Category: News

Male NPL Teams (U12-Seniors)

Seniors: SMFC 3-2 Oakleigh Cannnons (Minopoulos 18′, Schroen 56′, 68′)
U20s: Season concluded
U18s: SMFC 0-2 Eastern Lions
U16s: SMFC 2-0 Eastern Lions (Ahmeti, Loutrakis)
U15s: SMFC 2-0 Eastern Lions (Papazisis, Garrow)
U14s: SMFC 12-0 Eastern Lions (Abdou x3, Lewis-Hanafin x2, Zeitoune x2, Baker, Cevik, Giannakarios, Lupancu, Zimmerman)
U13s: SMFC 1-0 Eastern Lions (Panakos)
U12s: SMFC 6-0 Eastern Lions (Asani x2, Tampakas x2, Durso, Jong)

(Photo by Mark Avellino)

South Melbourne FC are the 2016 NPL Victoria Champions after recording a thrilling 3-2 win over the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Leigh Minopoulos opened the scoring and a second-half double from Jimmy Rooney Medalist Marcus Schroen gave South a record-breaking tenth State League title.

Eleven goals had been scored in the two league meetings between the sides in 2016 and the Grand Final did not disappoint in that regard, with another five goals added to that total. Minopoulos got the scoring underway after 18 minutes when he ran onto Brad Norton’s long throw-in, cut inside past Anthony Rizk and tucked the ball past John Honos and into the far corner of the net, sparking wild celebrations in the packed grandstand on his near side.

South’s lead lasted for only seven minutes before the Cannons were level through Piemonte, who had been dangerous throughout the opening period of the game. Goran Zoric beat Norton to the ball in midfield and eventually played through Dusan Bosnjak for a shot that saw the ball smash the near post but rebound for Piemonte to smash into the roof of the net.

Schroen was unfortunate to not put South ahead shortly before the halftime break, with two fantastic efforts that hit the post. His first effort was from a free kick outside the area that beat Honos but not the crossbar. Right on the halftime break, a backheel from Minopoulos teed him up to fire a second shot that again beat Honos but smashed the far post and stayed out.

It was third time lucky on 56 minutes when some excellent build-up play from the left side of midfield resulted in Schroen finally putting South ahead. Norton and Nick Epifano combined down the wing, with the latter putting in an inch-perfect cross for the incoming Schroen to head past Honos and swing the advantage back in favour of Chris Taylor’s side.

Nikola Roganovic then made two huge saves – the first from a brilliant build-up and shot from Zoric that he tipped onto the cross, the second from a Piemonte effort that he tipped wide for a corner – that were Championship-winning saves and preserved South’s slender lead.

South had one hand on the Championship on 68 minutes when Schroen got his second of the evening. Tim Mala – making his 100th appearance for the club across all competitions – threw the ball in from the sidelines for Milos Lujic to flick to Minopoulos, who teed up Schroen to take a touch before firing past Honos’ outstretched left hand and into the back of the net. Oakleigh could have pulled a goal back but Mala was on hand to clear the ball before it crossed the line.

Things turned from bad to worse for the Cannons on 88 minutes when centre-half Adrian Chiappetta was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence, however they gave themselves a consolation goal in the third minute of injury time, when Bosnjak controlled Rizk’s ball into the area before a quick turn and shot saw the ball hit the far corner of the goal.

It was too little too late as South celebrated a record-breaking tenth Victorian State League / NPL Victoria Championship, adding to the other titles won in 1962, 1964-66, 1972, 1974, 1976, 2006 and 2014. No other club in Victorian football history has won more top-flight Victorian titles than South, who also shares the most amount of National League titles won as well.

For Taylor and his squad that he has built since arriving at Lakeside Stadium in July 2013, they are giving the South supporters another one of the club’s great eras of continued success. Following an unexpected Preliminary Final finish in 2013, South has won silverware in each of Taylor’s three full seasons at the club:

2014 – NPL Victoria Champions (first past the post);
2015 – FFV Community Shield Winners, Dockerty Cup Winners, Minor Premiers;
2016 – NPL Victoria Champions (Grand Final winners).

