*In Queensland, football was postponed due to ex-Cyclone Alfred, and with no action in NPLM SA, Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United had the weekend off.
Son of a Record-Holder Inspires Extraordinary Scoreline
This past weekend, Melbourne City’s Under-23 academy team achieved an astonishing 17-1 victory.
That’s right; it was an unbelievable outcome.
City showcased their superiority against North Sunshine Eagles at the U23 level in Victoria’s VPL1.
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The match at ctrl:cyber Pitch featured an outrageous scoreline, highlighting four goals from one player and two hat-tricks, as the unbeaten City maintained their second place, trailing their rivals Western United by just two points after five rounds.
The standout performer on Sunday was Luke Becvinovski, who delivered an incredible display in Casey. Notably, Ahmad Faraz Gulzari and Aaron Cartwright both netted hat-tricks. Additionally, Isiah Boston and Julian Recchia—the nephew of former Melbourne Victory star Carl—each scored twice, while Joel Arena, Joseph Pezzano, and Oliver O’Carroll all contributed to the tally.
Becvinovski registered four goals within just 45 minutes, elevating his seasonal total to six goals.
It appears talent runs in the family.
Luke is the son of Sash Becvinovski, who is recognised as Victorian football’s leading post-war goal scorer.
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During his career, featuring stints with Altona Magic, Preston Lions, and Green Gully, he amassed a record 205 goals, bringing his overall tally to 239, including NSL matches.
Meanwhile, Western United remain atop the U23 standings after an emphatic 5-0 victory against Bentleigh Greens on Friday night.
Western maintained their perfect record over five games with the help of an Oscar Tanic brace and contributions from joint-top scorer Alex Marmura (who has six), Abdurahman Omer, and Tobias Servin.
Tanic, who scored two goals, is regarded by Western’s academy director Anthony Frost as “a highly potent player capable of operating in tight spaces and finishing from anywhere.”
“As he continues to adapt to senior football, we anticipate he will showcase his academy-level abilities on a larger platform,” Frost remarked to aleagues.com.au.
Former Green Gully junior Omer, alongside Marmura and Servin, is also catching attention in Tarneit.
Transitioning from midfielder to centre-back, Omer demonstrates calmness under pressure and possesses the vision to execute critical passes that slice through the opposition press.
“We see Aboudi as having considerable potential,” Frost added.
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The performances by the senior academy sides in VPL1 yielded varied results.
Melbourne City secured a 2-1 victory over North Sunshine, while Western United faced a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bentleigh.
Alessandro Diamanti’s City overcame Western to reclaim the second spot, maintaining their unbeaten streak in 2025 with goals from John Kellis and Roland Ballah.
Kellis netted the winning goal in the 88th minute against the Eagles.
In NPLM VIC, Melbourne Victory succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against reigning champions Oakleigh Cannons.
Victory sit second from the bottom, gathering just two points from five encounters.
Their U23 side is second overall and just two points from the lead despite their first setback of the season—a 4-3 defeat also to Oakleigh on Sunday.
Patrick Wall, Aaron Bazenski, and Noah Tanfara were on the scoresheet for Victory, but it proved insufficient.
Commanding Mariners Soar in NPL
A scholarship duo propelled Central Coast Mariners to their inaugural victory of the NPLM NSW season.
Displaying dominance, the Mariners triumphed over Sydney United with a 3-0 scoreline on Sunday afternoon.
Bailey Brandtman scored twice, and Arthur De Lima added a stoppage-time goal, propelling Central Coast to victory in Round 5.
Brandtman has logged 11 appearances in the Isuzu UTE A-League for the two-time champions this season and 19 across competitions, finding the net once.
Against Sydney United, the 19-year-old grabbed a first-half brace, with his initial goal set up by De Lima.
De Lima, who recently signed a three-year scholarship contract ahead of 2024-25, completed the scoring in the 95th minute—his second goal in the current campaign.
The 17-year-old has contributed once in seven A-League matches this term and has also experienced AFC Champions League Elite football.
“The boys adhered to the game plan, showing trust in one another, which was the key to our success today,” Mariners head coach Lucas Vilela shared with Football NSW.
“We are on a journey together. Working with young men requires time to comprehend the process for development.
“The confidence is returning amongst the players as they trust in their own abilities because they are, undoubtedly, talented individuals.
“What’s most important is our ongoing growth as a unified team.”
Despite being at the bottom of the standings, Central Coast now shares four points with Mt Druitt Town Rangers, Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers, St George City, and St George FC.
The Wanderers faced a setback as they lost 3-2 against NWS Spirit, while Sydney FC fell to APIA Leichhardt with a score of 2-0.
In the U20 category, unbeaten leaders Western Sydney crushed NWS Spirit 7-0.
Tristan Arrarte and Johnny Pavlovic each netted twice in a remarkable first half that saw six goals, with Marko Radovancevic, Luka Knezevic, and Georgio Hassarati also scoring.
11th-placed Sydney FC narrowly defeated APIA 1-0 thanks to an own goal, while the Mariners, currently in 10th place, were defeated 2-1 by Sydney United.
In League One, both Bulls FC Academy and Newcastle Jets celebrated victories.
Zane Helweh continued his excellent form, grabbing a brace and his third goal in two matches, helping the seventh-placed Bulls triumph over Inter Lions 3-2, marking three games without a loss.
Harry Menham found the back of the net to seal the win for Nicolai Muller’s Bulls, with Frans Deli and Oliver Randazzo featuring after contributing to the Subway Young Socceroos’ success at the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup.
As for the Jets, they claimed a 2-0 victory over Dulwich Hill, thanks to goals from Ethan Debono and Xavier Bertoncello, putting them second in the table, just three points behind the leaders.
In the U20 section, Atiya Waraga scored his sixth goal in four matches as the Bulls FC Academy crushed Inter Lions 5-0, with Lachlan Sattout, Kye Cassar, and Ali El-Sabeh adding to the scoreline.
The Bulls are currently placed second, three points adrift of Newcastle, who comfortably claimed a 5-1 victory over Dulwich Hill.
Wil Southcombe scored twice, alongside goals from Jackson Chambers, Amos Okumu, and Max Wettig.
Western Sydney Wanderers Make History
The weekend was noteworthy for the Western Sydney Wanderers.
While they endured a 5-1 defeat against Manly United in their Round 1 match, the fixture marked the club’s first-ever NPLW NSW attendance.
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This Sunday’s encounter marked a “proud milestone in the club’s ongoing commitment to women’s football”.
The Wanderers presented a youthful squad, captained by Maya Lobo, with goalkeeper Aimee Hall and substitute Gemma Ferris the only players with Ninja A-League experience.
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Anika Stajcic found the net for Western Sydney in the first half.
In other matches, Newcastle Jets experienced a 2-1 setback against Northern Tigers at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The side, previously known as the Emerging Jets, took the lead against the Tigers through India Breier, a recent winner of the NPLW NSW Championship with Macarthur Rams.
However, the Tigers regrouped to overturn the Jets’ lead.
Meanwhile, Bulls FC Academy faced a 1-0 defeat against Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
In U23 fixtures, the ruthless Wanderers dominated Manly United with a 4-0 triumph, bolstered by a brace from Olivia Vanderlaan alongside goals from Hope Cleur and Alyssa Mckenzie.
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Damikah Barwick-Taylor netted twice to lead the Jets to a 2-0 victory over Northern Tigers, while Bulls FC Academy fell 2-0 to Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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