SOCCER
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Illawarra's horror start to the 2015 campaign continued with a 4-2 loss to Football NSW Institute on Sunday.
The Stingrays were always in the contest and led 1-0 in the first half but eventually fell to two sensational late goals at Valentine Sports Park.
The loss is the club's third in a row to start the season and leaves them without a point in ninth on the ladder.
It was another case of what could have been for the Preseason Cup winners, who had the dream start courtesy of Jordan Baker's one-on-one finish three minutes in.
They had a number of chances to make it 2-0 after the goal, coming closest in the 15th minute when Erica Halloway hit the crossbar.
Their inability to double their advantage came back to haunt them just a few minutes later as Georgia Plessas squared the ledger at 1-1.
They'd remained level until 25 minutes into the second stanza, when the Institute's Princess Ibini-Isei fired her effort into the bottom corner.
Not to be outdone, Halloway brought the teams back level again to leave the game on the line with less than 15 minutes remaining.
For the second week running the Stingrays were on the wrong end of the second half, as the Institute slammed home two more goals.
Demi Koulizakis put the first into the top corner just two minutes after Illawarra's equaliser, before Lucy Mackie rounded out the victory in stoppage time.
"They just don't seem to be dropping for us at the moment. We are creating the chances and are playing good football in most parts but we are not having the rub of the green in that sense," Stingrays coach Graham Shaw said.
"We have to stop conceding too. We have scored in every game but we have conceded more. You don't win football doing that."
The win helps the Institute rise to first on the ladder, with three wins from three matches.
Meanwhile, Illawarra will look to regroup against Manly United next weekend. The Northern Beaches outfit also remain undefeated through the first three rounds.
"It will be good to be at home after a couple of weeks away," Shaw said.