Walter Pless on Football

By Walter Pless

Hobart Zebras restored their three-point lead over South Hobart at the top of the Premier League soccer ladder with a comfortable 4-2 win away to sixth-placed Kingborough Lions United at Lightwood Park yesterday.

Kingborough scored first through Brett Andrews in the 24^th minute, but Zebras led 2-1 at the break after strikes by Josh Thorpe and Aaron Brazendale.

Chris Cox made it 3-1 with a header six minutes after the interval and Brazendale added his second and the Zebras’ fourth in the 80^th minute.

A goal in the fourth minute of injury time by Michael Palmer made the score a little more respectable for the home side.

Third-placed Hobart Olympic stayed seven points off the pace after beating seventh-placed University 5-0 away at Olinda Grove, Michael Bulis netting a hat-trick to regain the lead in the individual goal-scoring race with 14 goals, one ahead of Glenorchy Knights’ Tom Huigsloot.

Matthew Hedge and Chris Tsakiris scored Olympic’s other goals against a University side that was without Mark Rapley and Julian Proud and which had Craig Stockdale sent off after only 15 minutes.

In the Reserve League, sixth-placed Zebras beat second-ranked Kingborough Lions United 4-1, with Dylan Fennell netting a hat-trick and Fabian Lapolla scoring once for the visitors and Luke Barlow replying for the Lions.

Fifth-placed University held visiting fourth-placed Olympic to a 1-1 draw, Matthew Platts scoring for the Students and Saad Mohamad replying for Olympic.

In Division One, the top-of-the-table clash between leader Beachside and second-placed South Hobart ended in a 1-1 draw.

South Hobart took a 78^th minute lead through an own-goal, but Beachside equalised through Jonathon Greenwood a minute later.

Third-placed Kingston Cannons, who downed sixth-placed Hobart United 3-2 at Sherburd after leading 2-1 at the break, have goalkeeper Richard Fox to thank for the three points as he saved a penalty.

Andrew White, Steve Giudici, with a penalty, and Neil Thomas were the Cannons’ marksmen, while David Neads and Akuel Guot replied for United.