By: Lorcan MATHEWS

FOLLOWING a string of disappointing results for the 2016 Men’s Division 1 champions, the Deakin Ducks moved into another gear last Friday night to dispatch Surf Coast 7-2 in their Round 3 fixture.

In front of their adoring home fans at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus, the Ducks turned on the style, piling on five goals throughout the second half, courtesy of an Anjelo Ojwiya hat-trick.

It was a much needed statement of intent from the reigning champions and a declaration to the rest of the Men’s Division 1 competition to discount Deakin at their own peril.

Drysdale SC v Surfside Waves SC

TIME/DATE: 3:00 PM / SUN 7 MAY

LOCATION: HOWARD GLOVER RESERVE

SURFSIDE Waves jumped two points clear at the top of the standings after managing to hold off Drysdale and come away from Howard Glover Reserve with a valuable 1-0 victory, following the completion of Round 3 action on Sunday.

Julian Powell was the scorer of the only goal of the match in the 71^st minute. It was a game whereby the result could have gone either way with both teams having several chances to score.

The Waves would have been very pleased with the result, having gone into the clash missing several key players through injuries. They now find themselves with 9 points from the opening three games, two points clear of both Barwon and Breakwater.

Breakwater Eagles SC 1 v 1 Barwon SC

TIME/DATE: 1:15 PM / SUN 7 MAY

LOCATION: WHITE EAGLE HOUSE - PITCH 1

A TOP of the table clash between the hard working Breakwater SC and the highly rated Barwon SC resulted in a hard fought 1-1 draw at the White Eagle House in Breakwater yesterday afternoon.

A stern test for both teams’ ambitions for the 2017 season, Barwon captain Ian Nichols opened the scoring, only for his goal to be cancelled out by Nicholas Clissold for Breakwater.

The league’s two most in-form strikers, Craig Cameron-Smith and Brendan Duthie, were both kept quiet respectively, with both men sitting on four goals in just three fixtures thusfar.

This coming weekend, a fantastic fixture lies in wait for the Eagles as they travel to Surfside, while Dale Harris’ Barwon side will face an equally fascinating duel as they host Deakin Ducks at their Grovedale Reserve home ground, most definitely a fixture to watch this coming Sunday!

FC Leopold 1 v 1 Lara United

TIME/DATE: 11:00 AM / SUN 7 MAY

LOCATION: ESTUARY RESERVE

THE competition points were shared in the battle between newly promoted Lara United and newly formed FC Leopold at Estuary Reserve on Sunday afternoon.

Lara continued its strong start to the Men’s Division 1 season with a much deserved half-time lead, however Patrick Carey’s men in green rallied for FC Leopold to grab an important draw in front of their home support.

Lara remains just three-points off top spot in the Men’s Division 1 ladder, with a distinctly resilient commencement to their campaign proving they are here to not just make up the numbers in the region’s elite Men’s competition.

Barwon Heads SC 2 v 4 Geelong Rangers SC

TIME/DATE: 3:00 PM / SUN 7 MAY

LOCATION: BARWON HEADS VILLAGE PARK

THE reigning Men’s Division 1 runners-up Geelong Rangers registered their first win of the new campaign, triumphing 4-2 away from home at Barwon Heads on Sunday afternoon.

Desperately needing a win to kick-start their season, Zachary Harry was the star performer for the Bell Post Hill based Dark Blues, notching a hat-trick in just his first start this 2017 season.

Mark Smith’s Hammerheads are finding life hard at the moment, occupying last place on the ladder, whilst also conceding 15 goals in just three games so far this season. An away win will be at the forefront of Smith’s squad as they travel to newly promoted Lara United in their Round 4 fixture this weekend.