SOCCER
LANGWARRIN, Skye United and Baxter are staring down the barrel of relegation.
In a dismal season for local clubs only Mornington retains a genuine chance of promotion while Mentone already is relegated from State 6 and Mount Martha looks condemned to finish in the bottom two in State 7.
Langwarrin blew a 2-0 lead at Lawton Park on Saturday and missed a golden opportunity to leapfrog opponent Brunswick City eventually going down 4-3 and ending a crazy helter-skelter VPL1 clash with just nine players.
Langy led after seven minutes when Brad Blumenthal was at the back post to tap in a low cross from Sayed Fatemi.
Provider turned scorer five minutes later when a fine ball over the top by Rogan McGeorge was chested down superbly by Fatemi in full flight then slammed home.
It should have been 3-0 in the 20th minute but Scott Lochhead headed over from a pinpoint Fatemi cross.
In the 35th minute Joe Tweats was shown a second yellow card and Langy found itself in a precarious situation.
More so a few minutes into the second half when Kamil Hegazi was allowed to break forward inside his attacking half before hammering a low shot from just outside the area that beat Langy keeper Branton Kindler at his near post.
The lack of pressure on Hegazi was alarming and it was no surprise when the equaliser came in the 75th minute when a cutback from the right was inadvertently turned into his own goal by Langy defender Ben Mason.
Traintafilos Skapetis put the visitors ahead in the 80th minute but Fatemi levelled for the 10 men two minutes later.
Ryo Takahashi was playing his last game for Langwarrin before returning to Japan and he was booked in the 87th minute but kept arguing and was given a second yellow and dismissed.
Skapetis drove a final nail into Langy’s coffin when he accepted a gift from Kindler who had stopped a shot by palming the ball into Skapetis’s path.
Langwarrin’s remaining three games are against Western United (A), Melbourne Knights (A) and North Geelong (H).
Skye United could hear the fat lady doing her vocal warm-up after Saturday’s 4-2 home loss to Hampton East Brighton in State 1.
Despite starting the better of the sides Skye went 1-0 behind in the 14th minute from a Nicholas Walker free-kick.
The hosts levelled three minutes after the break when an Artim Bakis ball across the face was steered in by Marcus Spivey.
But Skye was left seething five minutes later when Spivey was brought down inside the box after he broke through on a one-on-one.
The assistant flagged for a foul but the referee overruled and waved play on.
Two goals in seven minutes from Delfin Mosibe Esara and Walker had the visitors 3-1 up but Daniel Attard pulled one back in the 72nd minute after Spivey laid off a ball to him on the edge of the box.
Skye pushed for an equaliser and was caught on the break in injury time when Walker secured his hat-trick.
Skye’s remaining four games are against Collingwood City (A), South Springvale (H), St Kilda (A) and Banyule City (H).
Baxter battled hard but still lost 3-0 at home to Chelsea in Saturday’s State 4 local derby.
The visitors led 1-0 at half-time after star striker James Stinson’s sharp turn and left-foot finish from just inside the box in the 18th minute.
Adam Dunsford made it 2-0 in the 51st minute when he headed in from a Luke D’Alessandro corner and Stinson completed the job in the 76th minute when he was quickest to react to a shot parried by Baxter keeper Colby Jones.
Baxter’s remaining games are against Monash University (A), Springvale City (H), Ringwood City (A) and Rosebud (H).
Mornington strengthened its push for second spot in State 1 with a hard-fought 2-1 away victory over Banyule City on Saturday.
The Seagulls opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Lachy Candy calmly finished a well-worked attacking move to give the visitors a deserved lead heading into the break.
Banyule came out with intent in the second half and threw everything at Mornington but the Seagulls’ defence stood firm.
The introduction of fresh legs was needed and Campbell Steedman proved crucial injecting pace into the side at an important stage of the match.
Mornington doubled its advantage in the 81st minute when Steedman made an immediate impact by finishing from a tight angle to make it 2-0.
Banyule looked set to be denied until the final minute when midfielder Evan Christodoulou rifled home a strike from the edge of the box.
