Round 2 of Central Coast Football’s 2024 competition on April 13 and 14 saw some exciting clashes.
In the women’s premier league, the match of the day saw current league champions Terrigal defeat Umina 1-0.
Entering the fixture missing two of their key central midfield players made a tough game even harder for the home side Umina.
The opening 45 minutes saw Terrigal assert dominance, pinning Umina deep within their defensive third.
Wave after wave of relentless attacks ensued, yet the net eluded the determined Terrigal side, leaving them frustrated despite their relentless pressure.
Lily Brooks marshalled the defence impeccably, consistently thwarting Umina’s attempts to break free and orchestrating smooth transitions to ignite Terrigal’s attacking threats.
While the second half witnessed a more evenly contested battle, it was Terrigal’s perseverance and clinical execution that ultimately secured them the victory.
East Gosford got their season off to a perfect start, defeating Killarney 6-0.
Entering their first competitive game of the year coming off a mid-week Sapphire Cup win, Jorge Chavez’s side showed no signs of fatigue as they recorded three goals within the opening 20 minutes.
Laura Mundy scored their first goal of the season, following it up with a second goal, with the remaining goals scored by Rebekah Peake, Jessica Dominello (two) and Emma Hurley.
Kincumber produced an emphatic win to start the season, downing Kanwal 5-0.
Kanwal did have one or two opportunities, but the resilient defence of Kincumber thwarted those opportunities swiftly.
Kincumber had a dominant possession percentage which resulted in two goals in the first half, one by Captain Emily Smith and the other by striker Helaina Wellington.
It wasn’t until the 65th minute that substitute Olivia Melenewycz made a terrific run down the sideline and crossed for Airley Arnold who scored Kincumber’s third goal of the evening.
Charlotte Heath then scored two brilliant individual goals to take the team tally to five.
In the men’s league, Budgewoi sent a warning to the rest of the competition after keeping Killarney scoreless in all three grades, including 3-0 win in first grade.
Although Budgewoi enjoyed a fair share of the possession in the opening period, a resolute defence line led by Adam Smith made it difficult for them to find the goal and the score remained locked at 0-0 after the opening 45 minutes.
The deadlock was eventually broken 62 minutes in after striker Jay Swadling found the goal.
Budgewoi was able to double their lead through Ty Warby in the 87th minute with Josh Swadling sealing the deal with a third goal soon after.
Berkeley Vale was victorious over the Southern and Ettalong Lions 4-1.
With the Berkeley Vale Wombats leading 1-0 the Lions pressed hard to level the score but Berkeley Vale were quick to react and went into half-time with a 2-0 lead.
The second half continued with a defensive and midfield battle from box to box.
The Lions coaching staff replaced some tired legs with the introduction of Jack Ellwood, Ryan Brown and Nathan Baker providing a little momentum in attack.
But it was Jacob Brownlow who found the goal to give Berkeley Vale a 3-0 lead.
The Lions’ Jack Ellwood fired a powerful left-foot strike from outside the box to take the score to 3-1 but the Wombats closed the game out in the 74th minute taking their fourth goal.
A seven-goal thriller, including six goals in the second half, saw Kanwal account for East Gosford 5-2.
Although East Gosford scored the first goal of the match, Kanwal started the second half strong and Logan Moore evened the score to 1-1 in just minutes.
In the 60th minute, East Gosford took the lead once again with Oliver Vanderslot finding the back of the net.
But the setback seemed to lift Kanwal and within three minutes a penalty was converted by Mason Lavery to make it 2-2.
Kanwal took the lead in the 75th minute as Rory Rizzi dribbled into the box with a super finish to give them their first lead of the day.
Another penalty converted by Logan Moore and a tap-in for William Kember saw Kanwal eventually run out 5-2 winners.
Terrigal defeated Woy Woy 3-2, after finding their feet early and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.
In the 20th minute Jay Lang scored Terrigal’s first goal with James Lee raking up their second.
It did not take the home side long to extend their lead to three in the second period with Aidan Bastick scoring to give Terrigal a 3-0 lead.
As the game progressed and players tired, there was a notable shift in balance in the game, with Woy Woy finding joy in behind the Terrigal defence but missing several chances.
This changed in the 58th minute when the ball fell to Boden Addy who found the goal for Woy Woy, followed by a second goal from Jayke Browne, taking the scoreline to 3-2.