LAURIE WILLIAMS
SOCCER
LVSL
By LAURIE WILLIAMS
PEGASUS continued their winning streak with a hard-fought 4-3 win over Traralgon City.
Kuku Mahmoud scored his seventh goal of the season as Pegasus opened up at 23 minutes as players from both sides went in with hard tackles.
Scores were level just before half-time as defender Manny Tombra put one in his own net to give Traralgon City an unexpected goal.
Willis Medd gave the Roosters the upper hand with his 38th minute effort helping Traralgon City lead 2-1 at the break.
Traralgon City keeper Troy Bates was under the pump as Pegasus keeping firing bullets at him, but he responded with strong play to keep the Horsemen at bay.
At one stage, an extended leg was enough to deflect the ball away from the goals.
Pegasus levelled the contest for a second time through a smart piece of play from Manny Tombra.
The Horsemen then went one up when Mahmoud scored from a penalty after a Pegasus player was fouled in the box.
The Roosters soaked up the pressure with Nathan Leak and Liam McCluskey playing well in defence as a couple of Pegasus players came under caution for arguing with the referee.
Mohamed Taleb kept Traralgon City’s hopes alive when he levelled at 63 minutes with a long bomb which beat everyone.
Nelson Tombra, after some brilliant footwork, rounded two Roosters and scored Pegasus’ fourth giving them a last gasp winner 4-3.
NEWBOROUGH/YALLOURN v FALCONS
FALCONS also continued their unbeaten run giving Newborough/Yallourn their biggest hiding since their 5-0 loss in 2014.
After three successive defeats to the Combine it was time to turn the game around and dish out some punishment, and Falcons did just that.
MOE v MONASH
MOE gave their down-town rival Monash a bit of a walloping in a one-sided clash, winning 5-0.
The Red Devils bounced back from their previous week’s defeat to run amok over Monash.
It was to and fro with neither team gaining any advantage as the slippery conditions played havoc with a greasy ball in the early stages.
Moe broke the deadlock on 12 minutes when Oscar Sceney drove in a bullet, giving the Monash custodian no chance.
Monash almost pulled back a goal, but the almost lightning reflexes of Peter Albanese saw him parry the ball away.
Moe went in at the break 1-0 up and inflicted further pain on Monash after half-time.
Connor O’Hanlon and Matt Shearing combined for Moe’s second goal just minutes into the second stanza.
O’Hanlon and Shearing brought the next two goals for Moe.
Bailey Somerville was providing good support for the Devils and his deft pass saw Shearing net his hat-trick.
It was Moe’s biggest win over Monash in 15 years and the first time held the Wolves’ goalless since 2016.
CHURCHILL V SALE
CHURCHILL broke through for their first win of the season, beating Sale 1-0 in a tough encounter.
Conditions were greasy at Hazelwood South with both teams finding the going difficult.
Churchill’s big chance came when Brad Sands found Sam Di Ciero on a rebound, who shot it past the Sale goalkeeper for the only goal of the day.
Despite the best efforts of both sides, another goal did not arrive as the Rams hung on to record an important victory.
EAST GIPPSLAND v FORTUNA
EAST Gippsland and Fortuna was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
ROUND 4 PREVIEW
TWO Saturday night matches headline round four fixtures of the LVSL.
FALCONS v FORTUNA, 7pm Saturday
THE big clash is between Falcons and Fortuna at Falcons.
Falcons are riding high, but this time around they are up against their traditional rivals and it will be interesting to see who will hold the Crinigan Road bragging rights after the match.
Both teams already have three wins in the bag and this game has the makings of one that will go down to the wire with a lot hinging on the result.
Falcons won their last meeting, but you can expect Fortuna to push hard all day and even pinch a win given the right circumstances.
RECORD: Played: 66, Fortuna 34, Falcons 25, drawn 7. Last time: Falcons 2-1
SALE v TRARALGON CITY, 7pm Saturday
ANOTHER match under the spotlight is between Sale and Traralgon City with both teams struggling at the moment.
This is a chance for one side to pick up maximum points in a match where the loser could become a forgotten identity with no wins from four matches.
Traralgon City was impressive against Pegasus last week, but still couldn’t break the Horsemen while Sale went down to Churchill by a solitary goal.
RECORD: Played: 86, Traralgon City 46, Sale 24, drawn 16. Last time: Traralgon City 3-1.
CHURCHILL v MOE, 3pm Sunday
AN important match for Moe as Churchill are full of confidence after their one-goal win over Sale.
Moe has a good record over Churchill and will remember their last battle with the Rams, when they won 8-0.
Another big score may be on the cards here.
RECORD: Played: 89, Moe 39, Churchill 33, drawn 17. Last time: Moe 8-0
PEGASUS v MONASH, 3pm Sunday
PEGASUS is a high-scoring team and Monash will need to be on the defensive to stop the rampaging Horsemen.
Pegasus will be going for their 50th win over Monash with clashes between the two clubs going back decades.
Pegasus just managed to break the shackles against Traralgon City last week while Monash will be looking for their first win.
RECORD: Played: 77, Pegasus 49, Monash 16, drawn 12. Last time Pegasus 3-0
EAST GIPPSLAND v NEWBOROUGH/YALLOURN, 3pm Sunday
NO one likes the long drive to Bairnsdale, especially after a loss the previous week.
The Newborough/Yallourn camp will be
smarting after a big loss to Falcons, but should be able to register a comfortable victory over the struggling
Eagles.
RECORD: Played: 8, Newborough/Yallourn 7, East Gippsland 1. Last time: Newborough/Yallourn 6-1
