Devils shatter Heart across grades

It was arguably one of the greatest matchdays of the season for Wangaratta City FC on Sunday, with the senior men and reserve women banking important wins over Wodonga Heart. For the division one Devil men, the 4-0 thumping of Heart marks their best result of the season to date, and their second win in as many outings. The Devils got the ball rolling almost immediately, as the returning Raul Pahina thumped it into the back of the net in the 14th to give the visiting Wangaratta City an edge. Young gun Fraser D’Agostino followed up with a goal of his own just three minutes later, before Pahina made it a brace in the 29th minute. With a 3-0 lead before half-time, the Devils had control of the entire field, despite Heart making some moves and trying to fight their way back into the game. The Devils defended well and had chances to further push their advantage in the second half, with Jacob Saunders scoring in the 83rd minute to put the game to bed. Coach Vitaly Leschen said he was overjoyed at the team’s best result so far in 2026. “It was a good performance, good to get the clean sheet and get some goals in the net,” he said. “Raul is what we’ve been trying to get for the last few weeks, a bit of leadership and experience among the youth we have. “He worked really well with Ash [Primerano] and Fraser [D’Agostino] up top, he’s a strong communicator, and it’s good to have him back. “Fraser has stepped up this year into seniors - on the weekend he combined multiple times with his teammates, creating several opportunities for himself and others, ending the game with a goal and an assist.” The success at the top flight filtered down the grades, with the reserves picking up a 3-2 win courtesy of Jamie Leden, Luke Simian and Jimmy Wells, while goals to Xavier Zachariou and Lucas Alexander helped the thirds to a 2-0 win. Meanwhile, the reserve women continued their unbeaten start to the season with a handy 2-0 win over the mid-tier Heart. Bronte Robinson struck in the fourth minute, and the Lady Devils were able to absorb pressure until Isabelle Christison put the result beyond a doubt in the 70th. “The girls are enjoying being top of the ladder - with that comes pressure though and teams looking to knock us off,” division two women’s coach Kristy Mellor said. “It was a strong start against Heart, we had run of play for about 20 mins, but Heart then regrouped and played defensively, and it was harder to break down their defence. “The girls were good at keeping possession and creating opportunities in the final third. “There were standout games from Bronte Robinson on wing, Issy Christison in midfield and Jade Garrett in midfield/defence.”

Devils shatter Heart across grades

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