Round
17 produces another busy weekend in the WPL, with a full complement
of matches, as well as a catch-up game from the previous round.
Ashburton and Keilor Park will both play two matches in two days as
a result, which will prove a real test of their depth and endurance,
and could provide some upsets by the end of the round.The round begins on Friday, with a rare night match at Olympic Park. Box Hill Inter is no stranger to night games, but this time the match is hosted by its opponent, Heidelberg United. Both sides will be keen to take the three points, as Inter can overtake Cranbourne and take top spot, at least until Sunday, with a win, whereas United is looking to close the three-point gap between it and the finals positions. When the sides met at Wembley Park earlier in the year, Inter posted a comfortable 3-0 victory and will be looking for a repeat performance.
Keilor Park travels to Ashburton Park to take on Ashburton on Saturday in the rescheduled Round 16 match. Only one place separates the sides, with Keilor third and Ashburton fourth, but Keilor has an eight-point advantage over its hosts. This match produced goals galore last time the teams met, with Keilor taking the points in a 5-3 thriller and another close, goal-filled match could be on the cards again. With Keilor seemingly assured of finals’ football, it will be trying to make ground on second-placed Inter to secure a better draw, while Ashburton needs to pick up points to ensure it is part of the finals.
Bendigo Vipers hosts Eltham North at La Trobe University Bendigo Athletics Complex on Saturday, in a potentially tricky match that could determine Bendigo’s season. The country side has gone six games without a victory, which has seen it slip down the ladder and possibly out of finals contention. Eltham is one place below Bendigo on the ladder, and forced a draw against South last weekend, so could produce an upset again here. However, Bendigo was successful in the sides’ first encounter, with a 4-2 scoreline.
Current struggler Eastern Lions faces the tough proposition of a trip to Comets Stadium to take on league leader Cranbourne Comets on Sunday. Having lost the crucial relegation battle against Melbourne Uni last weekend, the Lions will know that they need to find some points quickly if they are to extend their tenure in the top flight. But with the Comets having only dropped three points for the whole season, it would seem an impossible task for the Lions to take anything from this weekend’s fixture. Cranbourne will be looking to emulate its previous result against this opposition, when it was a comfortable 3-0 victor.
South Melbourne will be hoping to break its recent run of draws on Sunday, but it welcomes to Henry Scott Oval another side that it shared the points with earlier in the season. Brimbank and South played out an entertaining 3-3 result in Round 6, but now both sides need all three points to maintain contention for the finals. Brimbank has the upper hand at the moment, occupying fifth position, with South six points back in seventh. Brimbank suffered a defeat in its most recent game, ending a run of victories, while South has drawn its last two matches.
Following on from its Saturday match, Keilor Park will host bottom side Ballarat and District at Keilor Park Reserve. Keilor will no doubt be confident of victory, considering it despatched the regional side 7-0 in their previous meeting. However, Ballarat has shown considerable spirit in recent weeks, and was narrowly edged out 4-3 by Heidelberg in Round 16. With Keilor forced to play twice in two days, this could be Ballarat’s best opportunity to upset the competition and take the points.
Ashburton also takes on relegation-threatened opposition in its second match of the weekend, and is at even greater risk of being upset. It travels to Princess Park to meet the University of Melbourne, which is mounting a brave fight for its WPL existence and has moved to within two points of safety. Ashburton defeated the University earlier in the season, but with a relatively close 3-1 scoreline, and the demands of two games in as many days could produce an upset result. The University will go into the game in high spirits, following last weekend’s victory over Eastern Lions which boosted its survival chances.