Match of the Round
Killarney 0 – 2 Terrigal
Saturday night’s featured clash delivered an electrifying spectacle as Terrigal emerged victorious, claiming a hard-fought victory over a resilient Killarney side. Despite a valiant effort from Killarney, it was Terrigal who ultimately seized all three points in a contest brimming with drama and determination.
From the opening whistle, Terrigal unleashed their trademark attacking prowess, immediately putting the Killarney defence under pressure.
Yet, Killarney showcased their defensive mettle from the outset, with Laura Knight standing out with her commanding presence at the back.
In a pivotal moment, Terrigal were awarded a penalty, presenting an opportunity to seize the lead. However, Candice Phelan’s strike uncharacteristically rattled off the crossbar, keeping the scoreline level.
It wasn’t until the 17th minute that the deadlock was broken, as Sophie Piltz unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box, nestling it into the top corner to give Terrigal the lead.
Undeterred, Killarney fought back fiercely, refusing to concede further ground. Despite Terrigal’s defensive resilience, Killarney persisted in their pursuit, keeping the contest finely poised.
Whenever the Terriers didn’t have possession, their resilient backline kept shutting down a number of chances, disallowing Terrigal any further success in the final third.
As the game progressed into the second half, Terrigal sought to capitalize on their depth, injecting fresh legs into the fray.
With renewed energy, they launched waves of attack, eventually earning another penalty after a handball in the box. Maddie Yates calmly stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick, extending Terrigal’s lead to 2-0 in the 69th minute.
Despite the deficit, Killarney displayed unwavering resolve, with Goalkeeper Elyse Vella exemplifying their defensive fortitude, throwing herself bravely into the fray to repel Terrigal’s advances.
In the end, Terrigal’s attacking flair and defensive solidity proved decisive, securing a hard-earned victory in an exciting encounter that showcased the intensity and passion of the beautiful game under Saturday night lights.
“Killarney came out as expected, with nothing to lose and everything to gain and really put it to us,” expressed Gab Blanch.
“I’m pleased with the amount of opportunities we created in attack and can see how much we are improving week on week in this area.”
Blanch also added, “Still some refinement required in the final third, however if I’m to be realistic, we are just two games into a long season, so we’ll happily take the three points and look forward to our midweek fixture against Woongarrah”.
Killarney’s Jai Menser had nothing but admiration for his side despite coming up short. “Although going down on the night 2-0, all I have and heard was praise for the squad, they put up a massive fight. They executed jobs, roles, and responsibilities just like we instructed.”
“If we have a look at the big picture, we see a happy and developing squad and that is a success in my coaching eyes, Congratulations to Terrigal, for displaying plenty of quality football on the night.”
Match Official – Troy Ward
Kincumber 0 – 4 East Gosford
East Gosford made it two wins from two games after an explosive opening twenty minutes was enough to see the visitors come away with all three points against a stern Kincumber outfit.
From the opening whistle, East Gosford were very keen to play an up-tempo, and physical game both on and off the ball while also being cautious knowing the opening stages would be a telling factor on how the game will play out.
This pressure saw the Kincumber Roos lose their defensive structures and play with a deep line which worked in the Rams’ favour and within twenty minutes the visitors had a four-goal advantage.
The Rams first goal came in the 7th minute after stringing multiple passes together before finding Laura Mundy who connected well with Jess Dominello who managed to score her first of the day.
Brianna Green continued her terrific start to the season, constantly finding space behind the opposition backline which led to East Gosford’s second goal as Green was able to cut the ball back to Annika Hansen who found Mundy who took her chance well to double her side’s advantage.
Jessica Dominello showcased her strength and skill for East Gosford’s third goal, managing to avoid multiple defenders and finishing off her run by placing the ball into the bottom corner to take the game to 3-0.
Rebekah Peake, with one of her trademark runs, was able to get beyond the Roos backline and play a pinpoint pass to Mundy who clinically finished for the game’s fourth and final goal.
Things went from bad to worse for Kincumber as a game-ending injury off the ball to Olivia Melenewycz forced the Roos to make an early substitution.
