SOCCER
A WORLD-CLASS goal from Langwarrin striker Alun Webb was a highlight of a thrilling 3-3 draw with Melbourne Victory at Lawton Park on Friday night.
The home side was 2-0 down and heading for another big loss when Webb struck.
Victory fans were up and about in the 6th minute after Daniel Matina skipped past two opponents on the left then played Alex Lee in and he converted from close range.
Things went from bad to worse for Langy in the 20th minute.
It was caught on the break and a ball played in behind the defence from the right saw Matina sliding in at the back post and he made no mistake.
In the 31st minute came the moment that will stay long in the memory of the Langy faithful.
A minute earlier Webb had been presented with a gilt-edged chance only to be denied by Victory keeper Ethan Troselj.
But Webb hit back in remarkable fashion.
Brad Blumenthal’s cross from the right was only partially cleared to Joe Tweats whose header was chested by Webb then as the ball dropped he timed an acrobatic overhead kick to perfection and volleyed the ball past Troselj’s outstretched hand and into the top far corner.
Five minutes later it was 2-2 thanks to Ben Mason’s back post header from a free-kick on the left.
The tempo of this see-sawing battle continued in the second half and the visitors thought they’d snatched the points when Ben Dunbar and Theo Linderis combined to set up Anton Gray for a first-time finish from just inside the area in the 82nd minute.
They hadn’t bargained for a stunning Lucas Portelli free-kick in the 91st minute that beat Troselj at the far post and put an exclamation mark on one of the best contests seen at Lawton Park in recent times.
In State 1 Mornington came from a goal down to overwhelm Skye United 5-2 at Knox Regional Football Centre on Friday night.
Mornington’s scorers were Shaun Kenny, Luke Goulding, Lachlan Candy, Chris Droutsas and James Kelly while Nassir Hussainy and Marcus Spivey scored for Skye.
In State 2 Peninsula Strikers downed North Caulfield 2-0 at Centenary Park on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half Riley Anderton broke the deadlock four minutes into the second period when he scored at the second attempt after his initial strike hit the crossbar.
Substitute Max Civil sealed the deal in the 79th minute with a strike from inside the box.
In State 4 Chelsea led 2-0 after 10 minutes but lost 3-2 to Monash University at Edithvale Recreation Reserve on Friday night.
Michael Swinnerton and new signing Virack To scored for Chelsea which has also signed former Hampton Park and Mooroolbark player Wahid Mahdawi.
It was a stunning upset for Gus Macleod’s men and a major stumble in the promotion race as they now face league leader Springvale City this weekend.
For Monash University it was a much-needed result as it strives to climb clear of the relegation zone.
Baxter’s poor form continued on Saturday when it was hammered 5-0 away to Riversdale while Rosebud lost 3-1 to Kings Domain at Olympic Park on Saturday evening.
Elliott Craig scored for the local side.
In State 5 Somerville Eagles slowed Lyndale United’s promotion push with a commanding 4-0 win at home last weekend.
Max Watson gave the Eagles the lead in the 4th minute with a fine strike into the top corner from outside the box but the home side had to wait until the 73rd minute to extend its lead.
An own goal from Jakob Tziotas from Jack Gorbert’s free-kick made the task difficult for the visitors and there no way back when Marcus Anastasiou tucked away a cutback from a Troy Dekker cross in the 83rd minute.
Tom Simmons completed the scoreline with a left-footed strike from the edge of the box in the 90th minute.
Seaford United beat Noble Hurricanes 4-1 at North Seaford Reserve on Saturday.
The home aside was 2-0 up after three minutes.
Zain Ahmad pounced on a defensive error in the opening minute to make it 1-0 and Dylan Waugh made it 2-0 after a long ball found him one-on-one with Hurricanes keeper Shu Kimura.
Hurricanes hit back against the run of play in the 42nd minute but Seaford restored its two-goal cushion just before half-time when Conor McFall combined with Waugh who hit a superb strike from distance.
Seaford started the second half the way it had started the first and made it 4-1 in the opening minute.
It was Ahmad again after a McFall through ball found Blake Hicks on the left and he crossed for Ahmad to score.
In State 6 Mount Eliza picked up three valuable away points with Saturday’s 3-2 win over Brighton.
The visitors went ahead from a 37th minute penalty converted by Michael Wright after Brighton keeper Nikesh Menon took down Mujtaba Sakhi inside the area.
Mount Eliza went further ahead early in the second half when Sakhi was gifted a goal by an error from Menon.
Brighton hit back with two goals in three minutes the first in the 59th minute when Mount Eliza keeper Micky Chiodo didn’t clear properly and Daniel Rockman finished through traffic into the bottom far corner.
The equaliser came from another Chiodo error allowing Matthew Burnett to level.
The winner came after a great interception in the middle of the park from midfielder Noah Green who charged forward then played in Ray Amiri who was under pressure but rocketed his strike into the top corner.
Frankston Pines lost 2-0 away to Old Melburnians on Saturday while Mentone lost 2-1 at home to Whitehorse United with Eric Ervine scoring for the local side.
In State 7 Aspendale missed the chance to close the gap on promotion rival Keysborough District with a 2-2 away draw last weekend.
Aspendale led 2-0 at half-time after a cool finish by Ryan Mravljak in the 35th minute and an excellent angled finish by Kailan Smith 10 minutes later.
In the 53rd minute the home team responded when an unmarked Kolu Fomolafe scored at the back post and grabbed a point with a controversial penalty converted by Jaime Mason in the 87th minute.
Mount Martha lost 4-0 at home to Burwood City but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the grit and determination shown by a severely depleted home side.
Twelve players were unavailable for selection across the senior and reserves squad and eight senior players were involved in both games.
A first-half injury to Tex Allen saw 15-year-old Jackson Holt make his senior debut as Allen’s replacement.
NEXT WEEKEND’S GAMES
Friday 17 July, 8.30pm
Springvale City v Chelsea, Ross Reserve
Noble Hurricanes v Somerville Eagles, Alex Nelson Reserve
Saturday 18 July, 3pm
Langwarrin v Brunswick Juventus, Lawton Park
St Kilda v Mornington, Elwood Park
Skye Utd v Beaumaris, Skye Recreation Reserve
Dandenong South v Peninsula Strikers, Tatterson Park
Baxter v East Kew, Baxter Park
Monash University v Rosebud, Monash University Playing Fields
East Bentleigh v Seaford Utd, Bailey Reserve
Mount Eliza v Casey Panthers, Emil Madsen Reserve
Old Ivanhoe v Frankston Pines, La Trobe Multipurpose Field
Bunyip District v Mentone, Bunyip Recreation Reserve
Aspendale v Glen Waverley, Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
Boronia v Mount Martha, HV Jones Reserve
