A first-half goal to Stefan Dimoski put Wollongong in the box seat to progress to next week's grand final, however it was Sydney United 58 who finished the match on top, second half goals to Liam Rose and Patrick Antelmi handing the visitors a stunning 2-1 victory.

The result was Wollongong's second-straight defeat, after a 1-0 loss to APIA Leichhardt forced the Wolves into Saturday's sudden-death final.

Wollongong coach Luke Wilkshire was devastated with the result, however he said this team will be defined by their success throughout the entire season, not just two finals defeats.

"It's not the way we wanted to go out," Wilkshire said. "We had enough moments to score and win the game, in these sort of games, those defining moments are crucial.

"I said to the boys, that doesn't define us. We have been the best team all year and in these playoffs, that's how it goes sometimes.

"The boys don't deserve it, but as in life, football can be cruel sometimes."

In a similar fashion to Wednesday night, the Wolves were slow out of the blocks, with the side conceding a number of turnovers.

Sydney United 58 had the ball in attacking position, however they were unable to convert the territorial advantage into quality chances.

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Slowly, as the Wolves worked their way into the match, the tide began to turn and it was Wollongong who controlled the final 20 minutes of the first half.

Eventually the weight of possession proved too much and it was Dimoski who broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute.

Dimoski latched on to a perfect Taylor McDonald cross, heading the ball into the air before connecting with his boot to fire it past United goalkeeper Thomas Manos.

The goal seemed to act as the spark the Wolves needed to kickstart their finals campaign, with Wollongong opening the second half in complete control.

Determined to snuff out any chance of a United comeback, the hosts pushed forward in search of a second goal.

However, for all the Wolves dominance, it was Sydney United who hit back through Rose in the 66^th minute.

Both teams had chances to break the deadlock throughout the ensuing period, with the match opening up as the two sides tired.

Wollongong came close to scoring the go-ahead goal on a number of occasions, however it was Antelmi who became the star of the show in the 80th minute, the former Wollongong Wolves attacker firing a shot that was deflected before eventually finding the back of the net.

With a goal required to keep their season alive, the Wolves threw everything at their opponents throughout the final 10 minutes.

Lachlan Scott and Takeru Okada both came agonisingly close to scoring the equaliser, while Darcy Madden almost earned his team a penalty a minute into stoppage time.

United held on, however, to secure the 2-1 victory and send the Sydney United 58 fans into raptures.

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