Noah Botic bagged his eighth goal of the season as Western United moved into third on the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder after playing out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Macarthur Bulls.
The visitors started well at Campbelltown Sports Stadium and bagged a deserved opener in the 22nd minute; striker Noah Botic heading home captain Ben Garuccio’s cross from close range to make it 1-0.
The Bulls though responded in style as midfielder Jake Hollman finished off a good team move in the 32nd minute, curling home a fine finish from the edge of the box to level things up.
Western United went into the break in front though as lively winger Abel Walatee slammed home his third goal of the season, dispatching a vicious right-footed shot beyond the keeper in first-half stoppage time.
Western had a glut of chances to kill off their opponents in the second-half but they were made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal; winger Marin Jakolis firing home the equaliser in the 79th minute after a defensive error from Western’s Tate Russell.
Both sides threatened in what was a frantic finish at Campbelltown Sports Stadium however the points were shared.
The point for Western United moves them up into third on the ladder and now a point ahead of Macarthur who sit in fifth place.
Western pressed their opponents high from the off and had a flurry of early chances but couldn’t find a way past Filip Kurto.
First, Abel Walatee stung the palms of the Bulls’ keeper less than a minute into the game with a fierce shot from the edge of the box before the shot-stopper then produced an excellent reflex save to divert the ball away from close range.
Having been much the more aggressive of the two sides Western took a deserved lead in the 22nd minute and it came from the head of the in-form Botic.
Receiving the ball out on the left, Western captain Garuccio then whipped a brilliant ball into the box and onto the head of Botic who thundered his effort beyond Kurto and into the net, despite suggestions he may well have been offside.
Going 1-0 down was clearly the wake up call Mile Sterjovski’s team needed though and they hit back 10 minutes later.
Receiving the ball from Germain, Bulls winger Marin Jakolis dribbled towards the edge of the box and while it looked as though he would go for goal himself, he cleverly laid the ball off for Hollman to side-foot into the top corner from the edge of the area to register his fourth goal of the campaign.
The away side would go into the half-time break the happier of the two sides though thanks to a bit of quality from Walatee.
With Macarthur failing to deal with a loose ball inside the box, Western defender Tate Russell acted quickest, Walatee on the penalty spot and while the winger shaped to shoot on his left he slipped the ball on to his right foot and powered the ball high into the net beyond Kurto.
In the second-half, Western had more of the ball, certainly had more chances and will feel as though they should have put the game to bed even with goalkeeper Kurto in outstanding form.
First, a sumptuous ball across the face of goal was met by the sliding boot of Hiroshi Ibusuki but the Japanese forward could only find the post with his effort before Kurto then made two top saves in the space of a minute.
Making himself big, Kurto thwarted Riku Danzaki when Western had a 3-on-1 break in their favour before he was then called into action almost immediately, sprinting out of his goal to narrow the angle and deny Ibusuki when inside the box.
Those missed chances would eventually cost Western dearly.
In possession down the Western right, full back Tate Russell played a kamikaze ball across his own area and straight to Jakolis who, having brought the ball down, sidestepped the challenge and dispatched the ball beyond Sutton with the aid of a deflection.
Things almost got worse for Western United as Macarthur had the ball in the back of the net in stoppage time but Danny De Silva was in an offside position and the goal was chalked off before the midfielder then rattled the post less than 60 seconds later.
In a frantic finish, Macarthur defender Tomislav Uskok then pulled off an incredible last-ditch block to prevent Luke Vickery from scoring a certain goal.
Jakolis almost had his second of the afternoon deep into stoppage time by goalkeeper Sutton scrambled down to his near post to tip the ball away to safety as it ended all square in the south west of Sydney.
