SOCCER
LVSL
Round 15 review
Due to inclement weather, two matches were postponed and will now be played on September 2.
The match between Falcons and Fortuna scheduled for Saturday night was cancelled, as was the Sunday derby between Moe and Monash.
Churchill v Olympians
Churchill broke through for their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Olympians on Saturday.
It was shaping as a big task for Churchill given they had lost the three previous meetings with Olympians.
Both teams struggled in the wet weather but it was Churchill who got the upper hand when veteran Paul Reiss shot the ball past Chris Alympic.
Olympians counter-attacked but Churchill proved strong across the back.
Both teams were loathe to re-enter the pitch after half-time as conditions worsened but play went on.
Churchill went two up after Josh Gangi scored a bolter and it looked like Olympians were facing defeat.
A consolation goal by Tony Pardo in the dying minute gave the visitors some hope but time got the better of them as Churchill celebrated their first victory in almost a year to lift them off the bottom of the ladder.
Trafalgar v Sale
Although conditions were trying, Trafalgar and Sale put on an entertaining clash in round 15 before the visitors ran away with a 5-1 win.
Sale needed the win to consolidate fourth spot on the ladder.
The Swans gained their first goal through Josh Ryan at 10 minutes and Nathi Khamchom crashed through for number two 11 minutes later.
A third goal to Sale through Josh Ryan for a brace settled the team and Sale went into the break with a 3-0 advantage.
Tommy Nguyen got in on the action for Sale with the fourth goal for the day at 54 minutes.
Trafalgar may have been down but were not out of the match as Adrian Wyatt responded with a cracking goal to give the Victory some hope but Tommy Nguyen scored his second to give Sale the win.
Traralgon City v Newborough/Yallourn
With a lot riding on the result of this match, Newborough/Yallourn gave Traralgon City a touch up to win 4-2.
Continual rain made the pitch difficult but both teams kept at it and Newborough/Yallourn broke the shackles early when Ash Birrell drove it in for the first at 12 minutes.
Mark Fairbrother scored his 12th goal for the season to put the visitors two up after 25 minutes.
After the break, Shayne Pavich got on the end of a good cross and edged one past the keeper for his team’s third.
City’s Liam Johnson fired one in at 64 minutes which was followed by Alex Leckey six minutes later.
Newborough/Yallourn mounted a strong attack at 3-2 up and Hayden Tanti relieved the pressure with five minutes to seal victory.
LVSL women
Only three matches were played with the Falcons v Fortuna match cancelled while East Gippsland and Monash had byes.
Top team Traralgon City had to fight hard against a tenacious seventh-placed Newborough/Yallourn side.
The final score had Traralgon City up 3-2 but Newborough/Yallourn could have drawn after two good saves by the Traralgon City keeper denied them a share of the points.
As expected Trafalgar, in third position, proved too good for Sale and took the match 4-0.
Olympians won their second match for the season with a 6-1 win over Churchill.
Preview round 16
Top teams Falcons and Newborough/Yallourn will face off for bragging rights this weekend.
Falcons hold the lead by four points on the ladder but have a match in hand due to last Saturday’s wet weather postponement.
Falcons must win to keep on top to claim the championship and Newborough/Yallourn to challenge Falcon’s position on top.
Newborough/Yallourn’s previous match against Falcons was a 1-0 loss but Falcons have won eight of their last nine clashes.
A pressure game for both teams should make for excellent viewing.
Fortuna v Churchill
Fortuna have their sights set on finals and will look to secure three points over Churchill this weekend.
The Lions didn’t play last week because of the weather while Churchill are still celebrating their first win since July 23 last year.
Although they only have one win, the Rams have pressured other teams and the victory was just reward for a season of perseverance.
Fortuna are almost back to full strength and should take the match but Churchill will be worthy opponents.
Olympians v Moe
Olympians will look to recover from their loss to Churchill last week and rise again against Moe.
Olympians are sitting in sixth position on 22 points – three ahead of Moe.
Moe need to start winning again to give themselves a shot at finals and every game from now on is a must-win.
Olympians have only beaten Moe twice in their last 11 matches and went down 2-0 in their last meeting.
Monash v Trafalgar
Monash need to win against Trafalgar this weekend to keep finals chances alive.
The Wolves are in seventh position but are one point off a finals spot.
Trafalgar haven’t been as successful as they would have liked and will find it hard over the next few weeks to keep in touch with the rest of the field.
Trafalgar are yet to beat Monash in their eight meetings so far.
This match will be broadcast on Gippsland FM.
Sale v East Gippsland
Sale look set to secure third position on the ladder against East Gippsland this weekend.
It has been a hard road for the Swans with postings and unavailability making it difficult for them to establish a strong player base.
At home they should account for East Gippsland who are sitting on the bottom of the table.
Last time they met Sale scratched through for a 1-0 victory.
