MATCH OF THE ROUND
Ourimbah 7 – 0 Wyong
Ourimbah overcome their goalscoring drought with seven unanswered goals against Wyong as the Falcons pick up their first points of the year in the Round 9 Match of the Round.
After last weekend’s disappointing results, the Ourimbah team regrouped during the week and with some valuable training time working on the front third combinations, Ourimbah needed to bring this into the game and convert their scoring opportunities when presented, something which they have struggled with so far this season. The game commenced at a relatively slow pace with most of the Falcon’s possession was enjoyed in the opposition half. It took 15-minutes for Ourimbah to obtain their first goal of the season, with Ella Murphy placing a powerful left foot penalty into the back of the net. After going in front, Ourimbah would lift their level of intensity and their willingness to go forward increased substantially. This resulted in four goals scored within the next eleven minutes. On the 19th minute mark, Emma Hurley grabbed her first, two minutes later it was Nyah Small who found herself on the scoresheet, three minutes after that Emma Hurley grabbed her second and Tegan Ball’s effort resulted in her name on the scoresheet just moments later. This provided Ourimbah with a 5-0 lead at the halftime break.
The second half commenced with Emma Hurley getting her hattrick just two minutes after play resumed. To Wyong’s credit, they altered their formation and backline to play higher in the hopes to be more defensive for the last 45-minutes. At times, Dave Hurley’s side struggled and found it difficult to cope with Wyong’s new formation and style of play. Ten minutes from the full-time whistle, Ourimbah themselves altered formations with Morgan Perry providing an accurate pass across the face of goal allowing Nyah Small her opportunity to score her second for the day and solidify her team’s first win of the season.
Wyong coach Andrew Halton commented “I don’t believe the score represented the game. A lapse of concentration for fifteen minutes resulted in conceding four goals. The second half was very even however we were just missing the finishing touch in the final third. Ourimbah was dangerous in the final third with Teagan and Nyah linking up to create a number of chances.”
Dave Hurley applauded his team and more so this defence who were able to claim their first clean sheet to date this past Sunday. “Our goalkeeper and defensive players achieved our first clean sheet of the season to date which is a major milestone for our team. Overall, a well-deserved win for our group of players and supporters.”
Match Official – Darryn Eyndhoven
Southern & Ettalong 1 – 0 Umina
Golden Boot leader Emily Diaz and her goal were the only difference this past Sunday as Southern handed Umina their second loss in back-to-back weeks.
Umina came out with a different strategy for the weekend but due to poor training sessions, the E-Gals side looked lost and confused. Southern & Ettalong started the match putting a lot of pressure on Umina as the Lionesses did not allow them to move the ball around as they would normally look to do. Southern continued to press and a big tackle from Alana Currie led to Southern winning the ball which landed at the feet of Emily Diaz who hit a rocket of a strike past the opposition goalkeeper to give her side the lead.
The second half saw Umina continue to struggle on the park as they look to restore the deficit. Neither side reached their true potential in the second half of action as the game was very stop-start. In the end, Southern was able to hold on to their 1-0 lead as they see the game out. Umina, who started the year as competition favourites now have seen two defeats in their last two games as the E-Gals now drop out of the top four.
Steve Donaldson voiced that despite a contentious call, his team were not up to their standard on Sunday. “We found ourselves behind to the only goal of the match through a controversial way. After a heavy collision that resulted in my player getting carried off, Southern played on and finished the chance while the game came to a stop. Full respect to the referee who admitted in hindsight that he should have stopped the game but what was ultimately worse than the decision was the way my team played.”
“The only positive out of our game is that we still on got beat by the one goal when we were at our absolute worst,” stated Donaldson.
Marcus Warwick vocalized how much that win meant for his side who are now just one point behind first. “The game was getting heated, as expected. It was a very stop-start second half with not much great football from either team. We knew Umina would play out from the back and try to dominate possession, but we simply did not allow them to do it. It was a very good win and all the best to Umina for the rest of the year.”
Match Official – Stuart Golding
East Gosford 2 – 0 Kanwal
East Gosford keeps Kanwal goalless for the first time this season as the Rams jump to third after picking up their third straight win.
