Ben Gilby provides a full report from the game of the week, plus all the details from the other matches in Western Australia’s NPL Women’s competition and this week supplied photos from our game of the week (7/8/23).
Above: Balcatta Etna goalkeeper Gabby Dal Busco saves brilliantly from Fremantle City’s Tash Rigby. Photo: Ben Gilby.
Main report of the week
Balcatta Etna 0-1 Fremantle City
Fremantle City virtually assured their place in the top four with this hard-earned win at Grindleford Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
The port city side had the majority of the possession during the afternoon, but a well-organised Balcatta side with Baxter Thew particularly outstanding along with E.J. Doust, kept the visitors out until the final four minutes of normal time.
Freo welcomed back Abbey Green to their starting line-up, and the Perth Glory A-League Women attacker had a hugely influential afternoon, creating havoc along the right flank throughout the afternoon. Conversely, Balcatta were without attacker Monique Prinsloo which meant that top scorer Tia Stonehill was forced to drop that bit deeper and, at times, wider, in order to generate possession and potential attacking opportunities.
It was the visitors who had the lion’s share of possession and territory during the first half. Green was marauding her way along the right from minute one, and looking to provide balls into the box from Tash Rigby, but Gabby Dal Busco was alert in the Balcatta goal.
Fremantle were looking to get in behind the hosts at every opportunity. They were overloading the right flank with the hugely talented trio of Green, Laura Waltman, and Olivia Trueman looking to create havoc at every opportunity – but their link-up play and balls into the box were met by the defensive qualities of Thew and Doust, with Andrea Bulgaru popping up to assist them additionally.
Trueman had two bites at the cherry to put the visitors ahead with just over a quarter of an hour gone, but both opportunities were blocked.
The hosts rallied with 10 minutes of the half remaining. Stonehill was looking to create opportunities from further back than usual. She picked up possession and danced her way through the centre before offloading a powerful shot that ran wide. Lauren Continibali then ran along the right, combined with Stonehill inside her with the ball played out to Bulgaru who hit an effort wide. They conjured one further opportunity in the half when Kim McCartney was found from a free-kick and curled a shot narrowly over the bar.
Yet, it was Freo who had the best chance of the half when Rigby made it into the box and was one on one with Dal Busco. The Balcatta keeper is one of the best shot-stoppers in the league, and she showed why once more with a brilliant block.
Despite Fremantle having the balance of play but failing to score, Balcatta knew they were more than in this game still, and Stonehill stole possession on the left and advanced into the box from an acute angle which made the eventual shot that bit more challenging as it went wide.
The hosts remained well organised at the back, set up in two lines at times to thwart Freo. It was from a corner that the visitors had their first chance of the second half as Green’s flag kick from the right found Janice Kiama on the edge of the box who hit a shot narrowly over the top.
Rigby had another opportunity shortly afterwards when she played a one-two with Annabelle Leek, who had another strong performance, with the final shot going over the top.
Balcatta had two further chances to trouble the scoreboard. First, Stonehill took up possession from deep and cut across the park before hitting a shot that Dayle Schroeder got down to save at her right-hand post. Then, some superb work from Continibali on the right saw her win the ball and tease in a low cross which Monique D’Opera couldn’t quite reach as she came in at the back post.
As the game entered its last 10 minutes, Green stepped up once more and hit a curler from long range that Dal Busco saved. Then, with four minutes remaining came the decisive moment.
Waltman drove through the centre and found Green who danced her way further up the park to play a centimetre perfect ball for Trueman who was outside her to fire home the winner.
Balcatta worked hard all afternoon but dearly missed the presence of Prinsloo up top with Stonehill. This defeat now makes it extremely hard for Etna to make the top four. Conversely, Fremantle City were absolutely delighted with this win that pretty much seals a top-four spot. They remain a side that can still pose a real threat come September.
Teams: BALCATTA ETNA: Dal Busco, Davis, Doust, Nossent, Lawrence, Thew, Bulgaru, McCartney, Continibali, Stonehill, M. D’Opera. Substitutes: Bricklebank, Hocking, Grdjan, Tamru, Zainurrafiq.