For many of the players, it is a second NPL Championship in three seasons and one that has been thoroughly deserved, with the club having to overcome several obstacles during the course of the season. For Taylor himself, he has an outstanding winning record of 70% in league/finals matches for South, with 69 wins from 98 matches.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-2 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Leigh Minopoulos (18′)
1-1: Dean Piemonte (25′)
2-1: Marcus Schroen (56′)
3-1: Marcus Schroen (68′)
3-2: Dusan Bosnjak (90+3′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 90+2′) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 18. Matthew MILLAR / 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (14. Chris IRWIN 74′), 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 4. Michael EAGAR, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 22. Andy KECOJEVIC.

Oakleigh Cannons FC:
15. John HONOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA (sent off 88′), 8. Dusan BOSNJAK, 10. Dean PIEMONTE, 11. Dimitri HATZIMOURATIS (7. Sean LOVEMORE 70′), 14. Konstantinos STRATOMITROS (4. Dominic D’ANGELO 81′), 16. Anthony RIZK, 18. Steve PANTELIDIS, 19. Goran ZORIC, 21. Abdalla OKUD (6. Ioannis GEORGOPOULOS 70′), 26. Perry LAMBROPOULOS.
Unused Subs: 1. Evan KRALOGLOU (GK), 17. Jacob COLLARD.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Marcus Schroen
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 11 September 2016

South Melbourne FC will be aiming for a record-breaking tenth Victorian State League Championship when it hosts the Oakleigh Cannons in the 2016 NPL Victoria Grand Final at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening.

South and Oakleigh finished third and fourth respectively on the league table following the conclusion of the regular season but made the Grand Final by both winning home elimination finals then away semi finals. Chris Taylor’s side qualified for the Grand Final first via a comeback 1-2 win against traditional rivals Heidelberg United in an at-times fiery derby at the Olympic Village last Saturday night. Peter Tsolakis’ side then confirmed their place in the final with a huge 1-3 victory over the Premiership winners Bentleigh Greens last Sunday afternoon.

South and Oakleigh have only previously met once in a Victorian finals series, with Oakleigh prevailing 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Craig Goodwin back in August 2011. In August last year, the two sides met in the Dockerty Cup final at Lakeside Stadium, a game that South won 3-0 thanks to a second-half double from Milos Lujic and a further goal from Leigh Minopoulos. Interestingly, South’s semi final was against Heidelberg that it won 2-1 after initially being a goal down.

A win on Sunday will mean a tenth Victorian State League / NPL Victoria Championship for South, having previously won the title in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1974, 1976, 2006 and 2014. With nine Championships, South and Green Gully are currently the two most successful football clubs in the top flight of Victorian football – winning on Sunday will make South the outright most successful Victorian top-flight club, whilst also adding to its four National League championships won in 1984, 1991, 1998 and 1999.

For Oakleigh, a win on Sunday will give them their first title in Victoria’s top flight. Oakleigh has been very close to winning the Championship several times over the past decade but has always fallen just short each time. In 2006, they won the Premiership after finishing a whopping twelve points clear of second-placed Altona Magic but crashed out of the finals series in straight sets. In 2011 and 2012, Oakleigh finished second on the ladder, qualified for the Grand Final but lost both times, 3-2 to Green Gully (2011) and 2-1 to the Dandenong Thunder (2012) respectively.

In the first season of the re-branded NPL Victoria in 2014, there was no finals series, with the championship decided via first-past-the-post. Oakleigh only lost three times that season and was undefeated in two league meetings with South  – including inflicting a 3-0 hammering at Jack Edwards Reserve – but finished seven points behind Taylor’s side in second place come season’s end.

Sunday’s game will be won and lost in defence, with the two league meetings between the teams this season producing twelve goals. South triumphed 4-1 at Lakeside back in April before Oakleigh won the return game 4-3 at Jack Edwards Reserve in July. Both sides have an abundance of attacking options – South with Lujic, Minopoulos, Marcus Schroen and Nick Epifano to name a few, whilst Oakleigh has Dimitri Hatzimouratis, Goran Zoric, Dean Piemonte and Dusan Bosnjak. Whichever team’s defence tames the opposition attack the best will decide the destination of the 2016 title.

Will South win a record-breaking tenth Victorian Championship on Sunday or will Oakleigh finally win the title it has been chasing for over a decade? Sunday’s Grand Final kicks off at 5:30pm at Lakeside Stadium.

