FT Round 1 | Melbourne Victory 3-1 Beaumaris SC
If someone had told me when the A league started in August 2005, that Beaumaris SC, from what was then Provisional 2 in Victoria, would be playing the biggest club in the country for competition points... laughter would have been an understatement!
However, there we were at Epping Stadium to watch Beauy play Melbourne Victory (Reserves) for our first NPL game. Conditions were great for the game with cool temperatures and little wind.
The game start was delayed due to the inadequate ground marking, but after some hasty work with spray cans, the kick off went ahead.
Victory dominated possession with their young guns pinging passes around with confidence and Beauy struggling to get a foot hold in the game. The possession turned into a scoreboard positive (had there been one) twenty minutes through the half when a rasping finish tore past Jarrod Hill in the Beauy goal.
The team held on against several Victory attacks but defended well and a couple of breakaways suggested forwards, led by Ryan Brown, could trouble the Victory defence.
Half time 1-0 and well in the game.
After the break Beauy put the foot down and pushed the Victory team back, winning the duels in midfield and suggesting an equaliser could come.
A number of corners caused issues for the A-League club and after a corner on the right a second ball in saw Ryan Brown flick a delightful header into the net. 1-1 after sixty-five minutes!!! Game on.
For fifteen minutes after the goal, Beauy were in the ascendancy with the A-Leaguers pushed back, but we were unable to make the pressure count. On eighty-five minutes a scramble in the Beauy box and a goal for Victory.
Disappointing , but compounded when almost direct from the kick off Victory got away and scored their third on eighty-seven minutes..
Beauy pushed again but were unable to fashion a goal and the game ended 1-3.
A disappointing outcome, but clear that this squad is well placed to be successful in this new division and push on to Goulburn Valley (A) next weekend.
Team; Hill, Dunphy,O Regan, Siamoa, Ellis, Smethurst, Lemke, Pizzirani, Singh, Zanoozi, Brown.
Our u21 team also fought hard against the Victory u18’s but went down but will use the experience to good effect.