The Wanderers NPL 2 first grade season came to an end on Sunday afternoon after a 1-0 loss to Mounties at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Mounties winger Michael Jeffrey scored the only goal of the contest, wrapping up what was a competitive final fixture of the season.
The Red & Black started well and in the sixth minute Adrian Valenti was denied by a last ditch challenge after getting on the end of a fantastic pass by Rory Jordan.
There were also shots from Marley Peterson and Presley Oritz in the early stages, while at the other end Wanderers goalkeeper Elliot Carwardine did well to save a shot by Mounties.
As the game ebbed and flowed, Jordan picked out Ali Auglah who sent the ball over the crossbar. In the 27th minute, Carwardine was called upon again, saving comfortably from a Tai Smith header.
Valenti was looking threatening on the left flank and just past the half hour he volleyed over following some good work from Peterson.
With halftime approaching, another good Valenti run led to the fullback whipping a dangerous cross into the middle, but neither Ortiz nor Jacob Vasiliou could take advantage.
The Wanderers nearly fell behind early in the second half, however, Mohamed Al Taay was in the right place to clear a Benjamin Spruce header off the goal line.
Jordan continued his good performance after the interval and the midfielder glided past an opponent before finding Vasiliou, who couldn’t hit the target.
Mounties took the lead on the hour with Jeffrey finishing off a counter attack.
A little over ten minutes remained when Jordan created another chance with a wonderful ball. This time Peterson was the target, but Mounties goalkeeper Blake Tuxford palmed his attempted lob to safety.
Vasiliou got away from two defenders a couple of minutes later, sending the ball over the crossbar and then nearly had one final chance as the clock ticked down, however, the winger was tackled just as he was about to pull the trigger.
The result means the Wanderers finish the season in ninth place. In the earlier matches, the U18s had a comfortable victory while the U20s won 4-3 to finish top of the league.
Mounties 1 (Michael Jeffrey 60’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Western Sydney Wanderers: Elliot Carwardine, Bailey Rule, Mohamed Al Taay, Thomas McPherson, Adrian Valenti, Rory Jordan, Andrea Agamemnonos (c) (Dean Pelekanos 78’), Marley Peterson, Jacob Vasiliou, Ali Auglah (Evan Tsakos 66’), Presley Ortiz (Yousef Sawalha 70’)
Unused substitutes: Oliver Kalac, Nicolas Milanovic
Other results:
U20: Mounties 3-4 WSW
U18: Mounties 0-5 WSW
U16: WSW 1-2 Manly
U14: WSW 3-0 Manly
U13: WSW 3-0 Manly
