WOLVES EARN A POINT IN DRAW WITH TOP TEAM, SPIRIT

2025 NSW NPL MENS 1 MATCH REPORT

ROUND 28

 WOLLONGONG WOLVES v NWS SPIRIT  

WOLVES EARN A POINT IN DRAW WITH TOP TEAM, SPIRIT

The Wollongong Wolves bounced back to some extent from losing to the bottom of the league team in the previous round  to draw 1-1 with  the top team,  NWS Spirit in Round 28, This team, which has been a bit of a bogey team over the years, and  this result  is only the second time a draw has emanated between the two sides. The goals were achieved by Alex Masciovecchio (WW) and Takumi Ofuka (NWSS) in the first and second halves respectively.  The match saw the Wolves playing well in the first half with Spirit shading the Wolves in the second stanza.  A send-off occurred  to a Spirit player  late in proceedings and the Wolves rattled the cross bar, and later Ofuka had a chance for a brace but skied his effort. A short duration melee happened and one player from each club was spoken to, but no yellow cards were shown at this juncture.

The match began with Spirit kicking off with the Wolves facing the southern end of the ground in very chilly conditions after an arctic like breeze blew across the pitch from the west. The Wolves Sebastian Hernandez, with his first start for many matches made a dash down the right in the early seconds before centring. The Spirit defence coped and at the other end Yu Okubo who had scored twelve goals so far this season lost out as a header from the Wolves central defender, Banri Kanaizumi defused the situation. Hernandez caused a few problems for the Spirit down the right side with his sharpness on the ball. On his second sojourn , he was barrelled over by Spirit’s Simon Nicholas. On five minutes, Hernandez ran onto a through ball  but was tackled for a corner kick to ensue, but nothing came of it.. Another attack saw Nicolas being dispossessed by Ben Giason. Later, Giason was at again intercepting Wolves former player , Ofuka , who was looking for a scoring opportunity. A minute short of the quarter hour, Lachlan Scott put the ball towards the Spirit goal, but the custodian Christopher Marques took it gratefully. Dylan Ryan blocked a cross determinedly and a corner kick ensued. It was punched out by the Wolves’ custodian Daniel Solsky.

The match saw both teams trying to gain the ascendancy with some passes from both teams not going to where the perpetrator deigned with others being intercepted by the opposition which affected the smoothness of each team’s operation.

On nineteen  minutes, Masciovecchio twisted and turned close to goal looking for space to shoot but was ultimately denied. Scott lifted the ball over a defender and Marques gained possession. A minute earlier, Spirit’s Jamie Percival hit the ball first time after a free kick. dispatching  his shot low but it traversed by the post, showing that players other the goal triumvirate of Ofuka, Okubo and Konestabo who have scored thirty-six goals between them could have a go.

Masciovecchio was not going to be silenced though,   and in the twenty-fourth minute he scored. Scott ‘s reverse pass allowed Nicholas Olsen space, and  he sent a good pass to find Hernandez. With Grant Cornwell  at the ready to tackle,  Hernadez took a touch before he got his shot away from the right at an acute angle inside the penalty area. Marques went to his right to save with his left hand, but  the ball ran loose to the other side of goal. Olsen tried to get a touch as Jamie Percevski slid in. Neither did,  however,  and Masciovecchio was thee at the right post to slot the ball into the goal. The Wolves had hit the lead.

Spirit was stung a looked for an immediate reply. Nicholas whipped in a delightful cross only for Kanaizumi to get there first and head away but concede a corner kick. The Wolves had some trouble clearing but pressure was alleviated when a Spirit  shot sailed out for a goal kick.

Two minutes short of the half hour, Okubo drove wide when he had a gilt-edged opportunity with Solsky getting his fingertips to the ball by pushing it around the lower end of the post.  At the opposite end, a Scott header traversed wide following a Hernandez rampaging run.

Three minutes later, Buesnell headed out with deft positioning as Okubo lurked. With eight minutes left of the first instalment, Cornwell, the central defender and captain of the Spirit lost possession to Hernandez who subsequently steamed  forward and shot, only for Marquez to intervene by pushing the ball away to safety.

At the break, the Wolves held a slender lead  after playing some good football. Spirit had their chances, but many were spurned or saved.

The Spirit were going to show that they were not on top without hard work and searched for an early second half equaliser as Takami endeavoured to provide an incisive pass that Buesnell saw the danger of and intercepted immediately. However, Spirit, a team with only two nil games during 2025, were not going to add a third. For the equaliser, Andre Takami picked up a loose ball   and moved from his own half into the Wolves’ territory just over the halfway line, before sending a pinpointed pass that split to defence to Ofuka. He scurried between Buesnell and Giason and as Solsky left his line, Ofuka calmly pushed the ball to inside the left post.

