A late strike from Bul Juach has delivered Wollongong Wolves a dramatic 2-1 win over Sydney Olympic in their NPL New South Wales season opener on Sunday.
Elevated to the senior squad from the Wolves’ youth set-up for the 2020 season, Juach poked home from a corner in the 90th minute to secure Luke Wilkshire’s side a winning start to their NPL Championship defence at Belmore Sports Ground.
Prior to the winner the see-sawing contest looked destined for a draw as Lachlan Scott’s opportunistic first half opener for the Wolves was cancelled out by Jason Madonis's fierce drive early in the second stanza.
The win continues the recent dominance for the Wolves in clashes against their former National Soccer League rival after claiming a league double over Olympic on their way to last year’s NPL New South Wales Premiership title.
A new-look Olympic sought to make a winning start to their campaign as former Hyundai A-League players Charles Lokolingoy, Adam Parkhouse and Fabio Ferreira made their debuts under new head coach Terry Palapanis.
And while they looked lively from the get-go it was the visitors that delivered the early breakthrough in just the 11th minute – Olympic goalkeeper Anthony Bouzanis fumbling a cross into the path of Scott to deliver a poacher’s finish.
An arm-wrestle ensued as the pre-season dust gummed up the attacking works for both sides in the final third.
Olympic’s Nicola Kuleski was next to threaten as he sent a 25th minute free-kick over the crossbar from a promising position, while Wolve’s Japanese midfielder Takeru Okada saw a pair of shots charged down.
A frustrating Ferreira failed to find the target with a long-range attempt immediately before the break as the defences – led by Nikola Djordjevic for Wolves and Tom Whiteside for Olympic – held sway.
The hosts needed a spark in the second half and it arrived immediately as Madonis levelled terms in the 49th minute with a well-placed shot from outside twenty yards after being found in space by Raul Beneit Romero.
Both sides responded with greater fluidity but clear scoring chances still came hard to come by.
Olympic’s Zac Mackenzie failed to capitalise in the 57th minute after being picked out by a promising ball from Ferreira, before the Portuguese-born attacking midfielder again blazed high from distance.
The hosts’ best chance to take the lead came on 68 minutes as Parkhouse delivered a strong run into the box but couldn’t squeeze his shot on a tight angle past the well-positioned Wolves goalkeeper Justin Pasfield.
From there the Wolves increasingly looked the team most likely as Darcy Madden volleyed wide and Scott pulled a shot off-target as the final quarter hour loomed.
Entering the contest as a second-half substitute, Juach was proving an increasing threat on the right flank for the Wolves and nearly teed up last year’s Golden Boot winner Thomas James in the 79th minute.
However, it was James that would turn provider for his young teammate for the winner from a set-piece – his corner delivery to the back post resulting in a brief scramble that Juach hurried over the line.
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