Geelong SC will need to put the disappointment of a draw against a winless Ballarat quickly behind them as they chase down history in a national knockout competition.
Geelong SC hit a hurdle in NPL3 Victoria league action on the weekend, en route to arguably the biggest game in its 65-year history.
On Tuesday night, the Lions will travel to Jack Edwards Reserve in Melbourne’s inner east to take on Oakleigh Cannons in a daunting round 7 Australia Cup clash.
The Cannons reached the semi-final stage of the knockout tournament in 2022 and this year sit pretty in third spot on the NPL Victoria ladder
A win – unlikely as it may seem – would earn the Lions a spot in the final 32, a feat never achieved by any Geelong club.
On Saturday night, however, the Lions squandered a vital opportunity to escape the dreaded relegation zone when they could only manage a draw against bottom-placed Ballarat City in NPL3 Victoria round 13 action at Stead Park.
Lionel Masudi was the lone scorer for the home side, notching his second goal of the season in the 29th minute.
Leading 1-0 at the interval, Geelong looked to secure the win but a second half equaliser by the opposition saw Ballarat come away with their second draw of the season.
They are yet to record a win this year.
After the match, a disappointed Geelong coach Ted Latomanski said it was a game of two halves.
“In the first half, we dominated and created numerous opportunities. But only scoring one goal and not doing more, killed the game for us,” Latomanski said.
“In the second half, Ballarat came out firing and got a deserved equaliser.
“It was an open game, but I am disappointed we didn’t get the three points.”
It was also a frustrating outcome for injured captain Anthony Trajkoski, as he could only look on helplessly from the bench.
“The 1-1 draw is a disappointing result for us,” Trajkoski said, who has been out of action for five weeks after injuring his ankle in a prior Australia Cup clash.
“We started off strongly with a good first half performance.
“However, our second half was poor and we let the opposition back into the game.”
Geelong now turns its attention to arguably its biggest match in history.
“We move on now to the Australia Cup match against Oakleigh on Tuesday,” he said.
“The boys are excited about the opportunity of playing against such a giant of a club like the Cannons.
“It would be a massive achievement for the club if we could knock out Oakleigh and get through to the next round and reach the national stage.”
The Australia Cup clash between Geelong and Oakleigh Cannons kicks off at 7:30pm and will be livestreamed at npl.tv
Originally published as Geelong SC draw with winless Ballarat at Stead Park