Ben Gilby provides a full round-up of all the matches in Western Australia’s NPL Women’s competition plus details of the latest Young Matildas selection (21/8/23).
Above: Olivia Trueman celebrates her goal for Fremantle City which levelled the scores at 1-1 on Friday night with Hyundai NTC. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Denyse McCulloch.
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Earlier today, it was announced the the Hyundai NTC duo Tanika Lala and Grace Johnston have been called up by the Young Matildas head coach Leah Blayney for a six-day training camp in Sydney this week.
Lala and Johnston have recently been signed by A-League Women club Perth Glory on their first professional deals, and the talented teenagers were both on target in Hyundai NTC’s 4-3 loss to Fremantle City in the NPLW WA on Friday night (see report below).
The pair are likely to have been noticed when they took part in the NTC Challenge last month in addition to further nationwide scouting as the Young Matildas build towards the U20 Asian Cup.
Full Young Matildas squad:
| Josie ALLAN | Forward | Newcastle Jets FC Academy | Northern NSW Football |
| Alexia APOSTOLAKIS | Defender | Bankstown City Lions FC on loan from Western Sydney Wanderers FC| Football NSW |
| Tegan BERTOLISSIO | Defender | Macarthur Rams | Football NSW |
| Claudia CICCO | Forward | APIA Leichhardt FC | Football NSW |
| Rosie CURTIS | Midfielder | Box Hill United FC | Football Victoria |
| Anika DOVASTON | Midfielder | FV Emerging | Football Victoria |
| Jonti FISHER | Forward | QAS | Football Queensland |
| Tahlia FRANCO | Goalkeeper | Football NSW Institute | Football NSW |
| Daniela GALIC | Midfielder | Future Matildas NSW | Football NSW |
| Sasha GROVE | Forward | Illawarra Stingrays FC | Capital Football |
| Milan HAMMOND | Forward | Newcastle Jets FC Academy | Northern NSW Football |
| Fiorina IARIA | Forward | Calder United | Football Victoria |
| Kahli JOHNSON | Forward | Manly United FC | Football NSW |
| Grace JOHNSTON | Midfielder | Hyundai NTC | Football West |
| Zoe KARIPIDIS | Defender | Newcastle Jets FC Academy | Northern NSW Football |
| Zara KRUGER | Midfielder | Lions FC | Football Queensland |
| Tanika LALA | Forward | Hyundai NTC | Football West |
| Chloe LINCOLN | Goalkeeper | Canberra Croatia Football Club on loan from Canberra United | Football NSW |
| Maya LOBO | Defender | Macarthur Rams | Football NSW |
| Alana MURPHY | Midfielder | Blacktown Spartans FC | Football Victoria |
| Jessika NASH | Defender | Bulls FC Academy | Football NSW |
| Ava PIAZZA | Defender | Heidelberg United FC | Football NSW |
| Natalie PICAK | Goalkeeper | Calder United | Football Victoria |
| Avaani PRAKASH | Midfielder | Bulls FC Academy | Football NSW |
| Sienna SAVESKA | Midfielder | Football NSW Institute | Football NSW |
| Naomi THOMAS-CHINNAMA | Defender | Blacktown Spartans FC | Football Victoria |
| Peta TRIMIS | Forward | Bulls FC Academy | Football NSW |
| Chloe WALANDOUW | Defender | Newcastle Jets FC Academy | Northern NSW Football |
NPLW WA Round-Up
Hyundai NTC 3-4 Fremantle City
Fremantle City came out on top of an incredible game at E&D Litis Stadium on Friday night that featured five goals in the opening 19 minutes.
The visitors went into the game with Indiana Antunes taking her place in goal for Dayle Schroeder. Perth Glory’s Sarah Cain was also brought into the Freo side.
An incredible first-half flurry of goals began just 36 seconds into this encounter as Catherine Adams’ pass at the back was snaffled up by NTC’s Ischia Brooking who needs no second invitation to hit screamers from the edge of the box. It was another sensational finish from the teenager who lifted the ball expertly over Antunes.
Yet within three minutes, Fremantle were level as Olivia Trueman took advantage of another errant pass to pounce and level matters.
The rapid-fire scoring continued with just seven minutes played as Tash Rigby ran along the right to supply a low ball for her former Perth Glory teammate Jamie-Lee Gale to slide it home.
Only three more minutes elapsed before the visitors went 3-1 ahead. Annabelle Leek sent a high free-kick into the box from around 40 yards out which took a flick off the head of an NTC defender which could only help the ball into the net.
