There
was little change in ladder positions in the WPL following Round 16,
but plenty of results that could prove significant come the end of
the season. The University of Melbourne produced a valuable victory
over fellow relegation candidate Eastern Lions, and there were
victories for Cranbourne, Box Hill and Heidelberg. Cranbourne Comets maintained its lead at the top of the WPL ladder by the slenderest of margins, defeating Brimbank by a single goal. The defeat ends Brimbank’s recent run of form, and it remains fifth with 26 points. Cranbourne kept its two-point advantage over Box Hill with its fifteenth victory of the season.
Ballarat and District went extremely close to pulling off an upset result against finals challenger Heidelberg United, but ultimately went down 4-3 against its visitor. It was Ballarat’s highest scoring match of the season, but still not enough to secure any points, and it remains bottom of the ladder. Heidelberg moves to 23 points, but remains in sixth position.
A late own goal denied Bendigo Vipers a share of the spoils at Wembley Park as it went down 2-1 against Box Hill Inter. The defeat prolongs Bendigo’s winless streak, which now stretches to six games. Bendigo slips a place to eighth as a result of the defeat, while Inter stays second, still an elusive two points behind Cranbourne.
South Melbourne also extended its winless run, as a 2-2 draw at Eltham North made it four games without a victory. The point did however lift it a place on the ladder, as it overtook Bendigo to move into seventh. Eltham increases its points tally to sixteen, but remains ninth on the ladder.
The University of Melbourne recorded its third victory of the season, and significantly boosted its chances of avoiding relegation, with a 1-0 win over fellow struggler Eastern Lions. Whilst the University remains in the drop zone, it is now just two points behind the Lions and displaying more promising form. The Lions have now gone eleven games without a win and are in big danger of being overtaken.