The Central Coast Mariners Academy secured their first win of the PS4 NPL 2 campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Northern Tigers on Saturday afternoon thanks to a Lachlan Wales brace and goal to Maki Petratos.
The Mariners welcomed back defender Reece Papadimitrios for the first time this NPL 2 season to bolster their defensive stocks and add some much needed experience.
CCMA flew out of the blocks and took the lead just three minutes in after Lachlan Wales timed his run perfectly to get in behind the Tigers’ defence. Wales then volleyed the ball into the roof of the net, which set the tone for the game early.
Mariners Academy Head Coach Ben Cahn will be pleased with his side’s defensive efforts who also managed their first clean sheet of the campaign which went a long way towards securing three points. The Tigers were granted no clear cut chances throughout the affair at Valentine Sports Park.
Young gun, Petratos had his name on the goal scorers list for the second time in two weeks, as he slotted a perfectly waited cross from Brenton Fox into the bottom corner in the 75th minute which looked likely to confirm a victory for the Mariners away from home.
Just before the full time whistle, Wales reared his head again and tried his luck from distance. His shot beat the keeper, ensured his second goal of the night and his side’s 3-0 win
