LAURIE WILLIAMS
SOCCER
LVSL
By LAURIE WILLIAMS
TWO night games at the same location proved to be a big hit as far as soccer fans were concerned in Round 12 of Latrobe Valley Soccer League.
Falcons and Tyers played on the main pitch, while Fortuna contested against Sale on the synthetic pitch.
On Sunday, Monash proved again they are the giant killers with a hard fought 2-1 win over the previously undefeated Pegasus, and Newborough/Yallourn equalled their highest ever win (1999) over Olympians in an 8-1 rout.
Monash def Pegasus 2-1
MONASH, for the second time this season, pulled off the improbable with a 2-1 win over the previously undefeated Pegasus.
The Wolves, playing a tough brand with solid playmaker Chris Oulton, opened the account at 13 minutes with a flying shot to beat Santo Simon.
Pegasus tried to get back into the match but Logan Troughton in the nets was equal to anything Pegasus could throw at him, and the Wolves went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Pegasus came out determined and within seven minutes had equalled the score after Germaine Otierno increased his yearly tally to 14 with a solid drive.
It was back-and-forth with neither team getting breaks. Good defending by both teams kept the game at a stalemate.
The big moment came for Monash at the 79th minute, when an incident in the box saw Monash given a penalty which Adam Semple was able to convert to give Monash a 2-1 lead.
Pegasus tried to get an equaliser but the talls in defence kept the Horsemen goalless.
Two late free kicks by Monash almost increased their lead, but solid work by the Pegasus defenders kept Monash out as they held onto a 2-1 winner.
Falcons def Tyers 4-1
THE Falcons vs Tyers match was a setup between a top side and the minnows.
Tyers, who despite their lowly position, put up a great fight against the Birds.
Falcons were pumped up early and gave the Tyers’s keeper no rest, with five shots on goal in the first six minutes.
Falcons were playing hardball and retained possession for most of the time, not allowing the Lightning to strike.
Falcons however hit the scoreboard at 18 minutes, when a long ball from defence saw Michael Fava connect and volley the ball into the net amid appeals for off-side.
Tyers picked up the tempo and forced Falcons into errors, with the result that they were able to level the match at the 40 minute mark with a superb drive.
Both teams tried over the next eight minutes to break the deadlock, but at the break the scores stood at a remarkable 1-all.
It was a desperate Tyers who tried to gain advantage in the second half, with a Bud Tanner drive forcing Charles Simon to dive sideways to block the ball.
A mix-up in the box saw Tom D’alia downed and the referee pointing to the spot giving Jamie Pistrin a chance of a penalty kick, which he mastered to give Falcons a 2-1 lead.
After a lengthy spell where both teams failed to add to the score line, it was Falcons who broke the spell.
Fava came in for his second to give his team a 3-1 lead. For his first game this season, journeyman David O’Dowd was subbed on for Falcons at 71 minutes, and his influence allowed Jim Mills to break the Tyers wall and score Falcons’ fourth goal.
Tyers were tiring after the pressure applied by Falcons, but a last-gasp effort almost brought rewards as Tyers players made Charles Simon stretch to hold a hot drive.
Fortuna def Sale 7-1
FORTUNA had their ninth successive win over Sale.
The Lions gave the Swans no chance with a big 7-1 victory.
New Fortuna inclusion Jamie Maxwell from the UK made a decent impression, and will fit in well with the squad.
Fortuna were all over Sale on the synthetic pitch, but a couple of ‘carpet burn’ incidents required treatment.
The Lions notched their first goal at 11 minutes from Daniel Cooper, then DJ Matar chipped in for another at 36 minutes. Then in a purple patch, the Lions were able to add more goals through Hayden Tanti with two in two minutes at 42 and 43.
A goal square fumble saw Fortuna rack up their fifth right on the button with an own goal by Sale.
After the break, Fortuna added further goals at 51 minutes from Ollie Spiteri and 70 minutes to Jordan Campbell to go to an impressive lead. Sale fought back to claim a consolation goal at 81 minutes.
Newborough/Yallourn def Olympians 8-1
NEWBOROUGH/Yallourn had the biggest win of the round with an 8-1 demolition of Olympians.
They equalled a 23-year-old record high against Olympians.
Goals to Mark Fairbrother (hat-trick), Adam Batt, Sanchez (two), Shane Pavich and Ash Birrell rounded out the eight goal tally.
Moe and Churchill had the bye.
ROUND 13 PREVIEW
ALL games will be played half an hour earlier during winter.
Games will commence Sunday at 2.30pm.
Olympians v Moe
MOE, back after the bye, will be keen to put pressure on the top-two teams.
Moe just scraped through in their first meeting this season with a 1-0 victory, and can expect Olympians to push hard to collect their third win for the season.
The Red Devils should be too experienced and should collect the points.
It will be the 75th match between these two teams.
Played: 74, Moe 34. Olympians 25. Drawn 15.
Monash v Falcons
WITH somewhat of a giant killer status, Monash will go into this match with a determined bid to upset Falcons.
Monash’s two big wins over Moe and Pegasus this season will label this game as a real danger to Falcons.
Monash’s last win against Falcons was their only game played in 2020 during COVID when they won 2-0.
Played: 64, Monash 20. Falcons 34. Drawn 10
Pegasus v Churchill
PEGASUS would have been disappointed after going down to Monash last weekend. They had ample opportunities to grab a win but fell at the last hurdle.
Churchill have to be optimistic if they think they have a chance against Pegasus, but anything is possible and the Rams could make it their first scalp for the season.
Played: 62. Pegasus 36. Churchill 14. Drawn 12
Tyers v Sale
TWO teams that went down last weekend, but it was Tyers who were the more impressive.
Tyers put up a good effort against Falcons, but still need to work harder to achieve desired results.
At the last meeting, Sale won 5-1, but results this time round could be a lot closer.
Played: 41. Sale 27. Tyers 9. Drawn 5
