Match of the Round
East Gosford 0 – 1 Terrigal
It was a top-of-the-table clash that did not disappoint this past Sunday as Terrigal travelled to Hylton Moore for the round 13 Match of the Round. In a tightly contested match, Terrigal took home all 3 points, remaining undefeated and taking back their first-place spot on top of the WPL ladder.
The first half saw both teams creating opportunities, with Terrigal playing effectively through the lines, in particular releasing wide midfielder Rachel Darby countless times, but couldn’t finish their opportunities.
East Gosford defended well, Lucy Metcalf a stalwart in the centre of defence making it hard for Terrigal to combine in and around the box. The teams went into the break at nil-all, and the second half would prove to be 45 minutes of hard and fast football.
Terrigal made it difficult for East Gosford to find their usual goal scorers, looking at times defensively flawless, winning every battle in East Gosford’s attacking third.
As Terrigal continued their attacking raids, momentum now well in their favour, pacey wingback Kate Gilbert surged down the left-hand side of the pitch to find her opposite winger Abbey Kitchener in the six-yard box.
Abbie with her back to goal, laid off to midfielder Sophie Piltz who was sitting on the edge of the box. Sophie calmly took a touch in front and slotted home, hitting the crossbar on the way in, to put Terrigal in the lead in the 66th minute.
East Gosford changed their formation but seemed to have lost their spark as they continued to fight off further attacks from Terrigal’s dominant display.
Despite East Gosford’s usual prolific goal scorer’s presence, they just weren’t given the opportunity to build up. Defensive midfielder Caitlin McMahon, in particular, broke down many of East Gosford’s attempts to combine into the attacking third.
East Gosford rode out Terrigal’s determination to score a second and the match finished 1-0 to the visitors and East Gosford suffered their first defeat of 2023.
“True to form, East Gosford tested our ability today,” voiced Terrigal’s Gab Blanch
“Credit to Jorge and his team, they made us work for the three points and really threw everything at us in the dying stages of the game. I really can’t express how proud I am of this group of players. We asked a lot of our girls today and every single player delivered.”
Gab also spoke about her squad coming off a bye and how they carried out the game plan on the weekend. “After a few weeks off, and some changes to the roster, there is always the chance that we need time to find our feet again. The depth in our squad is a true testament to today’s result, we had a few players slot into new roles and still, our playing style continued to shine through.”
“We had a plan, we stuck to it, and we went above and beyond. East Gosford is a huge goal-scoring threat. I felt we managed that according to our preparation and turned our defensive responsibilities into some really effective forward-play moments. The girls truly deserve the accolades for today. It was a battle of two quality sides and a really enjoyable game of football.”
Match Official – Philip McNab
Umina 5 – 0 Killarney
Reigning League Champions and Premiers Umina score five goals in back-to-back weeks to secure their fifth win of the season in front of a home crowd against Killarney.
The E-Gals grabbed their first of the day through prolific goal scorer Kate Styles who took full advantage of a mix-up at the back as she found herself one-on-one with the opposition keeper and finished well for the game’s first goal of the day.
As Killarney played a high line looking to catch Umina offside when going forward, striker Kate Styles dropped herself in the midfield to receive the ball, playing a pinpoint through ball to Hannah Batten who found the top right corner with her effort on goal to double her sides lead.
A similar through ball and a similar shot from Hannah Batten moments later was parried by the opposition keeper only to fall at the feet of E-Gals captain Chelsea Campbell who gave her side a 3-goal advantage at halftime.
Umina picked up where they left off in the second period and grabbed their fourth of the day after Hayley Fulwood and Bella DeMeyer found space in the attacking midfield position which allowed Hayley to find Kate Styles out wide who made no mistake to grab her second of the day.
Umina’s fifth and final goal started with Hayley and Bella once again, Hayley’s strike hit the crossbar which landed at the feet of Kiara Kelly who laid it to Chelsea Campbell who found the roof of the net after nutmegging her defender.
“Killarney were noticeably understrength with key player out, and a few injuries throughout the game. Always a good feel to the game against Killarney though who are always a respectable opponent. My girls were just too quick for their high line though,” voiced E-Gal’s Steve Donaldson.
“The Killarney girls are trying hard, but we are not up to the standard of other teams,” declared Adam Tait of Killarney.
Match Official – Graeme Gurr
Southern & Ettalong 1 – 2 Kincumber
Coming off one of their biggest defeats of the season, Kincumber keep their finals hopes alive as the Roos got back to winning ways this weekend, claiming a vital three points away from home against Southern & Ettalong.
When these two sides last met it was an extremely close encounter that saw Kincumber narrowly edge out the Lionesses 1-0. From the kick-off, you could sense that both teams were up for another gruelling test again this past Sunday.
Roos Captain Emily Smith, who scored the winning goal in their last fixture against Southern, was on point to find the back of the net again in round 13. Helaina Wellington was also able to find herself on the scoresheet for Kincumber as she recorded her second goal of the season.
Despite Southern’s Brooke Hardie scoring for her side, Kincumber were able to hold on to claim all three points and secure their fourth win in 2023.
Match Official – David Hughes
Golden Boot Standings –
| 14 | Jordan Evans (Kanwal) |
| 13 | Tahlor Thackray (East Gosford), Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford) |
| 9 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 7 | Gabrielle Blanch (Terrigal), Kelly Hogan (East Gosford), Kate Styles (Umina), Chelsea Campbell (Umina), Hannah Batten (Umina) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
