Spring Gully has one hand on the Bendigo Amateur Soccer CV League One women's championship, while Eaglehawk and Strathdale showed flashes of their best form in CV League One Men action across the weekend.
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The Reds' women continued their dominance of the competition this year with a hard-fought win over one of their closest rivals.
Strathdale and Eaglehawk scored nine goals between them to consolidate their positions inside the top four of League One Men.
LEAGUE ONE MEN
Strathdale and Eaglehawk's best form is good enough to challenge league-leader Tatura, but can the Bendigo-based teams produce their best for long enough to at least take a point off Tatura?
That's the big question facing the Blues and Hawks as we move towards the business end of the season.
Strathdale produced a blistering first-half on Saturday on its way to a resounding 5-2 win over the previously in-form Shepparton SC.
"The first 15 minutes were quite even, but once we scored one goal the game broke open and I think we scored four goals in 15 minutes,'' Strathdale coach Kane Goldsworthy said.
"The last few weeks we hadn't been that free-flowing team that we were in the early parts of the season, so it was good to get back to that in the first half at least."
Heavy conditions at Beischer Park made life tough for both sides.
"At one end of the ground (the car park end) it was very hard to move the ball,'' Goldsworthy said.
"The bad end had a lot of water on it and it made it really difficult. All seven goals were scored at the good end of the ground."
James Sloane and Lonain Burnett scored two goals each for Strathdale and Ethan Basilewsky added the fifth.
Eaglehawk remains in second place on the table thanks to a 4-1 win over Epsom at Truscott Reserve.
The Hawks scored twice in an impressive first-half before Zac Hasty made it 3-0 early in the second-half when he fired home a brilliant volley from the edge of the box.
Epsom worked its way back into the game via a Nick Collins goal, but the Borough sealed the deal late via a Jesse Matthews goal.
"Overall, I was pretty happy with the result and it was good to get back on track,'' Eaglehawk coach Keegan Smyth, who didn't play because of injury, said.
"There's still plenty we need to work on, but it was good to get the three points.
"Our backline was good and our keeper Zavier Abbott made some very good saves in the wet.
"Epsom is a better side than where they sit and they have some players that can cause you trouble.
"It was good to get the three points and it was good to be back home. Our previous three games were all in Shepparton and we dropped six points.
"We've got some more home games coming up which will be nice... hopefully, we can get our best team back at some point."
The Hawks and third-placed Strathdale meet in a huge game this Saturday night.
Their annual stand-alone game to mark NAIDOC Week celebrations will be played at Truscott Reserve from 5.15pm.
Shepparton South's recent resurgence was blown apart by a ruthless Tatura.
The title favourites thumped South 5-0 in another example of why the Ibises are the best team in the competition.
South was unbeaten in five games leading into the Tatura clash, but they were no match for the Ibises.
Thomas Leech scored twice for Tatura, while Xavier Black, Fraser Gosstray and Cody Sellwood added their names to the scoresheet.
Shepparton United boosted its hopes of League One survival when it defeated Spring Gully United 2-0.
Two games ago United was battling near the bottom of the table, but a draw against Shepparton South and Sunday's win over Spring Gully lifted Shepparton United to seven points - three clear of bottom-placed Epsom.
Abbas Al Gazaly and Willie Sauiluma scored for Shepparton United.
Ladder: Tatura 27, FC Eaglehawk, 18, Strathdale 17, Shepparton South 14, Shepparton SC 11, Shepparton United 7, Spring Gully United 5, Epsom 4.
LEAGUE ONE WOMEN
Spring Gully took a major step towards claiming the League One Women's championship when it defeated Shepparton United in Sunday's top-of-the-table clash.
Two second-half goals from leading striker Paige Conder proved to be the difference between the two teams as the Reds won 2-0 to move six points clear at the top of the ladder.
"The girls played really well,'' Spring Gully coach Simon Smith.
"It was a tight game. We had the balance of play and they (Shepparton United) had a tactic of trying to hit us on the counter-attack.
"I think our relentless pressure took its toll in the end."
Conder's first goal came after she finished some great team play down the right wing.
Her second goal was from the penalty spot after a Shepparton United handball on the goal line.
"The penalty was in the last five minutes of the game,'' Smith said.
"We had constant pressure down their end. I think they had two shots in the second-half and they were both from 35 yards out. We were really impressive defensively.
"It's always hard to win in Shepparton, so we're very happy to win the game."
Spring Gully has nine wins from nine games to be 27 points - six ahead of Strathfieldsaye Colts United and Shepparton United.
Colts moved into second place on goal difference on the back of their resounding 7-1 win over FC Eaglehawk.
Colts had three goals on the board in the opening 10 minutes and there was no way back for the Borough.
Maddie Ridsadale set the tone for Colts early and finished with a hat-trick. Bridget Chamberlain added two goals, while Zoe Cail and Caitlin Robertson completed the scoring.
The home side did show some fight in the second-half. After being 7-0 down at the main break, the Hawks won the second-half 1-0 thanks to Jess Dover's goal.
La Trobe University rallied from a half-time deficit to score a crucial 5-2 win over Kyneton.
Sian Hoppell's first half brace gave Kyneton an unlikely 2-1 lead over the Eagles.
La Trobe regrouped at the break and produced a four-goal burst in the second-half to clinch the three points.
Shannon Fox (two), Stacey Langeveld, Sara Dahl and Aimee Staszkiewicz scored the goals for the Eagles.
Fifth-placed La Trobe needed the three points as the battle for fourth spot tightens up.
Tatura held onto fourth spot thanks to a hat-trick from striker Tara Ambrosini.
Ambrosini's heroics lifted the Ibises to a 3-0 win over Shepparton South.
Ladder: Spring Gully 27, Strathfieldsaye Colts United 21, Shepparton United 21, Tatura 13, La Trobe Uni 12, Eaglehawk 9, Kyneton 3, Shepparton South 1.
