Image Courtesy: John Punshon
Round 15 kicks off with a must-win match on Saturday between Preston Lions and Bendigo Vipers at BT Connor Reserve.
Preston Lions have been strong the last two weeks and have managed a draw and a win and have a reasonable record over the Vipers.
The Vipers are looking to bounce back after a disappointing three weeks in terms of results, with three losses. They have however been playing well, and will hope that it can all come together this weekend against Preston.
Preston Lions Coach Spiro Thalassinos doesn't envy the Vipers this weekend.
"It's a long trip down for them, but they'll bring their best down. It will be a difficult game, we went 3-0 down last time and conceded early. We are looking to redeem ourselves this time around."
Vipers Coach Peter Richardson thinks it will be a difficult assignment against Preston.
"The ground is difficult at Preston, and we're not looking forward to it. We need to go back to playing our game and forget about the result. We have individual and team targets that we're working towards and we'll be trying to consolidate on those."
The second match which might define the relegation battle takes place between Altona City and South Melbourne at HC Kim Reserve on Sunday. Altona City sat out round 14 with a bye, while South Melbourne had a scoreless draw against Casey Comets.
Last time these sides met, it was Altona City that came out on top, 1-0.
Altona City Coach Paul Kilpatrick is looking forward to the match against South Melbourne.
"We have only four games left, and if we can have a good four matches from here, we'll be safe in the WPL for next year. We need to have a clean sheet, score goals, and hopefully we can play like we did against Casey and Box Hill. Hopefully we can put together a full 90 minute game."
South Melbourne Assistant Coach Matthew Shaw knows the importance of the weekend's match.
"This is the biggest game of our season. If we can win it, we're safe. We're going to try our best to win this game."
Heidelberg United face off against Casey Comets at 1pm on Sunday at Olympic Village.
Both sides will want to be on their game early and not allow the other side to get free in attack. When they met in round six, both sides were able to get through the defenders and find the back of the net, however Heidelberg United were more effective, winning 3-1.
Heidelberg United Coach John Lioupas says that it's always a risky match against Casey.
"They've had indifferent form recently, but you never know when they're going to switch on. We'll do our bit to get the three points."
Casey Comets Coach Deb Nichols wants her side to carry on from last weekend's match and get a good result.
"We need to build on our improved attitude from round 14, and if ever we needed a fighting spirit, it will be this weekend! We need our Seniors to be really competitive on Sunday."
The final match of round 15 is between Ashburton and Sandringham at Ashburton Park and the winner of the match will take third spot.
Sandringham have had some big wins in recent weeks, but lost 2-0 to Box Hill Inter last week. Ashburton drew with Preston Lions somewhat unexpectedly, but have scored 11 goals in their last three matches and will be looking to convert their opportunities on Sunday afternoon.
Ashburton Coach Chris Michail is looking for another good result this weekend.
"We have a bit of a rivalry with them and we won 2-1 last time which was good. They're very dangerous on the break. We need to be switched on, play with high intensity to get the points and really be on our game. If we play at the same intensity as last week we'll get no points."
Sandringham Coach Shaun Parton thinks it will be a difficult match on Sunday.
"We're expecting a very competitive game on Sunday, we’ll need to be at our best to achieve any type of result."
Box Hill Inter have the bye this round but will hold on to top spot, unless Heidelberg United can manage a 12 goal win.
For full fixture details please visit the Competitions section of the website.
Last updated: Friday July 30, 2010 1:10PM
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