It was an undefeated weekend for our senior sides in round seven, as the NPL2 Men shored up top spot on the ladder, and our NPL2 Women arrested a recent slide to keep themselves in the top four and in a strong spot ahead of finals.
NPL2 sponsored by State Road Constructions |
Nick Montgomery’s NPL Men’s side moved into outright top spot of the NSW NPL2 ladder on the weekend with a dominant 3-1 win against Hakoah Sydney City East at Pluim Park.
A goalless first half was not without chances for both sides, but the hosts clicked into gear in the second stanza and James Bayliss’ cross was headed home by Matt Cahill to put the Mariners ahead early in the half.
Not long after the lead was doubled, this time through Alou Kuol as the Mariners forward picked up the ball near halfway and drove towards goal before finishing tidily to give his team breathing space.
Cahill grabbed his second late in the game to seal the deal for Monty’s side and send the boys top of the table, although Hakoah grabbed a late consolation goal in stoppage time.
Monty and his side get the chance this weekend to solidify their place at the top, as they take on seventh placed SD Raiders in round eight.
1st Grade: Central Coast Mariners 3 (Matthew Cahill 46’ 81’, Alou Kuol 53’) def. Hakoah Sydney City East 1
U/20’s: Central Coast Mariners 6 def. Hakoah Sydney City East 2
U/18’s: Newcastle Jets 0 def. by Central Coast Mariners 3
U/16’s: Newcastle Jets 1 def. by Central Coast Mariners 4
U/15’s: Newcastle Jets 1 def. by Central Coast Mariners 3
U/13’s: Newcastle Jets 3 def. Central Coast Mariners 0
NPLW sponsored by Club Mingara |
After three losses in a row brought their strong start undone, our NPL2 Women were on the cusp of a return to winning ways on Sunday before a late goal from St. George saw the teams share the points.
Iona Snape and Liz Shorter both struck leading up to half time to put Dan Barrett’s team in a strong position, only for goals from Alicia Lee and then Tully McEvoy in the closing minutes to restore parity for the hosts.
Despite picking up a point, Barrett admitted it felt more like two points lost than one point gained on the day.
“It is a draw that feels like a loss,” he said after the game.
“We were in control for large sections of the game only to concede two very late goals that denied us the three points, and a combination of poor game management and not converting our chances cost us, when we could have put the game to bed after half time.”
“If we can pick up two wins from our next two games we should finish in fourth spot, but this week is pretty simple in that if we win we continue on and Uni miss out, or vice versa.”
The Mariners have the benefit of returning home for those next two matches, taking on UNSW FC this weekend at Pluim Park followed by SD Raiders at the same venue the following week.
1st Grade: St. George City 2 drew. Central Coast Mariners 2 (Iona Snape 34’, Elizabeth Shorter 44’)
Reserves: St. George City 0 def. by Central Coast Mariners 8
