*Ex Cyclone Alfred forced the postponement of football in Queensland, while there was no football in NPLM SA, meaning Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United were not in action.
Son of a record-holder inspires outrageous scoreline
Melbourne City’s Under-23 academy side won 17-1 over the weekend.
Yes, you read that right.
City proved too strong for North Sunshine Eagles at U23 level in Victoria’s VPL1.
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It was a truly outrageous scoreline at ctrl:cyber Pitch, where there was a four-goal haul and two hat-tricks as unbeaten City stayed second and within two points of rivals Western United after five rounds.
The star of the show on Sunday was Luke Becvinovski in a stunning display in Casey, while Ahmad Faraz Gulzari and Aaron Cartwright also scored hat-tricks. Isiah Boston and Julian Recchia – the nephew of former Melbourne Victory player Carl – also bagged braces, with Joel Arena, Joseph Pezzano and Oliver O’Carroll rounding out the scoring.
Becvinovski scored four goals in just 45 minutes of action to help fuel the wild result, taking his tally to six goals for the season.
It’s in the genes for the young gun.
Luke is the son of Sash Becvinovski, Victorian football’s greatest post-war goalscorer.
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During his playing career with the likes of Altona Magic, Preston Lions and Green Gully, he scored a record 205 goals. Including his time in the NSL, his total stands at 239 goals.
Meanwhile, Western United continue to top the U23 standings following their 5-0 rout of Bentleigh Greens on Friday night.
Western preserved their 100% record through five games thanks to an Oscar Tanic brace, and goals via joint-top scorer Alex Marmura (six), Abdurahman Omer and Tobias Servin.
Two-goal star Tanic is seen as a “seriously dangerous player with the ability to play in tight spaces and finish from all positions,” Western’s academy director Anthony Frost told aleagues.com.au.
“As he adapts to senior football, we’re hoping he will be able to display what he can do in academy level on a bigger stage.”
Former Green Gully junior Omer, like Marmura and Servin, is also catching the eye in Tarneit.
A midfielder-turned-centre-back, Omer is very calm in possession and is able to make key passes through pressure to break the opposition press.
“We see Aboudi with high potential,” said Frost.
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It was a mixed bag for the senior academy sides in VPL1.
City ran out 2-1 winners over North Sunshine, while Western were beaten 2-0 by Bentleigh.
Alessandro Diamanti’s City leapfrogged Western into second spot and continued their unbeaten start to 2025 thanks to goals via John Kellis and Roland Ballah.
Kellis scored an 88th-minute winner against the Eagles.
In NPLM VIC, Melbourne Victory were beaten by defending champions Oakleigh Cannons 3-0.
Victory are second from bottom with two points from five games.
As for their U23 outfit, they are second and two points off the pace following their first defeat of the season – a 4-3 loss to Oakleigh on Sunday.
Patrick Wall, Aaron Bazenski and Noah Tanfara scored for Victory but it was not enough.
Dominant Mariners have lift-off in NPL
A scholarship duo helped Central Coast Mariners celebrate their first win of the NPLM NSW season.
It was a dominant display from the Mariners, who proved too strong for Sydney United 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Bailey Brandtman‘s brace and a stoppage-time goal from Arthur De Lima guided Central Coast pasted Sydney United in Round 5.
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Brandtman has made 11 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances for two-time reigning champions the Mariners in 2024-25, and 19 across all competitions, scoring once.
Away to Sydney United, the 19-year-old bagged a first-half double, with his opener setup by De Lima.
De Lima, who signed a three-year scholarship contract ahead of 2024-25, completed the scoring in the 95th minute – his second of the campaign.
The 17-year-old has scored once in seven A-Leagues matches this term, while he has also had a taste of AFC Champions League Elite football.
“The boys stuck to the plan, and they trusted their teammates and I think that is the reason we were successful today,” Mariners head coach Lucas Vilela told Football NSW.
“We are building. When you work with young men, it takes a little time to understand the process.
“The confidence is coming back to the boys, and they are trusting their football because they are good players.
“The most important thing is that we continue growing as a team.”
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Central Coast remain bottom of the standings but they are now level with Mt Druitt Town Rangers, Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers, St George City and St George FC on four points.
The Wanderers were upstaged 3-2 by NWS Spirit, while Sydney FC went down 2-0 to APIA Leichhardt.
At U20 level, unbeaten leaders Western Sydney ran rampant in a 7-0 demolition of NWS Spirit.
Tristan Arrarte and Johnny Pavlovic both scored twice in a six-goal first half, while Marko Radovancevic, Luka Knezevic and Georgio Hassarati also found the back of the net.
11th-placed Sydney FC edged APIA 1-0 courtesy of an own goal, while the Mariners – 10th in the table – were beaten 2-1 by Sydney United.
In League One, Bulls FC Academy and Newcastle Jets both celebrated wins.
Zane Helweh continued his fine form with a brace and third goal in two games as the seventh-placed Bulls defeated Inter Lions 3-2 to make it three games without defeat.
Harry Menham scored the winner for Nicolai Muller’s Bulls, who had Frans Deli and Oliver Randazzo in the line-up after helping the Subway Young Socceroos triumph at the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup.
As for the Jets, they conquered Dulwich Hill 2-0 thanks to Ethan Debono and Xavier Bertoncello to sit second in the standings and just three points off the pace.
At U20 level, Atiya Waraga made it six goals in four games to help Bulls FC Academy top Inter Lions 5-0. Lachlan Sattout, Kye Cassar and Ali El-Sabeh also scored.
The Bulls are second and three points behind Newcastle, who were too good for Dulwich Hull 5-1.
Wil Southcombe was at the double, while Jackson Chambers, Amos Okumu and Max Wettig also struck.
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Western Sydney Wanderers make history
It was a memorable weekend for Western Sydney Wanderers.
While they lost 5-1 to Manly United in the Round 1, the fixture represented the club’s inaugural NPLW NSW match.
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Sunday’s matchup marked a “proud milestone in the club’s growing commitment to women’s football”.
The Wanderers fielded a youthful team led by captain Maya Lobo, who alongside goalkeeper Aimee Hall and substitute Gemma Ferris were the only players with Ninja A-League experience.
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Anika Stajcic scored for Western Sydney in the opening half.
Elsewhere, Newcastle Jets suffered a 2-1 defeat to Northern Tigers at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
Formerly known as the Emerging Jets, Newcastle took the lead against the Tigers via India Breier, who won the NPLW NSW Championship with Macarthur Rams last year.
The Tigers, however, rallied to take down the Jets.
As for Bulls FC Academy, they lost 1-0 away to Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
At U23 level, the merciless Wanderers were 4-0 victors over Manly United thanks to a Olivia Vanderlaan double and goals to Hope Cleur and Alyssa Mckenzie.
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Damikah Barwick-Taylor‘s brace guided the Jets past Northern Tigers 2-0, while Bulls FC Academy registered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
