Match of the Round
Southern & Ettalong 0 – 9 Kanwal
Kanwal made the long trek south to James Browne Oval for the match of the round to battle against Southern & Ettalong on an extremely windy Sunday.
With all but three players backing up after playing Reserve Grade, Southern were up against it from the start with Kanwal applying pressure from the outset.
After squandering a few chances, Kanwal took the lead after Hayley Green sprung the offside trap and finished calmly to the keeper’s left.
Not long after, Jordan Evans doubled the lead with an identical goal to the first. Jordan scored her second after Kanwal were awarded a penalty.
The half was rounded out when Hayls Ballard headed home an Evans corner for a 4-0 halftime lead.
The second period took on a similar feel as Southern really struggled to run out the game. Ballard scored her second before Evans completed her hat trick to make it 6-0.
Hayley Green then added her second before Ballard laid a goal on a platter for Grace Heineman before Maddi Dunlop rounded out the goalscoring with her first and Kanwal’s 9th of the day.
“Today was extremely difficult for us to play football,” voiced Kanwal’s Ben Raychaudhuri. “With the field and wind playing havoc as well as the time-wasting antics of the opposition. I feel for the Southern players having to play two games on the day.”
Ben also went on to add, “They tried hard but understandably ran out of gas and the quality of the game descended appreciably. I’m very happy to leave with the three points and no injuries as we turn our attention to next week.”
Match Official – Jeffrey Smith
Kincumber 0 – 5 Terrigal
Sunday’s fixture between Kincumber and Terrigal was played under tough conditions at Frost Reserve, with blistering winds making it difficult for both teams to establish any consistency in their gameplay.
Terrigal asserted their usual attacking dominance from the initial whistle. However, Kincumber bravely defended the ongoing onslaught. It wasn’t until the 29th minute, when Caitlin McMahon made a surging run forward from deep in the midfield, beating her final defender, and slotting home far post to give Terrigal the highly anticipated lead.
Terrigal continued to press high, asking questions of Kincumber’s defensive line and often camped in their 18-yard box, and were rewarded in the 35th minute when a penalty was awarded for a handball in the box. Gab Blanch slotted home to give Terrigal a further advantage heading into the break.
The second half started with a bang when Terrigal’s Rachel Darby rose above the pack, heading home a perfectly placed corner in the 46th minute, delivered by Sophie Piltz.
Kincumber showed that they’d come out of the break with a spring in their step and made it clear they were up for a fight. The ongoing midfield battle, often won by Kincumber’s Helena Wellington and Nina Boije Af Gennas, was well contested and Terrigal’s defensive line were often required to clean up and clear the lines of Kincumber’s attack.
Terrigal however, continued to threaten Kincumber’s defensive line, and in the 79th minute, they struck again. A well-placed cross fell to the right foot of Gab Blanch who slotted home for Terrigal’s 4th of the day.
As the game entered the final minutes, both teams very much still insisting on a goal, a smart near post finish by wingback Rachel Darby found the back of the net from well outside the 18-yard box, making it five for the day and another three points for Terrigal.
“Once again I have to commend the Entire squad for today’s results,” voiced O’lasses Gab Blanch. “We continue to carry injuries and niggles, yet our girls are showing up and getting the results we need, clocking up another six-point Sunday.”
Gab also stated, “We weren’t at our best today, but we managed to grind out a fairly good result. We tried to play, despite the somewhat difficult pitch and weather conditions, that’s the important thing for me. Kincumber were as good as always, the scoreboard was probably not reflective of what they threw at us today. They play good football they play as a Team. I’d love to see them create some upsets in this final round of the season.”
Match Official – Troy Ward
Killarney 0 – 15 East Gosford
The last time these two sides met, Killarney almost shocked the competition after leading the Rams 1-0 only to see defeat 2-1. However, this time the Rams showed up focused from the first whistle to the final whistle, picking up the biggest win of the WPL competition in 2023.
The game started with East Gosford maintaining possession and attacking the Killarney defence early as it only took ninety seconds for Grace Bryant to make a run down the middle with the ball as she found fellow teammate Kelly Hogan who scored her and the game’s first goal.
The Rams got their second goal in the 7th minute when Kayla Vanderfield found herself unmarked in the opposition box as she made no mistake doubling East Gosford’s lead.
Just a few moments later it was Grace providing a perfect through ball for Kelly again who expertly took her chance to give the Rams an early 3-0 lead.
Next on the scoresheet was Annika Hansen whose long-range strike managed to chip the keeper and find the back of the net, extending the opposition’s lead to 4-0.
Current golden boot leader Tahlor Thackray was next to get in on the action as she played a one-two with Kelly Hogan which ushered in her first goal of the evening.
Playmaker Grace Bryant had her hand in East Gosford’s next goal once again as her through ball found Kayla who cut back to Kelly who punished her chance to secure her hat trick just 36 minutes in.
Veteran defender Lucy Metcalfe was able to get free of her defender to head home unmarked from a corner to take East Gosford’s lead to 7-0.
Tahlor Thackray wrapped up the first half with her second goal as the Rams took an outstanding 8-0 lead into the halftime break.
The second half continued in the same dominating fashion as the first, with Tahlor securing her hattrick in the 50th minute before adding two more goals to her name in the 60th and 74th minute to take her tally of the day to five.
Kelly Hogan was also able to find the scoresheet two more times in the second period as she also recorded an outstanding five goals to her name this past Sunday.
Karen Doutty broke her goalscoring drought in the 65th minute, securing her first goal for the 2023 season as the Rams secured their ninth win of the year.
Jorge Chavez spoke on the opposition after the win as he commended their spirit, playing until the final whistle. “Full credit and respect to Killarney, they didn’t stop all day, especially the back line who defended to their fullest no matter what the scoreline and kept putting in effort until the ninetieth minute. Unfortunately, Killarney were down a few players therefore multiple players had to play numerous games which made it a tough afternoon for them.”
“Our focus now turns to the Umina game in two weeks, it’s a crucial game with both teams needing those points to finish inside the top two,” added Jorge.
Match Official – John Shaw
Golden Boot Standings –
| 21 | Tahlor Thackray (East Gosford) |
| 18 | Jordan Evans (Kanwal) |
| 15 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford) |
| 13 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 11 | Gabrielle Blanch (Terrigal) |
| 9 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 8 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford), Kate Styles (Umina), Chelsea Campbell (Umina), Hayls Ballard (Kanwal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