SMFC v Oakleigh Cannons – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 25
Wins (SMFC): 12
Wins (OCFC): 9
Draws: 4

First match: Oakleigh Cannons 0-1 SMFC (4 March 2005, Jack Edwards Reserve)
Last match: Oakleigh Cannons 4-3 SMFC (17 July 2016, Jack Edwards Reserve)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 3 goals (5-2 / 4-1 wins, 27 Jul 2007 / 17 Apr 2016, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Winning Margin (OCFC): 3 goals (3-0 win, 6 June 2014, Jack Edwards Reserve)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 5 (5-2 win, 27 July 2007, Lakeside Stadium)
Most Goals in a Match (OCFC): 4 (4-3 win, 17 July 2016, Jack Edwards Reserve)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (OCFC): 1-0 (21 August 2011, Jack Edwards Reserve)

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm the ticketing arrangements for Sunday’s Grand Final against Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium.

As the match will be hosted by Football Federation Victoria, South Melbourne members will not have free entry to the match, with all 2016 South Melbourne / Lakeside Stadium Access Passes and memberships invalid for this match.

Tickets can be pre-purchased online prior to the match, with Adult tickets $15 and Concession tickets $10.

You can buy tickets through the following link, www.smfc.com.au/GFTickets

We urge all South Melbourne fans to book their seat online to avoid the expected lengthy queues at the gate.

(Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC is through to a second consecutive NPL Victoria Grand Final thanks to a thrilling 2-1 win over Heidelberg United at the Olympic Village on Saturday night. Second-half goals from Matthew Millar and Milos Lujic secured the win for Chris Taylor’s side, who had to fight back from going a goal behind on the scoreboard from the opening minute.

South started the match in slow fashion and Heidelberg’s marquee striker Archie Thompson turned provider in the first twenty seconds of the game, crossing the ball for Sean Ellis to slam into the back of the net. Although the home side had the lead, South rallied and had numerous chances in the following twenty minutes but could not break down the stubborn Heidelberg defence.

The game turned in the 33rd minute when Reuben Way lashed out at Matthew Millar after the South player had conceded a free kick. Way was given his marching orders by the referee and the Bergers now had to see out the remaining 60 minutes with only ten men on the park.

South began the second half on the attack and almost levelled when Lujic headed the ball over the crossbar not long after the restart. Chris Irwin was introduced into the game on 67 minutes and made an immediate impact just minutes later, with his good work down the right flank culminating in Millar slamming a low drive into the bottom corner of the net to level proceedings.

With the away fans still in party mode, Lujic put South ahead only two minutes later to cause chaotic scenes of celebration in the stands. Matthew Foschini hit a long ball over the top of the Bergers defence for Lujic to out-sprint Steven Pace, latch onto the ball and chip it past the advancing goalkeeper Chris Theodoridis. The goal sent the huge travelling support into delirium as the South fans and players embraced at the fence.

South meets the Oakleigh Cannons in the Championship decider after Peter Tsolakis’ side comfortably defeated the Bentleigh Greens 3-1 in their semi final meeting on Sunday afternoon.

The Grand Final will kick off at 5:30pm this Sunday 11 September at Lakeside Stadium. South will be aiming to win its tenth Victorian State League championship to add to its four national titles.

FINAL SCORE: HEIDELBERG UNITED 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Sean Ellis (1′)
1-1: Matthew Millar (71′)
1-2: Milos Lujic (73′)

Heidelberg United FC:
1. Chris THEODORIDIS (GK), 2. Josh WILKINS, 3. Les DOUMBALIS, 7. Reuben WAY (sent off 33′), 8. Jack PETRIE, 10. Archie THOMPSON (11. Kosta KANAKARIS 69′), 12. Kenny ATHIU, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 14. Harry NOON (5. Phil PETRESKI 80′), 17. Steven PACE (6. Lewis HALL 76′), 19. Sean ELLIS.
Unused Subs: 15. Jordan WILKES, 23. Chris DAVIS (GK).

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA (14. Chris IRWIN 67′), 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 18. Matthew MILLAR / 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS, 7. Nick EPIFANO (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 90+2′) / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 4. Michael EAGAR, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 22. Andy KECOJEVIC.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Kristian Konstantinidis
Venue: Olympic Village
Date: Saturday 3 September 2016

South Melbourne FC travels to the Olympic Village on Saturday night to face traditional rivals Heidelberg United for a spot in the 2016 NPL Victoria Grand Final.

