Round 2 saw a mixture of results in the PS4 Victory League as Zebras and Kingborough collected three points to remain unbeaten, South Hobart bounced back, while Launceston City shocked Northern Rangers sharing points at Mitsubishi Park.
Hobart Jeep Zebras backed up their first round win over South Hobart with a comfortable 3-0 victory over arch-rivals Olympia FC Warriors at KGV Football Park on Friday night.
Zebras had the better of the opening half with the lion share of possession and 11 shots, including golden chances for Adam McKeown, Ethan Engels and Kurt Engels.
Ben Whitehall posed questions of the Warriors defence throughout with his long raking balls and it was his good work that assisted the Zebras opener, giving them reward for overall dominance of the match. Whitehall raced onto a ball and lifted it off Alex Holmes’ leg out to the back post, where Ethan Engels raced in and nodded home the match’s first goal in the 75th minute.
The goal zapped the life out of Olympia and seemed to spark the Zebras, who ran away with the game. Jayden Hey made a return from a back injury and showed signs that he is on his way back to his 2013 Mitsubishi Motors Best and Fairest Medal form, with a hard nosed and explosive performance in the Zebras midfield.
Engels added his and the Zebras’ second in the 84th minute with another opportunistic finish. Jayden Hey was the orchestrator, whipping across a ball that sailed over the head of Warriors’ goalkeeper Sean Lewis and into the path of substitute Ricky Self, who cut it back for Ethan Engels to tap home into the bottom left.
Just four minutes later, Engels rounded out his hat trick and drew curtains on the game, his brother Kurt providing the assist, finding time and space out on the left to measure a firm ball to the expert poacher’s feet and Engels made no mistake, firing home his third.
Reigning champions, South Hobart, showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the Playstation 4 Victory League by thumping Devonport Strikers 6-2 at Valley Road.
Former Devonport Striker, Brayden Mann, wasted no time getting himself on the score sheet. A defence-splitting pass from Connor Schmidt left Mann one on one with the Devonport keeper, Tom Pearce, and the South Hobart striker calmly finished to give his side the lead inside the first minute.
In the 32nd minute Devonport gifted South Hobart their second goal. Pearce rolled the ball to Adam Gorrie in midfield, who inadvertently played the ball first time to a wide open Mann. Mann finished with aplomb over the stranded Pearce.
Four minutes before half time South Hobart somewhat fortuitously scored their third goal. A long throw in by Chris Downes was flicked on by Leszczynski and the ball looped high over the hapless Pearce.
It didn’t get any better for Devonport after the half time interval. In the 54th minute, Downes added himself to the score sheet when his well-struck drive hit the knee of Strikers’ defender, Kieran Mulraney, and once again the ball looped over Pearce in the Devonport goal.
In the 63rd minute, Mann turned provider after he held the ball up on the left wing and found Schmidt, whom had pushed on from the right back position. The Valley Road crowd must have thought a storm was brewing, as the young Schmidt took a flashy touch followed by a thunderous net-busting shot from the best part of thirty yards out.
Devonport pegged a goal back in the 70th minute from the penalty spot after South Hobart’s goal keeper, Kane Pierce, raised a forearm to Luke Banfield’s face inside the penalty area. Beau Blizzard calmly finished to make it 5-1.
The Strikers gave their fans a tiny glimmer of hope in the 75thminute when they made it 5-2. Maskill burst through the midfield and played the ball to Brody Denehey who beat Pierce with a low shot.
It only took South Hobart three minutes to snuff out that glimmer of hope when they earned their own penalty. Mann was brought down inside the area by Gorrie and took the penalty himself to complete his hat trick.
Kingborough Lions continue unbeaten in the Playsation 4 Victory League, making it two from two with a 4-2 win over Glenorchy Knights at Lightwood Park on Saturday.
Kingborough controlled large portions of the game and for the most part looked like they would run away with a comfortable win. Knights had a few early chances on the back of a couple of generous offside calls falling in their favour, however they were wasteful in front of goals.
Kingborough took the lead in the 13th minute after a mix up at the back between Knights defenders saw them fail to clear a dangerous cross. The opportunistic Danny Cowen appeared and half volleyed the ball into the back of the net.
The Lions doubled their lead before half time after a long ball from midfield found Dean Watkins who had made a scintillating run into the inside left channel before controlling the ball and blasting it into the bottom right corner of the goals past a helpless Alex Woodham.
Lions came out firing after half time and scored their third in the 54th minute from a Joel Schuth header from a corner.
The Knights kept fighting and found consolation and got on the scoresheet in the 82nd minute through Alex Buga, after he rounded the keeper and finished to make it 3-1.
In amongst a flurry of substitutes, the Lions scored once more in the 85th minute through a Cowen side footed volley from 8 yards out, claiming a brace to make it 4-1. The Knights scraped together a second goal in the 91st minute, but by then the game was over.
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Launceston City have claimed their first ever point in a PS4 Victory League northern derby, drawing with fierce cross-town rivals Northern Rangers, playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Mitsubishi Park last night.
City started brightest in the clash and took the lead in the sixth minute with a long range right footed strike from Andy Compagne.
The home side continued to look dangerous, with Rangers usual passing style not quite clicking, and they doubled their lead in the 38th minute from the penalty spot.
Dom Rossi broke into the penalty box and was taken out by Rangers’ ‘keeper James Wilson, who could have no complaints, and Omar Murati drilled the resulting spot kick home into the bottom corner.
Two minutes later Rangers pulled back a vital goal before half time, Schalde Andersen pouncing on a loose ball to prod home from eight yards out.
Rangers’ pressure told in the 74th minute and they got their equaliser, Edwards playing in a perfect cross from the left wing for Kenta Yamane to side-foot volley home from close range. The last 15 minutes were very tense and Rangers kept pressing, almost grabbing the winner in the last minute when Aidan Rigby hit the post with an effort from inside the six yard box.