Match of the Round
Terrigal 3 – 3 East Gosford
It was a wet and windy Sunday afternoon at Eastern Road, where the match of the round delivered exactly what was anticipated, a 6-goal thriller between Terrigal and East Gosford.
East Gosford were off to an early advantage when in just the 4th minute, a loose pass from deep in Terrigal’s defensive third fell right at the feet of East Gosford Striker Kelly Hogan, who undoubtedly fired home from close range.
East Gosford continued to gather momentum as Terrigal worked hard to settle into the game and their usual attacking ways. Still in the early stages of the contest, in the 9th minute of play, midfielder Georgah Shearim pressed high and won her one-on-one battle, before striking from just inside the box to equalise for Terrigal and restore the match to an even contest.
The game continued to play out fairly evenly, with both teams executing effective wide play, and defensively very strong. It was East Gosford who looked more dangerous in front of goal, and in the 16th minute, a penalty box scrap resulted in another goal to Kelly Hogan, giving East Gosford the lead once more.
The first half continued to display a very even match of creative football, with both teams creating opportunities in an end-to-end contest. In the 44th minute East Gosford, however, struck again, when a penalty was awarded for a handball inside the box. Kelly Hogan slotted home to give East Gosford the 3-1 advantage leading into the break as she secured her first half hattrick.
The second half saw some changes in Terrigal’s line-up, and from the first minute, it was evident Terrigal were back to fight for points on offer. In the 53rd minute, substitute Gabi Blanch beat her defender on the right-hand side of the box, delivering a direct pass into an unmarked Abbey Kitchener who scored her first of the season, lifting the spirits of Terrigal and bringing the score back to 3-2.
Terrigal continued to press high, winning a high percentage of their midfield battles and effectively getting forward, with many goal-scoring opportunities being created from wide areas. In the 58th minute, Terrigal struck again, with a through ball weighted perfectly by busy striker, Indi Moyes, to the feet of Gabi Blanch, who beat her defender inside the box and slotted home low and wide to bring the match back to an even contest.
The remainder of the second half showed an equally dominant display by both teams and in the end, the points were shared in what was a thrilling contest between two very capable football teams.
Terrigal coach Gab Blanch knew that Sunday was going to be no easy feat. “We knew coming into this fixture we’d have a huge job on our hands. East Gosford is in goal-scoring form, and they brought that today. If I am honest, we weren’t at our best from the get-go, and a fairly average first half of football hurt us. We allowed East Gosford to do what they do well, and it cost us a few early goals.”
“To their credit, my girls fought, and that’s a positive I can take away from today. Seeing that we know how to fight back when we need to. It’s always a nervous time for a coach to see how your team responds when they have to chase a game, and today the girls made us proud by never giving up, even at 3-1 down. East Gosford are a strong team, and they will be difficult to take points from, on any day. So, for me, there are a lot of takeaways from today’s game, giving us more to work with as we perfect our gameplay.”
Blanch also stated, “To bring the score back to 3-3 is a credit to the work rate and team culture we are building, the girls are fighting for each other and putting in each week to ensure we are fitter and smarter in every fixture. I think the sharing of the points in this one was a fair result, and we look forward to another battle with the Rams in round two.”
“Congratulations also to our Reserve Grade team, who continued their unbeaten run with a very convincing 3-0 win today and providing our coaching staff with plenty of selection headaches!”
Match Official – Philip McNab
Kincumber 1 – 0 Southern & Ettalong
The Kincumber Roos returned to their revered Frost 1, eager to return to the winner’s list on a cold, bleak Sunday in Kincumber as they visitors Southern & Ettalong were also looking to secure their second win of the season.
Despite dominating the attack in the first 20 minutes, the Roos struggled to find that final pass that would lead to a goal-scoring opportunity.
Kincumber’s Helaina Wellington was very strong in attack, making numerous strong runs down the right and delivering some beautiful cross balls but a spirited SEU outfit thwarted everything the Roos threw at them.
During the first half, the Roos were unlucky not to have registered a couple of goals, but with neither side unable to break the deadlock the score remained locked at 0-0 at halftime.
During the break, Roos Coach Ian George rallied his troops, asking them to keep their shape, pass with precision, and keep calm; then, the goals would follow.
SEU was strong defensively, with Nicole McNamara a standout as a centre-back. With several fast strikers, McNamara, too, used her speed impressively for the Lionesses.
The second half was more of the same as both teams lifted, keen to secure a vital win with Coach George looking to his bench for fresh legs as the game entered the final quarter.
There he found usual Skipper Emily Smith, who was nursing an injury, but only too happy to be injected into the game. Shortly after, Ellinya Kirkman and Marlee Hopkins entered the fray, backing up from the Reserves match.
The fresh legs saw the Roos mount frequent attacks into SEU territory, but they were holding on. Seemingly, it looked like it was just not Kincumber’s day.
Then, with 20 seconds remaining, Emily Smith shot into the clear with the ball at her feet to slot the winning goal calmly and skilfully, a superb effort to give her side all three points and their second win of the year.
Post-match Coach George said he was delighted with the effort from the Roos and praised the SEU girls for their strong game. He said that he and the girls are looking forward to the return encounter on the peninsula.
Match Official – Graeme Gurr
Killarney 2 – 5 Umina
Reigning champs Umina travelled to Edsaac this past weekend in the hopes of building on the momentum from last weekend’s impressive win as the E-Gals have struggled in the early rounds in 2023.
The home side Killarney were looking to pick up their first points of the competition and Adam Tait’s determined side started well but unfortunately, a mistake in defence saw the Terriers gift Umina the opening goal.
Trying to play straight out of the back, a Killarney defender played the ball straight into Isabella DeMeyer who finished into the bottom right corner to give Umina an early 1-0 lead.
Umina continued to put pressure on Killarney and were able to extend their lead to 3-0, scoring both goals from a corner.
Kirby Squires was able to thump the ball into the back of the net after a corner led to a scramble in the box as Chelsea Campbell was able to contact the ball with her head allowing the ball to fall to Kirby who made no mistake.
Shortly later another corner by Hayler Fullwood found Hannah Batten who headed home to secure Umina’s third of the half as the teams went into the sheds with the scoreline at 3-0.
Umina started the second half with some fantastic play as Hannah Batten rounded the keeper and hit her shot off-target, but Chelsea Campbell was able to guide it in at the back post.
Killarney received a goal when a foul in the box saw them awarded a penalty, Haylie Eyers made no mistake as she was able to score Killarney’s first goal of the day with a well-taken penalty.
Two minutes later Killarney were on the scoresheet again as Tamara Hanlon grabbed her first goal of the year.
Umina’s fifth and final goal of the evening came through a Killarney own goal as the E-Gals picked up a crucial win to hold their fourth-place spot on the ladder.
Match Official – Con Pantos
Golden Boot Standings –
| 10 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford) |
| 5 | Taylor Thackray (East Gosford), Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 4 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal), Jordan Evans (Kanwal), Gabrielle Blanch (Terrigal), Isabella DeMeyer (Umina), Hannah Batten (Umina) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
