MATCH OF THE ROUND
The Entrance 1 – 0 Umina
Mia Hansen’s goal was the only thing that separated these two evenly matched sides, earning The Entrance’s initial win in their return to the WPL competition in the Round 2 Match of the Round.
The game started with Umina establishing an early presence in midfield, especially Hayley Fulwood seeing plenty of the ball and distributing well in the opening 20 minutes.
Despite the strong start, the Reddies began to grow into the game, with midfielders Lisa Bullivant and Tarra Southern starting to gain control, supported by dynamic wing play from Jade Hawes and Mia Hansen.
The first real chance of the match came just 6 minutes in when Reddies left-back Emily Weston took a speculative shot from distance that went wide of the post.
At the 17-minute mark, Umina nearly broke the deadlock. A powerful shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Cara Maxwell, and with the ball still alive, another goal attempt was thwarted by a crucial goal-line clearance from Emily, who was having an outstanding game at the back.
Umina continued to threaten, and at the 38-minute mark, they delivered a dangerous cross into the box. The Umina striker managed to get a shot off, but once again Emily was there to clear the danger.
After putting in a valiant shift earlier in the day for the All-Age girls, Kaela Ida came off to make way for Nyah Kay. Nyah’s energy was immediately felt—beating her marker multiple times and either getting a cross or a shot away.
Just moments before half-time, Lisa won the ball in midfield and played a perfectly weighted pass to Mia, who made a great run and slotted a composed finish from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner, giving The Reddies a 1-0 lead at the break.
The second half mirrored much of the first, with both teams locked in an intense midfield battle. Tara and Lisa continued to impress, winning possession and maintaining control with smart, simple passes.
Umina threatened again 25 minutes into the half when Tasha Reid made an excellent solo run to find herself one-on-one with Cara, but the keeper was quick off her line to make another vital save.
At the 30-minute mark in the second period, central defender Ella went down after heading the ball from a goal kick. She briefly left the field but soon returned to continue her strong defensive display.
With just 10 minutes left, Umina’s Tori Sheriff surged forward from 30 yards out and looked certain to score, only for Tara to make a heroic last-ditch tackle to deny the opportunity.
In the dying moments, the ever-dangerous Ruby Watt picked up the ball near halfway, beat two defenders with pace and skill, and got a shot off inside the box that narrowly missed the target.
After an intense ninety minutes, the whistle sounded, and the home crowd was in delight as The Entrance recorded a victory in their first home game of 2025.
“Umina are a physically tough team and are quick on the counter. I’m sure they will have a solid season,” voiced Mal Treuer from The Entrance.
“It was a very frustrating game for us,” stated Dave Brewer.
“With players out injured we were down to our bare minimum and relied on our under 18’s again. Unfortunately, we lost two more players to injury in the first twenty minutes and another less than ten minutes into the second half.”
“I was very impressed with how my team battled to the end, especially under the circumstances. The fight they showed will be what we need all year to get some results to go our way.”
“As expected, The Entrance were strong, fast, and put us under constant pressure. It was a game where they were able to take a chance, and we couldn’t.”
Match Official – Shane Duarte
Southern & Ettalong 1 – 0 Terrigal
A game under the lights at James Browne Oval this past Saturday set the scene for a hard-fought and two evenly matched teams both vying for their first win of the season.
Terrigal, a youthful squad yet experienced with playing with each other took on a Southern side with seven call-ups from All Age 2 and 4 as well as two 15-year-olds from the U16A’s team.
Nonetheless, Southern worked tirelessly on every part of the pitch with every player earning their call-up and none looking out of place as they picked up a 1-0 win in front of a delighted home crowd.
The game started at a fast pace, with both teams attacking the goal at regular intervals. It didn’t take long for Terrigal to have their first chance at goal, but goalkeeper Amelie Griggs was up to the challenge.
Griggs time after time proved her worth and kept Terrigal out of the back of the net on multiple occasions as Terrigal’s strikers used their pace to get behind the opposition’s defence.
But it was the same at the other end, with Southern’s forwards attacking the goal and keeping Terrigal’s goalkeeper on her toes. Southern had a golden chance to open the scoring when a foul on a Southern attacker in the 18-yard box after a strong run.
A penalty was awarded and what a save it was from Terrigal’s Casey Tuddenham who kept the scoreline to 0-0. Both teams continued to have their chances to see out the first half with Terrigal striking the woodwork twice.
