Surf Coast FC wary of weekend opponents

WITH the Surf Coast Senior Women’s team having the week off due to a catch-up round, all focus turned to the Senior Men’s team in their quest to maintain their spot at the top of the State League 4 standings.

The Men’s Senior team recorded a tough come from behind 2-1 win over second last placed Melbourne City at Banyul Warri Reserve on Saturday.

With the visitors leading 1-0 and with just five minutes to go, it appeared as though the upset of the season was about to take place. An 85th minute penalty conversion by Jordan Swaney, however, sparked hope for the home side.

An own goal just three minutes later miraculously saved Surf Coast’s season as an extremely lucky home side ran out narrow winners by the barest of margins.

This weekend, the Coasters turn their attention to the much hyped local derby when they travel to Batesford to tackle fourth placed Bell Park in Round 15 action.

Surf Coast assistant coach Rob Casha is wary of Saturday’s opposition warning his team to not take the Round 15 clash lightly.

“Bell Park is always a tough encounter, especially as it’s a derby. They’ve changed coaches recently, so their players are still out to impress their new boss and they’ll be at home. They lost last week and will be on the rebound, so they’ll certainly be up for it,” Casha said.

Kick off at the Bell Park Sports Club is scheduled for 3pm.

WOMEN’S SENIOR TEAM
THE WOMEN’S Senior team is the outright leader in Gelong Region Women’s Division 2 at the half way point in the season, three points clear of second placed North Geelong.

Following last week’s break, the Coasters return to the field this Saturday when they host second last placed Breakwater Eagles at Banyul Warri Reserve.

Just like the Men’s team, Women’s team head coach Mariela Pocklington is adopting a cautious approach heading into Saturday’s clash with the lowly opposition.

“We are always wary of coming up against teams who may not be winning games on a regular basis as they are hardest teams to beat. This Saturday’s game against Breakwater will be no exception,” Pocklington said.

Kaela Witkowski has been in stunning form this year, netting a total of 19 goals to lead the Division 2 goalscorers’ chart. She will be keen to add to her season’s tally on Saturday.

Kick off at Banyul Warri Reserve is scheduled for 3pm.