Day: June 20, 2017

South have reclaimed top spot with a 2-0 victory over the Bulleen Lions courtesy of a Melina Ayres brace at the Veneto Club on Monday night.

South started brightly in the opening minutes of the first half, with an Ayres shot from close range finding the back of the net in the 14th minute.

Not long after, Medwin had an opportunity to score South’s second, after her shot outside the box went just over the crossbar in the 17th minute.

Ayres had another opportunity to score her second, after her shot inside the area went over the top in the 23rd minute.

The girls continued to dominate in the first half, with Martineau unable to provide the finishing touches on a deft through pass by Gummer in the 28th minute.

Despite South dominating the first half, Bulleen were unlucky not to score the equaliser following a missed free kick by Sernio as South held on for a 1-0 lead at half-time.

The girls continued to look dangerous up front for South in the opening minutes of the second half, with an Eliadis shot hitting the upright in the 48th minute.

Ayres was desperately trying to find her second, however was unable to find the back of the net after her shot inside the area was saved by Shields in the 50th minute.

The visitors were pressing for their second, with Medwin breezing past Richmond before her cross hit the post in the 57th minute.

Bulleen were unlucky not to score the equaliser, after Sernio’s free-kick was saved by Ramsay in the 75th minute.

However, Ayres was finally able to score her 20th goal for the season and South’s second with a strike from close range into the back of the net in the 81st minute.

Eliadis was unlucky not to score the visitors third for the evening, after her strike inside the area blasted the inside of the post in the 90th minute as South secured their sixth straight win.

South will now shift their focus to Senior NTC when the two teams meet at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday afternoon South Melbourne hosted St Albans in round 18 of the 2017 Victorian National Premier League season.

South were in red hot form, and coming off a 3-0 win at AAMI Park against top of the table Heidelberg United were looking to claim top spot for themselves. A struggling St Albans side, sitting dead last on the table, were desperate to take some points out of this fixture at Lakeside to keep their survival hopes alive.

Leigh Minopoulos come into the starting eleven replacing an injured Milos Luijc, while Stefan Zinni replaced the suspended Jesse Daley. Meanwhile Matthew Foschini lined up for his 50th match for the club. Before the match got under way there was a minute’s silence observed for former South great Ernie Ackerley who passed away recently, and for Tony Clarke – the police officer whose name was on the perpetual trophy on offer to the winner.

Once proceedings got under way South Melbourne quickly asserted its dominance and by the 18th minute had taken the lead. Matt Foschini played a ball into the box from midfield that was headed on by Luke Adams to Matthew Millar, who volleyed the ball into the back of the net.  Two minutes later South scored its second; this time Brad Norton squared the ball for Leigh Minopoulos to fire home.

South continued its high pressing game after that and in the 28th minute Nick Epifano played through South captain Norton on goal whose shot just got past the St Albans goalkeeper who got a hand on the shot. As half time drew near, Stefan Zinni played a beautiful ball across the park to Epifano who rounded the keeper and finished into the empty net to give South a 4-0 lead in the 43rd minute.

Just before half time St Albans scored from a corner, with Calvina Mbarga heading home to give St Albans a small chance of getting something out of the game. St Albans started the second half better than the first, by not allowing South into their defensive third so easily. In the 61st minute, Epifano was subbed off by Bardhi Hysolli.

South managed to break down the St Albans defence again in the 68th minute when Zinni put In a cross to an unmarked Minopoulos in the six yard box, who  scored his second goal of the afternoon with a cool finish to give South a 5-1 lead. Three minutes later, Millar scored an absolute scorcher from long range going into the bottom left corner to extend the lead to 6-1, also scoring his second goal of the afternoon. After the goal South’s new Spanish striker David Barca Moreno come on to make his South debut replacing Marcus Schroen. In the 80th minute South youth player Giordano Marafioti was subbed on for his second senior game of the season replacing Millar.

In the 85th minutes Nicola Roganovic sent a long kick down the field to Moreno who controlled the ball with his feet and then slid the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper to score his first goal for South and extend the lead to 7-1. As the game drew to a close Marafioti won South a penalty by drawing a handball from a St Albans defender. Minopoulos stepped up and fired the ball into the roof of the net to complete his hat trick, completing an 8-1 rout for South.

That result saw South Melbourne move into top position on the league table on goal difference from Heidelberg. Earlier in the day South Melbourne’s u20s ran out 4-0 winners against St Albans.

South next match is on Thursday night at Jack Edwards Reserve in the Dockerty Cup semi-final against Bentleigh Greens. We hope to see all fans there. Kick-off is at 7.30.

South Melbourne 8
(Matt Millar 18, 71, Leigh Minopoulos 20, 68, 87 (pen), Brad Norton 28, Nick Epifano 42, David Barca Moreno 85)

St Albans 1
(Mbarga 45)