MATCH OF THE ROUND
Terrigal v East Gosford
Two teams fighting for League Champions last week will now be fighting to stay in the top four come Sunday in our round 14 match of the round.
Last weekend Terrigal met Umina in the match of the round as a win for the O’lasses would have propelled them to the top of the competition ladder with just one round remaining. However, after an intense battle with the league leaders, Terrigal fell 1-0 away from home to ruin their chances of finishing the year as WPL League Champions. Terrigal lost their centre-back Caitlin Johnson mid-way through last weekend’s fixture through injury and if unavailable this weekend will be a big hole to fill in for this important clash. In one week, Terrigal has gone from fighting for a title to now fighting to say inside the top four. Currently in the fourth spot on 29 points, failure to pick up any points this weekend could see Terrigal not qualify for the 2022 WPL Finals Series if Woy Woy can manage to win against Southern Ettalong. After failing to record a single goal in a match for only the second time this season, plenty of attention will be on the dangerous striker Candice Phelan to usher her side back to goalscoring ways and winning ways come Sunday.
Gregory Parker had nothing but tremendous words for this weekend’s opposition as he states his side must be at the top of the game if they wish to defeat the Rams again. “We welcome East Gosford to Duffy’s Oval. Both teams play skilful football in a competitive and respectful atmosphere. It’s great to watch and progresses women’s football on the Coast. East Gosford has been very consistent in the second half of the season, and we expect them to be at their best. Our season comes down to the last game. We know our potential and we will play like it’s a grand final.”
Although not impossible, it seems very unlikely that East Gosford will miss out on the 2022 Finals Series after splitting the points with Woy Woy last weekend in a 1-1 draw at home. East Gosford currently sits in third on 32 points, only three points above fifth but with a plus 17 goal difference over the fifth-placed Woy Woy side, it seems very unlikely even if the Rams were to lose this weekend that they would miss out on a finals spot. The main focus for East Gosford this weekend will be looking to jump Southern Ettalong to claim the second-place spot on the ladder and enjoy the luxury that brings come finals. East Gosford hosted Terrigal all the way back in their first game of the year and on that day at Hylton Moore the O’lasses got the best of them with a 2-1 win. Jorge Chavez will be hoping his side can overcome that loss and head into the finals with as much momentum by picking up a win over the dangerous Terrigal side this Sunday.
Jorge Chavez knows how much this game means to Terrigal and he two admits his side must be at their best to grab a result this weekend. “Huge game for both teams, a win could see that team finish second, and a loss for Terrigal could potentially see them finish fifth and out of finals football, hence I expect Terrigal to throw everything at us this Sunday. We both met months ago and can only go from that game, we conceded through their quick counter-attacking football and two crosses into our box that day, with Candice and Emma Power playing huge roles in that win. With Candice’s amazing goal-scoring efforts this year it’s easy to say if we keep here scoreless, we win that game, but that would be disrespectful to the rest of the quality players they have. All I know is that Terrigal has one of the strongest squads in the competition and we will have to be on top of our game if we want to walk away with a win come Sunday.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Rodney Mcleod
Ourimbah v Umina
Currently three points clear of second place, Umina need just one point to be crowned the 2022 WPL league Champions when they travel to Ourimbah Oval and face a well-rested Falcons side.
In recent weeks, Ourimbah has gone head-to-head with some of the best this competition has to offer and has almost walked away with results but an inability to sustain their performance for the entirety of the ninety minutes has cost them dearly. Two weeks ago, the Falcons hosted finals contender Woy Woy and after going 2-0 up over the Roosters, a collapse in defence saw them concede four straight goals to go on and lose 4-2. The following week Ourimbah once again held a 1-0 lead over a finals contender, this time Southern, and again they concede two late goals to see defeat.
After enjoying the weekend off, Ourimbah will look to finish their season off on a high as they try to secure just their fourth win of the season. In the second half of the year, something has seemed to click for this Ourimbah squad as continue to compete with the best the competition has to offer. With all the pressure on the opposition this weekend, Ourimbah will enter their contest with a strict game plan from coach Dave Hurley and if they are able to stick to this game plan for the whole match, we could see a major upset in their final match of the year.
