HIGHLANDS FC scored their fourth win of the season with a resounding 6-2 win against Wollongong Olympic in blustery conditions at David Wood Playing Fields on Sunday.
Striker Jed Hilmi was instrumental in the landslide victory, nailing three goals throughout the match to end with a hat-trick.
It didn’t take long for Hilmi to begin the avalanche after he stole the ball from a defender to go one-on-one with Olympic’s goalkeeper and make it 1-0 after only three minutes of action.
Ten minutes later, midfielder Brian Montenari stretched the advantage to 2-0, scoring with his third consecutive shot after the first two were kept out by the post and goalkeeper alike.
The Blues defence was second to none with Wollongong only managing to get the ball down into enemy territory a couple of times in the first half.
The only real first half opportunity for Olympic was a free kick from close range that came to nothing.
Hilmi scored his second goal which resembled something more of a pinball bouncing around the bumpers until it finally found its way into the back of the net to make it 3-0 at the break.
Highlands FC had multiple opportunities to stretch the lead even further in the first half, but some mistimed finishes and committed Wollongong defence was the only thing that stopped what could have been a rugby-sized score line.
Olympic needed to score first after the break, but the man of the hour Hilmi stood up to the plate yet again to score his third, the Highlands fourth, to take an unassailable 4-0 lead.
Blues defenders where furious after a controversial penalty was given to Wollongong. Olympic slotted the penalty shot but it wasn’t going to be enough.
Scott Freidewald struck an excellent free kick from deep in the left wing to set Tim Allen up with a perfect header into the back of the net, making it 5-1.
Both sides managed to pull off another late goal before fulltime, but the game was already over.
Highlands FC coach Faron Barker said it was a good effort to score six goals.
“Even though it was a scrappy match, it was good to put six goals past them,” Barker said.
“Jed Hilmi may have landed a hat-trick, but Chris Packer was our man of the match because of the deliverance of quality balls to our strikers. We are very lucky to have such an attacking weapon in our midfield.
“[Goalkeeper] Anton Petkovic also performed admirably backing up from youth grade earlier in the day.”
After the completion of round 12, Balgownie Rangers are on top of the table with 25 points.
They are proving to be the form team of the competition at the moment having only let in seven goals all year, three of them coming from their 3-2 loss to Highlands FC four rounds ago.
Wests Illawarra are in second place, also with 25 points. Ruse and Shoalhaven round out the top four on 24 and 22 points respectively.
Highlands FC sit with Coniston on 17 points with a +8 goal differential keeping them in sixth position.
o The under-20s could only manage a 1-1 draw in their match against Olympic on Sunday.
The draw means Highlands FC slipped to second on the competition ladder, one point behind Shellharbour City. They face off against the fifth placed Ruse this Saturday. The two teams met a fortnight ago anddrew 3-3 in a thriller.
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