Albany United captain Jack Beguely scored all his side’s goals in their 4-0 win against Manurewa at Jellicoe Park.
Beguely struck in the 5th, 28th, 61st and 65th minutes, before being subbed off for a deserved rest with 20 minutes to go, and the job done for his side.
Albany rattled the home side early, with ‘Rewa captain Jeremias Perez going into referee Andres Castro’s book after only five minutes.
Beguely’s first half double gave his side a 2-0 at the turn, and Manurewa looked like to struggle.
So it was with three more Manurewa players booked in a messy second half in which they conceded two more from the Albany captain.
Manurewa join Metro — two sides fancied to do well in this year’s competition — at the foot of the table, both winless after two rounds.
Beguely (33) is in his fourth season at Albany after transferring from East Coast Bays in 2018.
Rangers romp to big win against Metro
West Coast Rangers blasted their way into this season’s Lotto NRFL division 1 with an emphatic 5-0 win against Metro FC, thanks largely to a hat-trick from Allan Pearce.
Unable to play in round one due to a COVID-forced postponement, the Chad Coombes-coached Rangers made it clear they want to bounce back after last season’s relegation from the Northern League.
Pearce led the way with a hat-trick in a 10-minute burst that gave Rangers a 3-0 lead at the break. His goals came in the 27th, 35th and 37th minutes, stunning Metro who are now winless and bottom of the table.
Substitute Matthew Banks and Kieran Deegan added late goals to increase the final margin and give Rangers the perfect start to their season.
Ponies stay top of table with win against 10-man Waitemata
Ellerslie stay top of the table thanks to a 3-1 win against Waitemata at Michaels Ave.
The Ponies romped to a 3-0 lead at the break after a double from Alex Clark (15′ and 38′) and another from Patrick Grey on the stroke of half-time.
Waitemata’s position worsened halfway through the second spell when player-coach Hamish Mackay was sent off for two yellow cards, both for fouls).
However 10-man Waitemata boxed and scored a consolation goal through Arnold Kochasira with four minutes left.
Crazy finish to six-goal Bays and MAP thriller
The day’s thriller was at Bay City Park, Browns Bay, where East Coast Bays and Mt Albert Ponsonby shared the points when they drew 3-3.
The game ended with a crazy sequence of goals which saw three goals in the dying minutes.
The home side had taken a first half lead through Nicolai Berry.
MAP fought back in the second spell and took the lead with two goals in three minutes; the first from Nicholas Hindson, the other from substitute Thomas Picken.
When it looked as though MAP were going to take the win, Bays stormed back and levelled through Keegan Kelly in the 89th minute.
Jared Colligan responded for the visitors, giving MAP a 3-2 lead two minutes into added time.
But Bays weren’t done. Substitute Judd Baker found another equaliser four minutes into referee’s time.
Mountain Men win match-up of the promoted teams
In the match-up of the division’s two promoted sides, Onehunga Mangere United got the jump on Fencibles United at Riverhills Park.
Usaamah Hakim put the Mountain Men ahead after only seven minutes and forward Maksim Manko doubled their lead in the 22nd minutes.
That’s how it stayed till full-time, despite Fencibles making use of all five substitutes in the second half as they tried to mount a fightback.
Onehunga coach Paul Marshall will be happy enough, though his side did pick up yellow cards for Hakim, Henry Muller and Josh Chemis.
Tauranga sit second after 3-2 win at home
Meanwhile, Tauranga City beat Northern Rovers 3-2 at Links Ave after taking a 2-0 first-half lead.
Teenager Mirko Brinkmann put the home side ahead early before Brinkmann broke clear and set up Ry McLeod for the team’s second in the 38th minute.
Rovers fought back through Thomas Shaw (48′) and Jason Quinlan (58′) to set up a tense finish.
But referee Anna-Marie Keighley awarded a penalty with 10 minutes to go and substitute Andrew Carter, on the pitch a mere eight minutes, stepped up to strike home the winner.
Tauranga sit second on the table with two wins from two outings.
Results
Games played Saturday April 2, 2022
East Coast Bays 3 (Nicolai Berry 23′, Keegan Kelly 89′, Judd Baker 90+4′)
Mt Albert-Ponsonby (Nicholas Hindson 71′, Thomas Picken 74′, Jared Colligan 90+2′)
Ellerslie AFC 3 (Alex Clark 15′, 38′, Patrick Grey 45′)
Waitemata 1 (Arnold Kochasira 86′)
Fencibles United 0
Onehunga Mangere United 2 (Usaamah Hakim 7′, Maksim Manko 22′)
Manurewa 0
Albany United 4 (Jack Beguely 5′, 28′, 61′, 65′)
Tauranga City 3 (Mirko Brinkmann 13′, Ry McLeod 38′, Andrew Carter 79′ pen)
Northern Rovers 2 (Thomas Shaw 48′, Jason Quinland 58′)
West Coast Rangers 5 (Allan Pearce 27′, 35′, 37′, Matthew Banks 82′, Kieran Deegan 89′)
Metro FC 0
Standings
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