As the second half wore on, both teams  sought a winner with the Spirit maintaining  their influence in the Wolves’ territory and providing more goal attempts  Ofuka was causing headaches and in seventy-eighth minute, he  put the ball over as Solsky dived at his feet. .Indeed, the Wolves were as well, as earlier in the fifty-eight minute, Scott caused consternation  when close to goal before Percevski cleared and later a Giason attempt went skywards. Not long players rushed in as a melee developed. Oreder was restored and play resumed. Another ball from Ofuka was taken by Solsky  and substitute, a  lively Raphael Le’ Ai whacked his effort onto the crossbar after there was lot of movement in the location. This very close for a Wolves’ winner, though it was not to be.  With ten minutes to go, Solsky‘s clearance went straight to the opposition and Okubo provided a top shot on target.  Solsky went down to deny making up for his earlier error.

With minutes to go, Konestabo had an opportunity to put his team ahead.  However, his shot from the left went straight to Solsky.

In time added on, Percival received a second yellow card and then a red one with his team finishing the encounter with one less personnel.

The match concluded and it was one goal apiece.  NWS Spirit remain in the pole position  with a point ahead of the second placed side.,  notwithstanding with a game in hand, while the Wolves occupy eight position,  three points behind  the sixth placed team and  one point off  the  seventh placed team . Next week the Wolves play Marconi and a winning result in this match would assist as long as other results went their way.

Impressive central defender Harrison Buesnell –‘Yeah, the first half was really good we were solid defensively . The second half was not as good; a couple of mistakes  It was a game that could have gone either way….  Ofuka is a good player, tricky in space and hard to mark. It was a good run from him, though personally, I should have tracked him back better. It was good ball from Andre who used to play here as well….We could have defended better. We had a few good chances this game and we got a point, and we have a few more games.’

Captain Lachlan Scott –‘It was pretty disappointing (not to win) . I thought it was a good performance, but we could not collect the points when we needed them, we strung the ball together pretty well and played some good  football and just that final pass or that final finish we could not put them away …..They scrambled well  but it does not take away the fact that we probably should have scored a few more… We got a point, but we needed three,  but we will take it, and we have two games left  to go and anything can happen, and we just have to keep looking forward….On another day a point would have been (Playing the top team)  good but we needed the points.’

 

MATCH STATISTICS

WOLLONGONG WOLVES F.C………1

Alex Masciovecchio 24’

 

NWS SPIRIT. …………………………..1

Takumi Ofuka 49’

 

@ Macedonia Park, Berkeley.

SATURDAY 16^th   August  2025

6.00 p.m. kick off.

WOLLONGONG WOLVES

Coach: Julio Miranda

13.Daniel Solsky, 2. Harrison Buesnel, 4. Dylan Ryan 5. Banri Kanaizumi , 11. Sebastian Hernandez (77. Raphael Le’ai  66’) 17. Marcus Beattie 21. Nicholas Olsen, 23. Flynn Madden( James Anagnostopoulos 82’) ,  24. Lachlan Scott (Capt.) 85’), 25. Alex Masciovecchio (11. Sebastian Hernandez 65’),  29. Ben Giason.

Substitutes Not Used: 1. Oliver Yates GK, 8. Sebastian Duarte, 10. Liam Ball,  15. Dax Kelly.

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

 

NWS SPIRIT

Coach: David Perkovic

1. Christopher Marques, 5. Jordan Perez, 4.Brodie Smith (11. Ollie Wiggin 72’) , 7. Frankie Ljucovic (6. Corey Kavanagh 72), 8. Grant Cornwell (Capt.), 9. Yu Okubo, 10. Michael Konestabo, 11. Simon Nicholas 13. Simon Nicholas, 15. Jamie Percevski, 18. Andre Takami, 19. Zayne Ahluwalia , 22. Takumi Ofuka ( Charlie Broomhead 90+3’).

Substitutes Not Used: 12. Jay Coates, 17. Jacob Chidiac. 20. Austin Oates

Yellow Cards: Jamie Percival 39’, 90+2’, Grant Cornwell 90+1’

Red Cards: Jamie Percival 90+2’

 

Referee: Hayden Michlmayr

Assistant Referees: Ethan Zvargulis and Amirhoosein Hosnani

Fourth Official: Sophie Allum

By Malcolm Rowney