FREMANTLE CITY: Schroeder, Leek, Adams, Spatafore, Osborne, Waltman, Kiama, Boorman, Rigby, Green, Trueman. Substitutes: Gale, Lyons, McCulloch, Nolan, Poad.
Scorer: Trueman 86′.
Weekly Wrap
Curtin University 0-11 Perth RedStar
Round 18 began on Friday evening with the clash between winless Curtin University and league leaders Perth RedStar at Edinburgh Oval.
The match went to form with Carlos Vega Mena’s side running out comfortable winners, with Reina Kagami scoring four of their 11 goals on the night.
RedStar built an early four-goal cushion with Kagami and Chiori Ikeda both netting braces. There would be time for two further strikes before the break, both as a result of corners from the right-hand side. The first of which was headed home on the edge of the box by Jay Coleman. It was deja vu just three minutes later Ikeda’s flag kick was nodded powerfully into the net by Coleman once more.
It took just four minutes of the second half for RedStar to go 7-0 ahead as Sophia Neal turned the ball in at the right-hand post after Jayna Ridley chested the ball across. On the hour mark, Sarah Carroll’s delightful ball through allowed Kagami to run through and beat the home defence to score.
Three goals in 12 minutes then completed the scoring. Kagami started and finished the move that increased the visitor’s lead to nine on 73 minutes. She played a centimetre perfect crossfield ball from the left and then continued her run to the edge of the box to sidefoot home.
Then, Ridley completed a superb passing movement to score after being fed by Kate Ritchie. The final goal came five minutes from time as a RedStar break led to substitute Ritchie firing home.
Perth SC 4-2 Murdoch University Melville
At Besteam Stadium.
Perth SC blasted back after their midweek State Cup Semi-Final loss to Hyundai NTC with an excellent win over Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) which confirmed their top-four spot for the end of the season.
This game was moved to MUM FC’s Besteam Stadium due to FIFA still being in possession of Perth SC’s Dorrien Gardens home after its status as a World Cup training base, but that didn’t bother Pete Rakic’s side who hit the front with just three minutes played. Charlotte Meaden was pressured into losing possession, with the ball eventually played to Judy Connolly to dispatch the ball into the net from the edge of the box.
Murdoch hit back shortly after the half-hour mark when Charli Wainwright gained possession and switched play out to the right with the ball coming back centrally for MUM FC young gun Jessica Johnson to lift a glorious shot into the top of the goal from the edge of the box.
It remained level until just after the hour when Jess Flannery’s run and eventual cross from the left was turned in by Monique Godding. The match ended with a bang as three further goals were scored in an eight-minute spell.
Rebecca Bennett’s goal kick took a high bounce and Jaime Duncanson benefitted from a short bout of head tennis to run through and slide the ball past Stacey Cavill with three minutes of normal time remaining. Duncanson was at it again less than five minutes later as she turned in Gemma Craine’s square ball.
There was time for a consolation strike for MUM FC’s Charli Wainwright who dispatched Clara Hoarau’s ball into the net.
Subiaco 0-3 Hyundai NTC
NTC starlet Ischia Brooking scored two superb goals and had a major influence in her side’s other as they moved six points clear of the chasing pack in fourth place with this win at Rosalie Park yesterday.
Ben Anderton’s side hit the front with five minutes played as Brooking took play up the right and hit a ball forward that home goalkeeper Marissa Pidgeon took a heavy touch on, allowing Georgia Cassidy to pick up possession on the left of the box and slot home.
Just before the hour mark, the NTC doubled their lead as Cassidy fed Brooking on the edge of the box, and the Junior Matilda curled a superb finish into the net.
With 14 minutes remaining, substitute Emily Garnett squared a ball from the left flank. Brooking, positioned centrally outside the box, looked up, took a couple of touches, and then lifted a stunner into the top of the goal.
Despite having such a heavy schedule of matches in the NPLW and State Cup to catch up on after their NTC Challenge commitments on the East Coast, Hyundai NTC are gaining consistent victories as they strive to confirm another top-four finish.
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