EIGHTEEN months might have passed since Strathdale clinched the last Bendigo Amateur Soccer League division one championship, but the Blues showed they have lost none of their hunger in their return to the pitch last Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
An impressive Blues, led by an unlikely hero, survived a thriller against staunch rivals FC Eaglehawk, to prevail 2-1 in their first match of the 2021 season.
The Blues came from 1-nil down to clinch a dramatic against-the-odds victory.
FC Eaglehawk quickly found themselves 1-nil up, when Brent Hamblin converted a penalty in the sixth minute.
But following the penalty, both Hamblin and Blues goal keeper Daniel Prince were yellow-carded, in a move that would have mixed consequences later in the game.
The Blues were back on level terms when at the 33 minute-mark, striker Ethan Hunter scored the equaliser with a skilful outside of the foot flick, which found the back of the net.
Strathdale suffered an early blow in the second half when it lost defender Dan Deblauw following a second yellow, reducing the Blues to 10 players from the 49 minute mark.
It did little to halt their momentum, with Sam Farr putting the home side in front for the first time just a few minutes later.
They would be reduced to nine players when goal keeper Prince was given a second yellow card in the 76th minute.
Subbed on as the replacement keeper, Kane Goldsworthy made his presence felt immediately by picking Hamblin's penalty shot perfectly, pushing it to the left to save the tying goal.
Despite having only nine players on the field for the final 18 minutes, Strathdale was able to hang on for a stirring victory over a Hawks team, widely considered to again be the Blues' biggest rival in their bid for a championship repeat.
Blues skipper Dean Vlaeminck praised his players fighting spirit after finishing the match a couple of players down.
"It was an interesting day to say the least, we had our backs against the wall, but were able to come out with the goods," he said.
"It was a good result for the club as a whole, with four wins across four grades. That's as good a way to start the year as any.
"It was good to have all teams back out on the pitch on the one day after COVID."
Vlaeminck gave a special mention to Goldsworthy, whose late cameo ensured the Blues victory.
"His penalty save ultimately earned us the game and him the praise," he said.
"The other standout was Nick Watson, our centre back, he defended well all game, clearing the ball with plenty of headers.
"They were the main two for us probably along with Sam Farr, who scored the winner."
A loss dropped the Hawks to 1-1 after opening their season with an impressive 5-0 win over Moama-Echuca Border Raiders.
They will look to rebound against Golden City, which will be coming off a bye.
Meanwhile, Strathdale will set its sights on a red-hot Epsom, which made the trip to Moama and defeated the Border Raiders 7-1.
The Scorpions led 2-0 at half time, but really poured on the pressure in the second half to power their way to a second win.
Youngster Caleb Sanders was the star performer, finishing with five goals, two in the opening half and three in the second.
Epsom coach Travis Robertson could not be happier with his team's start to the season after such an extended period away from the game due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We put in a long, hard pre-season and have got some players back - they would be the main two things for our form," he said.
"The likes of Cooper Arkinstall, Harley Richardson and James Crawley are the main three.
"To have Caleb Sanders knocking them home was great to watch, he just got fed on that left wing and took on every chance that he got."
It was the second-consecutive big week for Sanders, who produced the winning goal in the Scorpions' 2-1 round win over Shepparton United, and leads all players in the league after two rounds with six goals.
For Robertson, the focus had quickly turned to next weekend's clash against Strathdale.
"It will be a good test just to see where we stand, they are probably the favourites to take it out this year," the coach said.
"It will be interesting, but we should give them a good run.
"Our second halves have been good - we seem to be running out the games competitively."
Following a scoreless draw in round one against Spring Gully United, Shepparton South struck form in an 8-1 win against La Trobe University.
Joel Aitken led the way on the scoreboard with four goals, while Shaun Kane chipped in with two.
At Tatura, Shepparton United upset the home side with a 2-1 win.
David Musafiri and Dinovic Kasongo were the scorers for United, who bounced back after a round one loss to Epsom.
Women
Undoubted big improvers Spring Gully United has continued its brilliant start to the women's championship season with a crushing win at Swan Hill.
The Reds' 10-nil victory was one of three big margins on Sunday.
Strathfieldsaye Colts United piled on the goals in a 14-0 victory over Golden City, while Moama-Echuca Border Raiders defeated Epsom 12-0.
For the second week in a row, recruit Pearl Stevens ignited the Reds, finishing with five goals.
Paige Conder was the only other multiple scorer with two as five players in total hit the scoreboard, including fellow recruit Frances Leach, who contributed two in the previous week's win against Shepparton South.
Spring Gully United coach Simon Smith believes there is no secret to the Reds' stellar early-season form.
"It's hard work, to be honest with you. We've got a lot of new players in the squad and a lot of young players in the squad," he said.
"They are just buying into the philosophy and are training hard and working hard and just doing what's been asked of them.
"And there is a really good team spirit.
"We have a lot of players - there were two who didn't play at all on Sunday - and we had 16 on the team sheet,
"I've made trips before (last) Sunday to Swan Hill with nine players, so it's a testament to the girls that they have really bought into it and are applying themselves. There's plenty of competition for places."
Strathfieldsaye Colts United's 14-0 win was highlighted by five-goal hauls to skipper Rebecca Berry and Maddison Ridsdale, who is one of three players in the league to have scored seven goals so far this season, alongside Shepparton United's Rezwana Baqiri and Maria Villani.
Four of Baqiri's goals came in United's 7-1 win over Tatura, while Villani chipped in with three.
Following a draw against Eaglehawk in round one, Moama-Echuca hit top form in a 12-0 win.
Border Raiders coach Jeff Scott said he was thrilled with his new-look team's development, in particular their strong second half, which produced nine goals.
"I have a very young team - a lot of girls who are too old for the (under) 14s have now come across to the women's rather than playing the under-16 boys, and there are a few who haven't played before," he said.
"They've trained well and just put it together on Sunday - I was very impressed.
"I went from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 (formation) after half time and stacked the midfield a bit and they just kept feeding the balls into the right holes."
Asha Davies and Jessica Demaria inflicted the most damage with five and four goals respectively.
"Asha, in particular, was great," Scott said.
"She's only 15. She was trying to blast the skin off the ball every time she had a shot in the first half, but I had a quick word to her and just said put it in the hole.
"She got it under control and from there kept hitting the back of the net."
Meanwhile, a late goal by Bridget Meadows broke a deadlock to give Strathdale a 2-1 win against Eaglehawk at Beischer Park.
At McEwen Reserve, Shepparton South and La Trobe University played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.
La Trobe came from 1-0 down at half time to force the draw. Elisha Antunov scored twice for South.
READ MORE:
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