Aside from the fact that two rivals will be clashing in a do-or-die Semi Finals match, Saturday night’s derby is intriguing for a variety of reasons. The two sides can hardly be separated in 2016 – both finishing equal-second on the league standings – with Heidelberg taking second spot on goal difference. This gave the Bergers last weekend off and forced South to play a cut-throat Elimination Final against Hume City that Chris Taylor’s side comfortably won 3-0 at Lakeside Stadium.

There have been eleven goals scored between the sides in two league meetings in 2016. South smashed Heidelberg 6-0 at Lakeside Stadium in the opening round of the season, however George Katsakis’ men returned serve with a 5-0 thumping of South in the return game at the Olympic Village. The results gave both sides their highest ever winning and losing margins against their rivals in 83 league/finals meetings that stretches all the way back to 1964.

The two sides can’t be separated in finals meetings, having met in four previous finals matches for two wins apiece. In the VPL/NPL era, Heidelberg defeated South 1-0 at the Olympic Village in the 2005 Preliminary Final but South gained revenge six years later with a 1-0 win at SS Anderson Reserve in the 2011 Elimination Final.

Saturday night’s match at the Olympic Village kicks off at 6:30pm. The winning team will progress to play either the Bentleigh Greens or the Oakleigh Cannons in the Grand Final on Sunday 11 September.

SMFC v Heidelberg – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 83
Wins (SMFC): 41
Wins (HUFC): 23
Draws: 19

First match: South Melbourne 2-1 Heidelberg (30 March 1964, Middle Park)
Last match: Heidelberg 5-0 South Melbourne (29 May 2016, Olympic Village)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 6-0 (21 February 2016, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Winning Margin (HUFC): 5-0 (29 May 2016, Olympic Village)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 7 (7-3 win) – (2 April 1967, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (HUFC): 5 (5-2/5-0 wins) – (3 July 1977/29 May 2016, Olympic Park/Village)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 4-2 (21 October 1984, Olympic Park)
Biggest Finals Win (HUFC): 4-1 (18 October 1980, Olympic Park)

Heidelberg was not in the same division as SMFC in the following seasons: 1965, 1969 (State League); 1988, 1989/90, 1995/96 to 2003/04 (National League); 2013 (Premier League)

Male NPL Teams (U12-Seniors)

Seniors: SMFC 3-0 Hume City (Schroen 4′, Lujic 28′, Minopoulos 81′)
U20s: Season concluded
U18s: SMFC 0-4 Box Hill United
U16s: SMFC 2-0 Box Hill United (Morgan, Dobbyn)
U15s: SMFC 1-0 Box Hill United (Fogel)
U14s: SMFC 1-0 Box Hill United (Abdou)
U13s: SMFC 2-2 Box Hill United (Andrianakos, Panakos)
U12s: SMFC 2-2 Box Hill United (Durso, Asani)

Female State League Teams (U12-Seniors)

SL1 (Seniors): SMFC 5-0 Eltham Redbacks (Greiser 13′, 67′, 87′, Boyd 33′, Trajkovska 42′)
SL1 (Reserves): SMFC 5-1 Eltham Redbacks (Taliadoros x2, Mazzeo, Singleton, Delorenzis)
SL2: SMFC 0-0 Croydon City
SL3: Bye
SL4: SMFC 0-7 Harrisfield Hurricanes
U16s: SMFC 4-5 Spring Hills (Chinnama, Karp, Trajkovska, Trease-Hemming)
U14s: SMFC 2-0 Kensington (Nickolaus, Galatas)
U12s: SMFC 3-1 Boroondara Eagles

A great 5-1 win on Sunday for the Women’s Reserves, together with other results going our way, means that the girls climbed into second place at the end of the season.

Hosting Eltham Redbacks at Lakeside Stadium, the girls had a positive start in the first half, establishing a 2-1 lead thanks to Cleo Taliadoros scoring both goals.

After the break, it only took five minutes before the Lakeside scoreboard was ticking over yet again, when Giulia Mazzeo fired it low to beat the keeper. The game entered a more stable period of play with neither team able to capitalise. The theme was broken when Ciara Singleton launched a rocket from outside the area. The strike went low and curled around the outstretched arm of the Eltham keeper to roll into the bottom corner of the net.

