A superb double from English striker Chris Wademan had the NPL Tasmania newcomers dreaming of a third win for the season.

But fourth-placed Zebras killed off the dream with two goals in eight minutes to clinch a 3-2 win.

"Everybody is a bit devastated because we really did not deserve to lose," said Olympic coach Alex Gaetani.

"It was easily our best performance of the season.

"It was a huge improvement from previous weeks and the last time we played them (a 9-0 loss at home).

"I thought we were fantastic for most of the game, we were never really dominated and just a few things did not go our way.

"We defended structurally really well and in the first half just one lapse of concentration hurt us."

The hosts had the better of the first half and after Jordan Muller had tested Jarrod Hill, Adam McKeown put them ahead with a composed finish in the 26^th minute.

Riley Dillon also struck a post, fired a free-kick wide and kept Hill busy as Olympic's best chance saw Aaron Campbell unable to beat Sam Whatman from a tight angle.

However, Wademan turned the contest on its head with a stunning impact immediately after the restart.

On 47 minutes he tried his luck from distance and Whatman was unable to keep it out.

And just a minute later he found another way past the experienced keeper from closer range.

"They were two very good goals," Gaetani said.

"The first was unreal. He was about 35 yards out and he saw the keeper off his line and chipped him.

"The second was another good goal after some great team play."

Matthew Pace twice went close as the stunned Zebras attempted to stage a fightback but it was the determined Dillon who broke Riverside hearts when his 78^th minute free-kick curled its way in at the near post.

The points were sealed four minutes from time when McKeown burst forward. Hill managed to divert his shot onto a post but Pace was on hand to tap in his easiest goal of the season.

The drama wasn't over as Wademan had two injury-time chances to complete his hat-trick and snatch a point but fired the first wide and the second straight at Whatman.

Having marked his return to Olympic with a goal inside three minutes in the Northern Championship, the popular Yorkshireman has since scored three in two NPL games and will make his Windsor Park return against South Hobart on Saturday.

"He makes a big difference to us. He's a striker that really suits our style of play. He makes dangerous runs off the shoulders of centre-backs and gets in behind.

"We don't play with a target man, we play more into those spaces and attack them with pace and he's just got that finishing quality that we've been lacking and it's pretty exciting to have him."