MATCH OF THE ROUND
Woy Woy 3 – 1 Kanwal
The round 2 match of the round saw Woy Woy keep their finals chances alive with a crucial win over the Bulls which keeps them within a winning distance of fourth place Southern Ettalong.
A determined Woy Woy side started their fixture against Kanwal in a dominating fashion. It took the Roosters just 13-minutes to grab the opening goal through their left-back Abbie Kitchener who picked up just her second goal of the season, with her first coming all the way back in their opening fixture of the year. Next on the scoresheet for their side was Tahlor Thackray whose quality finish beat the Kanwal keeper and found the bottom left corner to double Woy Woy’s advantage. Just five minutes from halftime, Maddie Yates extended Woy Woy’s lead even further with a calm, composed goal. The scoreline could have been much worse for Kanwal but their goalkeeper Kim Burke was instrumental in keeping the score at bay, providing a handful of excellent saves inside the opening 45-minutes.
The second half saw Kanwal fight back in a big way and gained control for the majority of the second half, but their end product was just not their today as they struggled to turn their possession and chances into goals. Kanwal was able to grab a consolation goal around the 80-minute mark after a fabulous assist from midfielder Megan Green found attacker Jen Reeves who made no mistake and found the back of the net. Kanwal couldn’t turn any more opportunities into goals as the final score finished 3-1 in favour of the home side.
Allan Bourke stated post-game that despite a tremendous second half from his side, Woy Woy deserved the three points. “It was a gusty second half from Kanwal, but overall Woy Woy deserved the win. Standouts for Kanwal on Sunday were Stacey Thompson. She was well supported by Courtney Smith, Lucy Pratt, Marley Harrison, Molly Couch and goal scorer Jen Reeves.”
Lucy Metcalfe was ecstatic with the performance of her team in the first half as she and her squad now focus on winning the remainder of their games and playing finals football. “My girls started the first half brilliantly today, we enjoyed the majority of possession in our favour, we created the opportunities with overloads, and it paid off. Big credit to Kanwal who came out super strong in the second half with the majority of possession and a high intense defence. Looking forward to seeing what our next two games bring.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Jeffrey Smith
Wyong 0 – 9 East Gosford
East Gosford jump into second place as their clinical 9-goal haul over Wyong sees the Rams jump over Terrigal on goal difference.
East Gosford entered their fixture against Wyong knowing how important the three points could prove as well as bolstering their goal difference which could be the difference in what position they end up finishing as the end of the season. Having already beaten Wyong 19-0 earlier in the year, the Rams would have been motivated to repeat this dominant performance, but Wyong has shown resiliency in the second half of this season as their small squad continues to show up each and every week and give it their all.
With Wyong low on squad number again this past Sunday, they had the difficult task of playing another 180 minutes of football but improved immensely on their earlier fixture against East Gosford as they kept the clinical Rams to single-digit goals. Kelly Hogan was in great form in front of the goal this weekend as she notched 5 goals next to her name on the scoresheet to take her total of the year to 21. Jacinta Ling (2), Grace Bryant (1), and one own goal saw the Rams leave Baker Park with a 9-0 win and a major three points in the bag.
James Chauncy commended the Rams when reflecting on the game and also spoke extremely highly of his goalkeeper who had a terrific performance in between the sticks. “Credit to East Gosford today they were the better side and played some good football and the result was well deserved but full credit to my girls for not the first time put in another 180-minute performance today and I thought the girls fought hard right until the end. Special mention to our keeper Sian Johnson who I thought was best on the field, making a number of critical saves to keep the score line from blowing out completely.”
Jorge Chavez also commented on the performance of the opposition goalkeeper who was instrumental for her side today. “Huge Admiration and respect for the Wyong squad and coaching staff. They have a never say die mentality and kept playing until the final whistle. Huge shout out to their goalie (Sian Johnson) who had an amazing game.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Warren Boler
Killarney 1 – 3 Terrigal
Terrigal keeps within two points of the league leaders after securing another crucial three points away from home as the O’lasses now look towards their biggest match of the season.
