MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kanwal 2 – 0 Woy Woy
Kanwal finally show their true potential as the Bulls scored two unanswered goals past former league leaders Woy Woy to secure their fourth win of the competition.
It was an electric start for Allan Bourke’s side who led 2-0 nil within the opening 10-minutes of play. Two quick goals to Kanwal’s speedster and star striker Hayley Green set the tone for the first half with a goal in the 3rd and 8th minutes. Kanwal continued to dominate, calling on the Woy Woy goalkeeper multiple times as the Rooster had no answers for the Bulls. The Kanwal midfield led by Lucy Pratt, Marley Harrison and captain Hayley Ballard dominated in the first half as the Kanwal defence was rarely tested.
Enjoying a two-nil lead at halftime, an injury to the experienced Jen Tatum saw her not return to the field after the break, her teammates and Kanwal would thoroughly miss her organisation skills in the second half of play. The second period proved quite the battle as Woy Woy threw numerous players forward. This brang the Kanwal defence and goalkeeper Kimberley Burke into action as Burke made several outstanding saves to deny Woy Woy any goals and keep her clean sheet intact. The Kanwal midfield and defence held resolute to come out well-deserved winners.
“Tough game for us today, unfortunately, it wasn’t our day, and we couldn’t fight our way back into the game. We had some opportunities but couldn’t capitalise on them. Credit to Kanwal who played really well and scored two goals early on in the match to seal their victory.”
“We looked forward to measuring ourselves against the competition leaders and we weren’t disappointed,” voiced Kanwal head coach Allan Bourke.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Preston Lorusso
East Gosford 19 – 0 Wyong
East Gosford put on a clinic, dominating a struggling Wyong side by scoring 19 unanswered goals and claiming the biggest win in the competition this year.
With the majority of their First-Grade squad already playing a full game in Reserve Grade, it was always going to be a difficult task for Wyong to back up and challenge an in-form East Gosford team. From early on it was quite clear that East Gosford was going to dominate as the ruthless Rams led by a mammoth 11-0 at halftime.
East Gosford continued with their flurry of goals also in the second half, scoring another eight unanswered goals to claim the competition’s biggest win of the season and also catapult Jorge Chavez’s side to first place on the WPL ladder as Woy Woy dropped points. Kayla Vanderfield and Kelly Hogan, both found themselves on the scoresheet five times each as the pair recorded ten goals between them. Yasemin Lawson secured four goals to her name while Jessica Dominello and Emma Lowe both recorded a brace. Rebecca Casey also grabbed her first goal of the year to join her teammates on the scoresheet.
Andrew Halton and his squad continue to find the positives during this difficult time which is a true credit to this brave Wyong team. “It’s been a really tough season already, but the squad will not give up. They will continue to give everything until the final whistle at the end of the season. I’m proud of what my girls have done with a tough situation.”
Jorge Chavez commended the opposition who showed a brave attitude in today’s game. “With most of Wyong’s players playing 180-minutes of football today, all credit to them as they kept running and fighting until the end of the game. With the top teams so close together, my girls knew that goal difference is crucial this year and made the most of their opportunities today in front of goals. We now must prepare for a physical Umina outfit next Sunday.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Daryl Webb
Ourimbah 0 – 5 Southern & Ettalong
Emily Diaz finds herself back on top of the golden boot ladder as her hattrick helped Southern claim all three points away from home against Ourimbah.
After a midweek game against Terrigal, Ourimbah’s first-grade squad found it difficult to match Southern & Ettalong in the first half. As for Southern, it was an unsettled week of training for the Lionesses, but Marcus Warwick’s squad turned up fired up. After enjoying a majority of control of the game along with some chances, Southern was just waiting for one of their chances to find the back of the net. After Ourimbah lost their structure midway through the first half, Southern would punish the opposition by scoring five unanswered goals. Southern grabbed their first goal when Emily Diaz got a flick-on from Alana Currie and was able to successfully tap it in. Within 20 minutes of getting their first, Southern was able to score four more goals through Emily Diaz who recorded two more goals to seal her hattrick, Letisha McCormack who recorded one goal to her name and an own goal from Ourimbah to give them a 5-0 lead at halftime.
To the players’ credit and determination, Dave Hurley’s squad was able to put the first half ‘behind them’ and commence the second half at a much higher level of intensity, allowing the Falcons to win possession of the ball in the middle third, therefore limiting Southern any scoring opportunities. Ourimbah was also able to provide their strikers with a few scoring opportunities of their own but unfortunately were unable to turn these chances into goals. The second half served as a massive turnaround for their team as Ourimbah were able to keep Southern scoreless in the last 45-minutes as the fulltime score remained 5-0.
“Southern played a very fast-paced and well-structured game and deserved the win,” commented Ourimbah coach Dave Hurley.
Marcus Warwick and his attention now turn towards a very important match against Kanwal. “From a coach’s perspective you can’t be disappointed with a five-nil win, we can improve a lot more on our respect of the ball and finding ways to adjust to when the opposition mixes it up as Ourimbah did. Next weekend is a huge one for us in both grades, we need six points back at home in front of a home crowd.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Graeme Gurr
Golden Boot Standing –
| 16 | Emily Diaz (Southern) |
| 14 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 10 | Laura Mundy (Woy Woy) |
| 9 | Yasemin Lawson (East Gosford) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
