0 lead for Cooks Hill at halftime.
Cooks Hill commenced the second half in a similar fashion to their first-half performance.
A quick throw-in from Nick Russell caught Lakes off-guard, allowing Brock Beveridge to charge towards the goal, only to be brought down and awarded a penalty kick.
The crowd hoped for Beveridge to take the penalty and complete his hat-trick, but sighed when he handed the ball to the team's penalty taker Russell, who confidently converted from the spot, making it 4-0.
In the 53rd minute, Kubica scored a consolation goal for Lake Macquarie, but it proved to be insufficient as Cooks Hill emerged victorious with a 4-1 scoreline.
Cooks Hill remains in ninth spot on the table but have extended the space between them and New Lambton in 10th out by 5 points.
Lake Macquarie are still searching for their first win, sitting at the bottom of the table on one point.
