Maccabi trouble soaring Eagles
QUALITY is the word that comes to mind to describe last Sunday's match of the week in round 8 of the Victorian State League 2 Southeast men's football competition
QUALITY is the word that comes to mind to describe last Sunday’s match of the week in round 8 of the Victorian State League 2 Southeast men’s football competition at Carey Sports Complex.
It was a much-anticipated clash between the undefeated ladder leaders, the Boroondara-Carey Eagles – who had only conceded two goals so far this season – and the competition’s best attacking unit, North Caulfield Maccabi, who had scored 18 goals.
Armed with the competition’s top goalscorer Daniel Sacks (nine goals in seven matches) and the fifth highest scorer Yonnie Lipshatz (five goals), Maccabi began the game with confidence.
It took only six minutes for Lipshatz to score from close range, just seconds after the Eagles’ keeper deflected a powerful strike by Sacks.
That only fired things up, with both teams playing entertaining, end-to-end football, but without troubling the scoreboard attendant until the 33rd minute, when the Eagles equalised through a solid header after taking a corner.
Maccabi and the Eagles exchanged scoring chances and half chances for most of the second half, with Sacks, Lipshatz and Josh Hodes heavily involved, while Maccabi’s keeper Liam Reeves made two important saves.
A 77th-minute goal by the Eagles got their noses in front, and a final-minute missed chance by Maccabi sealed Boroondara-Carey a 2-1 victory.
Despite the loss, North Caulfield Maccabi remain in fifth spot in the 12-team competition – just one point behind Brandon Park FC – and captain Josh Braver will take plenty of positives from the match, including a much-improved defensive effort, into this Sunday afternoon’s match against the Doncaster Rovers at Caulfield Park.
The Maccabi Reserves are not faring quite as well, losing 0-3 last weekend to the first-placed Eagles, which was a disappointing result following their 3-3 draw the week before against the Monbulk Rangers. They sit in 10th place on one win, four draws and three losses, and take on fifth placed Doncaster next.
Maccabi’s team in the Metro League 2 Southeast competition are coming seventh after going down 0-2 to first placed Old Scotch Blues.
SHANE DESIATNIK
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