Perich strikes late to give Olympic big win
David Perich scored two minutes into second-half stoppage time to give Olympic Kingsway a 1-0 win against Fremantle City in the Men’s State League Division One top-of-the-table clash.
The result at Hilton Park means City's unbeaten start to the season ends at seven games as they drop from second to fourth on the back of this loss and wins for Western Knights and Mandurah City.
Kingsway, meanwhile, have won eight of their first nine games to open a five-point lead at the top. This latest result arrived after substitute Ewen Fawcett teed up Perich to curl home from the edge of the area.
Knights are the second with a game in hand on David Tough's side. They won for the first time in three games 3-0 over bottom side UWA Nedlands.
An under-hit back-pass allowed Noah Shamaki to steal in and open the scoring for his fifth of the season, before Reece Abrams applied a finishing touch from a set-piece on half time.
The sealer was scored midway through the second period when Ben Coulter's scuffed effort was helped in by Paul Lloyd from close range.
Mandurah City moved into third as their scoring spree in 2022 continued with a 9-2 win over Forrestfield United.
The Dolphins have 32 goals in their opening nine games, and it took them just two minutes to get off the mark on Saturday with a nicely worked free-kick scored by Hamish Van Dieken.
Forrestfield then responded and led thanks to two goals in a minute. Rhys Loxley arrived to smash in a follow-up from Alex Mclean's shot, before Andrew Harold netted for the first time this season in spectacular fashion.
But then the wheels came off for the visitors as Mandurah scored eight unanswered goals. Headers from Joe O'Brien and Jake Shaked turned the tide quickly and then Van Dieken made it 4-2 by half-time when slotting into the corner.
O'Brien broke the offside trap for five and Paylor arrived late to guide home a sixth as City put United to the sword. The league's leading scorer O'Brien then followed in his own initial shot to complete a hat-trick and move to 10 for the campaign.
It was left to substitutes Dylan Rogers and Charles Breen to complete the job for rampant Mandurah, who responded nicely to last week's defeat to Joondalup United.
A hat-trick from Michael McDougall, which included a 94th minute winner, gave Dianella White Eagles a precious 3-2 win away at Rockingham City.
Sasa Njegic fed the opener through for McDougall to score inside 15 minutes. The visitors held the lead until the final 20 minutes or so, when Taylor Carter swept home Robbie Galvin's free-kick.
McDougall scored his second from the penalty spot with quarter of an hour left, but Rockingham once again answered with Galvin's dead-ball expertise on show direct from a free-kick into the corner of the Eagles net.
But the winner would be Dianella's second three points of the season and it was provided by McDougall at the death to send the travelling fans wild.
There was a late goal at Murdoch University Melville as well, as they rescued a late 1-1 draw at home to Quinns.
It appeared the visitors were going to register a first win in three when Hayden Doyle converted from the penalty spot. Red cards were shown to each team in the final five minutes, but Tom Pellizzari's looping head from a long free-kick salvaged a late draw.
Finally, Subiaco and Joondalup United played out a goalless draw at Rosalie Park in a result which sees both sides remain in the top half of the league.
In Division Two, Gosnells City moved up to second place and within striking distance of Carramar Shamrock Rovers after a 2-1 win over the leaders on Saturday.
Marc Anthony's side are two points off top spot with a game in hand thanks to Conor Kavanagh's second-half brace, which cancelled out Jack Bardsley's seventh goal in seven games.
With third-place Kingsley Westside's fixture against Wanneroo postponed due to Covid, top-half sides Curtin University, Swan United and Joondalup City all won to tighten up the standings.
Curtin won 4-1 at home to Balga thanks to a hat-trick from leading scorer Kieran Witt and another from Simone Sichel.
All the goals were scored in the first half at Wotton Reserve as Swan United came from two Callum Speed goals behind to win 3-2 at Morley Windmills. Ismael Bangura, Jake Fritchley and John Monterosso all struck in the space of three minutes to turn it around and keep Swan fifth.
Joondalup City extended their unbeaten run to four matches thanks to Harry Clisby's late winner in a 2-1 victory at Ashfield.
Ben Entwistle gave the home side a 41st minute lead at Ashfield Arena, but Liam McGurk's first of the season pulled City level before Clisby also opened his account for the year with a goal two minutes into added time.
The day's other result saw Canning City record back-to-back wins after a 3-2 win at South West Phoenix. Seth Keimba-Waza got the opener, but Rowan Steed's brace gave City the points despite a penalty from goalkeeper Jamie Oakey and Lee Stewart's late consolation.