Report by Tommy Doleman
UWA Nedlands opened a two-point lead at the top of State League Division One after a 3-0 win away at play-off-chasing Kingsley Westside.
Uni’s fourth win in a row, combined with Floreat Athena’s dropped points at Murdoch University Melville, saw them take the upper hand in this season’s title race.
The league’s leading scorer Joe McInnes got the ball rolling on nine minutes when first to react after Isaac Driessen saved Hugo Perez’s shot from 18 yards.
Anthony Dolan’s brilliant curler doubled the lead just past the hour mark and three points were sealed towards the end when Mark Bauersachs beat Driessen to a long ball to score.
Kingsley are sixth after a third loss in four matches and are four points behind fourth-placed Mandurah City in the race for the inter-divisional promotion places.
Floreat, meanwhile, were held to a 2-2 draw away at ninth-placed MUM FC after Tyler Nyabinde’s late equaliser.
Feisal Zaw got the opener for Murdoch on 34 minutes after Devon Lindemann had made a double save to deny Ed Wynne-Willson and Zaw.
Jordan Langley equalised with an excellent chest-and-volley two minutes later, and Athena led on the hour mark when Harry Lewis’ inswinging cross from the right went through everyone in the box.
Langley had a chance to seal it from the penalty spot but saw his effort crash back off the bar. Instead, MUM FC claimed a late point when Adrian Ciampini’s cross was headed in by Nyabinde, a recent recruit from the Perth Glory Academy.
Joondalup City sit third and are seven points off leaders UWA after coming from behind to beat mid-table Quinns 3-1.
Chad Samuels fed a pass to Evan Gurney who curled across the goalkeeper from a tight angle as Nick Jennings’ side led on 34 minutes.
Louis Hadfield’s low drive gave City an equaliser seconds after the second half resumed, before Reece Kral made it goals in back-to-back games with an emphatic finish from the edge of the box.
Harry Edwards tucked away the third after good work down the left from Hadfield as Joondalup City earned a third win in four outings.
Mandurah are two points further back after conceding a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Gwelup Croatia.
Callum Stocks latched onto a long ball and ran in to put Gwelup in front on 26 minutes, but the lead was short-lived with Lachlan Hannah’s right-wing cross headed in by Jordan Callaghan.
Sam Lovell fired in from the edge of the area as Mandurah seize the initiative in the second half with their eight game unbeaten run continuing despite conceding on 90 minutes.
A Stocks shot broke kindly to Oliver Ford whose instinctive turn and strike earned Croatia a point which keeps them six points above the relegation zone.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Inglewood United moved two points off the inter-divisional playoff places following a 2-0 win over Subiaco.
Rostyn Griffiths’ free kick was nodded in Jake Nicholson on 10 minutes for the opener, before Griffiths got himself on the scoresheet with quarter of an hour remaining when planting in a header from Kian Mcguigan’s cross.
Subiaco’s defeat ultimately saw them drop to the bottom of the league on goal difference with Curtin moving up into the relegation play-off spot despite a 4-3 defeat at home to Cockburn City.
Daniel Robinson’s pile-driver got the Cockerels under way on 21 minutes, only for Curtin to level when Jake Ruxton swept home Nathan Smith’s cross at the back post.
Tristian Samson put Matt Bowen through on goal with the forward slotting under Alec Radonich for a second visitors’ lead.
Curtin got it back to 2-2 when a long throw ran for Jai Coker to turn and strike, but there was still time for Luka Caceres to lift in for a 3-2 half-time lead.
Charles Young got a fourth and ultimately deciding goal for Cockburn in the final 10 minutes, while Coker headed in Declan Tanna’s cross for a consolation as Curtin ran out of time.
In Division Two, Rockingham City’s lead at the top was cut to one point after a 2-0 loss at Kalamunda City which was only their third defeat of the campaign.
Kalamunda’s goals were scored by Lorran Almeida and Andrea Erbetta as the back-to-back wins put City goal difference outside of the inter-divisional playoff places.
Carramar Shamrock Rovers in second were able to tighten up things at the top after a 3-2 win at fourth-placed Ashfield. Ravi Raj Singh and Wayne Guest twice had Rovers up in the first half with Michael Mwingira and Jake Melia scoring equalisers.
Lewis Jones got the winner on 48 minutes and they held onto that lead to remain the last unbeaten team in the top three divisions.
Wembley Downs are four points off the leaders after a 4-0 win over 10-man Forrestfield United who dropped to sixth. Toby Robertson got two with Luke Coltman and Mella Noding netting the others, while Joshua Bell’s early red card made the task tough for the visitors.
At the bottom of the league, Gosnells moved four points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at home to East Perth.
Amro Atta and Alex Nawn got the goals in the second win of the campaign for Gosnells with Michael Henry getting the visitors late consolation.
North Beach are second bottom after they crashed to a 5-0 defeat at home to mid-table Morley Windmills.
Brennan Borzecki and Amir Ajan had Windmills two-up inside 34 minutes before Beach keeper Jason Madeuira was shown a straight red card. Isaac Ntow, Hidden Player and a late own goal completed the scoring in the second half.
There was also a goalless draw involving Balga who are three points off the play-offs, and Canning City, who are five points from safety.
