Charley Schwencke (right) was one of the goalscorers for the Border Raiders in their women’s day win over Spring Gully. Photos: Jordan Townrow.
The Echuca Moama Border Raiders have marked the celebration of the club’s female players and volunteers with some strong on-field performances.
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Both the senior men’s and women’s sides picked up three points at Jack Eddy Oval, adding to their promotion credentials as they continue good seasons so far.
The women’s side kicked off the day’s senior action, taking on one of the lower table sides in Spring Gully.
Three points for the home side would have been the expected result after it picked up a 5-0 win over the same opposition in the opening fixture, but Spring Gully defended resolutely to go into half-time with things still locked at 0-0.
Whether the half-time team talk lifted the Border Raiders, or Spring Gully simply ran out of steam defensively, it was coach Paige Pinson who slotted the opener within six minutes after the resumption of play.
The lead was doubled seven minutes later when junior forward Charley Schwencke found the back of the net and the Border Raiders rode out the two-goal cushion to full-time.
The win moves the Echuca-Moama side up a place into second spot with a 5-1-1 record, trailing leader Swan Hill by two points through seven fixtures.
The side’s next fixture is an away contest at Castlemaine Goldfields, a side just one point below it on the table, and with Swan Hill having a bye, the winner of the fixture will pass or tie the leader.
Men
Patrick Barry scored a double for Echuca-Moama in the men’s fixture.
After the women’s game, the Border Raiders’ men’s side stepped on to the park, taking on Deniliquin Wanderers, a side it had previously defeated.
Much like the women’s game hours earlier, the first half was a story of frustration for the host, and the Deniliquin defence held firm until the stroke of half-time, when Samuel Wanesiofa broke the deadlock.
The breakthrough changed both coaches’ half-time instructions and Deniliquin came out with renewed fire after the break, levelling the scores within two minutes through Babis Basnet.
The Border Raiders got back on top through Seth Turri at 57 minutes, but his strike was equally cancelled out by Hamish Baker in the 63rd.
With the scores level just under 25 minutes from full-time, the hosts stamped their mark on the game with a lethal six-minute stretch that completely turned the tide.
The Border Raiders scored three times in that blistering run, two Patrick Barry goals bookending a Jean-Claude Herman strike to seal the 5-2 result.
The withdrawal of one of the sides from the competition recently had a positive effect on the Border Raiders’ league position, the side (6-1-1) now on top of the table by two points but with one extra game played compared to their competition in the top three.
Having now won five on the bounce, Echuca-Moama will look to make it six when it faces more home action on Saturday, battling Castlemaine Goldfields Green back at Jack Eddy Oval.
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