A brilliant performance from the under-14 squad was the highlight of Bendigo City FC's big weekend of NPL action at the Tom Flood Sports Centre.
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Bendigo City hosted Essendon Royals and Brunswick City in eight under-age matches across Saturday and Sunday and it was the under-14s that sported the biggest smiles of the weekend.
After two draws and six defeats in their opening eight matches of the qualification season, the Bendigo City under-14s outplayed Brunswick City 4-1 on Sunday morning to score their first win of the year.
Goals from Haniel Chirozva, Casper Van Tiggelen, Jimi Read and Alex Johnstone ensured the home side grabbed a well-deserved three points.
The under-18s also broke through for their first win of the season against Brunswick City.
Down 2-0 at the main break, Bendigo City stormed home with one goal to Dylan Baker and two from Lachie Scholtens, including the winner, in a 3-2 victory.
The under-16s also produced a strong performance against Brunswick City.
After a scoreless first half, a brace from Kai Thomas and another goal from Ethan Pope lifted Bendigo City to a 3-1 win.
The highest-ranked of Bendigo City's junior teams, the under-16s are in fifth place on the table with the four wins, one draw and four losses through nine games.
The under-15s went down 3-1 to Brunswick City. Iestyn Cotterell kept Bendigo City in the game with a second-half goal.
Saturday's games against the powerful Essendon Royals were more one-sided, with the visitors winning all four matches.
Essendon won the under-18 game 4-1, with Scholtens the scorer for Bendigo City.
The under-16 game was a 4-0 win for Essendon and the under-15 clash was a 5-0 scoreline.
Essendon won the under-14 battle 9-0.
The Bendigo City juniors have the Easter weekend off. They return to action on Sunday, April 7, with home games against Eltham at Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve.