MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kanwal v Woy Woy
Kanwal will be out to claim back-to-back wins for the second time this season as they host league leaders Woy Woy in the Round 11 Match of the Round.
After seeing a 2-0 defeat in round 9 at the hands of East Gosford, Kanwal got themselves back to scoring and winning ways this past weekend, defeating Wyong 9-1. Allan Bourke’s side dominated the underperforming Wyong side for the entirety of the 90-minutes and on that day both Megan Green and Hayley Green recorded hattricks to their names. Kanwal now goes from versing last place to versing first place as they welcome Woy Woy to Wadalba Sports Complex.
Allan Bourke is well aware of the tough task ahead for his side but is adamant his squad is ready for the challenge. “It’s a big game for us this week against the inform Woy Woy, who are setting the standard for this season. Our players are looking forward to this clash and we have to perform well if we want to be in the top four by the season’s end. We are looking to turn around our inconsistency.”
In most games we perform well and are competitive but now is the time to prove we can match it with the best. Some of our key players are reaching top form, Maddie Dunlop, Hayley Green, Megan Green, and captain Hayls Ballard. We are looking forward to a tight tussle and match it with the competition leaders,” said Bourke.
After seeing defeat for the first time in round 8 when Woy Woy lost to Terrigal 4-0, Lucy Metcalfe and her squad did a tremendous job of turning that result around as they got back to winning ways the following week with an empathic six-goal win over Ourimbah. Woy Woy currently still holds the top spot on the WPL ladder as the Roosters also share with Southern the most goals scored in the competition with 28 goals after 7 fixtures. Laura Mundy is responsible for over a third of those goals as she boasts 10 goals to her name already in the competition.
Despite not running into the Bulls thus far this season, Lucy Metcalfe is anticipating a very close contest come Sunday. “Expecting a tough game against Kanwal as they always put up a good fight, we haven’t come up against them yet so we’re looking forward to a tight game with plenty of action.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Preston Lorusso
East Gosford v Wyong
The Rams who are coming off very impressive wins look to keep their winning streak intact as they welcome a desperate Wyong side.
After having a bye in Round 10, East Gosford played last Monday in a catch-up game against Umina. Umina who played the day earlier was coming off a dominating 3-0 win over Killarney however Jorge Chavez’s side stopped the E-Gals in their tracks and handed the competition favourites their third loss of the season. The Rams defeated Umina 1-0 in an extremely close contest as Jess Dominello’s penalty was the only difference in the fixture as she delivered the three points home to East Gosford.
East Gosford is now enjoying a terrific four-game winning streak that has catapulted the side into second place. This East Gosford side seems to be clicking on all fronts as they also enjoy 180-minutes of football without conceding a goal. After picking up their first clean sheet in round 9, the Rams have yet to concede as they continue to establish themselves as a true force inside the WPL competition. East Gosford will enter Sunday as massive favourites as Jorge hopes his squad can pick up the win and stay within touch with the league leaders.
Wyong’s season seems to be only getting more and more challenging as the weeks go on as Andrew Halton’s already depleted side was missing an extra six players for their round 10 clash against Kanwal last weekend. In that fixture, the Emu’s went down 9 goals to 1 which marked their sixth loss in six games. That record places Wyong at the bottom of the ladder as they remain the only team without points.
After going rounds eight and nine without a goal, Wyong’s persistence paid off late in their fixture last weekend as Jessica Peachey finished off a ball from Sheridan Maxwell. Jessica Peachey has now scored all four of Wyong’s goals in their 2022 campaign and she will continue to be a vital player In Wyong’s hopes of grabbing their opening points of the season. Despite their form, Wyong continues to show up to every game and give it their all which must be commended to both Andrew Halton and his squad.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Daryl Webb
Terrigal v Killarney
Terrigal looks to keep their tremendous form going with another win this weekend against a Killarney side that has been performing below their standards in recent weeks.
A dominant first-half performance from the O’lasses in which they scored three goals against Southern, was enough for Gregory Parker’s side to walk away with the win and all three points last weekend. In that Match of the Round fixture, Candice Phelan scored a double on that day as she took her goal tally for the year to 11. Candice is now only 2 goals away from joining the golden boot leader Emily Diaz who records 13 goals to her name.
Another impressive feat Terrigal boast is that the O’lasses have only conceded a total of 5 goals in their 5 fixtures, which is the lowest number of goals conceded amongst the rest of the WPL competition. After a disappointing loss in the Association Cup Grand Final, Terrigal has got their season off to a magnificent start and with two extra games in hand on the league leaders, a win in both of those games would see Terrigal spring into first place.
Killarney’s unfortunate run of form and results continue as the Terriers see their fifth straight defeat in a row in round 10 as Umina handed Adam Tait’s side a 3-0 loss. Killarney finds themselves in the seventh spot on the ladder with 2 wins and 6 points. Those two wins came all the way back in their opening two fixtures as Killarney recorded wins over the two bottom teams Wyong (10-1) and Ourimbah (3-0).
Adam Tait will be hoping this weekend can serve as a turning point for his squad, but the challenge does not become any easier as they face an in-form Terrigal side. After failing to score a single goal in their last fixture, The Terriers will once again be looking at Maddie Van Dijk who leads her team in the goal-scoring charts. Maddie will be hoping she can find her round 5 form in which she was able to find the back of the net four times in 90-minutes.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Larry Jenkins
Ourimbah v Southern & Ettalong
Two teams looking to bounce back to winning ways after disappointing losses will face this weekend as Ourimbah welcomes Southern to Ourimbah Oval
Ourimbah started their year without a win in their opening three fixtures losing to Killarney, Umina, and Kanwal. In those fixtures, Ourimbah also failed to find the scoresheet on any occasion as Dave Hurley’s side struggled on both ends of the pitch. The Falcons however were able to hit their stride in round 9 when they recorded their first win of the season, scoring seven unanswered goals against Wyong.
Dave Hurley and his squad took on league leaders Woy Woy last weekend and a lapse in the first half saw his squad trailing to the Roosters 5-0 at halftime. However, Ourimbah in the second half proved to themselves along with the rest of the competition that they could compete with the best as they only conceded 1-goal very late in the second half after creating multiple chances of their own. Ourimbah will be out to further prove themselves as they look to take down third place Southern.
A below-par first half against Terrigal last week in the WPL Match of the Round saw Southern trail 3-1 at halftime and despite turning things around and playing to their ability in the second half, the Lionesses fell short 3-2. After that loss, Marcus Warwick’s side dropped from second place down to their as they now sit on twelve points with two other teams (Terrigal & Umina).
Emily Diaz scored her 13th goal last weekend as she remains on top of the golden boot standings by two goals. Diaz has scored over a third of Southern’s goals for the competition. Diaz and her teammates will go up against the statistically second-worse defence in the competition, so you can expect Emily to head into Sunday looking to further improve her impressive goal-scoring tally.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Graeme Gurr
