Wollongong Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire has praised his team's defensive effort after they secured a hard-fought victory over Sydney Olympic at WIN Stadium on Sunday.
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The Wolves ultimately claimed a 2-0 win thanks to a Lachlan Scott double, however they were made to work for it, with Sydney Olympic pushing hard for a goal in the second half.
For Wilkshire, the clean sheet is a credit to his team's commitment and determination.
"We're delighted with the three points," Wilkshire said. "In the first half we played some really good stuff, we were a little disappointed not to go in in front. But we got the goal in the second half early and then credit to Olympic, they really made a game of it.
"They made us scramble at times, which was great for us, because it's really the first time we've had to scramble like that and I was very proud to keep a clean sheet.
"You're not always going to blow teams away, Olympic came at us, but defensively I thought we were fantastic."
The first half was a seesawing affair, with the Wolves largely controlling possession and generating the better of the two team's chances.
It was Scott who had the best chance of the half, the striker combining well with Thomas James to find himself with just the goalkeeper to beat. It was not to be, with Scott's shot going wide of the mark.
Soon after that chance, Olympic gained the ascendancy and generated a number of chances of their own throughout the final stages of the first half. Wollongong held firm, however, to ensure the two sides went to halftime deadlocked at nil-all.
The visitors started the second as they finished the first, with Sydney Olympic peppering the Wollongong goal throughout the early exchanges.
Despite the pressure, it was Wollongong who would be the first to find the back of the net, with Scott pouncing on a loose ball in the box to tap it in from close range.
Scott struck a second time in the 82nd minute, a dagger from the edge of the penalty box that put the result beyond doubt.
The goal made the margin more comfortable, however it came towards the end of a 30-minute period dominated by Sydney Olympic in which Wollongong were forced to repel numerous attacking raids.
Wilkshire praised his striker for helping close out a match that could have very easily resulted in a different outcome.
"When you score two goals, what more can you ask from your striker. There's goals within the team, he probably had a better chance in the first half which he probably was disappointed not to score, but delighted for him with the double."
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