In last weekend’s match of the round fixture, Umina was able to successfully defeat Terrigal for the third time this season with a 1-0 victory. In a very close and intense fixture, Chelsea Campbell was the only one who found herself on the scoresheet as the E-Gals extended their winning streak to eight games in a row. Enjoying their season-best form, Steve Donaldson’s side has just one more week left and only needs a point in the final round to wrap up the title of 2022 WPL League Champions.
Umina enters their away fixture against Ourimbah already recording a 4- 0 win over the opposition in their opening match of the season. On what could potentially be a historic day for the Umina club and WPL squad, they must not let their earlier result from earlier in the year distract them from the fact this will be a tough contest come kick-off. Steve Donaldson will be making sure his team enter the weekend well prepared and extremely focused on the task at hand and if successfully, claim their second women’s league champions title in the history of the club.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Pearce
Woy Woy v Southern Ettalong
Just like our match of the round, this fixture could also see big implications for the 2022 finals series as Woy Woy look to pounce into the top four on the final day of the year.
After enjoying the majority of the first half of the season on top of the competition ladder, Woy Woy now find themselves two points out of the top four on the final day of the year. Currently sitting in fifth place on 29 points, Woy Woy will be hoping East Gosford can do them a favour and pick up a win over Terrigal which will allow the Roosters to slide into the top four if they are able to pick up a win of their own against Southern Ettalong, a feat easier said than done.
After splitting the points with a tough East Gosford squad last weekend and the fact they already record a 3-2 win over Southern Ettalong from earlier in the year, Woy Woy will enter this weekend with maximum confidence hoping they can grab a win in potentially their last game of the season. Having the advantage of playing on their home soil at Austin Butler Oval will be another factor in their favour this weekend as Lucy Metcalfe and her squad hope everything can align for them come Sunday to keep their season alive.
A dominant and clinical 16-0 win over Wyong last weekend guaranteed this Southern side a spot inside the 2022 Finals Series. Not only did Southern secure a spot inside the top four, but Marcus Warwick’s side also ended the day in second place after both Terrigal and East Gosford dropped points last weekend. Now the Lionesses will be out to keep their spot in second with a victory over a determined Woy Woy side.
Woy Woy is the only side this season that Southern has not defeated. Finishing in second place guarantees a second chance opportunity if needed so the Lionesses will also be determined to record a victory come Sunday when they travel across the peninsular to Woy Woy. After picking up 10 goals to her name last weekend, Emily Diaz will be raring to get back on the park as she looks to finish the season with as many goals as possible to her name as the striker currently records 37 goals to her name in one of the best individual seasons we have seen in the WPL.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Robinson
Wyong v Killarney
Wyong will be determined to pick up a result for the first time this season in their last game of the year when they welcome Killarney to Baker Park.
Wyong will be happy to see the end of their season after their final game on Sunday. Wyong has done it incredibly tough all season with extremely few squad numbers as the Emu’s players have been forced to play 180-minutes’ worth of football every weekend to cover both grades. As a result of their small squad, Wyong is yet to pick up a point in either grade as they look to change that in their final game of the year.
Wyong will finish their year at their home ground as they look to pick up a result in front of a home crowd. Wyong welcomed back their usual head coach Andrew Halton last weekend, but Southern Ettalong would be too strong for Wyong as they saw their biggest defeat in six weeks with a 16-0 loss. In the second half of the season, Wyong has had a better run of results as they will be determined to finish the year on a high.
Killarney saw their third straight 3-1 loss last weekend when they travelled to Wadalba Sports Complex and took on the Bulls. After conceding first, Adam Tait’s side found an equaliser almost instantly but was unable to find the back of the net again in that fixture as they saw their eleventh defeat of the season. Killarney will now look to finish their year with a win and pick up their first win in five weeks.
Killarney was tipped to be in teams amongst contention for Finals at the start of the year, but injuries have seen this squad not live up to expectations for the 2022 season. Without a doubt, this squad will look to rebuild come 2023 but for now, this Terriers side will be focusing on finishing their year off with a win against the winless Wyong.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Con Pantos
