Kanwal v East Gosford
Coming off their first loss of the season, East Gosford will be adamant to get back to winning ways this weekend when they face a well-rested Kanwal side looking to overtake them on the ladder with a win in front of a home crowd this Sunday.
With the WPL competition receiving a week off for our North vs South exhibition game, and Kanwal coming off a bye, the Bulls will enter this weekend with very limited game time under their belts in the past month which could be both positive and negative come gameday.
Bulls coach Ben Raychaudhuri commented on this layoff and he states it is a worry for him. “Whilst the fact we are coming off the bye in itself isn’t too concerning because we have had the ability to rest some players, this will be our second game in a month so that is more concerning for me.”
Despite these two teams only being separated by two points on the competition ladder, when these two sides last met back in round 7, Kanwal suffered their biggest defeat of the season, going down 7-1 to the Rams which was labelled their worst performance of the year.
Fast forward to this weekend, the Bulls have a shot at redemption against this East Gosford side, with a win guaranteeing them a spot in second place on the ladder. However, Ben states that the ladder isn’t something that he or the squad focuses on week-to-week.
“We honestly haven’t discussed the ladder at all this entire season. We are and have been focused on our performances knowing that if we get that right, we are more than competitive against the better teams.”
One player in particular who will be adamant to get back on the park is Bull’s attacker and current WPL leading goal scorer Jordan Evans. Jordan leads the pack with 14 goals to her name, however, Tahlor Thackray and Kayla Vanderfield of East Gosford both sit just one goal behind her.
When questioned about the opposition, Ben had high praise for the Rams but states he is focused on the performance of his team. “I have no doubt East Gosford will be up for this game having suffered their first loss last week. That said, our focus has been all on us, making sure we are ready to perform on Sunday.”
“The key to winning on Sunday is to play our game for ninety mins and limit our mistakes. The last time we played, we were competitive for the opening thirty minutes but then a few mistakes let them back into the game and once they get on a roll, they are difficult to stop. So yeah, keeping mistakes to a minimum will be the key!”
As for the away team, East Gosford will be determined to overcome last week’s loss and get back to winning ways. The Rams entered last weekend in first place when they welcomed Terrigal to Hylton Moore Oval for a top-of-the-table clash between the two undefeated WPL teams.
After an extremely close, back-and-forth contest, Terrigal prevailed 1-0 winners to remain undefeated and regain their spot on top of the WPL ladder as East Gosford suffered their first defeat and fell to second place.
Last weekend also marked the first game all year that Jorge Chavez’s side has failed to find the back of the net in a game but still remain the best-attacking team in the league.
This weekend will now also serve as a mental test for East Gosford who must overcome their first loss of the year to make sure they don’t fall even further down the WPL ladder with another loss this weekend.
East Gosford should enter Sunday’s fixture away from home with plenty of confidence after defeating this Kanwal outfit 7-1 earlier in the season.
The Rams will get another chance at Terrigal and an opportunity to avenge their only loss but must continue to win and keep within touching distance of the first-placed side which starts with a win this weekend.
Match Official – Rodney Mcleod
All Round 14 Fixtures –
