MATCH OF THE ROUND
Umina v Woy Woy
Coming off the biggest win of the WPL season, Umina will look to keep their momentum going as they battle a well-rested Woy Woy side hungry to regain their spot on top of the ladder.
Fresh off their empathic 21-0 win over Wyong last weekend, Umina hopes to carry that same form into their match of the round clash with Woy Woy this Sunday. Kate Styles was one of the stars of the show in their fixture against Wyong as she managed to find herself on the scoresheet seven times. Hannah Batten was also able to grab five goals to her name while teammates Gemma Crowson and Hayley Fulwood both recorded hattricks to their name. The E-Gals will need to carry all momentum from that game as they were unable to find the back of the net in their earlier fixture in the year against the Roosters. Last weekend’s win saw Umina jump into the top four for the first time this season and another win come Sunday could see them jump even further and solidify a spot inside the top two. Umina will have the luxury of playing their fourth straight game with a home-ground advantage as they are yet to lose at home this season.
“Woy Woy last time was our most comprehensive defeat of the season and rightly so. Woy Woy was miles ahead of us on that day.” Stated Umina coach Steve Donaldson when reflecting on their last meeting with the Roosters.
Donaldson also spoke about the importance of his team being at their absolute best if they want to walk away with a result this weekend. “We know the talent they possess and know that we will have to be at our best to get any result from them.”
Woy Woy enter this game week having a bye in round 16 and well rested for their match of the round battle with Umina at Umina Oval. Woy Woy is currently only one point ahead of their opposition Umina who sits in fourth place and after losing their spot on top of the ladder to Terrigal, Lucy Metcalfe’s side will be determined to get the win and possibly regain their title as league leaders. Woy Woy’s will be looking at their 3-0 win over the E-Gals from earlier in the season as a foundation for the weekend ahead. With the WPL table so close a loss could see Woy Woy fall out of the top four as the ladder continues to change weekly. There is a lot of history between the players of these two clubs and this is definitely a match-up we could see at the end of the year come finals time.
Lucy Metcalfe details how her squad are grateful to get back on the pitch this weekend as she expects a challenging game against their rivals. “Looking forward to finally getting back into it after all the terrible weather. We are expecting a tough game with our rivals Umina, especially at their home ground! I’m hoping my girls can stick to the game plan and pull through with another win.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Ian Chamberlain
Terrigal v Wyong
New league leaders Terrigal will be out to hold their position on top of the throne as they battle the understrength Wyong side who are looking to bounce back from their biggest loss of the year.
After their 1-1 draw with Kanwal last weekend in the round 16 match of the round, Terrigal now finds themselves on top of the WPL ladder for the first time this year. Despite dropping points for only the second time this year, one point was enough for Gregory Parker’s side to overtake Woy Woy on goal difference. Terrigal still has a game in hand compared to the other four teams below them on the ladder which would see the O’lasses go outright by three points if they were able to win that fixture.
Terrigal will enter their fixture with Wyong already recording a win over the Emus in a catch-up game at Pluim Park earlier in the year. On that night the O’lasses were able to score 12 unanswered goals, a feat that will be out to replicate come Sunday. Terrigal is currently scheduled to welcome Wyong to Duffy’s Oval, but Parker’s squad has only had the luxury of playing one game there this season and as wet weather continues to leave the pitch unplayable. No matter where these two teams meet, expect another dominant performance from Terrigal as they look to hold on to their crown of league leaders.
Wyong’s horrific season seems to keep going from bad to worse as they continue to remain understrength on a weekly basis. Last weekend Wyong entered their first-grade game with no fresh legs as Andrew Halton’s squad saw the biggest defeat of the competition when they lost 21-0 to Umina. Wyong’s goalkeeper Sian Johnson received high praise from the opposition coach as she was tremendous for her side on that day, saving everything she was expected to, plus more.
One thing Wyong has been commended for throughout their entire season is their ability to give their all despite when the results aren’t going their way. Wyong’s courageous attitude is a special attribute they all possess within the squad as they continue to show up with a positive attitude before and after their games. Wyong will be hoping to strengthen things up in their backline as they hope to hold out Terrigal this weekend
MATCH OFFICIAL – Larry Jenkins
Ourimbah v Kanwal
Ourimbah will be searching for their second win of the season as they are scheduled to take on a desperate Kanwal side who will be looking to claim maximum points from this fixture.
Ourimbah was one of four teams who didn’t make it to the field last weekend as their scheduled home game with East Gosford was postponed. Ourimbah is still looking to bounce back from their string of 1-0 losses from their last three fixtures. Dave Hurley and his squad’s attention will now turn to Kanwal, the side who handed Ourimbah their biggest loss of the season so far (9-0).
On that day Ourimbah lost multiple key players during the match and at times only had 10 players on the field. However, that was only early days in Ourimbah’s inaugural WPL season and recent weeks have shown that Ourimbah can go toe-to-toe with the best this competition has to offer. The Falcons will be hoping they can continue this great run of form and turn a great performance into a great result as they focus on picking up their second win of the season.
Kanwal enters round 17 as only the second team to currently take points from the league leaders Terrigal. Last weekend Kanwal hosted Terrigal for the round 16 match of the round, this day was made even more special for the Bulls as the club was celebrating past players and club sponsors which brung a big crowd to Wadalba Sports Complex. After going 1-0 up in the first half thanks to Courtney Smith, Kanwal couldn’t hold onto their lead as Terrigal equalised early in the second period and the game finished 1-1.
Kanwal now records a draw over first-place Terrigal and a win over second-place Woy Woy, with those sorts of results you would think Kanwal would be amongst the other top teams in the competition, but Kanwal is currently sitting in sixth place, eight points away from finals contention. With how tight the top end of the WPL ladder this season is, Kanwal will need an almost flawless run from here if they want any chance at making the top four and that could start with a win over Killarney this weekend.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Pearce
East Gosford v Killarney
Former league leaders East Gosford will look to get back in the winner circle and back into the top four with a win over Killarney come Sunday.
After having their fixture against Ourimbah postponed last weekend, East Gosford is still yet to play since their shocking 5-1 loss to Southern Ettalong in round 15. That was the Rams’ biggest loss of the season as they lost their spot on top of the WPL ladder. After missing out on playing last weekend, East Gosford now finds themselves outside the top four in fifth place on 19-points. The Rams only remain 2-point away from fourth-placed Umina so a win this weekend is a must if they want to keep within a distance of finals football.
Since their first loss of the season to Terrigal, East Gosford is yet to lose another game at home. The Rams will enjoy being back at home once again this weekend as they look to continue their great run of form at Hylton Moore Oval. Having already beaten Killarney 5-2 in round 8, Jorge Chavez and his squad will be confident they can repeat that performance as they set their sights on regaining their spot-on top of the table.
Adam Tait’s Killarney side is still looking to bounce back from their unfortunate 3-0 loss to Woy Woy in their last game. After trailing 1-0 at halftime in that fixture, far from ideal playing conditions in the second half made any attempt at a comeback an extremely difficult task. Now Killarney has their sights set on another difficult challenge as they look to avenge the biggest loss of their season which came at the hands of East Gosford.
On that day in round 8, Killarney welcomed the Rams to Edsacc Oval as quite an even first half saw the score locked at 2-2. However, East Gosford would go on to see the game out as Killarney struggled to take their chances as the game finished 5-2. Missed opportunities have seemed to be quite a reoccurring theme with this Terriers side who do a great job of creating opportunities but struggle to find the back of the net in their games which ultimately comes back to hurt them. Killarney will be hoping for a different fortune when they travel away from home this Sunday.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Con Pantos
