We Dig Deep to Earn First Home Victory
We picked up our first home win of the 2026 NPL NSW Men’s season on Saturday afternoon, grinding out a hard-fought 1 nil result over UNSW FC at Seymour Shaw.
Our matchday entrance for the UNSW FC Fixture
It was a tight contest from the outset, with both sides knowing how important the three points were. UNSW threatened first when Jyden Harb tried his luck from a free kick, but the effort drifted over the bar.
We settled into the game quickly after that and started to find our rhythm. Takumi Ofuka had an early sight of goal inside the box but couldn’t keep his effort on target, before we made our pressure count in the 19th minute.
The move started with some sharp build-up through the middle, with Ryley Hollingdale heavily involved before finding Jordan Perez, who stayed composed and tucked his finish into the bottom corner to put us 1 nil up. The goal came from a 13-pass play, a mark of what we’re looking to build upon this year.
The team celebrating Jordan Perez’s goal
That goal gave us confidence, and we looked the more dangerous side for periods of the first half. Richard Shoueiki went close with a stabbed effort inside the box that forced a strong save from Tristan Prendergast, while Danijel Nizic was solid when called upon at the other end.
UNSW pushed for a response before the break, but we stood up well defensively and took our lead into half-time.
The second half had a bit of everything. We broke forward well on the counter through Nicholas Olsen, who slipped Shoueiki in, but Prendergast made the save. Perez continued to cause problems as well, getting in behind again and forcing another good stop.
As the game wore on, UNSW lifted the pressure and threw numbers forward in search of an equaliser. Oliver Puflett and Lachlan Campbell both had half-chances, but we stayed switched on and defended the box well.
Our changes nearly made an immediate impact. Seung Joo Choi came close to connecting with an Olsen flick, before Jacob McLachlan smashed an effort against the left post in what would have been a brilliant way to cap off the night.
We had chances to put the game to bed late as well. Shoueiki was picked out by Tariq Maia in a great position but couldn’t guide his finish on target, which meant there were still a few nervy moments to come.
Richard Shoeiki & Lachlan MacDonald exchanging support
UNSW kept coming in stoppage time, but we held firm, stayed disciplined and saw it out for a valuable three points and our first clean sheet of the season.
A big thank you to everyone who got down to Seymour Shaw. The boys prepare for an away day against APIA Leichhardt, while the rest of the club prepares for our next Home Game against Manly United FC on March 28th, at 5:30pm.