SOCCER
MOE UNITED
By LAURIE WILLIAMS, JOHN CARDONA AND SEBASTIAN HASSETT
OLYMPIANS finished the championship season with a big win over Newborough-Yallourn United in Football Victoria Latrobe Valley, which led into the cup season commencing at the weekend.
Olympians already had the championship secured heading into last Wednesday’s Round 16 catch-up game.
The original match was cancelled due to a power outage at Burrage affecting the floodlights. While the return match was a dead rubber, it did change the golden boot award when Olympians striker Moni Eliaser pinched the award from former Pegasus teammate and current Churchill striker Germaine Otierno.
Otierno was leading the tally 31 to 28, but five goals to Eliaser in the postponed rematch gave him a 33-31 win.
Eliaser scored Olympians’ first five goals, three within the first 10 minutes in the 7-2 rout of the Combine. The other two goals came from Jake Dunstall and Anton Sbaglia.
Beau Asmussen scored at 66 minutes for NYU, while the last goal of the regular season came from Luca Sibly at the 90th minute mark.
Moni Eliaser had a good season for Olympians, scoring in 12 matches with two fivers and a record-breaking eight, while Otierno was equally good for Churchill, also scoring in 12 matches with fives in three games.
Battle of Britain Cup
Falcons 4 def NYU 2
FALCONS 2000 have booked their place in the Battle of Britain Cup quarter-finals after overcoming a spirited Newborough-Yallourn United comeback to record a 4-2 victory at Burrage Reserve.
With 10 teams entering the Battle of Britain this season, four unlucky teams were forced into a sudden death play-off to make it into the final eight.
And with defending cup champions Traralgon Olympians dismantling Moe United 3-nil at Olympic Reserve, they’ll now host Falcons this Sunday (September 6) at Harold Preston Reserve.
While Olympians will head into that game favourites after steamrolling Falcons 3-nil in the penultimate game of the Football Victoria Latrobe Valley league season, the Morwell-based team put on a serious performance to start its cup campaign.
Adrian Salvatore’s side scored twice inside the opening 11 minutes to put the Combine on the back foot and establish early control.
Jordan Kennedy opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Jayden Unmack doubled the advantage just two minutes later, giving Falcons a dream start to the knockout contest.
NYU responded quickly, with Leigh Jankovic pulling a goal back in the 13th minute to make it 2-1 and briefly give the home side renewed belief – though Falcons restored its two-goal advantage in the 21st minute when Sam Amaira found the back of the net.
The Combine emerged from the break determined to keep its season alive. Junior Ashley Kakaluae was introduced for Jonathan Cook in the 48th minute as NYU looked for a way back into the contest.
Their pressure was rewarded in the 57th minute when the evergreen Mark Fairbrother scored to reduce the deficit to 3-2, setting up a tense final half-hour.
But just one minute after Fairbrother’s goal, Amaira struck again to restore the two-goal cushion and give the visitors a crucial 4-2 advantage.
Nick D’Alessandro replaced Joe Auciello in the 65th minute, while Thomas D’Alia was shown a yellow card in the 66th minute as the match became increasingly physical.
Salvatore made two further changes in the 75th minute, bringing on Ryan Ogg for Unmack and Jamie Pistrin for Amaira, before Lachlan Mainella replaced D’Alia in the 88th minute.
Falcons’ ability to withstand second-half pressure ultimately proved decisive, but they’ll know a much better defensive effort will be required against the triple attacking threat of Moni Eliaser, Alradi Ali and Jake Dunstall from Olympians.
Traralgon Olympians 3 def Moe United 0
OLYMPIANS travelled to Moe United last Sunday, and advanced to the next round of the Battle Of Britain cup after a hard-fought 3-nil victory.
While the visitors took a 3-nil lead into the halftime break, the second half was a far more intense battle, with the home side’s never-say-die attitude serving it up to the dominant 2026 Football Victoria Latrobe Valley league champions.
Olympians got on top early in the opening 10 minutes with Daniel Cooper, Jake Dunstall and Moni Eliaser all looking dangerous in the attacking half and got the early breakthrough on the 10 minute mark from a passage of play which led to Dunstall opening the scoring from close range.
Araldi Ali (22 minutes) must have thought he had Olympians’ second goal from his 20 metre strike, but you could never doubt that somehow the Moe United keeper Peter Albanese is never beaten when he tipped Ali’s top corner strike over the crossbar.
Moe United’s best chance came two minutes later when Brendan Ruddell’s strike from 20m out went just over the crossbar.
Olympians’ doubled its lead at the 31 minute mark in what was a controversial piece of play when after a tackle by Moe’s Bailey Sommerville, the golden boot winner Eliaser went down with what looked like a head injury and in the process, all the Moe United players stopped for the referee to blow the whistle to stop play to get treatment, only to see play continue on and Riduan Sobari take full advantage of the situation to race through to score without any opposition from Moe United.
Moe United bounced back from the setback with a run of attacking moves and after a scrimmage in the Olympians defence, the ball fell to Sommerville, whose strike was blocked by the Olympians defence. The resultant rebound fell to fullback Levi Heusmann, whose powerful drive went inches over the crossbar.
As play progressed from end to end, Olympians dealt the home side another blow when at the 43 minute mark of the first half, Dunstall scored his second goal with a clinical right foot finish on the turn.
The second half saw Moe United spring to life, with winger Anderson taking off on a solo run, advancing towards goal, cutting inside defender Jordon Martin, but his strike at goal was saved by keeper Jared Goodwin.
Elaiser went on a quick counterattack and raced towards goal, but his shot went wide of the back post.
The match opened right up in the second half, with Moe United’s classy midfielder Oscar Sceney getting plenty of possession, and his perfect through ball to Anderson sent him clear on the left. Anderson then cut inside and hit his shot past Goodwin to the back post, where a despairing lunge was missed by only inches from Matthew Shearing.
The inclusion to the game of Tom Piazza had an immediate impact, as his tremendous ball skills was giving Olympians plenty of headaches.
Piazza was then in play as he sent Shearing through. Shearing raced through the Olympians defence and cut the ball back across goal where it was met by Sceney, only to see his first-time strike hit the post from two metres out.
A couple of late attacks from Olympians saw Albanese keep Olympians out, with the visitors coming close when Cooper broke through from what looked to be an offside position. Play was waved on and Cooper raced at goal, but he was outthought by Albanese, who easily blocked the attempt at goal.
Best for the winners was Jake Dunstall, Dylan Dunstall, Martin and Anton Sbaglia.
Best for Moe United was Sommerville, Shearing, Sceney and Ruddell.
The results mean the Red Devils and Combine are now eliminated.
The next round of knockouts will be played this Sunday (September 6).
Olympians host Falcons, Traralgon City welcomes Pegasus, Churchill United plays Sale United at home, and East Gippsland United makes the trip to Monash.
All games start at 3.30pm.