Just a few minutes later the scoreboard was ticking over again. Hannah Delorenzis stormed into the area and sent the ball flying into the right hand upright. It rebounded straight to the feet of Taliadoros, who had no problem in putting the ball in the back of the net.

Time would count down with a few more chances on goal and the score not changing. A 5-1 result at Lakeside is a great way for our Women’s Reserves team to finish the 2016 season.

Around the grounds, top-placed Melbourne University defeated second-placed South Yarra 0-1. This meant the 5-1 win by our girls was sufficient to climb into second place, equal on points with South Yarra but with an eleven-goal better goal difference.

Speaking to smfc.com.au after the match, goal scorer Delorenzis said “we started off today really shakily, a little nervous and obviously not as prepared as we would have hoped. However after we scored our first goal and settled, we were excellent and our work rate was insane.”

Reflecting on the return to Lakeside, Delorenzis added that “it’s good to be back here and at home with some great support. Christina, Cleo and Emmie played well, in fact, everyone played well today.”

The dynamic duo of Taliadoros and Alexia Karatzikos played earlier in the day in the Under 16s. Happy with a hat-trick on the pitch, Taliadoros was just as happy off the pitch. “It was really tough, with warm conditions and we only had one sub. We stuck together as a team as we wanted to pull out a win today, especially being the last game and playing at Lakeside.”

Congratulations to our girls for an excellent 2016 season.

The Under 14 Girls required a positive result at Albert Park on Sunday and they delivered in fine form. A 2-0 result over Kensington sealed top spot and with that, the girls claimed the Premiership.

The first half was a balanced affair with both teams having chances on goal but neither finding the net. The second half however was full of action.

The excitement began with a fierce tackle inside the area sending South to the penalty spot. The kick went wide, which spurred the girls to lift the intensity further. Minutes later, Ella Nickolaus pounced on a poor defensive pass across the face of goal and shot low into the bottom left corner of the net.

Ten minutes on and the referee would again blow the whistle and point to the spot. It was at the other end this time and keeper Stella Ainalis would be called into action. Stella went down to her right and parried the ball away to make a crucial save.

U14G // 54′ PENALTY SAVE Stella Ainalis with what could be the premiership winning save pic.twitter.com/yx0FgPgUFw

— South Melbourne FC (@smfc) August 28, 2016

With four minutes to play, South would seal the points thanks to a classy finish by Giulia Galatas. The final whistle sounded with the 2-0 result giving South’s girls the Premiership.

Speaking to smfc.com.au after the match, Hazel Marsh shared her thoughts on the match. “I think we played well and our passing was really good. Starting off today we were a bit rusty but once we got started we were really good. I thought Ella played well, Elena’s through-balls were amazing.”

Goalkeeper Stella Ainalis celebrated her birthday with a clean sheet and penalty save. After the match she said that “the match started to pick up throughout the game. Our second half was stronger. The transitions today were really well done. I think the girls did really well.”

“It was a bit quiet for me in the first half but towards the second half I got a bit more involved. That was good.  My highlight for the second half was the penalty I saved which was pretty good…(but) also Giulia scored a left foot goal, which I think is pretty good as that’s tough to do. Ella’s goal was also great. Everyone was amazing.”

Speaking about her penalty save, Stella shared her experience saying “it was a bit nerve racking at the start, but I made the save and I was really happy.”

Reflecting on a positive season that yielded sixteen wins, two draws and one loss, coach Mark Knauer had the following to say: “The girls have had an absolutely awesome year. I think that is premised by their technical development over the course of the season and their ability to play combination football. If I think about where they were back at the start of the season compared to where they are now, it’s like two different teams.”

The squad playing in the Under 13/14 competition is very young and is often out-sized on the pitch. “Without the technical skills, we get physically pushed off the ball probably nine times out of ten. But because of the crisp ball movement, their first touch and their ability to get their eyes up and have a look at what is around them, it enables them to play the ball around so much better,” Knauer added.

“I think one of the greatest compliments for me this season came when we were at the Kanga Cup in Canberra. One of the parents from a team we played off the park came up and said that’s the best football he had seen an Under 14s girls team play. He said compliments to SMFC and Victorian football because in New South Wales and the ACT it’s just a physical game.”

The girls will now enter the finals series, where they are expected to play Kensington, who finished 4th, for a place in the Grand Final.