The Western Sydney Wanderers NPL 1 side went down 3-1 at Seymour Shaw to the Sutherland Sharks, facing defeat for the first time since Round 14.
It was a disappointing result for the Wanderers, as the Sharks extended their unbeaten run to an unprecedented ten matches.
The Wanderers handed Dallo Sandy his first start of the season and welcomed Antony Barbic back into the lineup at left-back.
The match began with both teams pushing for a quick start, but solid defending from both sides led to a stalemate in the first 20 minutes. Jesse Cameron’s strike in the 9th minute went over the bar, the closest the Wanderers came to opening the scoring.
Yerasimakis Petratos capitalised on a Tristan Vidakovic save, scoring in the 22nd minute before doubling the lead six minutes later with a strike from point-blank range.
The two goals sparked the Wanderers into life as they searched for their first. Awan Lual came within inches of scoring, only to be denied by a diving Daniel Nizic. Julian Cop’s effort before half-time hit the target but failed to trouble the Sharks’ goalkeeper.
The second half began with a wave of Wanderers possession, and Lual clawed one back just four minutes after the restart. Sandy’s pass found the striker one-on-one with the keeper, and he calmly brought the margin back to one.
Tristan Vidakovic made several impressive saves as the Sharks pushed on the counter, but he couldn’t deny Tye McGowan, who rolled home their third past a charging Vidakovic to seal the win.
The Wanderers failed to threaten Nizic in the remaining 20 minutes, as the Sharks claimed their first win since late March. The Wanderers will be disappointed with a poor first-half performance that saw them concede two early goals.
They now face Sydney United 58 at Wanderers Football Park, in what shapes up to be a close contest—history tells of fiery, tightly contested matches between the two Western Sydney rivals.
Despite the loss, the Wanderers’ recent run of form has lifted them away from the relegation zone, though they remain within arm’s reach of the battling sides below.
