Impetus’ coverage of the NPLW WA is back for another season with an increased depth of coverage. Ben Gilby and Ava-Marianne Elliott provide a full report from one game each, along with all the details from the round’s other two matches. Cat Bryant supplies a superb photo gallery from our game of the week (1/4/24).
Above: Hyundai NTC’s Theodora Mouithy charges forward at UWA-Nedlands yesterday. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Cat Bryant.
Game of the week:
UWA-Nedlands 1-2 Hyundai NTC
by Ben Gilby
The NTC dominated the possession and territory at UWA Sports Park on Sunday afternoon to run out winners in UWA-Nedlands’ first-ever NPLW WA match, but the home side produced a well-disciplined performance that showed they will be no pushovers at this level.
UWA-Nedlands’ squad has been boosted since promotion with the arrival of players with US and European experience such as goalkeeper Morgan Springer and attacker Michaela Thawley – both of whom would have influential afternoons along with established club star Emily Dinsdale.
Thawley is an excellent player with good touch and close control. She also has the vision to bring team-mates into play and see opportunities early which are all highly desirable assets for a player to have at this level. Dinsdale worked hard throughout. She was looking to provide an outlet as well as assisting at the back. Her efforts along the right flank where she was involved in a fascinating battle with Violet Longmore caught the eye throughout.
Whilst the NTC have lost the spine of last year’s team with the likes of Lilly Bailey, Georgia Cassidy, Grace Johnston, Tanika Lala, Ischia Brooking, and Ruby Cuthbert gaining A-League Women contracts and moving out of the team’s under-19 age bracket, there was still a host of real talent with NPLW WA experience in the teenage side who have been joined by Jessica Johnson who showcased her outrageous ability at such a tender age for Murdoch University Melville last season.
The visitors dominated the opening exchanges with a focus on the right flank and the dangerous Klaudia Houlis was lively on the opposite side. With Hannah Collins looking for outlets in the centre of midfield and Jessica Johnson popping up all across the front third, the NTC were bubbling with creativity. They were that bit quicker to press when not in possession, that bit crisper in the pass – as you would expect from a side, the bulk of whom have played together at this level for longer than the home side.
Twenty minutes in, the NTC turned up the pressure. After calls for a free kick after a challenge on Theodora Mouithy on the left-hand edge of the box, the ball was played back to Longmore who hit a stunning curling shot that Morgan Springer brilliantly pushed away for a corner.
A second corner was forced with Jessica Johnson playing the ball in for Collins to get an effort in on goal that Springer saved at the cost of a third straight flag kick – this time on the right. Jessica Johnson played a 1-2 from the set piece with Nelli Johnson before playing in a high ball for Longmore to head home from towards the back post.
To their credit, UWA-Nedlands regrouped and focused on their block, trying to force the visitors to play from deeper. Yet Longmore was becoming ever more influential now in this period with her vision and runs along with Maja Archibald who was able to draw triangular passing moves under pressure to create outlets.
Ten minutes before the interval, the NTC doubled their advantage when Jessica Johnson found Mia Britton outside her on the right wing. Britton played a supremely weighted ball that both dissected the home defence and found the path of Houlis who comfortably found the net from just outside the six-yard box.
The home side kept battling were rewarded as the clock ticked towards the 45th minute as a long ball was lofted over the top for Michaela Thawley to run onto and then lob Jessica Skinner with some aplomb to gain the honour of scoring UWA-Nedlands’ first-ever NPLW WA goal.
There was still time for NTC to come close to re-establishing their two-goal lead before the interval as Houlis was played through and tried to lift the ball over Springer, but couldn’t get sufficient height on her effort.
The visitors came out firing as the second half started, with Jessica Johnson dinking a clever pass through to Archibald who fired wide of the left-hand post. They continued with the early momentum forcing Springer into two further excellent saves. First from a long-range effort, and then from a cross shot on the left.
UWA-Nedlands now employed a much higher press, but whilst it worked well as a tactic and ensured that the visitors wouldn’t add to their tally, it allowed the NTC to showcase their ability to patiently probe and play some technically excellent triangular passing movements.
The visitors’ passing game made UWA-Nedlands chase the ball for much of the remainder of the game – but the hosts were exceptionally well disciplined, well structured, and did the hard yards.