Back came the NTC just before the 20-minute mark as Adams’ pass was jumped on and Grace Johnston fired home an absolute rocket from the 30-yard mark to bring the hosts back into the game.
Nine minutes before the break, Freo re-established their two-goal cushion as Trueman laid off for Laura Waltman on the edge of the box to fire home.
It took until two minutes from time for the game’s next, and final goal to arrive. An attempted Fremantle clearance found its way to Tanika Lala on the edge of the box, and the Goldfields hotshot danced through to slot home, but that was as close as the NTC got.
Teams: HYUNDAI NTC: Bailey, Johnson, Anderson, Cuthbert, Longmore, Cassidy, Johnston, Marwick, Archibald, Lala, Brooking. Substitutes: Collins, Collinson, Clayton, McAuliffe, Reynolds.
Scorers: Brooking 1′, Johnston 19′, Lala 88′.
FREMANTLE CITY: Antunes, Leek, Adams, Osborne, Cain, Gale, Waltman, Boorman, Rigby, Green, Trueman. Substitutes: Poad, Lush, McCulloch, Spatafore.
Scorers: Trueman 3′, Gale 7′, OG 11′, Waltman 36′.
Curtin University 0-7 Perth SC
The Azzurri earned a comprehensive win at winless Curtin on Friday night with Jess Flannery hitting a hat-trick.
Pete Rakic’s side went ahead with eight minutes played as Jaime Duncanson danced her way up the left and played in a high cross that Curtin goalkeeper Danielle Petch couldn’t deal with, allowing Flannery to pop in at the back post to score.
Within moments of the re-start, the visitors had doubled their lead when Judy Connolly rolled the ball across the box for Duncanson to tap in from close range. A similar move made it 3-0 for Perth six minutes before the break as Poppie Hooks made a run across from the right and supplied the pass for Monique Godding to score. Seconds before the halftime whistle, Gemma Craine supplied the final ball for Godding to guide home.
Eight minutes into the second period, the ball was lifted in for Flannery to turn the last defender and grab her second of the night. Matilda Boehm got in on the act with just under 20 minutes remaining when she comfortably headed home a corner from the right. The scoring was completed a minute before the end of normal time as Flannery completed her hat trick with a high shot from the edge of the box that left Petch in the Curtin goal no chance.
Subiaco 0-4 Perth RedStar
Champions Perth RedStar gained their 15th win of the season with this Sunday success over Subiaco at Rosalie Park.
RedStar went ahead just after the half-hour mark. The move started from a throw on the right just parallel with the 18-yard box, and ended with the ball played in from the same flank for Jayna Ridley to beautifully turn and lift a shot over Marissa Pidgeon in the Subi goal.
The champions doubled their lead two minutes before the end of normal time in the first half as a corner from the right found Sarah Carroll who hit a shot on the edge of the box that was blocked and eventually Alkira Mogridge was able to place the ball into Ridley’s path for her to slot home once more.
Six minutes into the second period, the visitors went further ahead when a perfectly timed ball allowed Sarah Carroll to run through and slot over the onrushing Pidgeon.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, Reina Kagami’s corner from the left was comfortably headed home by Sophia Neal who was able to run across the box unseen and direct the ball in to make it 4-0.
Subi came close with a curling free-kick from Tayna Campos with four minutes remaining that narrowly crept over the bar.
Balcatta Etna 2-0 Murdoch University Melville
Balcatta Etna have guaranteed they will finish the season in fifth place at worst in the NPLW WA – their highest-ever final placing – after defeating Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) in the round’s final game.
Balcatta went into the game with Isabella Comito in goal in place of Gabby Dal Busco, and Murdoch gave opportunities to Brooke Burdett, Bonnie McQueen, and Iva Beretovac.
The hosts hit the front on the quarter-hour mark when Kim McCartney’s corner from the right was skilfully volleyed in by Tia Stonehill from the right of centre near the edge of the box.
Five minutes before the break Stonehill grabbed hers and Balcatta’s second. Receiving the ball with her back to goal around 20 yards inside the MUM FC half, the attacker turned her marker and cut between two Murdoch defenders to cooly slot the ball into the left-hand corner of the net.
There was no further addition to the scoring after the break. Balcatta know that, theoretically they could still finish in the top four which would secure post-regular season football, but they would need Curtin University to defeat Hyundai NTC to have any chance.
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