In division one, FC Eaglehawk and Tatura found the back of the net regularly, while Epsom upstaged league power Shepparton United.

In the women's championship, the highlight was Spring Gully United's thrilling 3-2 win over Shepparton South.

FC Eaglehawk cruised to a 5-0 win in its season-opener against Moama-Echuca at Truscott Reserve on Saturday night.

It was a vastly different looking starting 11 than what the Borough has fielded in recent years, but there's still more than enough quality on the pitch to ensure the Hawks will be around at the pointy end of the season.

Jesse Parker was the star of opening night, scoring a career-best four goals, while Alex Caldow slotted home a penalty in his first game back from a knee reconstruction in early 2019.

"We scored a couple of goals early and then we probably became a bit too relaxed and the intensity dropped off a bit for the rest of the half, which was disappointing,'' new Eaglehawk coach Keegan Smyth said.

"We probably should have scored quite a few more, but overall I was pretty happy.

"Jesse Parker was fantastic with his four goals and we had quite a few new young boys play their first game for the club.

"We had Alex Caldow play his first game for two years and he was really good. It was fantastic to have him back."

Echuca-Moama fielded a very young side in round one and will regain some key players in the next few weeks.

Eaglehawk has been strong in its push to play more games on Saturdays instead of the traditional Sunday fixtures.

Smyth said the decision to play the season-opener under lights on Saturday night had paid dividends."

"After such a long break it was nice to get back into the swing of things,'' Smyth said.

"Playing Saturday night was awesome. We had a big crowd and there was a great vibe around the club."

The talk around soccer circles leading into round one was that Tatura would be the big improvers in 2021.

Sunday's 9-1 win over La Trobe University justified the early season hype.

The visitors found the back of the net five times in the opening 33 minutes before La Trobe tightened up in the middle of the park.

However, Tatura broke through again early in the second half before another three-goal burst in 12 minutes from the midway point of the second half ensured the scoreboard looked very ugly for the home side.

Skipper Cody Sellwood and Kyle Minicozzi both netted hat-tricks for Tatura.

"We didn't know what to expect from La Trobe, and they were competitive, but we played well and it was pretty flawless,'' Tatura coach Tristan Zito said.

"The boys moved the ball well and we were clinical (up front). It was disappointing not to finish with a clean sheet, but La Trobe did have a couple of players that caused us some trouble."

Tatura bolstered its squad in the off-season by adding former NPL midfielder Cooper Goostray.

"We basically have the same squad as we did a couple of years ago, but the younger guys have matured and they have bigger bodies,'' Zito said.

"We definitely don't see ourselves as favourites, we just want to be competitive."

Spring Gully United produced one of the better performances of the round when it held Shepparton South to a 0-0 draw.

Back in division one after missing the 2019 season, the young Reds played well against one of the best performed teams of the past few seasons.

"The boys worked hard from start to finish and it was a great effort to get a draw,'' Spring Gully coach Tony McQuillan said.

"We had our moments where we could have scored, but Shepparton South probably had the better chances. Our goalkeeper Patty (Watson) had a good day."

McQuillan said Spring Gully's division one squad on Sunday had 11 debutants.

"We had a few 17-year-olds and a couple of 15-year-olds, so for them to play like that against mature bodies was a great effort,'' McQuillan said.

"It was a great experience for them and they stuck at it all day against a mature, experienced side. The boys didn't back down.

"People have probably written us off a bit because of our age, but we're not thinking like that. It was a good start."

Not many teams return from an away clash with Shepparton United with three points in the bank.

Epsom achieved just that on Sunday, scoring an impressive 2-1 win.

After missing several chances in the first half, the Scorpions opened the scoring via an own goal early in the second half.

United star Ermal Marku levelled the scores in the 65th minute, but the Scorpions responded strongly and three minutes later scored the winner after a fine pass from Kyle Smith set up Caleb Sanders to fire home past the keeper.

"The boys didn't drop their heads when United equalised and we got the next goal and we probably should have had more,'' Epsom coach Travis Robertson said.

"I felt as though we dominated 75 per cent of the game, so it was a good performance...we just need to finish off our chances."

With "eight to 10" new players at the club in 2021, Robertson has high hopes the Scorpions will push for a top-four berth.

"We have huge numbers at the club and more depth,'' he said. "Round one was about seeing where we were at...after the result we had there's no reason why we can't chellenge higher up the ladder."

Spring Gully United could be the big improvers of the BASL women's championship after it upstaged Shepparton South 3-2 in round one.

Under the guidance of new coach Simon Smith, the Reds stunned the visitors by scoring three times in the first 20 minutes.

