LVSL
By LAURIE WILLIAMS, JOHN CARDONA and ALLAN ROBERTS
THE big three of the Latrobe Valley Soccer League, Fortuna, Falcons and Moe all had big wins in Round 2 action at the weekend.
Churchill broke through for their first win of the season, and Monash scored their biggest ever win over East Gippsland.
There is no LVSL this weekend for the Easter break.
Monash 7 def East Gippsland 0
WITH both teams having a rough time in the opening round, it was going to be survival of the fittest to break the ice for the first time this season.
However, it was Monash who drew first blood, with two goals in the first four minutes through Marcus Krzaric and Ethan Lawrence, and from there, the game was a mere formality.
Monash, with plenty of good positional play, were able to show the Easterners how to score goals.
East Gippsland had never beaten Monash, and they will now have to wait until they meet again in the reverse fixture.
East Gippsland held possession many times, with Chin hong Oon and Lachlan Dare getting plenty of the ball, but they weren’t able to penetrate the strong defence set up by Ryan and Jesse Davis and Duane Gillespie.
Monash had free rein across their forward third, with Krzaric scoring his second just on halftime, giving Monash a 4-nil advantage by the break.
East Gippsland tried a different approach with the match seemingly over, but keeper Logan Troughton kept the Eagles goalless.
Monash had many of their shots saved by East Gippsland’s Luciano Albomez, but the constant pressure applied by the Wolves finally broke the Eagle’s spirit with further goals to Adam Semple, Matthew Janson and Gillespie as Monash ran out 7-nil winners – their biggest ever over East Gippsland.
Churchill 2 def Olympians 1
AFTER surprising many by collecting a point from Sale in Round 1, Olympians were coming into this fixture buoyant about nabbing all three points against a Churchill side that was handed a four-nil drubbing by Falcons the week before.
Playing-coach Jayden Unmuck gave the Rams the lead and it would soon be two as birthday boy Blake Whykes converted truly.
Olympians were about to drag one back in injury time, but it would merely be a consolation goal as the Rams got their season up and running.
Falcons 10 def Tyers 0
FOLLOWING their Round 1 demolition job on Churchill, Falcons were looking to exert further pain on a Tyers outfit that was severely undermanned.
The Birds did just that, with a commanding 10-nil victory in a performance that showed that their attacking prowess has improved significantly in the offseason.
Major signing Kuku Mahmoud was in the thick of things early and across the day, helping himself to a five-goal haul.
Of particular interest was his ability to link up with fellow striker, Jamie Pistrin, and it seems that partnership will continue to be a prosperous one in season 2024.
Pistrin himself was able to get on the scoresheet, as did another new signing in Moni Eliaser as he expertly slotted a wonderful goal from outside the box to leave the Tyers keeper rooted to the spot.
It seems that Falcons coach, Adrian Salvatore and his coaching staff have made a concerted effort to blood younger players in the opening two rounds, with the likes of Brayden Murray and Will Lester getting valuable game time.
The Falcons defence was resolute and obtained its second clean sheet in a row as it welcomed back captain Harley Broadbent to marshal the backline.
For Tyers, it will be back to the drawing board, but some positive signs were on show with themselves fielding several younger players which is hopefully a sign of things to come for the Lightning.
Fortuna 8 def Sale United 0
FORTUNA’S senior men’s game against Sale United proved to be a game of two halves.
The first half was a pretty scrappy affair between the two sides. Home side Sale came out in the first half with clear intent to make it a physical game, in an attempt to slow Fortuna’s possession and passing style.
The ball movement from the Lions wasn’t as crisp or slick as the week before, with the visitors beginning to fall into Sale’s game plan and playing reactionary football.
In the eight minute, Fortuna played a wide ball from out of their defensive third to Joel Palermo, who put in a blistering run down the right side of the pitch.
Palermo whipped the ball into the feet of Damon Scott, who calmly slotted it past Sale’s keeper to give the Lions a 1-nil lead against the run of play.
The game would then see-saw for the next 25 minutes, and it was again the Lions forward talisman in Scott who received the ball and took on the Sale keeper to score his second for the game in the 33rd minute.
After a halftime rev-up from Fortuna senior coach, Mick McAuley about the importance of playing their brand of football, the Lions took to the pitch for the start of the second half.
Unfortunately for the home team, the second half turned into a ‘Nightmare on Raglan Street’, with the Swans conceding six goals as the Lions dominated the rest of the game.
Jake Budija went on a 13-minute goal spree for the visitors, scoring in the 67th, 70th and 80th minute for a second half hat-trick.
Jordan Campbell returned to the field for the Lions in the 65th minute after becoming the league’s first ‘Sin Bin’ recipient for the season.
Not to be outdone by Budija’s scoring heroics, Campbell would score in the 87th, 90th and 92nd minute to net a second half hat-trick in a five minute timeframe.
Fortuna ran our 8-nil winners to continue their strong start to defending their 2023 League Championship.
Moe United 7 def Newborough-Yallourn United 1
MOE United recorded a convincing 7-1 win over a depleted Newborough/Yallourn United at Olympic Park on Sunday.
Such a scoreline looked a long way off however early in the piece after the Combine drew first blood, when a failed defensive clearance fell to Dylan Fairbrother, who spotted Moe keeper Peter Albanese well off his line and from 40 metres out, nailed a superb hit shot which gave Albanese no chance at all.
Moe United were shocked into action from there, and unleashed a barrage of shots from Connor O’Hanlon, Matt Shearing, Oscar Sceney and Bayden Heusmann, but were thwarted by Combine keeper Justin Allman and twice by the upright.
Moe finally broke the Newb/Yall resistance after 25 minutes, when a run by O’Hanlon saw his cross rifled home by Heusmann from 10 metres out.
Heusmann continued his impressive start to the season, and again threatened the NYU goal after racing clear, only to see his shot parried wide by Allman.
Shortly after, Heusmann broke the deadlock when he raced clear from a perfectly timed through ball from O’Hanlon and slotted the ball home from an advancing Combine keeper.
Just before the break, Moe United increased its lead when O’Hanlon put Tanner Pyle through on the right wing and outpaced the NYU defender, then rounded the keeper to slot the ball home from an acute angle.
United dominated a struggling and undermanned Combine side in the second half, and were soon 4-1 up when a strong run up the left by O’Hanlon saw him hammer home a low hard shot from an acute angle.
The Combine’s resistance was broken, and minutes later a Riley Winklemann through ball sent Heusmann clear and he made no mistake to bring up his hat-trick to put United 5-1 up.
Moe United continued to attack and it was soon 6-1 when a pass from Connor Dastey found Chad Shelley who then raced towards goal and cooly slot a near post shot.
United finished off an impressive win when Dastey was again involved when he passed to Winklemann, who beat two defenders then passed a ball to O’Hanlon who made no mistake.
Just on fulltime, Shelley unleashed a 35-metre thunderbolt drive, but a fingertip save and a crossbar denied him a second goal.
