NEWS: Battle for top four in Men’s Div 1 heats up after completion of Round 17
By: Lachlan SHIRLEY
THE fight for a top four finish in Geelong Region Men’s Division 1 has really gone up a notch with just two points separating 5th placed Surf Coast from 4th placed Barwon after the Coasters were defeated in Round 17 action last Friday night.
Surf Coast was defeated 2-0 by the Surfside Waves at Shell Road Reserve which resulted in the Coasters falling to fifth position on the league table going into the final round this weekend.
A brace from Adrian Bond ensured the Ocean Grove team, currently second on the league table, added to their season tally of points which now stands at 31.
Surf Coast, meanwhile, is just one point behind Barwon going into the last round. The Coasters are set to take on 6th placed Lara United, who they overcame 2-0 last time they faced the team from Geelong’s northern suburbs
Barwon will be faced with a much tougher assignment when its hosts newly crowned league champions Geelong Rangers at Grovedale Reserve.
At Hume Reserve last Friday night, Barwon increased its chances of a top four finish after defeating third placed Corio 3-0.
Goals from Keegan Maguire, Aiden Timberlake and Hayden Williams helped to gain the three points for Barwon which lifted them into fourth place on the league table.
At Myers Reserve on Sunday, the match between Geelong Rangers and Drysdale ended in a thrillking 3-2 win for the league conquering home side.
A goal each from Matthew Long, Stuart Begg and Troy Hardy helped to secure the victory for Rangers, while Drysdale’s two goals came from Nicholas Hopper and Danny Graham.
In a bizarre set of circumstances, the final two games involved forfeits by the two visiting teams. Barwon Heads forfeit their clash with bottom side Breakwater Eagles, while Deakin Ducks did the same with their clash against Lara United.
The unfortunate forfeit has resulted in the Eagles moving off the bottom of the ladder, to be replaced by Barwon Heads.
By the same token, the forfeit results in Lara leapfrogging Deakin into 6th spot while the Ducks drop to 7th spot on the standings, heading into the final round.
Lachlan Shirley is a young SEDA student, currently doing work experience with FFV Geelong. He will be compiling regular weekly reports on the Geelong Region Men’s and Women’s Division 1 competitions.
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