Round
18 should prove a crucial one in terms of top-flight survival, as
the two bottom sides meet in this weekend’s matches. In other
matches, the battle for the finals intensifies, as the teams
currently vying for those positions all face tough matches.Box Hill Inter gets the round started on Friday night when it hosts Eltham North at Wembley Park. Eltham go into the game following a heavy defeat at Bendigo and will need to pick itself up quickly for what will be a difficult match. Eltham will take heart from the last encounter between these sides, when it held Inter to a 1-1 draw, which was the last time Inter dropped points this season. Inter has won all its ten matches since that draw, and will be pressing for victory again, in the hope of snatching top spot from Cranbourne.
Brimbank hosts Bendigo Vipers on Saturday at the Italo-Australian Social Club in a match that will be crucial to determining the finals chances of both teams. Brimbank is currently in the box seat, occupying fifth position on the ladder, a seemingly comfortable seven points ahead of its weekend opposition. However, a repeat of the 7-1 victory Bendigo enjoyed in the sides’ last meeting could open the door for the regional side to sneak into the finals in the last few rounds of the season.
Eastern Lions are increasingly in need of a win, and defeat this weekend could see them drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season. They face South Melbourne, a side they held to a 1-1 draw in Round 7, and a side that is without a win in its last five games. However, the Lions have only registered one point in their last ten matches, but will try and make the most of the home advantage to take something from a game that could well decide their WPL future. For South, with the finals now virtually out of reach, this match presents an opportunity for a much needed win to provide a welcome boost to the team.
Keilor Park looks to have cemented third place with its double victory last weekend, and will look to continue that form when it travels to Epping Soccer Stadium to take on Heidelberg United. Round 7 produced a comfortable victory for Keilor in the sides’ previous meeting, as it scored five goals to its opponent’s one. Heidelberg need a victory in order to continue to push for a place in the finals, but being currently six points adrift of fifth and facing a tough battle this weekend, its chances are fading fast.
Ashburton hosts league leader Cranbourne Comets at Ashburton Park on Sunday in a match that will help determine the finals placing at the end of the home-and-away season. Cranbourne will hope to repeat its victory over Ashburton that it achieved earlier in the season, although perhaps by a greater margin than it managed in a tight 3-2 victory. Ashburton will also be keen for a win, as it is currently level on points with fifth-placed Brimbank, and will be intent on maintaining the higher ladder position to give it some advantage in the upcoming finals.
Ballarat and District takes on the University of Melbourne at Trekardo Park in a bottom of the table clash that will have a major impact on the battle to avoid relegation. Victory for the University, and a favourable result in the Eastern Lions-South Melbourne match, would lift the University out of the bottom three for the first time this year, and could be enough to save it from the drop. A win for Ballarat would lift its tally to four points, and would at least give it an added boost to spur it on in these late stages of the season. History and form suggests that the University will have the slight edge, as it triumph 1-0 in earlier in the year, and has been producing some improved performances of late, but in such a crucial match it will all come down to the most determined team on the day.