Select Page

MATCH OF THE ROUND

Southern & Ettalong 2 – 3 East Gosford

East Gosford grabs their first win of the season in a very close, intense battle against Southern & Ettalong in the Round 6 Match of the Round.

The game started with both teams trying to gain control of possession. It was the Rams who seemed to be the more settled on the ball despite the new look starting 11. The Rams piled on the pressure time and time again but to Southern’s credit, their backline, led by the experienced Maddison Waddell, kept East Gosford’s attackers at bay. It wasn’t until an unintentional handball in the box gifted the Rams and Yasemin Lawson the first goal of the day. Not long after receiving their first, East Gosford was gifted another penalty with Kayla Vanderfield being brought down in the box after a great run from Yasemin Lawson down the right flank. Lawson stepped up again and was successfully able to make it two from two at the spot and double the Rams’ lead. Enjoying a two-goal lead, the Rams looked relaxed and in control of the game until Southern was awarded a penalty of their own. The ever-reliable Alana Currie made no mistake taking her chance and reducing the deficit to one goal before halftime.

The start of the second half saw both teams understand how important the next goal in the game would be. The Rams continued to put pressure on the Southern backline, but the Lionesses never gave up and kept showing up big in crucial moments to help keep their team in the game. That determination would ultimately pay off after a foul just outside the box resulted in a perfectly taken free-kick that was equally perfectly saved by the Rams’ backup goalie Emere Bell from WAA6 who was playing her second game of the day. However, after the save, the ball fell to Hannah Davidson who managed to score a great goal from a tight angle. The Rams looked shocked after conceding the equaliser as both teams looked to lift and possibly grab the winning goal. With eight minutes to go, Yasemin Lawson went on one of her signature runs and managed to get past the Southern defence and into the box to finish from a very acute angle and complete her hattrick for the day and claim the first win for her side this season.

Southern’s Marcus Warwick had nothing but a positive attitude after the fixture, stating how proud he was of his squad as they now focus on next weekend. “With how many troops we were down, I can be nothing but proud of the girls, we will train hard this week and move on to the next challenge.”

Jorge Chavez was extremely proud of his Rams squad who entered the fixture underdone. “With only seven fresh players for first grade, yet another reshuffle in our line-up and to play that type of football is extremely pleasing and proves to me again that our girls are ready for any challenges that come our way this year. We have put a lot of effort into our women’s program and it’s the next player up mentality that is great to be a part of. Credit to Southern who also had players backing up and without Diaz upfront today, that was a huge loss for them. To their credit, they never gave up and almost stole a point. We now look forward to next week against Ourimbah and a few key players returning to our lineup.”   

Killarney 0 – 3 Woy Woy

Woy Woy hands Killarney their first loss of the 2022 season as the Roosters propel themselves back on top of the WPL Ladder.

It was a tight first half between Killarney and Woy Woy as both teams battled hard for control and possession in the midfield. In an arm wrestle of a match, the game looked to be heading into the break goalless and locked at 0-0. However, a mistake moments before the halftime whistle from Killarney allowed the inform Laura Mundy through on goal and successfully slot home for Woy Woy and give her side a 1-0 lead at the break.

It was evident Woy Woy got a lot of confidence from their goal in the first half which they took into the second period of action. Woy Woy started the faster of the two teams, playing plenty of great and attacking football as they searched for another goal to double their lead. Killarney defended Woy Woy’s constant raid of attacks well but whenever they regained possession, they were very quick to turn over the ball with passes that seemed to only find the opponent’s feet. Nonetheless, Woy Woy would eventually go on to grab two more goals and put the game to bed against a very resilient Killarney who fought hard to the end. Aleah Soames found herself on the scoresheet for Woy Woy and Laura Mundy grabbed her second of the match to take her tally for the year to nine goals in four games.

Adam Tait commended the opposition as he thoroughly enjoyed their style of football. “Woy Woy are the leaders in the competition at this stage and deserve it, it’s a credit the way they play.” Tait was also proud of the way his side carried themselves over the length of the game, “I was so proud of Killarney the way we didn’t give up and the respect we have for our opposition.”    

Lucy Metcalfe credited a valiant Killarney side as she was also delighted with how her team is improving. “Big effort from Killarney today, with their defensive line holding strong. To my girls I’m very pleased with the style of football we’re producing, we seem to be growing every week!”  

Kanwal 1 – 4 Umina

Kanwal’s winless start to the season continues after competition favourites Umina handed the Bulls their second loss of the season.

Both sides started the game in a very positive manner as they both enjoyed some early shots on target only to be denied any opportunities through some great goalkeeping. It was Umina who started to swing the momentum their way and maintain control of the game as their intensity picked up which forced Kanwal to make a lot of turnovers in their own half. After some big defensive efforts from the Bull’s backline, Umina finally found a way through their defence. On the 15-minute mark, a corner from Leisel Collins found Nicole Carmichael who was able to head home for the opening goal of the match. Umina was a little unlucky not to extend their lead before halftime as the score remained 1-0 after the opening 45 minutes of action.

The start of the second half mirrored the first as both teams looked to be evenly matched. Kanwal searched hard for an equaliser but their attempts were well managed by the Umina goalie. The longer the second half went on, the more Umina looked to grab a hold of the game. Gemma Crowson was able to find herself on the end of a through ball from Hayley Fulwood as Crowson rounded the keeper and finished well on a very tight angle to double the E-Gals lead. Nicole Carmichael then hit a massive free kick from the sideline, around 40-meters from goal, that nestled into the top left corner to grab her second of the day and further extend the scoreline. Nicole was able to pick up her hattrick after another Hayley Fulwood corner found Carmichael who finished after a scramble in the Kanwal box. Kanwal would eventually show their quality with neat play through the middle that was finished after a really impressive long-range strike from Jennifer Reaves to take the score to 4-1.

 Although his side picked up the win, Steve Donaldson was unhappy with not keeping Kanwal scoreless as he has high praise for the Kanwal squad. “I’m disappointed about not keeping a clean sheet as our defence was on point considering we only really lapsed for about 10 minutes over the ninety. Kanwal as always have talented players in the team. They just seemed to lack fluidity as they played very direct. Whether that was down to our defence or them being a tad off on the day. I still expect them to work out their problems from the game and be one of the front runners by the end of the season.”

WPL Golden Boot Standings –

10Emily Diaz (Southern)
9Laura Mundy (Woy Woy)
4Alisha Dudman (Killarney), Maddie Van Dijk (Killarney), Nicole Carmichael (Umina)

WPL Points Table –

WPL Club Championship –