ALL four Swan Hill Soccer League BASL teams will be in action once again this weekend, with home games planned for both the men’s and women’s teams this Sunday.
The Swan Hill women’s side will be out to win their first game of 2023, when they host Epsom from 12pm.
Having already secured their first points of the season with a 1-1 draw with Golden City a fortnight ago, the Swans will be hoping to go one step better against the bottom-of-the-ladder Epsom and record their first win in more than 12 months.
Following the women’s match, the men take on Shepparton Lushi at the Ken Harrison Reserve from 2pm.
Lushi, the team formerly known as the Shepparton Jaguars, are no strangers to the Swan Hill men’s side, having met in last year’s semi-finals.
Swan Hill registered a 4-2 win on that occasion and advanced straight through to the grand final.
While Lushi are a traditionally fast and skilful side, the Swans have been steadily building towards their best form, with 3-1 wins over La Trobe University Black and Deniliquin Wanderers in the past fortnight.
The Swans’ jump in form has coincided with the return of Jason Stokes and Stephen Whittaker last week, and Santhosh Gunasekeran’s return to the side is also imminent.
In fourth place, they will need to continue their winning ways to keep pressure on ladder leaders Golden City, with just five points separating the top four.
Swan Hill’s under-16 boys and under-14 girls teams will take to the field on Saturday morning.
The under-16 boys will be hoping to keep their unbeaten start to the season intact, when they travel to face Strathfieldsaye Colts United.
At Castlemaine, the under-14 girls will be hoping to make it two wins on the trot when they take on Goldfields Matildas Green.
