CVL | South scores a perfect 10, eight is great for United

South put in a 10-out-of-10 performance against Strathdale on Sunday as it earned a dominant 10-1 win over its western foes.

It was an assertive result for league leader South which bounced back from a 2-2 draw against Shepparton United the week before in emphatic fashion.

South coach Rob Harmeston said getting off to a fast start against Strathdale was a key focus and his players delivered.

Nicholas Mori scored the game’s first goal six minutes into the contest and the strong early form carried on.

“I thought last week against United that we started really slow. We didn’t get going until about 40 minutes in,” he said.

“One of the things I really wanted this week was us to come out of the blocks and we scored three goals in the first 15 minutes. We took advantage of a few things and kept scoring goals.

“In the second half the boys were untouchable, to be honest. They really played well, it was really enjoyable to watch.

“Last week was frustrating against United because we did have a lot of chances towards the end, but we didn’t take them. This week we were taking our chances, which was good to see.“

Mori – who found the back of the net four times at Strathdale Park – was one of six individual goal-scorers for the black-and-whites.

Joel Aitken, Sean Grant, Brent Barassi, Jamie De Smit and William Keenan were on the score sheet as well.

“Nick Mori was just unreal, it was like he was floating around, he was brilliant,” Harmeston said.

“He has started the season so well. From where he was last year to where he is now, it is a joy to watch.”

While a nine-goal victory was certainly a boost, Harmeston said the performance was about more than the final score.

“For me, it is more about the process. I want us to play football and I want us to enjoy playing football,” he said.

“I think it is important that we go into each game thinking about the process of what we are trying to achieve rather than how many goals we can score.”

Lucky number eight

Eight was great for Shepparton United as it too had a big win at the weekend, blitzing Strathfieldsaye Colts United 8-2.

The Colts were yet to win a game in 2023, but it seemed like an upset might be on the cards early when Godwill Basha put Strathfieldsaye in front six minutes into the encounter.

But the goal merely served as a wake-up call, with United responding in impressive style.

Parity was restored five minutes later thanks to Ermal Marku before an additional three goals in the next 15 minutes – two from Toby Azhar and one from Lee Blackburn – had the Blues in front 4-1.

That was the scoreline at half-time and United’s domination continued after the break.

Azhar scored twice more, while goals from Mohammad Reza Baqiri and Ryan Brooks capped an 8-2 win.

Ibises bounce back

Tatura rounded out a perfect weekend for Greater Shepparton’s league one sides, cruising past Spring Gully United 3-0.

A first-half strike from Aiden Resul gave the Ibises a 1-0 lead at the break, with second-half goals from Reece Reedy and Cody Sellwood rounding out the result.

It was an important win for Tatura following a 1-0 defeat to Epsom the week prior.

Tatura lost one game all season in 2022, but the Ibises have already exceeded that mark in 2023.

The win against Spring Gully was Tatura’s second of the year and has it in fourth spot behind South, Shepparton United and Epsom.

Meanwhile, Epsom defeated Eaglehawk 1-0 in the other match.

In league two, eight was the lucky number for Shepparton as well as it prevailed over Deniliquin Wanderers 8-3.

It was Shepparton’s second win of the season and lifts the team into fourth spot on the table.

Josh Dimit scored five goals for Shepparton, while teammate Donny Stojanovski netted a brace. Haider Alhamzah was also on the score sheet for Shepparton.

Fellow league two side Shepparton Jaguars had the weekend off with the bye.