In a contest that whet the appetite for the finals series in September, the Ibises rallied from 1-0 down to level the scores in the second-half.

Shepparton South was reduced to 10-men for the final 30 minutes after skipper Nathan Radevski was shown a red card.

"I thought both teams had good chances to win it, but both keepers made some good saves,'' Tatura coach Tristan Zito said.

"Shepparton South went down to 10 men, so we were pushing, but they kept pushing as well. It could have gone either way in the end.

"A draw was probably a fair result."

South opened the scoring in the 19th minute when star recruit Craig Carley scored on debut.

The former GV Suns playing coach gave the Tatura keeper no chances when he found the top corner of the net from just outside the box.

Tatura levelled scores 11 minutes into the second half when a free kick from Fraser Gosstray was misjudged by the South keeper and the ball crossed the goal line.

When Radevski was sent off four minutes later, Tatura appeared to have all the momentum, but the Ibises couldn't find another goal to pinch all three points.

The result left Shepparton South with 34 points from 12 games, with Tatura three points adrift in second place.

"We take a point, it was better than nothing,'' Zito said.

"(In terms of the championship) we now have to hope they slip up later in the year.

"We didn't have (key midfielder) Cody Sellwood, who would have made a difference. We had three or four under-18 players on the bench, two of which were 16-year-olds who came on and did a job for us, which was pleasing for us."

At the other end of the table, Golden City celebrated its first win of the season when it defeated Strathfieldsaye Colts United 3-0 at Shadforth Park.

The Rams raced to a 2-0 lead inside the first 21 minutes thanks to two goals from Dylan Baker.

Colts pushed hard through the middle stages to get back into the game, but the Rams defence held up strongly.

The celebrations for the home side started when Hamish Whytock made it 3-0 in the 89th minute.

Three goals in the first half was enough for Eaglehawk to take the points over arch-rival Strathdale at Truscott Reserve on Saturday night.

Brent Hamblin's brace was the catalyst for a win that saw the Hawks consolidate third spot and move to within four points of second-placed Tatura.

Prince Quansah scored the Borough's goal when his corner kick beat the Strathdale keeper at the near post.

"I thought we started the game really well and managed to get a couple of goals from set pieces, which is always nice,'' Eaglehawk coach Keegan Smyth said.

"It was pretty comfortable in the second half... it was good to get some revenge after they beat us the first time we played.

"Hopefully, the top two teams drop some more points and we can get some good results."

For the second time this season Shepparton United came from behind to defeat Epsom 3-1.

Epsom took the lead after just eight minutes thanks to a goal from forward Josh Dwyer.

The Scorpions' inability to hold a lead has been a major problem all season and the trend continued when Joe Worrall and Qader Karimi scored for United in the space of eight minutes midway through the first half.

Daniel Pendovski made it 3-1 for the home side 14 minutes into the second-half.

Shepparton United is in fourth place with 25 points - two behind Eaglehawk.

Epsom faces an uphill battle to qualify for the finals. The Scorpions are in seventh place, four points behind Spring Gully which holds sixth spot and the last berth in the finals.

Spring Gully picked up three crucial points thanks to a 2-0 win over La Trobe University.

Flynn Hartigan opened the scoring for the Reds thanks to a penalty in the 20th minute, while Harry Pilkington doubled the lead midway through the second-half.

Strathfieldsaye Colts United were the big winners in League One Women round 10 action without kicking a ball.

Colts collected all three points in a forfeit win over Strathfieldsaye Colts United and moved three points clear in the race for the championship when second-placed Spring Gully lost 4-0 to Shepparton United.

Leading by three points and a sizable goal difference, it's hard to see Colts losing the championship from here.

Shepparton United is equal on points with Spring Gully thanks largely to a brilliant individual performance from Tara Ambrosini.

Ambrosini scored all four goals in United's best win of the season.

United is in third place on 19 points - two goals behind Spring Gully on goal difference.

Eaglehawk went agonisingly close to recording its first points of the season.

The Hawks took the lead against Strathdale when Rikki Ross found the back of the net in the 21st minute.

The Hawks held the lead until 11 minutes into the second-half when Lucy Teale gave Strathdale a much-needed goal.

The scores stayed tied until five minutes before the final whistle when Teale scored the match-winner for the Blues. The victory lifted Strathdale to within four points of the top four and a finals berth.

The women's championship season takes a break this weekend, with the third and final round of the women's League Cup to be played.

On Saturday afternoon, Eaglehawk hosts Strathdale and Shepparton United is away to La Trobe University.

On Sunday, Spring Gully is at home to Strathfieldsaye Colts United.

Colts heads the pool one ladder with six points from two matches, with Spring Gully second on four points. The winner of this Sunday's game will top the group.

In pool two, Strathdale is on top on goal difference from La Trobe Uni, with Shepparton United winless through two games.

A date for the women's League Cup final is yet to be announced.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: