Match of the Round
Umina 6 – 0 Southern & Ettalong
Looking for their first competition win of the year, Umina welcomed Southern & Ettalong to Umina Oval this past Sunday for another instalment of the peninsula derby.
Having narrowly lost mid-week to East Gosford in the Association Cup Grand Final, that didn’t seem to affect Umina who started the contest in a dominant fashion.
Despite controlling the majority of the ball and possession, the E-Gals didn’t find their breakthrough until the 27th minute after a quick turnover in possession off a throw-in by Bella DeMeyer was played through to Kate Styles who was too fast for her defenders and expertly finished one-on-one against the opposition goalkeeper.
Umina got their second goal through Bella DeMeyer who finished a cross from Chelsea Campbell into the top corner to give Umina a 2-0 lead after the opening 45 minutes.
The second half saw Umina continue their dominant display, adding another four goals in the second period.
Their third goal was scored by Hannah Batten as Tayleh Panagis released Hannah with a defence-splitting ball on goal as she made no mistake finding the back of the net.
Umina’s fourth goal was extremely similar to their third as this time it was Kirby Squires who played an identical pass for Hannah Batten to run on to as she once again finished from a tight angle.
Another through ball from Kirby found Hannah once again, this time Hannah was able to square it to an unmarked Bella DeMeyer who coolly finished with one touch.
Hayley Fulwood found a bit of space just outside the box and was able to play a through ball to Chelsea Campbell who rounded the keeper and skilfully finished to cap off the win with the sixth and final goal of the game.
That win sees Umina jump Southern on the ladder to claim the 4th spot while the Lionesses drop to second last.
Match Official – Wayne Young
Killarney 0 – 8 Kanwal
Looking to build on their victory over Umina, Kanwal travelled to Edsaac Oval on Sunday to take on Killarney who were looking for their first win and all three points to kick their season into gear.
The match started with Kanwal taking complete control from the outset. The game was barely five minutes old when Jordan Evans pounced on a mistake from Killarney to dispatch the ball into the bottom corner.
10 minutes later, Jordan Evans had her hand in Kanwal’s second as she produced another smart finish to double the Bull’s lead.
The Terriers lost their dependable goalkeeper and captain both through injury inside the first half which made their task even tougher for the remainder of the match.
It was soon 3-0 after Hayls Ballard was on hand to score a good team goal. Jordan Evans completed a first-half hattrick with a goal 10 minutes before the break which saw the Bulls head into the break 4-0 up.
Unfortunately for Killarney, the second half was similar to the first. Lucy Pratt was on hand for Kanwal to tap in a goal after Maddi Dunlop forced the Killarney keeper into making a good save to take the score to 5-0.
Kanwal scored their 6th with a rocket of a shot by Jordan, to take her tally on the day to four. After coming on as a sub, Kate Duffy scored from 25 out to make it seven before birthday girl Megan Green scored a header from a corner to round out the game at 8-0.
“It was a very important performance and result for us. To score eight was great but I was most pleased with the defence and the clean sheet. Credit to the Killarney players, they never gave up despite losing their keeper and captain to injury in the first half,” commented Bulls coach Ben Raychaudhuri.
As for the opposition coach, Adam Tait admitted his side were beaten by the better team. “No excuses, Kanwal we’re just too good and we just weren’t up to it.”
Match Official – Philip McNab
East Gosford 7 – 0 Kincumber
The Kincumber Roos were humbled 7-0 by a superb East Gosford side at Hylton Moore on Sunday afternoon.
Following an amazing week for the Rams First Grade who created history by winning their club’s first piece of silverware in 60 years, East Gosford had to regroup and be ready to play competition newcomers in Kincumber FC.
The Roos were very excited about the challenge of meeting the competition heavyweights. From the outset, they knew they would be tested across the park and battled with great effort and determination to make their opponents work hard for any advantage.
With a slight forced reshuffle in their starting line-up due to last-minute injuries and work commitments, the Rams started with a different starting eleven on the field. However, as usual, East Gosford looked at keeping possession, finding feet, and assessing how their opponent would respond early in the match.
After some clever short passes, Kelly Hogan was able to find the back of the net within the first three minutes of the game for East Gosford. Just moments later, Kayla Vanderfield would score her first of the contest to take the Rams 2-0 up.
Two extra goals to Kayla Vanderfield before halftime saw her secure a first-half hattrick as the Rams entered the break with a 4-0 lead.
Even though the Roos went to the half-time break down 4-0, the girls put together plenty of enterprising plays with some great touches across the park. Lily Fardon, Mia Kasun, Tyla O’Toole, Nina Boije Af Gennas, and Emilie Piltz repeatedly put their bodies on the line to thwart many attacking forays. Heidi Cullen was also great under this pressure in goals and rallied her defensive troops well.
The second half saw the Roos gain confidence, with Helaina Wellington, Emily Smith, Bobbi Borg, Rhianna Matkovich, and Ellinya Kirkman putting together some pleasing attacking raids. For much of the second period, the teams matched motors with a final three goals in the last ten minutes, blowing the score out to 7-0.
Kayla wasn’t pleased with her three goals as another two late in the second half saw her score five goals for the second consecutive week. Annika Hansen also got in on the action, adding another from the penalty spot to round up the Ram’s dominant 7-0 win.
“I was lucky to have been able to watch a few of Kincumber’s preseason games and enjoyed their style of play. I am excited to see how this Kincumber team will grow and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them fighting for a top-four spot at the end of the season,” voiced Ram’s coach Jorge Chavez.
Kincumber Coach Ian George was philosophical after the loss. He conceded the Roos were beaten by a better team while also acknowledging the learning opportunity and huge benefit the team will take into future matches. In a post-match conversation, he said, “The girls now know where the bar is set, and it is up to the squad and coaches about how we get there over this and coming seasons. We have a host of home-grown local talent that will filter into the WPL squad in the coming years.”
Match Official – Dylan Watson
Golden Boot Standings –
| 10 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford) |
| 5 | Taylor Thackray (East Gosford) |
| 4 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal), Jordan Evans (Kanwal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