Despite a 0-4 scoreline the Roos girls refused to yield and for the second period of the first half, the team began to put together some good passing, building some much-needed momentum.
This ascendancy enabled the Roos to have two good chances on goal with veteran players Emily Smith and Helaina Wellington proving a headache for the East Gosford defence.
The Roos began the second half as they finished the first, with the team mounting some well-crafted attacking plays from the backfield through to striker Emily Smith up-front.
Obviously concerned with the renewed vigour of their opponents, an East Gosford defender tackled Emily Smith just outside the box as she was about to go one-on-one with the keeper which resulted in a promising free kick. The set piece was taken by Airley Arnold who just missed finding the top-right corner of the goal.
The Roos continued to lift through the second half with the back four Lucinda Miranda, Anisha Sei, Courtney Wilson, Rhianna Matkovich and Goalkeeper, Heidi Cullen, building a sturdy defensive barrier.
As the match progressed through the second half it was difficult to believe one team was four goals ahead, especially when an injury to key player Charlotte Heath saw the Roos play the last 15 minutes with only ten players on the field.
While Roos Coach John Jiggins will have much to unpack about the initial 20 minutes, both he and his team should focus on the fact that the new-look Kincumber Roos WPL team kept the 2023 stand-out team, and premiers, 0-0 for seventy-five percent of the match.
“After a gruelling extra time lost in the Sapphire Cup, the majority of the team played close to 120 minutes midweek and were sore to start the game on Sunday,” stated Jorge Chavez.
“With that in mind, we started the first half a little bit defensive to see what Kincumber were going to be like, knowing they pressed us quite hard in our last encounter.”
“Unfortunately, Kincumber were missing a few key players and that showed on the day. Like most teams this year, if you are missing key players it does show on the park with probably the exception of Terrigal who have nineteen experienced players in their squad,” described Chavez.
Match Official – Jeffrey Smith
Umina 5 – 4 Woongarrah
In Woongarrah’s return fixture to the WPL, the Wildcats made the long trip to Umina Oval and came up just short in a 9-goal thriller as the E-Gals were able to secure their first victory of the season.
The game started with both teams feeling each other out and the game was played in good spirits throughout.
Eventually, the game began to swing the way of the home side as Umina opened the scoring. Umina were comfortably in control of the game, but Woongarrah were able to capitalise on an individual defensive error which allowed them to level the score.
Woongarrah capitalised on another defensive error which saw the visitors take the lead 2-1.
This time it was Woongarrah’s lead that was short-lived when a great individual goal by Kate Styles levelled the score at 2-2 after the opening 45 minutes.
Umina came out in the second half and continued to apply the pressure, constantly turning around the opposition’s defence. Umina gained control of the midfield with Woongarrah relying on the long ball over the top.
The score quickly adjusted in Umina’s favour and became 5-2 when a thunderbolt shot from Hanna Batten added to the goal tally as she was on the scoresheet twice along with Kate Styles who was able to secure a brace to her name.
Umina’s Aurelia Haynes was able to join Styles and Batten on the scoresheet, securing her first goal of the season.
Despite leading by three goals, as was the case in the first half, another defensive error gifted Woongarrah their third goal.
Woongarrah’s fourth game from a penalty as a Umina player handballed the ball inside the box and the Wildcats made no mistake from the spot.
Last year’s Golden Boot winner Kelly Hogan was able to keep her incredible goal-scoring form from last year into this season as Hogan found the back of the net all four times for Woongarrah.
Unfortunately for Kaine Harmsworth’s side, Woongarrah couldn’t find another goal to salvage a point as the home side walked away with the victory.
“With the expectation of a tight game after off-season signings by Woongarrah I was really pleased with our effort, besides the defensive lapses, to control the game for the majority of the ninety minutes,” voiced a satisfied Michael Penn.
Match Official – Peter Hall
Golden Boot Standings –
| 4 | Jessica Dominello (East Gosford), Laura Mundy (East Gosford), Kelly Hogan (Woongarrah) |
| 2 | Charlotte Heath (Kincumber), Kate Styles (Umina), Hannah Batten (Umina), |
Points Table –
Division 1
Round 4 Results –
Points Table –
