A late Aidan Simmons goal was not enough for the Western Sydney Wanderers NPL side, as the Central Coast Mariners took home a 2-1 win at Wanderers Football Park.
The game got off to a difficult start, as the Mariners opened the scoring after two minutes when they won the ball high up the pitch, allowing Olayinka Sunmola to slot the ball past Lawrence Caruso.
The Wanderers fought to level the game, and Ariath Piol had back to back chances after 22 minutes, his first was saved by the legs of Mariners keeper Patrick Beach, and his second effort from close range required an excellent reflex stop from Beach.
From the resulting corner, the ball found its way to Piol, but he could only volley the ball into the side netting.
On the cusp of half time, George Antonis unleashed a curling effort from distance that forced Beach to dive to his left to save.
The chances continued to fall for the Wanderers after the break with Carluccio attempting to curl one past Beach without success, before Younis hit a shot on the run straight at the onrushing Beach in the 69th minute.
As the Wanderers pushed for an equaliser, spaces opened up at the back and the Mariners took full advantage, as Aidan Milicevic slid a pass to Jordan Segreto, who duly finished into the bottom corner.
Simmons was able to slalom his way past Mariners defenders and finished very well past Beach as the clock ticked over 90 minutes, sparking hopes of late drama for the boys in Red & Black. But they were ultimately unable to find the crucial second goal and were left to rue the missed opportunities.
The Wanderers make the short trip to Blacktown City in their next matchup in the NPL NSW competition.