Recruits Frances Leach (twice) and Pearl Stevens were the goal scorers for the home side.

The Reds then withstood a spirited second-half fightback from a Shepparton South side that scored twice in seven minutes to set up a tense final 20 minutes.

"Historically, we've started slowly, so I told the girls that they had to start well and put a marker down quickly,'' Smith said.

"That's what they did in the first half and they played very well. In the second half...credit to Shepparton South they put a lot of pressure on us. The pleasing thing was we gave up two goals, but then the girls really dug in after that and showed some determination.

"We ended up sneaking the win which was great for the girls. I think that's the first time we've ever beaten Shepparton South. The girls were ecstatic."

Strathdale and Strathfieldsaye Colts United played out a thrilling 2-2 draw.

The Blues took the lead twice through Aimee Griffiths and Lucy Teale, but on both occasions Colts bounced back strongly.

After spending the first half as goalkeeper, Maddie Ridsdale was swung into attack in the second half and she scored two crucial goals, including the crucial final goal in the 85th minute.

"It was a very good match, played at a very quick pace - maybe too quick,'' new Strathdale coach Wayne Robertson said.

"I think Colts have got a very strong squad and they'll be right up there, so it was a good result for us.

"Our squad is developing and I think we'll improve as the year goes on."

Golden City started the season with a brilliant 7-0 win over Swan Hill.

The Rams' strikers found plenty of space in attack and made Swan Hill pay.

Caitlin Laing found the back of the net three times, while Letesha Bawden and Shwe Zin Nin scored twice each.

Eaglehawk looked in control of its clash with Moama-Echuca when Grace Edlin opened the scoring in the 15th minute of their clash at Truscott Reserve.

The Hawks held that lead until the 62nd minute before the visitors equalised through Carissa Hamilton.

Both teams pushed hard to score in the final 25 minutes, but the deadlock couldn't be broken and the teams had to settle for a point each.

High scoring was the order of the day in the final two matches of the round.

La Trobe University won 8-0 over Tatura, while Shepparton United scored a 10-2 win over Epsom. Maria Villani (four goals) and Rezwana Baqiri (three goals) were on target for United.

FC Eaglehawk 5 (J. Parker 4, A. Caldow) d Moama-Echuca 0

Tatura 9 (C. Sellwood 3, K. Minicozzi 3, J. Leocata 2, L. Nash) d La Trobe University 1

Epsom 2 (S. Sharifi (OG), C. Sanders) d Shepparton United 1 (E. Marku)

Spring Gully United 0 dr Shepparton South 0

Spring Gully United 3 (F. Leach 2, P. Stevens) d Shepparton South 2 (J. Barassi, A. Rowan)

Strathdale 2 (A. Griffiths, L. Teale) dr Strathfieldsaye Colts United 2 (M. Ridsdale 2)

Shepparton United 10 ( M. Villani 4, R. Baqiri 3, T. Cameron, F. Abbasi, T. DePalma) d Epsom 2

Golden City 7 (C. Laing 3, L. Bawden 2, S. Nin 2) d Swan Hill 0

FC Eaglehawk 1 (G. Edlin) dr Moama- Echuca 1 (C. Hamilton)

La Trobe University 8 d Tatura 0

FC Eaglehawk 3 d Moama-Echuca 0 (on forfeit)

Tatura 7 (B. Gannon 2, I. Uguz 2, T. Bordignon, B. Corso, M. Rossignuolo) d La Trobe University 0

Epsom 5 (N. Collins 2, T. McLennan 2, J. Christensen) d Shepparton United 2 (L. Tuyisabe, A. Reuben)

Spring Gully United 5 (L. Wight 2, M. Dawson, E. Leach, A. McMillan) d Shepparton South 4 (L. Tweedie 2, B. Barassi, A. Kings)

Strathdale 3 (J. Clayton, H. Dealy, S. Boxshall) d Strathfieldsaye Colts United 0

Golden City 3 (E. Nger 2, Z. Abbott) d Swan Hill 2 (N. Jones, C. Brown)

Moama-Echuca 5 (B. Metcalf 2, J. Bavich, M. South, J. Mawson) d FC Eaglehawk 1 (T. Keetelaar)

Strathdale 5 (K. Ralston 2, D. Jupp 2, R. White) d Tatura 3 (A. Niglia 3)

Golden City 3 (T. Caffrey, S. Htoo, S. K'ya) d Swan Hill 2 (E. Fox)

Shepparton South 3 (N. Mori, B. Hanning, J. Kafwija) d Spring Gully United 0

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