Up 2-0 at half-time against Boroondara-Carey Eagles, the Orangemen were coasting to a much-needed victory on away soil in the Victorian Premier League Two on Saturday.
Then, a modern-day calamity came a-knocking in the second half at the Wilcox Field.
Despite adding another to the tally, the Suns shipped four goals to go down 4-3 and enter the relegation zone for the first time in 2024.
The 20 or so minutes of mayhem thrust the Suns into the Eagles’ clutches, the hosts completing the great escape and leaving the Orangemen empty-handed ahead of a long journey back down the Hume Hwy.
Although, Saturday’s full-time feeling was night and day to that experienced at half-time.
Even as early as two minutes in, the Suns were bouncing.
Jake Rumble chipped a long ball down the left hand side in the direction of Declan Kinnane, who bumped off his defender, drove into the box and beat the keeper at the near post for 1-0.
It was clear Boroondara’s weakness was its right side, as 20 minutes later, the avenue to goal there reopened once more.
Suns winger Sean Grant skinned his marker and delivered a dangerous ball into the box, which was only half-cleared before Callum Schorah strode in and wellied it home from the edge of the 18-yard box.
There was little to complain about at the break from the visitors’ perspective.
It was only once the game ticked over the hour mark that chances began to flow thick and fast and, this time, it was Boroondara’s turn.
The Eagles were afforded time and space to ghost into the Orangemen’s box, with a square ball finding Jacob Colosimo who cut the ball across Niki Kitabatake and in for 2-1.
Less than 10 minutes later, it was level following a scrappy bit of play inside the Suns’ box.
An Eagles arrow whizzed low which forced a diving save from Kitabatake only for Colosimo to tap it home on the rebound to restore parity.
The end-to-end nature of the second half continued as Schorah, whose fingerprints seem to be on most of the Suns’ goals this season, found Noah Cicoria from a corner, with his bullet header pushing the Orangemen ahead once again.
However, this was as good as it got for Craig Carley’s side.
The Suns failed to clear an Eagles’ long throw into the box which led to Dillon Lomas getting aerial and launching a side-volley into the net from six yards out.
In the 83rd minute, Boroondara broke on the counter down the right hand flank, driving a ball into the corridor of uncertainty.
Alex McLean reacted quickest, sweeping it home to win the game and yank a point from beneath the Suns’ noses.
Saturday’s heart-breaking loss pushes Carley’s side down to 11th, one point from safety from relegation with seven games remaining in the season.
The Suns return to McEwen Reserve this weekend to face FC Melbourne Srbija, ending their stretch of seven consecutive away games.
