Jarrod MacDonald now has 15 goals this season.
FOOTBALL
Greytown 5
Island Bay 3
An 88th-minute goal by Jarrod MacDonald broke Island Bay hearts as Greytown Fresh Choice continued their run at promotion from Capital Four with an impressive 5-3 win over their hosts at Wakefield Park on the weekend.
Greytown started well at Wakefield Park and had the early lead from a Noah Ingham freekick before conceding just 60 seconds later.
Greytown restored their lead when midfielder Andy Traill was left unmarked in the penalty area to head home from a corner after a period of sustained pressure.
The goal of the game, in what was a high-scoring affair, came just before halftime. Midfielder Nik Finlay spotted the Island Bay keeper just a couple of yards off his line and chipped over him from 40 metres out to give the visitors a handy 3-1 halftime lead.
After a first half largely dominated by Greytown, it was Island Bay who took hold of the game at the start of the second half.
Greytown was lucky not to be pegged back in the opening exchanges of the second stanza but ended up extending their lead to 4-1 when MacDonald got in behind the Island Bay defence to score the first of his goals. The home side didn’t give up though, netting their second goal just after the 60-minute mark and then followed that up with another 10 minutes before the end to set up a grandstand finish. MacDonald’s second, with time almost up, sealed the victory for the visitors.
Jarrod MacDonald was his normal, productive self and now has 15 goals to his credit this season, while Kaspar Szikszai was a constant threat for the Island Bay defence until he succumbed to calf stiffness. Traill and Finlay controlled the midfield, giving the front three plenty of good ball to use in front of goal.
With a couple of key players unavailable, Greytown coach Gary Hewson was pleased with the result, which keeps the team in second place on the table, three points ahead of Petone who they meet in a couple of weeks after Kapiti Coast United head to Soldiers Memorial Park this week.
Athletic dispatch university students
Masterton Athletic 2
Victoria University 1
It wasn’t pretty, but Masterton Athletic picked up a valuable three points in a 2-1 win over Victoria University in Capital division four.
Having produced an admirable performance against runaway competition leaders Wellington United in the previous round, Masterton dropped their standards somewhat and had to battle hard for the points on Saturday.
Masterton started well and scored the first of their goals just five minutes into the game when a deflection off a defender found its way into the back of the net.
However, the students struck back shortly after when a cross to the back post was comfortably headed in.
A sometimes scrappy first half ended in Masterton’s favour when Travis Booth latched on to a loose ball after a bit of pinball in the penalty box to score what would prove to be the matchwinner.
Masterton created plenty of chances in the second half but couldn’t produce the type of finish that rewarded some clever buildup.
The Victoria goalkeeper pulled off a couple of stunning saves to keep the students in the game, and they could have snatched a late draw late but sent a golden chance soaring over the bar.
The Capital Two match between Douglas Villa Magpies and Stokes Valley was postponed until the end of the season after the Magpies team were decimated by covid-19.
United sunk by
Opals’ late goal
Wairarapa United 1
Wellington
United Opals 2
The youthful Wairarapa combination showed plenty of adventure but ultimately couldn’t keep up with a slick Wellington Opals, going down 2-1 in a Wellington women’s division one match on the weekend.
Competing well in the early stages, Wairarapa went to halftime on even terms and took the lead midway through the second half when Vanessa Taylor hit a first-time volley past the keeper.
But United ran out of steam as the Opals pressed and found more gaps in the Wairarapa defence.
Despite their first loss of the season, Wairarapa are second on the points table.
