In their second of seven straight away games, the Orangemen were put to the sword 3-0 by a well-oiled and regimented Pascoe Vale outfit in the Victorian Premier League 2 on Saturday.
Though two defeats on the spin haven’t altered the Suns’ ladder position (10th), the walls are beginning to close in.
Funnily enough, that was the theme of Saturday’s match as Pascoe Vale, a side known for its possession monopoly and sharp passing style, had all the ball from the jump at CB Smith Reserve.
Twenty minutes was all it took for the host to break the deadlock as Rams fullback Daniel Lucente drifted inward and split the Suns’ defence with a pinpoint, penetrative pass that Will Roberts latched onto and dispatched.
The Orangemen were restricted to counter attacks, and despite winning a litany of corners throughout the first half, Pascoe Vale did not budge one bit.
Instead, the Rams made it two on the other side of the break.
A long ball sent forward from the Pascoe Vale keeper bobbled off the head of Suns right back Marcus Thomas, forcing Noah Cicoria to pass back to goalkeeper Alexander Georgopoulos.
But when the pair’s wires got crossed, who else but Roberts was there to run through and cash in on a deflection to double his side’s lead.
Pascoe Vale’s Thomas Alisandratos compounded the Suns’ woes later as he finished off an elegant, one-touch move from the right flank that left the defence rooted to the spot.
The final five minutes had plenty left in store for the fans, with young substitute Laywi Niyonkuru denied a chance to save face for the Suns.
Jude Crichton played a lovely lofted ball into the box that Niyonkuru, the Orangemen’s surprise packet, caught sweetly only for the Rams’ goalie to pull off a save from the top drawer.
The final whistle sounded not long after, condemning the Suns to their seventh loss of the 2024 campaign while lifting Pascoe Vale into fifth spot.
In the curtain raiser, the Suns under-23s continued their assault on the league with a whirlwind 5-3 win.
Alisina Alizada bagged a hat-trick to add to Jake Rumble and Hassan Alhilfi’s solitary strikes, keeping the young Suns poised in second position.
Larissa Reserve awaits the side this weekend as the Suns prepare to take on top-of-the-table North Sunshine Eagles on Saturday.
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