MATCH OF THE ROUND
Umina 3 – 0 Woy Woy
Umina overturn their 3-0 loss earlier in the year to Woy Woy with a 3-0 win of their own in the WPL round 17 match of the round.
It was a great battle this past Sunday as two of the competition heavyweights met at Umina Oval. Enjoying a home advantage, Umina started strong as they locked Woy Woy down for the opening 20 minutes of the contest. The E-Gals broke the deadlock just 10 minutes after kick-off when Gemma Crowson found some space and brilliantly placed the ball into the bottom left corner. Woy Woy grew into the game and looked quite threatening at times, putting pressure on the Umina backline who were looking to play out from the back and. In attack, the Roosters looked dangerous with their through balls which released their forward into dangerous positions, but Woy Woy couldn’t find the equaliser as the game remained 1-0 at half time.
The second half was a lot more of a back-and-forth contest with both teams not being able to get a hold of the ball and maintain a lengthy spell of possession. The game remained very even until Umina were able to extend their lead in the 80th minute thanks to their striker Kate Styles. Kate was able to get herself on the scoresheet once again before the full time whistle and cement Umina’s 3-0 win.
Lucy Metcalfe had nothing but high praise and respect for the opposition who she wishes to meet once again come to the end of the year in finals. “It was a tight match today that blew out at the end. Umina adapted well to the rough conditions of the field and used the through ball well to their advantage. It’s always a great matchup with the Umina girls, they are great competitors, who always give it their all. Hopefully, we will get ourselves in a position to see them again for a great showdown in the finals.”
Steve Donaldson had a lot of praise for the opposition’s coach who was outstanding in both fixtures this season. “I’ve been a coach in the WPL for four years now and I don’t think I’ve seen a better individual defensive display from a centre-back like Lucy Metcalfe had in the game. Her distribution in the previous game was incredible and she stepped up even more in this fixture in defence, making crucial tackles effortlessly which my strikers really had trouble with. Unfortunately for her, my girls were stronger elsewhere on the pitch but full credit to them and the way the girls on the field played the game.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Ian Chamberlain
Terrigal 10 – 0 Wyong
Candice Phelan rockets to the top of the WPL Golden Boot standing after her emphatic 8-goal haul helped the O’lasses to a win over Wyong this past weekend.
Terrigal got off to a fast and fantastic start when Candice Phelan was able to finish off a great team goal in the 3rd minute to grab her first goal of the day. Rachel Darby then doubled the score off some great lead-up play from club captain Emma Power just a minute later. Candice grabbed her second goal at the 20th-minute mark but some terrific saves from Wyong’s ever-important goalkeeper Sian Johnson kept the scoreline at just 3-0 as the two sides headed into the second period.
The second half saw Terrigal take some time to warm back up with their fourth goal of the afternoon coming in the 53rd minute thanks to Georgah Shearim. Candice Phelan would then take control of the game as she went on to add six more goals to her name, with three of those coming from the penalty spot as a tired and frustrated Wyong side started to give away penalties. In the end, Terrigal won 10-0 and continues to hold their spot as the WPL league leaders.
Wyong’s Andrew Halton stated post-game how proud he is of his squad that has faced lots of challenges and adversity this season. “Massive improvements from recent games this week as the girls pushed through tired legs right until the end. Unfortunately, the decisions didn’t go our way this week, so the score didn’t represent the game. I’m really proud of what my players have done in a difficult season, and I think they deserve a lot of respect for it.”
“This week we got to experience what Wyong has gone through all year with only 16 players available through injuries and other commitments. This only reinforces our admiration for what the young ladies from Wyong have had to do for the entire season is remarkable. Once again, we take our hats off to Wyong for their courage to keep turning up each week and to their coach for also seeing out the season,” stated Terrigal’s Peter Blair.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Larry Jenkins
Ourimbah 1 – 0 Kanwal
A Nyah Small goal was the only difference in this round 17 clash as Ourimbah successfully picked up their second win of the season.
Kanwal commenced the start of the first half with the majority of possession inside Ourimbah’s midfield and defensive areas. Midway through the half, the weight of possession switched as Ourimbah was the one who started enjoying their share of the ball, creating scoring opportunities thanks so some very accurate through balls for their strikers. However, neither side could make the most of their opportunities in the opening 45 minutes of play as they went into the break 0-0 which was a fair assessment of the first half.
Ourimbah entered the second half with an altered attacking formation which created a mid-field battle with both teams continuing to create scoring opportunities. Midway through the second half Nyah Small received a pass on the left-hand side of the field close to the sideline, after taking on the Kanwal defender Nyah had a shot on target that sailed over the outstretched hand of the Kanwal goalie and landed in the top corner of the net, handing Ourimbah their first goal of the game. Looking to restore the deficit, Kanwal pushed additional players forward for the final 20 minutes of the game trying to capture that elusive goal. Ourimbah’s number one Michelle Dillon made a handful of top-quality saves to keep a clean sheet and secure all three points for her side for only the second time this season.
“We found it difficult against their block defence. With close to 80% possession and numerous goalscoring chances, it wasn’t our day. It was a shock loss to Ourimbah,” stated Bulls head coach Allan Bourke post-game.
Dave Hurley was ecstatic with his team’s ability to overturn a string of close losses into a win this past Sunday. “We are certainly starting to see improvement with our team structure over the past games with a few close 1-0 losses against some of the leading teams. I am extremely proud of our players for keeping to the game plan and our structure in defence and to come away with three well-deserved points from this fixture is a massive achievement.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Pearce
East Gosford 2 – 1 Killarney
A tough and gruelling 2-1 win over Killarney sees East Gosford jump back into the top four and back to winning ways.
The Rams difficult task of defeating Killarney was made even harder before kick-off when they had eight players ruled out for the game, along with four players having to back up from reserve grade. The match started with both teams trying to hold on to some possession, whilst creating attacking raids at both ends. With a different-looking starting 11, the Rams took a while to get into their normal passing rhythm. In the 10th minute of the game, the new striking pair connected well and after a quick one-two, Kelly Hogan found herself one-on-one with the opposition keeper. Luckily for Killarney, Abbey Omayao was ready and produced an amazing save down to her right to deny East Gosford. 24 minutes in the Rams were able to break the deadlock through a magnificent team goal as the ball started with their goalkeeper and after a total of 14 passes the play was finished off at the far post from close range by the Rams left wingback Emma Lowe. Killarney looked dangerous with their counter-attacking style of football and almost caught the Rams defence out of position multiple times. It was through one of these long balls over the top that saw Killarney break down the right side and deliver a cross that found Jess Andrews who headed past the goalie to even the score at 1-1. It looked like the game was going into the break one all until a late free kick to the Rams found Kelly Hogan in the box to sneak in a last-minute goal and gift the rams a 2-1 lead going into the second half.
The second period of the contest once against saw quite an even affair with both teams creating chances. Killarney pushed hard to find an equaliser, but the East Gosford defence held strong as they saw out the remainder of the game to pick up a crucial three points.
Despite the loss, Adam Tait commended his team’s effort as he was left extremely proud post-game. “Disappointed that we only had two officials again for the game. We played some good football today and I was extremely proud of our team. My team is certainly not getting a fair go with referees at the moment.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Con Pantos
Golden Boot Standings –
| 24 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 23 | Emily Diaz (Southern) |
| 13 | Kate Styles (Umina) |
| 11 | Laura Mundy (Woy Woy) |
| 10 | Hannah Batten (Umina), Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 9 | Yasemin Lawson (East Gosford), |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