The second period was no different to the first for Cait Walker Terrigal who managed plenty of possession and shots that just missed the target. Terrigal’s ball control and attack was the best it’s been so far, showing patience and composure on the ball while their defence held strong.
Missed opportunities at goal would end up being regretful for Terrigal. With roughly only five minutes left to play, Southern’s Hannah Davidson fought off Terrigal’s defenders to run through on goal and produced a beautiful finish to give the home side the lead with little time left to play.
A jubilant Southern team finished the game 1-0 against a great Terrigal team who equally deserved the win and all three points. Both teams walked off the field feeling they had played every 90+ minutes of a tight match.
“As I always say, sometimes you are the better team, but the bounce of the ball just didn’t go our way.”
“Once we have a ground to train on and have shooting practice it will make the world of difference for us it was three points that went missing,” voiced Cait Walker post-match.
Match Official – Kyle Hockings
Killarney 2 – 0 Kanwal
Killarney make it two wins from as many games, defeating a resilient Kanwal side 2-0 thanks to goals form their experienced veterans Kaitlin Murphy and Lucy Metcalfe.
It was a strong start from both teams as the early stages of the game played out as an end-to-end affair as both sides enjoyed great passing passages when in possession of the ball.
Kanwal had the better of the start with majority of possession and the ball in the Killarney’s half for the opening 5 minutes.
However, a very disappointing lapse in concentration for Kanwal cost them dearly as Laura Knight and Tara Lamont unleashed Kaitlin Murphy down the wing who beat her defender and was able to deliver a blistering shot that found the back of the net in the 11th minute to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
Laura Knight almost doubled Killarney’s lead with a thundering first-time strike off a Jordan Evans cross only to be denied by the crossbar.
A positive reaction from Kanwal saw them carry out the rest of the half creating chances, but the Bulls were unable to make the most of these opportunities as they remained a goal down heading into the halftime break despite Bulls striker Grace Heinemann causing havoc with her speed and physicality every time she found the ball at her feet.
Once again, the second half saw a very cagey battle between the two teams. The halftime chat regrouped Killarney and a change in formation bought more possession, energy and chances for the Terriers in the second half.
A determined Kanwal side pushed hard in search of that next goal that would prove crucial, but the Killarney defence who now is yet to concede in their opening two fixtures defended well, not allowing Kanwal a lifeline back into the game.
A Maddie Yates long-range shot hit the crossbar again for the home side then Kanwal thought they had found a way back into the game when a miscommunication by the Terrier’s defence coupled by the Bulls midfield brilliance saw a runaway one-on-one golden opportunity to get themselves back into the game.
Chloe Smith held her nerve and stood her ground to produce a stunning close-quarter reaction save to preserve Killarney’s clean sheet.
Twenty minutes into the second half, Kanwal failed to close down Lucy Metcalfe who fired a long-range strike past the Kanwal keeper to double her side’s advantage.
Kanwal pushed until the final whistle, but it was not to be as Killarney emerged 2-0 victors, taking home all three points to go clear on top of the WPL ladder.
“The score didn’t really reflect the closeness of the game but a well-deserved win from Killarney,” stated Kanwal’s Rodney Squires.
Coach Sarah Hudson gave credit to Kanwal, “They bought a real challenge today with their physicality and speed, especially in the first 45 minutes.”
Hudson also expressed how happy she is with the flawless defensive record thus far. “All of the girls are really bringing the effort when we don’t have the ball and that’s what I am most pleased about. Chloe has been exceptional in goals and not conceding is one of the important things for us. We’ll all continue to strive for that with each game we play.”
Match Official – John Shaw
Golden Boot Standings –
| 2 | Jordan Evans (Killarney), Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 1 | Aleisha Radford (Killarney), Candice Phelan (Killarney), Kayla Vanderfield (Killarney), Madelene Yates (Killarney), Jasmine Beacroft (Kincumber), Ruby Watt (Entrance), Annika Hansen (East Gosford), Jessica Dominello (East Gosford), Emma Power (Terrigal), Molly Couch (Kanwal), Michaela Kent (Umina), Hannah Davidson (Southern), Mia Hansen (Entrance), Kaitlin Murphy (Killarney), Lucy Metcalfe (Killarney) |
Points Table –
Division 1
Round 2 Results –
Points Table –
