Goals, goals and more goals.
That was the reality for the region’s three Central Victorian League sides on Sunday.
It was an incredible day of round one results for Goulburn Valley sides, with Shepparton South winning 12-0, Shepparton United winning 7-0 and Tatura winning 5-0.
The three massive results paint a pretty extraordinary picture, with the top three positions on the ladder taken up by local sides.
It may only be round one, but it is hard not to get excited about what could be in store for local soccer fans this season.
The biggest win of the day went to Shepparton South, with a clinical 12-0 drubbing of La Trobe University at home; a perfect way to start the season.
South coach Rob Harmeston said his side was happy with the performance.
“There was a few smiles, definitely a few smiles,” Harmeston said.
“We sort of knew that we’d have an opportunity to try and get a few goals in and yeah, we managed to get 12.”
Jamie De Smit was one player who stood out, with the South new boy scoring a hat-trick on debut.
De Smit was joined on the score sheet by Joel Aitken, who also scored three, Sean Grant and Will Keenan, two goals each, and Shaun Kane and Nicholas Mori, who netted one each.
Harmeston said fellow newcomer Greg Nash played well, while right back Brent Barassi stood out with strong work rate.
“(De Smit) played real well, he played about 70 minutes... looking forward to seeing a bit more from him, to be honest, I can’t wait to see the next game after that one,” he said.
“It’s one game at a time, as the cliche says, but we’ll be looking to keep trying to build on games every week and keep ourselves in the mix.”
While South put the most goals past its opponent, it certainly wasn’t the only drubbing handed out by a Goulburn Valley side on the weekend.
Shepparton United was just as dominant in its 7-0 victory over Strathfieldsaye Colts United.
Four first-half goals, followed by three more in the second, got United off to a flying start to the season.
In Tatura it was another one-sided affair, with the home side too good for Epsom.
The Ibises were dominant in their quest for victory, with a clinical Thomas Leech hat-trick complemented by goals to Cody Sellwood and Aaron Niglia, helping the side across the line.
With the top three teams in the competition all from the Goulburn Valley, Harmeston said it was positive for the local game.
“It’s great to have more competitiveness in the league,” he said.
“I mean for us, from our sides, the Shepp sides and Tat, it’s great. I mean, they are rivals, but it’s good to have that competitive edge.”
CVL round one results
Shepparton South 12 d La Trobe University 0
Strathfieldsaye Colts United 0 lt Shepparton United 7
Tatura 5 d Epsom 0