MATCH OF THE ROUND
Terrigal v Southern & Ettalong
Terrigal, who are coming off back-to-back wins and a statement result over league leaders last weekend, will look to keep their winning streak going as they battle Southern in the Round 10 Match of the Round.
Terrigal sent a statement out to the rest of the competition in round 9 as they handed league leaders Woy Woy their first loss of the year in a 4-0 win. That win propelled Terrigal into the top four and another win the weekend will see the O’lasses go on level points with second place. Terrigal’s defence has been impenetrable in recent weeks, Terrigal has managed to secure two clean sheets in a row while scoring a total of 16 goals in those two fixtures. You can bet Terrigal will be out to make another statement come Sunday.
Assistant coach Peter Blair is expecting a very experienced side come Sunday. “We are hoping the game is played in a similar spirit to last week’s match as the players from both sides are well known to each other. We are expecting a solid defence from Southern with their experienced players.”
Terrigal head coach Gregory Parker states that he knows his side must play to their full potential this weekend to pick up the three points. “As Peter and I have predicted there will be teams that will surprise this season. Southern is one of those who knocked off the ‘favourites’ last week with a great win. I have been very happy with our training sessions on adaptability and flexibility in the way we play now that we can train regularly on grass. Goals can come from anywhere as we have shown with a spread of goal scorers in our matches such as the depth of the squad. We will not be predictable. We will need to be at our best on Sunday however to beat an ever-confident Southern.
Last weekend, Southern proved to the rest of the competition that they deserve to be sitting in second place. The Lionesses kept a clean sheet against competition favourites and a single goal to the golden boot leader Emily Diaz was enough to pick up a 1-0 win over the E-Gals. Much like their opposition, Southern has now kept two clean sheets in back-to-back weeks. Another win this weekend will further help cement Southern’s spot around the top of the ladder.
Southern’s Marcus Warwick is anticipating a tough challenge come Sunday and knows his team need to be on the top of the game. “Terrigal will be a challenge in both grades, I expect them to want control of the ball and to dominate possession, we need to make sure we put pressure on them from the kick-off and break down the game they want to play as quick as possible. If we let them find their rhythm, they will be tough to beat.”
“We need to work on our respect for the ball, keep hold of it more than we have been, if we defend like we have been and respect the ball I think we can take another six points Sunday from a quality side.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – IAN CHAMBERLAIN
Woy Woy v Ourimbah
League leaders Woy Woy who are coming off their first loss will welcome Ourimbah who are coming off their first win.
Woy Woy sent a statement out to the rest of the competition in round 8 when they were the first to stop Umina in their tracks and hand the E-Gals a loss. Woy Woy scored three unanswered goals to defeat Umina 3-0 and solidify their spot-on top of the ladder. However, Lucy Metcalfe and her squad could not repeat this performance in round 9 as the Roosters had a day to forget against Terrigal who were crowned 4-0 winners. That loss was also the first time this season Woy Woy failed to produce a single goal in any match.
A big standout for Woy Woy despite their loss was Alex Harte who was named their player of the match in both grades last Sunday. Despite the loss, Woy Woy still hold the top stop on the WPL ladder by a point. Woy Woy will once again enjoy playing in front of a home crowd for the third consecutive week. Although their opposition is struggling, Ourimbah are coming off their first win which could make things interesting, but Woy Woy boast enough quality in their squad who should be able to forget last week’s loss and bounce back in an emphatic way.
Ourimbah struggled immensely in their opening three fixtures as the Falcons lost all three games by a combined score of 16-0, Ourimbah failed to find the back of the net in any of those fixtures. However, in last week’s WPL Match of the Round, Ourimbah put an end to their goalscoring drought as they managed to score seven unanswered goals against Wyong to grab their first win of the season.
A lot of their early failures came down to lack of match fitness due to low playing and training time in the legs of Dave Hurley’s squad but now that the Falcons seems to be getting in a routine which hopefully translates on the field. Confidence with be high not only for the attackers but the defenders also who managed to keep their first clean sheet of the season. Ourimbah will now have a good sense on how they want to play and what works best for them and will be looking to further improve upon this against the ever-dangerous league leaders Woy Woy.
MATCH OFFICIAL – DARYL WEBB
Wyong v Kanwal
Wyong looks to pick up the pieces and go again as they welcome a determined Kanwal side to Baker Park this Sunday.
Wyong has been on the wrong end of some big scores this season as the Emu’s remain the only team in the competition without a win. Andrew Halton’s side now records the worst attacking and defensive statistics in the competition. Wyong has conceded 54 goals in five games whilst only scoring three goals total. Those three goals all came in their first three fixtures as Wyong has been unable to find the back of the net in the last two weeks.
One thing that Wyong has been commended for by their opposition is their will and never say die attitude that allows them to keep fighting for the whole match. This attitude will be key in Andrew and his squad’s hopes of turning their season around. Wyong will be coming up against a Kanwal side who are coming of a loss so if Wyong can frustrate the Bulls early, they might be able to leave Sunday with points under their belt.
Kanwal is coming off a disappointing loss in round 8 as the Bulls went down 2-0 away from home against a resilient East Gosford. That loss marked the first instance this year the Bulls failed to score a single goal in ninety minutes of football. Allan Bourke and his side left Sunday feeling frustrated that they could not capitalise on any of their opportunities as the Bulls dropped to 7th on the ladder.
A win this weekend over Wyong could elevate Kanwal back into the top half of the competition but a loss could be detrimental to their hopes of playing finals football at the end of the year as Kanwal is scheduled to face the current top three teams in back-to-back weeks. Expect Kanwal to bounce back in a very dominant way come Sunday as they look to build some form heading into their toughest month of football this season.
MATCH OFFICIAL – TROY WARD
Umina v Killarney
Two teams looking to bounce back to winning ways, round 10 will see Umina travel to Edsaac to battle Killarney who are well-rested and fresh from their bye round.
Although Umina is the home team, the E-Gals will be playing on enemy territory come Sunday. Umina is coming off two very disappointing losses as the WPL favourites have now lost back-to-back games. Their first loss of the season was a 3-0 loss to Woy Woy as Steve Donaldson’s squad struggled with their gameplan on a pitch that would not allow them to play to their style and strengths. Their most recent loss was against Southern (1-0) as golden boot leader Emily Diaz’s first-half goal was the only difference.
Umina is now out of the top four as the E-Gals look to regroup and get back in the winner’s circle starting with Killarney this Sunday. With all of their firepower up front, it comes as a very big surprise that Umina hasn’t scored in their last two games. Nicole Carmichael is currently Umina’s top goal scorer as she boasts four goals to her name. Umina will be looking to Carmichael along with Gemma Crowson and Kate Styles to turn things around and restore fear in the rest of the competition.
Killarney started their year like a house on fire, finishing their preseason undefeated and continuing that form into their opening two games where they won both fixtures with a combined score of 13-1. However, the next four games have not been great for Adam Tait and his side who haven’t picked up a single point since their round 5 win over Wyong. That’s four losses in a row as the Terriers look to overcome this drought.
Killarney enjoyed a week off in round 9 which should allow us to see a rejuvenated Terriers side in round 10. Killarney’s attacking partnership of Maddie Van Dijk and Alisha Dudman has been outstanding for the black and white this season as those two boasts nine goals in between them. This partnership will be critical in helping their side get back to winning ways as they hope to be the third team in a row to beat the competition favourites.
MATCH OFFICIAL – JOHN SHAW