Despite the late goal Mornington remained composed to see out the match and secure a massive three points on the road.
In State 2 Peninsula Strikers lost 4-1 away to Gippsland United in a match marred by controversial refereeing decisions.
Gippsland striker Bayden Heusmann had a day out finishing with four goals.
Sonny Lindsay scored for Strikers.
In State 4 Rosebud lost 2-0 away to promoted Springvale City on Friday night.
In a dour match of few opportunities Springvale showed why it sits on top of the league by maximising set piece chances and scoring once in each half from corners.
In State 5 Somerville Eagles lost 4-2 away to title favourite Monash City Villareal while Seaford United had a fine 5-2 away win over relegation battler Mount Waverley City.
Joe Hitchcock and Max Watson scored for Somerville.
Seaford striker Dylan Waugh broke the deadlock against Mount Waverley in the 28th minute when he converted from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the box.
The home team shocked Seaford with two goals in two minutes and led at half-time.
Two minutes into the second half a low cross from Jayden Lebron was put away by an unmarked Zain Ahmad.
Two minutes later it was 3-2 when Seaford’s Conor McFall found Alex Roberts with a defence-splitting pass and he made no mistake.
Waugh scored his second with a header following a Roberts cross in the 86th minute and a comprehensive victory was completed by substitute Blake Hicks in the 91st minute when his low strike squeezed through the hands of the home team keeper.
Waugh had an injury-plagued start to the season but a nine-game scoring streak has taken him to 13 goals, one behind teammate Ahmad and two behind league leading scorer Tom Simmons of Somerville.
Waugh has now scored 96 goals during his Seaford career.
In State 6 Mount Eliza’s promotion journey hit a major road bump when it lost 2-1 at home to Old St Kevins on Saturday.
Josh Luca got the home side off to a flyer when he scored after three minutes but by half-time St Kevins had hit back twice and kept Mount Eliza at bay in the second half.
Mentone lost 5-0 away to Old Ivanhoe while Frankston Pines had a gritty 2-1 away win over Knox United last weekend.
Pines striker Kenny Akalan opened the scoring on 12 minutes after an excellent interpassing move.
Nas Mohammad fed the overlapping run of left-back Kyan Taberner who crossed the ball into the middle for Akalan to finish into the bottom corner.
In the 59th minute Kevin Derry fed the overlapping run of right-back Archie Thomas who delivered a superb cross to the back post for Mohammad to nod home.
Knox bullied its way back into the game when another long ball through the middle wasn’t dealt with and former Pines midfielder Nickel Chand slid the ball under advancing Pines goalkeeper Nicholas Ambor in the 66th minute.
But Pines dug in for the remainder of the match and deserved the three points.
In State 7 Aspendale drew 2-2 at home to title candidate Keysborough last weekend.
Aspendale led on 11 minutes when Jack Gallagher’s well-struck shot from outside the box squirmed under keeper Dean Hadijiantoni.
Keysborough levelled in the 28th minute when Aidid Yassin was allowed to turn and finish.
But the home side made it 2-1 in the 38th minute when Oscar Carter pounced on a back pass and rounded Hadijiantoni then finished from a tight angle.
Keysborough replied in the 55th minute when Yassin headed home from a free-kick with the referee overruling the assistant’s flag for offside.
Mount Martha lost 4-1 away to league leader Noble Suns on Saturday with Ryan Demase scoring for the visitors.
Next weekend is a catch-up round and all eyes turn to Mornington’s chase for promotion.
The Seagulls play Collingwood City on Tuesday (tonight) at Knox Regional Football Centre then take on Banyule City on Saturday at Centenary Park.
Mornington is trying to snare second spot in State 1 South-East and earn a play-off against the State 1 North-West runner-up for a place in next year’s VPL2 competition.
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Tuesday 4 August, 8.15pm
Collingwood City v Mornington, Knox Regional Football Centre
Saturday 8 August, 3pm
Mornington v Banyule City, Centenary Park