There would be only two further real opportunities on goal in the second period, one for each side. First, for the hosts, Dinsdale ran down the right and cut in to get a shot away that was saved by Skinner. Then, five minutes from the end, Springer was called into action to deny Houlis when the attacker got a shot away which the home keeper had to push away.
There were lots of positives for UWA-Nedlands to take away from their first-ever NPLW WA match, and they will cause problems for the sides likely to be around them in the ladder if they can maintain their discipline and use the likes of Thawley and Dinsdale offensively.
The NTC may well feel they didn’t get the goals that their domination of territory and possession deserved, but they faced a hard-working opponent who fought hard for the whole 90 minutes.
Teams: UWA-NEDLANDS: Springer, Gibson, Rastatter, Kinkaid, Dobbin, Rodrigo, Dinsdale, Armstrong, Thawley, Khiati, Swan. Substitutes: Hartley, Riches, Lyons, Lin, Visic, Paul, Dixon.
Scorer: Thawley 45′.
HYUNDAI NTC: Skinner, Longmore, O’Halloran, Collinson, N. Johnson, Mouithy, Collins, J. Johnson, Houlis, Archibald, Britton. Substitutes: Clayton, Phillips, Tana, E. Gaspar, Hope, C. Gaspar.
Scorers: Longmore 21′, Houlis 35′.
In-depth review:
Perth SC 2-0 Fremantle City
by Ava-Marianne Elliott
Perth SC produced a dominant display at Dorrien Gardens that pushed Fremantle City to their limits.
From kick-off, the game started on a relatively even foot as both sides fought to gain and hold the control of possession, however from the get-go, it started to appear that the fixture was going to be challenging for Fremantle.
The Azzurri were able to find a breakthrough with just 14 minutes on the clock when a corner that initially looked like a missed chance after hitting the bar fell to an awaiting Matilda Boehm. Despite the crowd in front of goal, and close attention from the visitors’ defence, Boehm produced the space to strike the ball into the back of the net to give the home side the lead.
Following the goal, Perth SC took control and left Freo struggling to break any further than the well-structured backline. The stream of play down Perth’s right side of the pitch to bypass the visitors’ midfield was a particularly prevalent threat consistently throughout the half.
The host thought they had doubled their advantage during the 31st minute when Sophia Papalia’s shot that hit the far post rebounded to Ella Lincoln’s feet for a quality strike that should’ve sealed a 2-0 lead. Much to Perth SC’s dismay, the goal was disallowed, and Freo still had the chance to find an equaliser before the half-time whistle.
Lincoln was unlucky shortly afterwards with an ambitious shot that was forced out of play for a corner by Dayle Schroeder in the Freo goal. Perth SC went into the break a goal up. There was work to be done for Fremantle to find an equaliser to push themselves back in contention for the three points.
The second half kicked off with Perth SC predictably charging forwards on the stronger foot, and the relentless combination of Lincoln, Jess Flannery, and Tamsyn Hannan in the frontline wasted no time in returning to testing the Freo backline.
Following a string of well-executed attacking build-up play, Perth SC were awarded a free kick in the 50th minute, and Janice Kiama was shown a yellow card. Despite the opportunity, McAllister’s free kick frustratingly fell straight into the hands of an awaiting Schroeder.
It would take until the 55th minute for the first real opportunity of the second half with Lincoln involved again, firing a shot at goal from the edge of the box which excruciatingly hit the bar.
Fremantle’s best opportunity of the game followed in quick succession, as they built up on the counter-attack, surging from box to box. The Perth SC defence were stretched and tested, but the resulting shot from Olivia Trueman crept wide of the right-hand side of Stacey Cavill’s goal after taking a deflection.
Anna Powell made way for Mikayla Lyon in the 65th minute, before disaster struck for Fremantle just a minute later. An excellent run from Jess Flannery left her with space in front of goal to take a shot, only for Maya Spatafore to put in a challenge on the edge of the 18-yard box which resulted in a straight red card. The punishment was then doubled as the resulting free-kick saw Flannery double the home side’s lead.
With work to do, the port city side set out to try and pull one back. With a few promising spells of attack consistently in a row, a free-kick just on the edge of the penalty area seemed like a perfect opportunity, but Sofie Osborne sent the shot over the bar.
The Azzurri wore the Freo defence down until the very last seconds of extra time, where Schroeder was forced to make a save just moments before the referee blew the final whistle, officially sealing a win for Perth SC after an eventful, action-packed 90 minutes of play.
