Essendon Royals and Kilmore Park shared four goals in ninety minutes before the semi-final of Victoria Premier League 2 went to penalties on Thursday. The hosts won 4:3 on spots after a regular-time draw at their own ground.
Essendon opened the scoring in the seventeenth minute and Kilmore Park responded at the half-hour mark. A second Essendon strike in the forty-ninth minute put them ahead, but the visitors levelled again in the eighty-seventh. That meant the tie would be decided from the spot.
The shootout was a rollercoaster. Essendon scored their first two attempts while Kilmore Park missed both. Then both teams settled into a rhythm of hits and misses until the fifth round, where Essendon's conversion sealed it and Kilmore Park's miss ended their night.
They had a point to prove after losing 4:1 at Kilmore Park just a week ago. That result left a sour taste, and while this draw wasn't a victory, the penalty win meant they advanced. The recent form has been mixed for both sides, with Essendon drawing 2:2 with Morland City in their last outing.
Essendon sit fourth on 48 points from 26 games, three ahead of Kilmore Park in fifth. The gap in the table remains, but this semi-final result means the hosts move one step closer to a final place. Kilmore Park will have to wait until next season for another shot.