GOALS from Reece Vittiglia and Matthew Milenkovic set Perth Soccer Club up for a 2-0 win in their first home game of the PS4 National Premier Leagues (NPL) WA season against Subiaco AFC on Saturday.
The Perth defence held strong and managed to keep a clean sheet in wet conditions against a strong Subiaco, who were looking to rectify their round one loss.
Subiaco were pushing for the opening goal from the moment the whistle blew, finding some good opportunities through several corners, but could not score.
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READ NOWPerth fought back and in the 32nd minute a through ball from Gustavo Catarcione to Vittiglia saw Perth take the lead .
Subiaco battled for an equaliser, but just ten minutes later a Vittiglia strike bounced off keeper Ryan Montgomery and into the path of Perth’s Milenkovic, who scored off the rebound.
Milenkovic, back at Perth SC after a stint at Subiaco during the Night Series, was surprised but elated by his goal.
“I didn’t think it was actually going to go in – the keeper got a hand to it – but it was an important goal I think, and the boys played well from there,” he said.
The second half saw tensions rise between the sides as Subiaco fought to find the back of the net, but the Perth defence stood strong.
Play was stopped for several moments tensions rose in injury time after a late tackle prompted a scuffle between the sides, after which several yellow cards were shown.
Despite strong play from Subiaco right until the final whistle, the match ended in Perth’s favour.
Perth assistant coach Marc Wingell said the quality of the Perth side made the difference.
“I thought Subiaco were competitive throughout the game, but we weathered the storms they threw at us,” he said.
“The rain is a good leveller, but we dug in and were very competitive with them and our quality shone through in the end.
“Reece (Vittiglia) took the first goal very well, but as a team I thought we were pretty solid.
“Our quality on the ball, especially up front, took its toll and we got the win.”