Match of the Round
East Gosford 7 – 1 Kanwal
Kanwal could not hold on to their fast start and early lead as the Association Cup winners East Gosford showed their class to come from behind and dominate in the round 7 match of the round.
The initial 30 minutes of the game saw Kanwal enjoy plenty of good passages of play as the Bulls looked extremely dangerous with their midfield combinations. The Bulls took a deserved 1-0 lead through a 30-meter strike from Jordan Evans that found the back of the net.
It was an unusually slow start from the East Gosford side that could be contributed to them getting their bearings with their new formation and starting line-up.
The game quickly turned on its head as two defensive lapses from Kanwal enabled East Gosford to take a vital 2-1 lead into halftime.
A well-timed shot by Kelly Hogan was saved and parried to Tahlor Thackray who thundered home from just inside the box to give the Rams their first.
Ten minutes later a speedy dribble from Kayla Vanderfield down the right led to a perfect by-line cross as Maddie Yates was there to blast home and give the home side the lead at the break.
With the game still very much in the balance and anyone’s to take, only one team came out to play in the second half as East Gosford essentially put the game to bed within the first 10 minutes of the second period with two vital goals that effectively ended the contest.
Kelly Hogan had her hand in all of East Gosford’s second-half goals including a fantastic Lucy Metcalfe goal that started at the halfway line.
Interim coach Sarah Hudson gave huge praise to all the girls in trusting the process and not becoming dispirited despite the early conceded goal. “I think we recovered well and outside the first 20 mins we dominated possession and created plenty of opportunities.”
“Extremely happy with everyone’s contribution and it was very important we responded after the draw last week. We stuck to our morals, played our football, and got a great victory at the end of the day.”
Sarah also spoke on the opposition. “Kanwal are a possession-based team, and they know how to work it. Their ball retention and movement across the park is fantastic. I can see them stealing points off any team this year.”
Post-match, Kanwal’s Ben Raychaudhuri spoke extremely highly of East Gosford. “They are the best team in the comp and today they showed why.”
“Too fast, strong, and skilful for us today. We did show we could match it with them for 30 mins but unfortunately for us, the game goes for ninety minutes. A harsh but vital lesson for our inexperienced group.”
Match Official – Darryn Eyndhoven
Umina 5 – 0 Kincumber
Backing up from their tough mid-week catch-up match against Terrigal, Kincumber got off to a slow start that cost them dearly against defending champs Umina.
The Roos started disastrously and were down 3-0 after only five minutes. Hannah Batten grabbed Umina’s first goal, taking her total of the year to five which have all come in her last four games.
Next on the scoresheet for the E-Gals was Chelsea Campbell as she was able to double Umina’s lead and secure her third goal of the year.
It was Hayley Fullwood’s turn to get in on the action as she picked the ball up close to the sideline and did extremely well with her first two touches to beat two opposition defenders.
Hayley then drove into the box and fired her shot into the top right corner to give Umina their third goal of the day.
Calm heads prevailed, and the experienced players Emily Smith, Helaina Wellington, and Heidi Cullen stepped up to steady the ship and chart it through the Umina storm.
For the remainder of the first half, the Roos settled into a defensive structure that kept the fresh legs of their opponents at bay.
Airley Arnold in the middle was strong in both attack and defence. Even though Umina entered the break with a fourth goal thanks to veteran striker Kate Styles, the Roos had lifted and competed earnestly.
Kincumber’s Ellinya Kirkman then owned the left side of attack in the second half, working some nice moves with Nina Boije Af Gennas and Kirsty George. The second period was a much more even affair which saw the Roos penetrate the Umina defence several times, with Helaina Wellington, Olivia Melenewycz (playing up from 16As), and Emily Smith finding some goal-scoring opportunities.
The defensive line of Mia Kasun, Tyla O’Toole, Emilie Piltz, and Heidi Cullen in goals worked all game tirelessly to thwart dozens of attacking raids from Umina.
The only goal of the second half was the goal of the day as Hayley Fulwood’s 40+ meter effort on goal was too strong and powerful for the opposition goalkeeper which rounded off Umina’s 5-0 win and third win of the season.
“The Roos can hold their heads high and feel proud of how they stuck to their guns under enormous pressure,” spoke Roos coach Ian George.
While it is no excuse, the Roos were backing up from a tough mid-week catch-up match with Terrigal and were missing three regular players due to illness and injury. Coach Ian George also added post-match, “That is, though, the grind of WPL football and today’s outcome will only build character and make the mighty Kincumber Roos even mightier in the future.”
“A big shout-out must go to Ellinya Kirkman. She backed up from the Reserves (and Wednesday).”
Match Official – Philip McNab
Southern & Ettalong 0 – 5 Terrigal
The Lionesses hosted league leaders Terrigal this past Sunday as Southern & Ettalong would look to hand their opponents their first winter competition loss in 2023.
From the first whistle, Terrigal were on the front foot, a smart through ball played into striker Indi Moyes saw her one on one with Southern’s goalkeeper as Indi tapped around the goalkeeper looking to score the first goal of the day.
However, Indi was brought down outside of the box resulting in a yellow card and a free kick awarded to the visitors. The ever-reliable Georgah Shearim stepped up and belted home to give Terrigal the lead in just the 6th minute of play.
The game continued to flow in Terrigal’s favour, with numerous chances being created by their wide players, and in the 23rd minute, winger Kate Gilbert got in behind her defender and crossed a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Candace Phelan to tap home.
In an almost identical run of play, Kate Gilbert again outsmarted her defender, delivering a perfect cross into the box for who else other than Candace, who scored her second of the day in the 27th minute.
The game remained fairly one-sided for the remainder of the half, however Southern returned after the break with a spark in their step, managing to avoid conceding further for a long period of time and playing their best football in weeks.
Southern passed the ball well and started to have a few breaks on goal and challenge their opponents with much more intent.
Terrigal continued to maintain the majority of possession, creating chance after chance without success as the desperate Southern defence kept them at bay.
Southern started to play the brand of football that they have been working on and it showed with lots of linking-up passing and playing out from the back and changing angles of play.
The fourth goal of the game would come in the 79th minute, with her very first touch of the game, the up-and-coming strike power of newcomer Kaitlyn Knight was too much for Southern’s goalkeeper, who stormed into the box to meet a cross delivered from the right-hand side, smashing home for her second recorded goal in a 1st-grade fixture for the season.
Ten minutes later, and right before the final whistle, a well-timed through ball was played in behind for striker Gabi Blanch, who fired home making it 5 for the away team on a chilly Mother’s Day afternoon.
It was yet another 6-point Sunday for the Terrigal WPL Squad, with reserve grade recording a 6-0 win and a dominant second-half display.
Southern’s Cait Walker spoke post-game on their better second period. “We did ourselves proud by only letting in two goals in the second half. As the second half of our games have been leaking goals like the Titanic after it hit the iceberg, but we held to the game plan and executed better to only concede two goals.”
“Every game we are getting better with little things, I believe it won’t be long until we put it all together and then you will see what Southern can do,” voiced Cait.
Match Official – Wayne Young
Golden Boot Standings –
| 11 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford) |
| 7 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 6 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford), Jordan Evans (Kanwal), Taylor Thackray (East Gosford) |
| 5 | Gabrielle Blanch (Terrigal), Hannah Batten (Umina) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
