The Wollongong Wolves proved too strong for the Wanderers NPL 1 Mens side as they ran away 4-0 victors on Sunday.
A youthful Wanderers NPL 1 side have fallen to a 4-0 defeat in a dominant display by the undefeated Wollongong Wolves.
The Wanderers arrived at Macedonia Park without the services of Nathan Barrie, Ricky Fransen and Aidan Simmons, whose experience and pedigree were sorely missed as the Wolves counter-attack proved too strong in the hot conditions.
Lachlan Tilt and Antony Barbic formed a centre-back pairing for the first time this season, but the Wolves quickly broke through the Wanderers’ high line, allowing Alex Masciovecchio to roll it past Tristan Vidakovic. The cat-and-mouse build up set the tone for the match, with the opening goal coming in just 45 seconds.
Former Wanderer Lachlan Scott and Rafael Le’ai continued to exploit the space behind Richard Nkomo and Julian Cop, as the Wanderers push for an equalizer left them vulnerable.
Their desperation led to another Wolves breakaway, with Scott capitalizing on a moment of hesitation in the Wanderers’ midfield to set up the pacey Le’ai for his second goal.
Luka Knezevic proved to be the Wanderers biggest threat as he forced the Wolves keeper into a couple saves. However, a miscontrol from Lachlan Tilt proved costly, as Le’ai raced away to net his second of the game, slotting it past Vidakovic for the Wolves’ third.
Knezevic continued to be on the end of some great team play by the Wanderers in the early moments of the second half but failed to put it in the back of the net. The young Wanderer has grown in stature this season as has found his feet within the Red & Black side with Sunday’s performance being no different.
The 55th minute saw Le’ai fail to make it a hat-trick due to a smart save by Vidakovic, but the keeper unfortunately played it into the path of Nicholas Olsen who added to his growing tally of goals this season.
The Wanderers managed to get three shots on goal in the final ten minutes of the game to potentially salvage the difference but unfortunately none of the shots troubled the keeper.
Ultimately, the Wolves’ experience proved decisive, securing their victory against a youthful Wanderers side with an average age of just over 18. In a fiercely contested match, both teams stayed true to their distinct styles, creating the anticipated cat-and-mouse battle until the final whistle.
The loss does unfortunately see the Wanderers sit bottom of the table, level on points and goal difference with their crosstown rivals. The Wanderers will be hoping for a change of fortune when they face their next opponents in APIA Leichhardt on Saturday.
