Wollongong Wolves captain Justin Pasfield has described his team's disappointment after their heartbreaking loss to Sydney United 58 on Sunday.
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The Wolves looked to have done enough to secure a point, only to see Matthew Sim break free in the 90th minute and blast the ball past Pasfield to secure United 58 a 2-1 victory.
The goal came at the end of a match largely dominated by Wollongong, with the Wolves on the attack for much of the contest.
For Pasfield, the loss was made all the more painful by the fact his side generated so many chances.
"It hurts," Pasfield said. "But it was a great finish by Matt Sim. If he's going to beat me, he's got to put it high there over my head. It was a good finish.
"The loss is disappointing, we got caught out there at the end. There's not much I can say, a couple of things didn't go our way, we had enough chances in the first half to win."
Wollongong dominated much of the first half, with striker Thomas James creating a number of opportunities for both himself and his teammates.
It was Sydney United 58 that would open the scoring, however, with Tariq Maia converting a fast-break into a goal in the 39th minute.
The second half played out much like the first, with Wollongong pushing forward and United 58's disciplined defence holding firm.
That was until the 64th minute when Takeru Okada pounced on a loose ball and made a break down the left flank.
Okada linked up with Lachlan Scott who connected with James, who made no mistake and levelled the scores.
The re-energised Wolves pushed hard for the go-ahead goal, however United 58 held firm yet again. While Wollongong were able to get into attacking positions, United 58's defenders largely prevented any effective shots from eventuating.
The match, which was fiery at times, looked set for a 1-all draw before Sim pounced for United 58 and Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire said it was a brief lapse in concentration that proved costly.
"We had plenty of chances," WIlkshire said. "If you don't take those chances you'll cop one up the other end, it's always the way.
"It was the same in the first half when we copped one and in the second half we were dominating possession and territory and then you go and cough one up again.
"Our execution let us down, that last pass, the decision to shoot or pass, it's about execution at the end of the day. We got in good areas, created enough chances, it just wasn't quite happening in front of goal. In the end we gifted them the second."
Despite the disappointing result, Wilkshire recognised there were plenty of positives to take out of the match and he's looking forward to seeing his side bounce back against Sydney FC next week.
"I said to the boys, we played some good stuff. There's no denying that we dominated the game in possession and territory on the field and we created enough chances. That's just football sometimes."
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