Match of the Round
Kincumber 4 – 1 Woongarrah
Kincumber Roos hosted Woongarrah FC at Frost Reserve on a sunny Sunday afternoon for what was an important game for both teams who looked to set up momentum into the second half of the season by securing vital points on the table.
Kincumber started fast and strong across the park, shutting down Woongarrah’s offence and turning to attack with speed. The opening 15 minutes were fast paced as the ball was moved across the park.
Kincumber scored first, as Tamara Foster found space outside the box and shot a powerful shot above the keeper’s head, too strong for the keeper to stop.
After their opening goal, Kincumber gained control of the game, enjoying the majority of the possession as they made strong attacking raids through their midfielders and forwards.
The pressure Kincumber were building proved too much for Woongarrah as Rhianna Matkovich connected with her midfielders to score Kincumber’s second goal of the afternoon.
Towards the end of the first half, Woongarrah had a few opportunities in attack but were unable to get any chances on goal as Kincumber’s defence held strong and were able to carry their 2-0 scoreline into the break to conclude the opening 45 minutes.
The second half started the same as the first with Kincumber continuing the build from the back. The score remained at 2-0 for nearly 15 minutes as both teams pushed to score the next important goal.
After several attacking runs on the wing, Olivia Melenewycz found Kincumber’s third goal, a powerful shot along the ground after beating Woongarrah’s outside back.
Shortly after, Tamara Foster’s hard defensive work in the middle awarded her space outside the box to score Kincumber’s fourth and final goal of the afternoon.
Towards the final 15 minutes of the game, Woongarrah elevated and put Kincumber’s defensive line under pressure with a high attacking line, making it hard for Kincumber to clear the ball out of their defensive third.
Woongarrah’s Kelly Hogan pounced on a loose ball and chipped a shot over Kincumber’s goalkeeper for her 12th goal of the season. The final 10 minutes were fought hard as both teams were tiring due to the fast-paced game.
The final whistle was sounded as Kincumber claimed a win 4-1 and secured the three points after a long month off.
John Jiggins was very proud of his team and will see this win as an opportunity to advance and build into the final half of the season.
Match Official – John Shaw
Kanwal 0 – 4 East Gosford
After drawing with the Bulls in their last meeting, East Gosford showed up with a point to prove and did just that claiming a clinical 4-0 win over Kanwal to end the round on top of the WPL ladder.
With no regular goalkeeper available this week, Jacinta Ling started in goal for the Rams. From the first whistle, East Gosford fell into their usual rhythm and play style.
The visitors almost opened the scoring after three minutes after Jessica Dominello’s long-range strike just missed the target. Another chance ten minutes in saw Dominello receive a free kick in a promising area but again her shot went narrowly wide of the target.
Despite all early pressure coming from East Gosford, Kanwal found themselves with a great chance midway through the first half after a swift counter-attack saw the Bulls attacker on goal but was denied by a fantastic save to keep the score at 0-0.
East Gosford’s pressure finally played off on the half-hour mark when they won the ball in the midfield as a brilliant ball from the left found Laura Mundy who managed to score the game’s opening goal.
One would soon become two as the pressure from the Rams saw them win the ball in the midfield, once again finding Mundy through on goal who did well to cut onto her non-dominant right foot and find the back of the net.
The Rams entered the break 2-goals to the good but knew they must not get complacent as Kanwal had come from behind earlier the season to take a point from them.
It took 35 minutes into the second half for East Gosford to get their third as Mundy once again had her hand in the play, winning the ball and feeding her teammate who played a ball into Jessica Dominello who converted calmly into the bottom right-hand corner to extend the Rams lead.
With less than five minutes to play, Noni Wheeler found the ever-present Mundy who worked the ball onto her trusty left foot and fired to secure East Gosford’s fourth and her hat-trick on the day.
Jorge Chavez was happy with his side’s performance as they now enjoy a much-needed rest. “We turned up today knowing Kanwal were a good team and they never back down, so we had to play for the full ninety minutes.
“Our main focus was to make sure we got into our groove as quick as possible, winning the midfield battle which is crucial in all our games and creating lots of chances to score which we did.”
“We are pleased with the scoreline and the win as we now get a week off so hopefully a few players who have injuries can rest their bodies and get ready for two games against Kincumber in the coming weeks.”
Match Official – Darryn Eyndhoven
Killarney 1 – 0 Umina
A Jorja Roach goal was the only thing that separated these two sides at full-time as the Terriers bounced back to winning ways and overtook Umina on the ladder to reclaim third place.
It was a dominant start from the home side who created multiple goalscoring opportunities, but some wayward finishing denied them of an early goal.
Killarney’s goal finally came after 20 minutes of play after breaking up a vital Umina attack, a beautifully crafted cross from centre-back Misch Bocska was perfectly finished by Roach’s instinctive header to claim her maiden WPL goal.
The second period saw Umina come out determined, compacting the midfield which denied Killarney the ability to build and progress through the middle of the park successfully.
The Terriers turned the ball over numerous times trying to play their style of football in the middle third but in defence Jai Menser’s team was able to stay strong and connected to keep Umina out for the entire match and claim the win with just their second clean sheet of the season.
A delighted Menser reflected on the contest. “First 20 minutes we had ten chances on goal and could have really sent Umina packing early, we weren’t clinical but we got one and held them out for the rest of the game”
“A big win for Girls and a highly successful day for the club, the gala day really set the tone for EDSACC on Sunday and further to that the boys picked up all nine points”
Match Official – Wayne Young
Golden Boot Standings –
| 14 | Laura Mundy (East Gosford) |
| 13 | Jessica Dominello (East Gosford) |
| 12 | Kelly Hogan (Woongarrah) |
| 9 | Kate Styles (Umina) |
Points Table –
Division 1
Round 14 Results –
Points Table –
