SAWTELL Scorpions have continued their resurgence this season with a 5-2 victory against the Port Saints at Toormina Oval.
The win was their second in a row and sees them sit in fourth spot on the Coastal Premier League ladder.
The Scorpions dominated play in a frenetic opening to the match in which they had a number of shots on goal.
The attacking pressure paid off with beautiful passes leading to a Charlie Alderman goal.
The Scorpions were in again shortly after courtesy of a Keeden Corliss goal.
Port Saints hit straight back with their opening goal to make it 2-1 after 17 minutes.
A fantastic long-range strike from Hugo Alderman saw the home side take a 3-1 lead into half-time.
It was one way traffic at Toormina Oval as beautiful link up play and build-ups had the home side in a great position after 45 minutes.
The Saints were under the pump throughout the match with most of the action in the Scorpions final third.
And then whenever they didn’t have the ball, the Scorpions defensive pressure had the Saints rattled and was the backbone in creating countless scoring chances.
Sawtell continued where they left off to start the second half, with Keeden Corliss getting his double after finishing a great ball into the box.
Port Saints showed some signs of life cutting the lead to 4-2 in the 60th minute, after the ball was judged to have crossed the line.
But it would be the Scorpions day as former A-League player Troy Hearfield joined the goal scorers to put the contest to bed.
In addition to their relentless attacking forays, it was his sides defensive efforts which pleased Scorpions coach Joe Skrtic.
“We showed that defensive intensity that we haven’t shown much this season,” he said.
“We start our attack from the back line, and we tried to apply a bit more pressure with a high press and make them have to play more under pressure.”
The Scorpions coach noted his side were certainly switched on against a Saints team breathing down their necks on the ladder.
“We knew it was a must win game, and the boys were focused,” he said.
“It was a crucial game for us, and we played the way we wanted to play.
“Saints are a great side, and you can’t switch off against them or they’ll punish you for it.”
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