With East Gosford just one point ahead of Kanwal heading into Sunday, this was a crucial game for both sides. The game started with both teams trying to keep possession and dictate the tempo of the game. The Rams who were playing with confidence looked dangerous building out from the back, stretching Kanwal and creating space in the midfield. The Rams inform striker Yasemin Lawson looking dangerous as always with her pace, taking on her defender at every chance down the right-hand side. This led to an early corner for East Gosford that was slotted home by Jacinta Ling with a powerful volley inside the box. Minutes after grabbing their first goal, East Gosford’s Jessica Dominello was fouled but play was called on as she managed to get off a shot that unfortunately riffled off the post. In the 35th minute, Kelly Hogan managed to beat two opposition defenders and get a shot away just to be blocked out for a corner as Hogan thought she had doubled the Rams’ lead. A change in formation seemed to catch Kanwal off guard as the Rams controlled the majority of possession in the first half.
The second half started much of the same as Yasemin continued to make runs down the right flank, creating numerous chances and worrying the Kanwal backline. Another great chance just five minutes after play resumed from halftime, Jessica Dominello released teammate Kelly Hogan whose shot went just wide of the sticks. The Ram’s defence continued to control the tempo of the game and Kanwal struggled to convert any chances of their own. Kanwal’s best opportunity came in the 60th minute when they were awarded a free-kick which went just wide of the target. With the game still locked at 1-0, both teams knew that the next goal of the match was going to be vital. Jessica Dominello forced the Kanwal keeper into making a fantastic save after she beat four players to get a shot off. The Kanwal keeper was instrumental in keeping the scoreline at bay. However, a through ball from Dominello once again to Kelly Hogan saw the keeper come off her line and Kelly managed to place her shot on target to finally double the lead for the Rams. East Gosford had further chances to increase the scoreline but Kelly Hogan and Kayla Vanderfield would either be stopped by the goalkeeper or put their chance wide. Kim Myers would enter the field for the last twenty minutes for the Rams as she continues to have an impact on the game and was very unlucky not to score after having three clear chances at goal. In the dying minutes, it was the East Gosford goalkeeper whose last-minute save would keep her clean sheet intact as the game finished 2-0.
“At the end of the day East Gosford took their chances and we let another opportunity slip by,” stated Kanwal coach Allan Bourke after the game.
Rams coach Jorge Chavez had nothing but praise for his side after claiming the three points. “Today we managed to achieve two huge results for our club as Kanwal is one of the most talented squads in the Women’s Premier League and with our Reserves managing to get a draw and First Grade a well-deserved win, it sets us up for the rest of the season. The excitement in the squad is growing knowing that we still haven’t had a full team to choose from yet, but connections are coming along well and the players are committed and executing our game plan better each week.”
Match Official – Ian Chamberlain
Woy Woy 0 – 4 Terrigal
Terrigal hands league leaders their first loss of the competition as the O’lasses were just too much for Woy Woy in round 9.
Woy Woy hosted Terrigal in a game that also promoted Brest Cancer Research with ‘Paint the Oval Pink’ seen all over Austin Butler Oval. The first half was an even affair with the Terrigal defensive structure holding firm while the O’lasses attack created many scoring opportunities in the opposition front third. Woy Woy entered the match coming off their best win of the season but struggled to get any momentum going in their match on Sunday. Terrigal gradually was able to take control of the game midway through the first half and found their first goal of the game in the 29th minute thanks to Rachel Derby who scored the only goal in the first half.
Terrigal made an even bigger statement in the second half, adding three more unanswered goals to the scoresheet to hand Woy Woy their first loss. Candice Phelan recorded a double to her name with one of those goals coming via the penalty spot. Sophie Plitz was also on hand to grab her first goal of the season as the O’lasses send a warning to the rest of the competition that they mean business in 2022.
Lucy Metcalfe was let down with the result but commended the opposition who deserved the win. “Disappointed with the loss, unfortunately, we were outplayed and credit to Terrigal who played some top football with some nice finishes. It just wasn’t our day today but back to the drawing board this week and get ready to face Ourimbah”
Terrigal coach Gregory Parker commented, “We expected a tough match with the competition leaders and that is what transpired. Woy Woy were great hosts, the game was played in excellent spirit and the playing surface was quite good considering the rain the Coast has received. The game also promoted fundraising for Breast Cancer Research. Woy Woy FC is commended for this great initiative. The game also marked the awarding of the Butler Family Trophy in the first-grade matches.”
“We have been working hard on the way we play, solving football problems at training and it paid off today. The coaching staff are immensely proud of every member of the squad and the way we are playing. It’s early days but I believe the O’lasses showed today we have the depth of skill all over the park and technical ability to be a contender come finals.”
Match Official – Larry Jenkins
Golden Boot Standing –
| 12 | Emily Diaz (Southern) |
| 9 | Laura Mundy (Woy Woy), Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 7 | Jennifer Reeves (Kanwal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