Killarney entered their match against WPL heavyweights Terrigal knowing that they had what it takes to beat this Terrigal side after doing so earlier in the season. The first half was played end to end with both sides having created and missed their opportunities to score. Terrigal played below their high standard in the opening period of the game as the O’lasses took time to adapt to the tough pitch conditions and a high-pressing Killarney team. Late in the first half, a Terrigal attack ended with them being awarded a penalty. Up stepped the deadly Candice Phelan who made no mistake of her chance to give her side the lead at the break.
With the sun now at their back, the second half for Terrigal was immensely better as they played to their usual high standard of football and penetrated the opposition’s front third, creating multiple goal-scoring opportunities. Terrigal was able to double their lead after Candice Phelan’s shot on goal was deflected by a Killarney defender and made its way past the opposition goalkeeper. Candice was able to grab her third and solidify her hat trick after pouncing on a mistake from the opposition to extend the O’lasses lead to 3-0 and grab her 29th goal of the season. As always, Killarney never stop trying as they looked to get themselves on the scoresheet and a great strike from Jessie Andrews did exactly that as her effort on goal found the back of the net. Jessie’s goal would only serve as a consolation as the score finished 3-1.
“We are creating a lot of chances and just not finishing them off. Terrigal made their own luck today,” stated Adam Tait post-game.
Gregory Parker commended the valiant opposition as he and his squad now focus on their important match against league leaders Umina next weekend. “Credit to the Killarney team for a very competitive game throughout, a hat trick of goals For Candice Phelan was a highlight and keeps her in the hunt for the golden boot this year. We now look forward to taking on Umina next week at full strength.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Christopher Pearce
Southern Ettalong 2 – 1 Ourimbah
For the second week in a row Ourimbah let their first-half lead slip as a determined Southern Ettalong produce a last-minute comeback to keep their spot inside the top four.
It was a terrible start for Southern Ettalong at their home ground this past weekend as a determined Ourimbah started the better of the two sides. During the first half, The Falcons maintained consistent possession in the midfield for the first 20-minutes as the Lionesses struggled to get into the game. A free kick just outside the opposition’s 18-yard box led to a scramble inside the 6-yard box as Ella Murphy was able to put Ourimbah ahead with a tidy finish and give her side a valuable 1-0 lead at the break. The free kick count at halftime was 21 to 2 in favour of Ourimbah which proves how poor Southern’s discipline was.
For the second week in a row, Marcus Warwick had the task of providing a motivation halftime speech in hopes of getting a positive response out of his team. The second half commenced the same way as the first with Ourimbah’s defensive block frustrating the SEU midfield and attack. However, Southern was awarded a lifeline when awarded a penalty after a handball from the opposition defender. Emily Diaz stepped up and scored her 27th goal of the season to bring her side back level. With less than 10 seconds left on the official’s clock, Erin Heine won her side the game after she finished a scramble from inside the opposition’s 6-yard box to claim all three points for her side.
Dave Hurley knew it was important for his team to play for the whole contest leading into their match against Southern. “Following on from last week’s game, our team needed to remain in the contest for the 90-minutes and to remain competitive against the top four teams. Our team has shown massive improvement over the past five to six weeks with some very close games with the top teams and remaining competitive.”
The halftime chat was simple, we know we are better than Ourimbah, but knowing isn’t enough, we must prove it and earn it,” stated Marcus Warwick. “We need to be a hell of a lot better. We won’t go anywhere in finals football playing the way we did in the first half. Ourimbah parked the bus and try to score from counter-attacking football, we did not adapt as well as we should of. Credit to Ourimbah’s first half, I felt they were the better team. They tried to slow down the play late in the game and wind down the clock as we were just coming at them. We will come back better from this next week and hopefully take the six points against Wyong.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Larry Jenkins
Golden Boot Standings –
| 29 | Candice Phelan (Terrigal) |
| 27 | Emily Diaz (Southern) |
| 21 | Kelly Hogan (East Gosford) |
| 15 | Kate Styles (Umina) |
| 12 | Laura Mundy (Woy Woy) |
| 11 | Kayla Vanderfield (East Gosford), Jennifer Reeves (Kanwal) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
