Sport
3 July, 2026
Bucknall brace leads Maryborough to 4-1 win
The Maryborough Soccer Club may have left it late at Ron Sinclair Oval, but eventually preserved their five-point gap atop the Ballarat and District Soccer Association’s third division with a 4-1 victory over Buninyong.
Fresh off an exhilarating 2-1 win against Victoria Park courtesy of an 88th-minute winner from Julian Callea, the blue and whites entered Sunday’s encounter quietly confident.
However, ever since their 5-1 loss to Maryborough back in round five, Redbacks has arguably been the competition’s hottest team, travelling to Ron Sinclair Oval unbeaten in their last four games.
Right from the opening whistle, the match was a tense arm-wrestle, with neither team able to generate clear-cut opportunities early.
Adarsha Thapa broke the match open in the 27th minute, drawing first blood for Buninyong with a clinical finish.
The blue and whites threatened to fire an equaliser late in the first half, yet the Redbacks defence held firm, preserving their 1-0 lead at half time.
As his team entered the second half desperate for a breakthrough, Callea was once again the hero for the blue and whites, drawing them level in the 52nd minute with his 21st goal of the season.
Maryborough kept piling the pressure on the Buninyong backline with their long passes and attacks down the wing, resulting in Jake Bucknall powering the hosts ahead with a goal in the 66th minute.
As the Redbacks took risks to salvage a point at the death, Bucknall capitalised on the extra space around the box, giving Maryborough a two-goal cushion with 10 minutes left.
Andrew Love provided the cherry on top of a delicious result with his first goal of the season right before the final whistle, which confirmed an arduous win for Maryborough.
The blue and whites will enjoy a weekend break before hosting the winless Forest Rangers on Sunday, July 12.
Maryborough’s under 16s found themselves in a goal-fest last weekend when they travelled to Pleasant Street Reserve to face Ballarat Black.
It didn’t take long for the blue and whites to open the scoring, with Ryan Burt finding the back of the net inside two minutes.
When Darcy Wood made it 2-0 midway through the first half, Maryborough looked in complete control.
That all changed early in the second half, as a quickfire brace from Amos Benson brought Ballarat back on level terms.
With the score still sitting at 2-2 with 30 minutes remaining, Maryborough produced a truly unforgettable 10 minutes of soccer.
After Wood completed his hat-trick with goals in the 61st and 63rd minutes, two vicious strikes from Sebastian Sayson delivered the visitors a convincing 6-2 advantage.
Joshua Titheridge gave Ballarat a glimmer of hope with two late goals to make it 6-4, but the blue and whites held their nerve to secure their third consecutive victory.
Maryborough now turns its attention to their Saturday, July 11 encounter with Ballarat Black’s sister team Ballarat White, who currently sit in second.