LIMESTONE Coast soccer provided plenty of action for fans on the weekend, with some big scores recorded in two of the senior games, while the match of the round saw a tight battle between Blue Lake and Apollo.
In a week which saw goals in abundance, Gambier Centrals claimed a solid 7-1 win over Portland at Bishop Road and Naracoorte showed its dominance at home with a convincing 13-nil result against Millicent.
But it was a different story at Malseed Park, when the Blue Lake Rangers hosted Apollo for an eventual 2-1 victory.
With the scoreboard untouched in the opening half, the Rangers were able to break through the Apollo defence after the break and hold the lead.
For Apollo, its only score was an own goal, as Blue Lake’s Luke Johnston was the last to touch the ball before it found its way into the net.
The Rangers have shown great promise in the opening rounds of the season, as well as in the Belgiorno Cup competition and they can expect to be up there with the top sides this year.
A win over Apollo is something that has been a long time coming for the senior team and Blue Lake playing coach Jared Vause was pleased to see his side come out on top.
“We have not beaten them in a long time,” he said.
“We were probably going into the game hoping we could get a result.
“We do not have a bad side and we were pretty happy to get the win.”
With the match stuck in a deadlock in the opening term, Vause believes his team played better in the first half, but it was not until after the break the Rangers found an opportunity to convert.
“Our first half was very strong, we were keeping possession quite a lot,” he said.
“We threatened a few times, but did not get a goal and they threatened a few times from outside the box.
“It was a pretty even sort of contest.
“In the second half, we just broke their defence a couple of times.”
In true Apollo style, the team gave its all in the later stages of the match to try and level the scores.
“They really pushed hard in the last 20 minutes or so,” Vause said.
“But we held on, we were pretty strong in the backline, which was really good.”
The final result sees Blue Lake with its second win from two rounds of the premiership season, with the side currently sitting in second place on the table, as just percentage separates it from ladder-leader Naracoorte.
However, the next couple of rounds sees Blue Lake with some tough games, with a meeting against International at Casadio Park this Sunday, while a clash with Centrals is scheduled for Round 4.
Vause said the feeling within the club has been positive and his team will go into these games hopeful of an upset or two.
“We have picked up a couple of players and there is a good feeling amongst the squad,” he said.
“I think we have a pretty motivated group.”
With numbers short on the weekend, Johnston was a fill in for centre-back, while Andy Costin also lent his services in the forward line.
Costin showed good form, scoring one of his team’s goals for the match, while Johnston helped to reinforce the defence, as both Jacob Phillips and Jacob Ellis remain absent from the side.
Vause said it “was a good team effort” on Sunday which saw his team with the win, but their were some key players who helped the Rangers across the line.
“You could not go past our goalkeeper, Andy Armandi,” he said.
“He was very good in goals, with a couple of saves from close range which were absolutely fantastic.
“Our backline was really good, Bryce Strachan had a good game, he’s one of our centre-backs.
“Tristan Guess, at right-back this year, he has been consistent and again he played very well.
“And Andy Costin up front, he came back from an ankle injury for his first game.
“He is a good focal point up front.”
With Costin chipping in with a goal, the second score for Blue Lake came from youngster Daniel MacMillan.
Up against Inter this week, it will be the ultimate test for the Rangers, as they face the currently undefeated reigning premiers.
“I think they are the team to chase this season,” Vause said.
“We will hope for an upset, but we know it is going to be a big challenge.”
In other games Centrals’ new recruit and coach Nathan Fleetwood was once again a dangerous force up front, bagging three of his team’s seven goals against Portland on Sunday.
Lewis March and captain Cameron Saint returned to the scorer’s list with a goal each, while Mitch Thomson and Craig Wright also contributed to the margin.
For Portland, Jamie West was the only player to hit the scoreboard.
This week will see Centrals look for another easy win, as it makes the trip to face the struggling Millicent squad.
The most surprising club so far this season has been Naracoorte United, as it has shown solid form throughout all grades during the cup and the first rounds of the premiership chase.
Andrew Diment kicked an impressive eight goals against Millicent on Sunday in its 13-nil victory, which now sees him lead the league goal-kicking with his total of eight.
Celebrating its 50th year as a club, Naracoorte began its milestone season with the reserve’s title in the Belgiorno Cup.
This was the first time the club had won a senior cup since 1986.
To add the icing to the cake, George Matutuva leads the reserve goal-kicking with seven, while Naracoorte currently holds the top spot on the senior, reserve’s and Under 14 ladders after Round 2, with the Under 17’s and Under 12’s sitting in second.
This is a promising sign for the league, as the competition appears to have tightened up compared to last year and there should be some close match-ups between the top four or five teams this season.
