Southern and Ettalong take first victory of the season
Southern and Ettalong defeated Avoca 3-0 in round four of Central Coast Football soccer competition played on Sunday, May 5.
Despite the weekend's weather predictions, James Browne Oval withstood the rain, allowing a good playing surface for these two athletic teams to entertain their crowds with a high-tempo game.
The game featured attacking raids on each opponent's goal for the whole 90 minutes.
Avoca started the contest well, moving the ball quickly and sharply getting into decent positions but were unable to convert these opportunities into shots on goal.
The Lions got their first of the day against the run of play when Jacob Lepre dinked a quality ball in behind the Avoca defensive line to find Jack Wilson who provided a classy left-footed finish to give the Lions an early lead just six minutes in.
Both teams continued to challenge the respective defensive lines with both keepers making important saves.
The second half started with the Lions knowing it would take more than one goal to get the points over a determined Sharkies lineup.
Southern and Ettalong coaches Matt Page and Augusto Terra looking for additional goals to try and close the game out introduced Charlie Polson into the attacking line with an immediate impact.
Polson used his speed in the front line, catching out the Avoca defensive line which saw him steal the ball and find Jameson Flynn free in the box.
Flynn made no mistake with a well-placed finish to give the Lions a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute.
The Lions, with momentum on their side, dealt a crucial blow to Avoca's chances of getting back into the game only two minutes later when a quick free kick taken by Jacob Lepre found Nathan Baker out wide on the right flank.
He played a delicate pass in behind Avoca's defensive line to find a hard running Jack Ellwood who showed his strength to fire the ball into the back of the net taking a 3-0 lead in the 69th minute.
The final 20 minutes of the game saw Avoca continue to work hard and push for their opening goal with the Lions' defence repelling several attacking raids to secure their first win and clean sheet of their campaign.
Match official was Preston Lorusso.
SOURCE:
Website, 10 May 2024
Central Coast Football