Goulburn Valley Suns take a sole point from VPL2 season opener against Essendon Royals

But a missed penalty by the visitors let Craig Carley’s side off the hook in the pressure cooker of Victorian Premier League Two football.

While the Suns would’ve felt hard done by to only emerge with a single point at the conclusion of a cagey 1-1 draw, it’s far from doom and gloom as the Orangemen showed plenty of pluck in their first competitive hit-out of the year.

Essendon, featuring Tatura export Vince Lia, had the upper hand from the whistle as the Royals moved swiftly on the offensive, denying the Suns any breathing room or time to settle.

Chances were split within the initial trading of blows, but it took a moment of magic to break the game open 24 minutes into the contest.

Suns striker Elijah Brooker laid a ball into the path of new import Callum Schorah, who embarked on a horizontal run while dragging a sea of red shirts his way.

Schorah unleashed a wicked strike that parted the Royals' tide, curling beautifully into the bottom left corner, past the goalkeeper and in.

The number 10’s magisterial finish blew a gust of wind into the hosts’ sails, stirring a rise from the crowd and an increase in tempo on the pitch as players and spectators alike got what they came for.

Then, just when the Suns were at their most comfortable, Royals came in with the counter punch.

Suns custodian Niki Kitabatake swatted away a corner 10 minutes from the half, but when the ball was swung back in, the shot stopper was unable to wade through a crowd and there to head home the scraps was Essendon’s Jordan Adeyemi.

However, the drama wasn’t done there.

Adeyemi went from hero to zero in a heartbeat, kicking out at Suns defender Tutu Taya and earning himself a red card moments from the main break.

Down a player in the second stanza, the Royals tossed caution to the wind and had a prime chance to nudge ahead with a penalty awarded 10 minutes after half-time.

Skipper Graham Kelly stepped up and blasted the ball off the crossbar and out, squandering a gilt-edged chance and gifting the Suns a lifeline which they’d hold on to, and 1-1 was all she wrote.

A number of Suns stood out in the stalemate, with the likes of Schorah, Taya and Brooker starting the season in style.

The next fixture pits the Orangemen against Brunswick Juventus at McEwen Reserve Shepparton this Saturday at 7pm.