A miraculous penalty save from the Wallis Lake goalkeeper broke the Rangers’ momentum and led to the side suffering a 2-1 defeat, their first of the season.
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With 30-minutes remaining in the contest and the scores locked at 1-all, Chris Walker stepped up to the penalty spot, after Sam Applegate was brought down inside the box, looking to put the Rangers ahead.
The midfielder hit the ball hard into the corner but the Wallis keeper was up to the challenge, chose the right way and kept the scores tied.
The missed opportunity impacted the emotions of the Rangers players and they struggled for the remainder of the contest.
“The missed penalty hurt us, it wasn’t Chris’ fault, he picked out a corner and hit it well but their keeper made a great save,” Rangers coach Keith Morn told the Argus.
“We were deflated and they took control, had the possession and were the better side for the last half an hour.”
The Rangers held on despite their backs against the wall for the majority of the second half but Wallis Lake eventually capitalised on their momentum.
A cross into the Rangers’ box resulted in a scramble and a Wallis player tapped the ball into the back of the net with five-minutes remaining.
Rangers pushed for an equaliser but weren’t able to create a clear cut chance and were handed the 2-1 defeat.
In the top of the table clash, Macleay Valley were first on the scoreboard as Andrew Potter latched onto a ball in the box and broke the deadlock.
The goal came halfway through the first half and it was a deserving reward after a positive start from the home side.
The end-to-end contest continued until the half-time break but neither side made the most of their chances.
That changed early in the second half, as Wallis Lake levelled the scores after the Rangers’ defenders failed to clear a cross.
The victory lifts Wallis Lake to the top of the Football Mid North Coast table while Rangers drop to second place.
Wallis Lake is now the only remaining undefeated side in the competition, however, they dropped points to Port United in the opening game of the season as they played out a nil-all draw.
The competition breaks for the long weekend with the crosstown rivalry between Rangers and Kempsey Saints to be reborn in the round nine fixture on June 16.