Teams: PERTH SC: Cavill (GK), Nossent, McAllister, Marshall, Papalia, Lincoln, Wainwright, Boehm, Flannery, McCartney, Hannan. Substitutes: Caceres, Tulp, Insch, Thew, Harvey, Hewins, Ottobrino.
Scorers: Boehm (16’), Flannery (71’).
FREMANTLE CITY: Schroeder (GK), Spatafore, Leek, Waltman, Kiama, Meaden, Powell, Trueman, Osborne, Boots, Siah Substitutes: Adams, Lyons, Anderson, Antunes, Yeo, Iriks
Round wrap:
by Ben Gilby
Murdoch University Melville 1-7 Balcatta Etna
The 2024 season opened on Thursday night at Besteam Stadium as Balcatta Etna comfortably dispatched Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) Lucy Jerram claiming four goals and Jamie-Lee Gale bagging a brace and several assists.
It took the visitors six minutes to hit the front. A superbly weighted lofted ball out from the left flank found Jamie-Lee Gale in acres of space to the right of centre outside the box. The former Perth Glory player needed no second invitation to take a touch and roll the ball across MUM FC goalkeeper Manon Gebauer into the left-hand corner of the net.
However, the hosts levelled just before the half-hour mark when Taylor Reid took advantage of a loose clearance from Balcatta keeper Isabella Comito to drive the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
It was one-way traffic after the break as Jerram took the bit between her teeth. Her return to Western Australia after a spell playing in the Northern NSW NPL was hotly anticipated by fans, and she has wasted no time showing why. A series of strong performances in the pre-season Night Series with goals already flowing before her efforts in this round-one encounter.
Just three minutes into the second period, Judy Connolly took possession in the centre of the field, danced her way between two would-be tacklers, and accelerated away from another before laying a centimetre perfect low through ball into the path of Jerram, who was around 35 yards from goal, accelerated away and placed the ball under the diving Gebauer.
With 53 minutes on the clock, Gale broke through on the left flank to pull over a cross that was missed by the MUM FC defence, allowing Jerram to fire home a vicious shot parallel to the penalty spot. Moments later, from the spot, Abbey Meakins made it 4-1, dispatching a low penalty into the right-hand corner of the net.
Just after the hour mark, another clinical Balcatta move led to another goal. This time, Gale was found with yet another perfect low pass into her feet, and the attacker eased past her marker and rolled the ball across the box. It would take a deflection off of Gebauer into the path of Jerram whose second effort looped up into the path of the onrushing Gale to nod home.
Jerram completed the scoring with two goals in three minutes. First, the visitors’ ability along the flanks were shown once more as Gale’s ball from the right came across to the attacker in the number three shirt, who cracked home another powerful shot from a central position on the edge of the box. Then, with 73 minutes played, Jerram was found by yet another perfectly weighted low pass to accelerate away and drive another classy finish into the net.
Whilst Balcatta will face sterner tests this season, this performance showed two aspects that the rest of the NPLW WA will need to take note of – the combination of pace and centimetre-perfect passing. These are skill sets that opponents will need to counteract when playing against Pete Rakic’s team. Give them the slightest opportunity to do either and you’ll be in trouble. Allow them any chance to do both at the same time, and it becomes an uphill task of Everest proportions.
Perth RedStar 4-0 Subiaco
Perth RedStar began their league campaign with victory over Subiaco at RedStar Arena with Caitlin Doeglas scoring one and providing two assists for the defending champions’ four goals.
Carlos Vega Mena’s side hit the front with just four minutes on the clock when Caitlin Doeglas won possession from the visitors’ Shelby Cochran and played the ball across for Sarah Carroll to turn home.
The lead was doubled with 23 minutes on the clock when Doeglas began a storming run from inside her own half. The former Perth Glory star had open field ahead of her to run into, before beating Liz Wallwork and calmly slotting the ball into the net from the left across Subi goalkeeper Ashleigh Riddle.
Seven minutes before the break, it was 3-0 as Quyen Doan rose to head home from Douglas’ corner on the right.
The scoring was completed just before the hour mark when the visitors lost possession when trying to play out from the back with the ball falling for Reina Kagami to advance and slot home.
Each week Ben Gilby will be on the Impetus TikTok platform with his take on the week’s NPLW WA action. Click on this link for this week’s video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeaVKBWH/
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