Match of the Round
Umina 0 – 1 Terrigal
Sunday’s clash unfolded as a tale of two distinct halves, culminating in the current WPL League Champions Terrigal seizing the three points after a relentless display of attacking prowess, albeit initially lacking the finishing touch.
Entering the fixture missing two of their key central midfield players, it was going to make a tough game even harder for the home side Umina.
The opening 45 minutes saw Terrigal assert dominance, pinning Umina deep within their defensive third. Wave after wave of relentless attacks ensued, yet the net eluded the determined Terrigal side, leaving them frustrated despite their relentless pressure.
Notably, Lily Brooks marshalled the defence impeccably, consistently thwarting Umina’s attempts to break free and orchestrating smooth transitions to ignite Terrigal’s attacking threats.
However, halftime proved a reset for Umina, as they emerged rejuvenated and with renewed vigour. Sensing the need for fresh impetus, Terrigal turned to their bench to inject energy into their flagging attacking line.
Umina were given a golden opportunity to take the lead when the official awarded the E-gals a penalty. Unfortunately for Umina, their attempt from the spot was wayward which would prove to be extremely costly just minutes later.
It wasn’t until the 59th minute that Terrigal’s persistence paid off, as a well-delivered cross struck the hand of the Umina defender, resulting in a penalty of their own. Candice Phelan, in impeccable form, calmly converted from the spot to break the deadlock and hand the visitors the lead.
Umina, spurred on by the concession, launched a series of spirited assaults on Terrigal’s defence, with players like Kate Styles and Chelsea Campbell testing their resolve. Despite their efforts, Umina fell short in their bid to salvage a point.
In conclusion, while the second half witnessed a more evenly contested battle, it was Terrigal’s perseverance and clinical execution that ultimately secured them the victory, leaving Umina to rue missed opportunities in what proved to be a gripping encounter.
“Today was a mix of emotions for us as coaching staff,” voiced Gab Blanch. “We are pleased with how organised we were. We built up well, with patience, confidence, and bravery, and unfortunately, we just could not finish. It’s one of those things, the more you miss, the more you think about missing, so the more you miss!”
“Nonetheless, we kept our heads, we got what we came for, and we’ll leave it at that knowing it’s never an easy three points at Umina Oval.”
Umina’s coach Michael Penn also shared his thoughts when reflecting on the game. “Whilst Terrigal are obviously the favourites this season we will build on our performance, work on our formation and look forward to our next encounter with them.”
Match Official – Jeffrey Smith
Killarney 0 – 6 East Gosford
The 2023 WPL Grand Final winners got their season off to a perfect start, scoring six and keeping a clean sheet against a new-look Killarney side.
After a disappointing Association Cup Grand Final loss, The Rams welcomed back some key players to the starting lineup with the hopes of starting the season on the right foot.
As expected, Killarney’s young team came out pressing hard in the opening five minutes, putting pressure on East Gosford’s midfield and backline.
The home side managed to control the game and keep possession for most of the first half creating multiple chances in the initial ten minutes of the contest.
East Gosford entered their first competitive game of the year coming off a mid-week Sapphire Cup win. With only a few days of recovery, Jorge Chavez’s side showed no signs of fatigue as they recorded three goals within the opening twenty minutes.
Time and time again East Gosford was able to find space down the left-hand side and through this, they found their opening goal of the season thanks to Laura Mundy which set the tone for the rest of the game.
Once the first went in, the nerves settled for the Rams as they started playing more of that possession football that they are accustomed to.
Rebekah Peake doubled their advantage after a few ricochets inside the box fell to Peake who finished well.
Mundy’s second and East Gosford’s third came after a corner was delivered to the back post and Mundy headed home to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Rams showed no signs of slowing down and added another goal through Jessica Dominello to take the game to 4-0 after the opening 45 minutes.
East Gosford made two changes in the second period which slowed down their tempo which allowed Killarney more time on the ball and to perform more comfortably throughout the majority of the second half.
The Rams were able to add two more goals to see out the victory 6-0. The first goal of the second half came after Emma Hurley was brought down in the box resulting in East Gosford being awarded a penalty which Jessica Dominello calmly converted to record her second goal of the day.
Emma Hurley continued to make her impact on the game with another bursting run through the opposition backline and expertly scoring to record East Gosford’s sixth and final goal.
“Like all the teams in the league besides Terrigal, we fielded a very different team compared to last season as did Killarney. After so much player movement in the off-season, it was hard to know what to expect from Killarney who have a new squad and coaching staff,” voiced Jorge Chavez.
“I’m very pleased with how my team has gelled so quickly, hopefully we can cement a few more connections within our team and play some good football in the coming weeks.”
“Our focus now turns to the big game next week against Kelly Hogan’s Woongarrah, a player we know very well, and we look forward to that challenge,” stated Chavez.
An extremely positive Jai Menser commented post-match after his inaugural game in charge of Killarney’s WPL side. “The goals we set for ourselves on the day were all ticked off so I’m very pleased with the squad about that.”
On the day East Gosford were the better side. Collectively we are very much still building & learning together, we will keep being patient and believe that we can hit our season goals,” voiced Menser.
“Congratulations to Kirsten Loveridge and Jorja Roach for making their WPL debuts.”
Match Official – Phillip McNab
Kincumber 5 – 0 Kanwal
Kincumber produces an emphatic win to start their 2024 season, scoring five unanswered goals past WPL’s veteran side in Kanwal.
Kincumber started the game with intent, creating many chances in the opening stages of the game. The Roos ball movement was quick and caught Kanwal stagnating at times.
Kanwal did have one or two opportunities, but the resilient defence of Kincumber thwarted any of those opportunities swiftly.
Kincumber had a dominant possession percentage which resulted in two goals in the first half, one by Captain Emily Smith and the other by striker Helaina Wellington.
The second half started just as the first, intense and fast as Kincumber looked to cause more punishment on the opposition.
It wasn’t until the 65th minute that substitute Olivia Melenewycz made a terrific run down the sideline and crossed for Airley Arnold who scored Kincumber’s third goal of the evening.
Once again, Kincumber were dominant in most areas and finished off with Charlotte Heath scoring two brilliant individual goals for the Roos to claim a 5-0 win and solidify a perfect start to the 2024 season.
Match Official – Stephen Wrightson
Points Table –
Division 1
Round 2 Results –
Points Table –
