by Greg Blake
Driving “dodge-em” cars is mad fun. It’s a wildly competitive smash-and-crash, but nobody actually wins. Sunday’s fifth round Australian Championship draw between Heidelberg United and the Wollongong Wolves was not dissimilar. Hugely entertaining for its fluctuating energy swings and unpredictability, the game ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
A tardy start and uncustomary slip-up gifted Wollongong’s Alex Masciovecchio with the game’s opening goal inside two minutes. The stunned silence around Olympic Village was only broken by a bellowing “wake up…WAKE UP” echoing from the coaching box.
Alexander rallied immediately, thus commencing a hugely compelling yet utterly confusing ninety mood-swinging minutes which ultimately decided the immediate Championship fate of both clubs. The Warriors managed to score twice to take them past 100 team goals for the season, but had to come behind twice. And the single point required to ensure a place in the quarter finals was ultimately hard won.
The Wolves led twice and stormed home like a beaten favourite. Needing the win to stay alive in the series and getting so close on the road, at this ground and against this 2025 Heidelberg United team justified all the forlorn looks and slumped bodies of exhausted Wollongong players at the final whistle on Sunday.
That said, Wollongong might have been trampled under foot well before half time, as Alexander did indeed “wake up”. The home side unleashed a punishing 20 minutes of relentless assaults against Wollongong and its young keeper, David Solsky, who, for the record, was terrific.
The initial equaliser came just nine minutes in, a flying header from Fletcher Fulton hitting Angus Taylor on the run, Taylor looping his shot in from the left off the crossbar and the lazy bounce falling favourably for Marcus Humbert, who only had to tumble it over the line to level.
Humbert might have had another couple, Taylor also, and Bul Juach as well, all had their chances or played a part in creating them as the Warriors bombarded Solky’s goal for a solid quarter hour. Ryan Lethlean wasn’t far away with a header, but Wollongong survived the battering opening barrage.
Anthony Lesiotis and Choc Dau might also have levered the Warriors into a half-time lead, with Dau denied by the woodwork in the shadows of the break, but his ever-so-close effort suggesting an as-you-like roll to victory for Alexander in the second half. A free kick inside gettable territory and a subsequent corner to start the second half suggested more of the same.
It didn’t come. Instead the story took another twist as Wollongong quietly edged back into contention. On the hour they regained the lead. A slip and tumble by Lethlean allowed big Lachie Scott away on the break. Scott powered away with purpose and intent before unleashing a finish befitting the occasion and situation.
Not unlike the Dandenong City game here during the NPL season, having fallen behind a second time John Anastasiadis launched a rescue crew from the bench. Within nine minutes of bringing on a trio of fresh faces 63 minutes in, two of them combined to do just that. Max Bisetto’s ‘meep, meep’ and away Road Runner-style swept him clear down the left and his inch-perfect cross offered Jay McGowan the the close range far post finish.
Into the final ten the Wolves of Wollongong howled and growled, but were denied once by the woodwork and once by Yaren Sozer, who pulled off a wonderful stop from Hernandez. And whilst Wollongong coach Luke Wilkshire wouldn’t be disappointed in his team’s effort on Sunday, you’ve got to ask the question, where the heck was this sort of effort from the Wolves when required in the opening couple of rounds?
As for Alexander, they still lead Group B going into the last weekend of the round-robin series. A quarter final place is assured already, but winning the group requires a victory in Tassie next weekend against South Hobart to make sure of it. By finishing top of the group the Warriors would host its quarter final against Group D runner-up. Finish second and it would be an away round of eight, against the Group D winner.
Going into the last round Group D’s top two are Wests Apia and Bayswater City, locked together on ten points each and set to play each other next weekend. North Eastern Metro Stars are only a game behind the pair, so who and where in the next phase for the Warriors won’t be decided until next Sunday afternoon.
