Bettered by the Wolves while you turned Seymour Blue

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Blue Day at Seymour Shaw. The sea of blue in the stands, the energy from the kids, and the support from our community were unforgettable. We didn’t get the result we wanted, and yes, it stings. But your presence reminded us what we’re playing for.

Wollongong opened the scoring early, earning a penalty in the 6th minute after Flynn Madden was tripped in the box. Former Shark, Nicholas Olsen, converted the penalty into the bottom right corner.

Just moments earlier, we’d done well to clear an early effort off the line, but it set the tone for a fast and physical start.

Danijel Nizic produced a strong save in the 16th minute to deny Masciovecchio, and while we held firm under pressure, we started to find some rhythm through the likes of Tariq Maia and Jordan Roberts down the right.

In the 33rd minute, Roberts’ cutback found Maia, but his shot flew just over. Four minutes later, Madden created space for Wollongong before feeding Lachlan Scott, but Nizic again came up big with a phenomenal stop.

We responded quickly. In the 38th minute, Leo Mazis connected sweetly on the edge of the area, firing just wide. A minute later, Maia’s left-footed strike rattled the crossbar, a huge moment in the match. Unfortunately, we were punished almost immediately, with Olsen crossing for a questionably offside Masciovecchio to tap in at the far post (41').

Trailing 2-0 at the break, we regrouped and came out fighting.

Maki Petratos tested Daniel Solsky with a curling effort in the 49th minute, before Maia had a golden chance just minutes later from a well-worked free kick, again denied by the Wollongong keeper.

In the 68th, Mazis surged forward and let fly from the right, forcing another brilliant save from Solsky. From the resulting corner, the ball came within centimetres of crossing the line, but somehow it stayed out.

As we pushed higher in search of a breakthrough, we were caught out in the 86th. A long ball found Olsen, who finished from a tight angle to make it 3-0.

Even then, we refused to let the game die. In the 91st minute, we earned a penalty, and Petratos stepped up with confidence to bury it into the top left corner. A deserved goal, and a small reward for a performance full of effort and intent. Maki added another notch to his belt as our top scorer this season.

The final whistle ended a tough night, but with other results going our way, we remain alive in the fight. We don’t want to rely on others, though. It’s on us now, and the focus immediately turns to next weekend’s clash with St George City FA.

We'll be back at training this week, head down and sleeves rolled. Thank you again to our incredible supporters. We felt the love on Blue Day, and we’ll keep fighting for you, and with you.

NPL Men's NSW Round 25 Highlights – Sutherland Sharks v Wollongong WolvesWatch on YouTube