Day: March 11, 2018

Bayside United v SMFC – Kingston Heath – Sunday 11 March 2018 at 5:30pm

South Melbourne FC’s senior women’s side go into Sunday evening’s match chasing three straight wins from three NPLW games in 2018. Keen to prevent that are Bayside United, a team that South defeated in all three league encounters in 2017, although the one match that was played at Kingston Heath (Sunday’s venue) was a tight affair. South needed an injury-time winner from Caitlin Greiser to win all three points in that particular meeting last year.

Although South is two wins from two league matches in 2018, they have twice conceded the opening goal to their opponents, and against Box Hill United last weekend actually conceded the opening two goals. Coach Socrates Nicolaidis acknowledges this as an area to be improved within his team, with the high-risk, high-reward tactics he has implemented during his time at the club having paid off so far.

Melina Ayres was the saviour against Box Hill when she came off the bench (in her first appearance of 2018 following a rest post W-League season) in the final half hour to set up a goal and then score the winning goal in injury time. Nicolaidis is excited about her fulltime return to the side, with even more senior players due to return. “I honestly think that with everyone back fit and firing…honestly we’re maybe 4-5 players short of [being a competitive] W-League team.”

Previous Meetings – click individual game for highlights
2017 (R22): SMFC 11-0 Bayside United (Lakeside Stadium)
2017 (R13): SMFC 2-0 Bayside United (Lakeside Stadium)
2017 (R04): Bayside United 2-3 SMFC (Kingston Heath Soccer Complex)

Overall Head to Head:
Played: 3
SMFC Wins: 3
Bayside United Wins: 0
Draws: 0

SMFC team photo before kick-off against Oakleigh Cannons, Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday 9 March 2018. (PHOTO: Goal! Weekly).

South Melbourne FC suffered its first competitive defeat in 2018, losing 4-1 against the Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday night.

Sasa Kolman’s side began the match strongly but the final ball in the area let South down throughout the first half. They were made to pay for this early in the second half when Dean Piemonte expertly chipped Keegan Coulter to open the scoring for the home side. Substitute Oliver Minatel had South level minutes later with a goal that the match officials thought he had scored with his head when it fact it was with his hand.

The controversy surrounding the goal mattered little as the Cannons retook the lead shortly after through a Ryan Paczkowski header. There was five minutes of madness as South conceded two more goals in the space of two minutes, firstly with an unmarked Giuseppe Marafioti tap-in at the back post before Kristian Konstantinidis was caught trying to dribble out of defence, with the ball eventually falling to Goran Zoric to score Oakleigh’s fourth and final goal.

Post-match, Kolman remained upbeat. “We had a 10-15 minute period where we were poor. On another night it could have been 2-0 to us [in the first half, instead of 0-0]. That’s football. We have only been together a short time and will keep working on our structure.”

In the Under 20s match played prior to the Seniors, South Melbourne missed an injury time penalty as it drew 2-2 with the Oakleigh Cannons. Andrew Mesourouni and Tristan Meaker scored South’s goals.

FINAL SCORE: OAKLEIGH CANNONS 4-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goals:
1-0: Dean Piemonte (47′)
1-1: Oliver Minatel (50′)
2-1: Ryan Paczkowski (52′)
3-1: Giuseppe Marafioti (72′)
4-1: Goran Zoric (74′)

Oakleigh Cannons:
1. John Honos (GK) (c), 2. Tom Matthews, 7. Ryan Paczkowski, 8. Dusan Bosnjak, 10. Dean Piemonte (26. Thomas Podaridis 84′), 17. Giuseppe Marafioti, 18. Steve Pantelidis (16. Mehdi Sarwari 19′), 19. Goran Zoric (11. Wade Dekker 77′), 21. Konstantinos Stratomitros, 22. Anthony Rizk, 23. Shayan Alinejad.
Unused Substitutes: 4. Wayne Wallace, 95. Evan Kraloglou (GK).
Yellow Cards: Marafioti 18′, Stratomitros 23′, Piemonte 42′, Sarwari 65′.

South Melbourne:
1. Keegan Coulter (GK) / 23. Matthew Foschini, 3. Kristian Konstantinidis (20. Ajdin Fetahagic 88′), 39. Christos Intzidis, 11. Brad Norton (c) / 12. Iqi Jawadi (8. Luke Pavlou 75′), 18. Matthew Millar / 17. Andy Brennan (19. Oliver Minatel 46′), 7. Nick Epifano, 27. Leigh Minopoulos / 9. Milos Lujic.
Unused Substitutes: 16. Josh Hodes, 21. Amir Jashari (GK).
Yellow Cards: None.