Ben Gilby provides a full report from the weekend’s game of the round along with all the details from the other three matches (13/5/24)
Above: Perth RedStar’s Emily Dunn, captured last season. The club legend recorded her 300th appearance on Sunday against Balcatta Etna. Photo: Robbie Anderson.
Game of the week
Perth RedStar 4-2 Balcatta Etna
Perth RedStar gained another important victory over a potential title rival as they saw off Balcatta Etna at RedStar Arena on Sunday.
This was an encounter that had something for everyone – some sensational goals and tactical brilliance as some of the competition’s best players went head-to-head – but there was a familiar outcome with the home side always managing to win the games that matter.
The afternoon started with a celebration of Emily Dunn, who was recording her 300th appearance for Northern Redbacks/Perth RedStar. A staggering achievement for a superb player who has helped the club to no less than 16 pieces of silverware in the process.
With Balcatta having gone down to defeat to another top-four rival, Perth SC in recent weeks, this clash took on additional importance in the battle at the ladder’s summit. Carlos Vega Mena’s side went into this encounter as the only team to win all their NPLW WA fixtures this season and, indeed, RedStar hit the front with only six minutes played.
Caitlin Doeglas played in a corner from the right into the near post. Balcatta keeper Rebecca Bennett, under pressure from four players right in front of her, wasn’t able to get a clear punch on the ball, allowing it to fall for Olivia Wood parallel to the penalty spot. She sidefooted a short pass to Reina Kagami, a yard or so behind her to shoot into the left-hand side of the net.
Balcatta looked to respond initially, with Liana Cook’s curling free-kick from 30 yards palmed over the top by Gabby Dal Busco.
Yet the opening 25 minutes belonged to the hosts. Reina Kagami and Momoko Sakairi were linking up brilliantly with turns and short passing. From one such combination play, the duo found Sarah Carroll who played a high ball forward for Doeglas to lift in turn to Bronwyn Studman. Studman played a perfectly weighted low pass to dissect the visitors’ defence to find Renee Leota who fired a shot against the cross bar with Bennett beaten.
RedStar were employing their rapid press to disrupt Balcatta’s passing game. The champions also showed a real knowledge of the likely channels that the visitors would be looking to play through as those areas were taken away from Balcatta and several red shirts clustered around any Etna one whenever Pete Rakic’s side were on the ball.
Yet, Balcatta did find a way back into the game. Lucy Jerram was fouled on the left flank, parallel to the penalty spot. Jamie-Lee Gale’s free-kick came in high, and as it did so, Abbey Meakins was shoved in the back by Studman giving the referee no option but to point to the spot. Up stepped Meakins to dispatch her third spot kick of the season into the right-hand corner of the net.
Balcatta now had more possession and finding space, particularly aided by the forceful runs of Gale along the right who was lively, full of skill, and looking to provide balls into the box, however, shots on goal were at a premium for the visitors and key attacker Jerram was largely kept under wraps by the home side’s Andreia Teixeira and Carroll who were superb.
As the game neared the half-time whistle, RedStar stepped it up once more. Wood drove down the right and powered in a cross-shot into Bennett’s arms.
Then came a real moment of magic from Momo Sakairi who is looking the signing of the season. Her early appearances have been sprinkled with beautiful footwork, insightful passing, and clever runs. Two minutes before the break she showed she also has an eye for goal. And how.
Liana Cook’s attempted pass to Monique Godding when playing out from the back was snaffled up by Sakairi who played a one-two with Leota outside the box before the Japanese star sent a sensational arrow of a shot from the right of the area across Bennett and into the left-hand side of the net. It was a worthy goal to send her side in ahead at the break.
Any hope that Balcatta had of starting the second half on the front foot to hit back fell by the wayside within four minutes of the re-start as Doeglas gathered possession along the left, beat Alyssa van Heurck, and supplied a ball into the box that was too high for Wood, but fell perfectly for the unmarked Leota near the penalty spot to curl home and extend her side’s lead to 3-1.
It could have got a whole lot worse for the visitors shortly afterwards as Leota, who was having yet another influential afternoon, fed Wood who poked a pass through to Kagami to send a low shot that came back off the far post with Doeglas racing in attempting to follow up unable to connect.
It was relentless from RedStar. They were working so hard to impose a rapid press to close down anything Balcatta might have had to offer. The visitors had no time on the ball or space to work in.
Into the final 20 minutes, the visitors managed to slow things down, gain more time to play the ball, and the chances begin to come as a result.
Godding combined with Meakins to feed Gale who rounded Teixeira, but saw her shot blocked by the outrushing Dal Busco. Within three minutes though, the visitors grabbed a lifeline.
Jerram got free along the left and crossed in, Dal Busco couldn’t make the ball stick to her gloves at the near post, and Godding was in space to fire home.
Balcatta were in the ascendency now and Dal Busco had to be alert to deny her former team twice in a matter of minutes. First, as Meakins sped into the box, and then as Gale’s superb angled low pass divided the RedStar defence for substitute Monique Prinsloo – yet again Dal Busco came out to deny the attacker.
The visitors were made to pay in the harshest way possible for failing to take these opportunities – a punishment that RedStar have a habit of meting out. Directly from Dal Busco’s save from Prinsloo, her long goal-kick allowed Doeglas to advance. The former Perth Glory attacker’s shot was blocked by Bennett, but Doeglas regained possession and laid the ball back for substitute Jayna Ridley, who hit a sumptuous first-time shot from the edge of the box to seal victory for the champions.
Once more Carlos Vega Mena’s side showed their ruthless ability to play their best football when it absolutely matters in matches – particularly against those likely to be around them in the table. Tactically, they got it right. Balcatta have now only defeated RedStar/Northern Redbacks once in 12 NPLW WA encounters. Pete Rakic will be doing everything possible to ensure that a second win happens at Grindleford Reserve later in the season as his side strive to dethrone the red machine.
Teams: PERTH REDSTAR: Dal Busco, Teixeira, Studman, Dunn, Doan, Sakairi, Kagami, Carroll, Doeglas, Wood, Leota. Substitutes: Ridley, Ritchie, Continibali, Arai, Anderson, Odonohoe, Bellanca.
Scorers: Kagami 7′, Sakairi 43′, Leota 49′, Ridley 87′.
BALCATTA ETNA: Bennett, Cook, van Heurck, D’Opera, Jarvis, Meakins, Godding, Davis, Jerram, Phillips, Gale. Substitutes: Bulgaru, Hocking, Comito, Bricklebank, Prinsloo.
Scorers: Meakins (pen) 24′, Godding 70′.
Round wrap
by Ben Gilby
Fremantle City 2-3 UWA-Nedlands
UWA-Nedlands recorded their first ever NPLW WA victory and moved up two places on the ladder as a consequence of their superb achievement at Hilton Park on Sunday afternoon.
Lawrence Lewis’ side had suffered defeat last time out to fellow winless side Murdoch University Melville, but they showed their determination to avoid similar fate this time round against another team around them in the ladder.
It’s been a tough start to the campaign for Freo. The perennial top four side had just one win in the league going into the competition, but were able to point to the arrival of Perth Glory A-League Women player Abbey Green, who was sensational for the port city side last season, along with her Glory teammate Tanika Lala.
However, that counted for nothing as the visitors hit the front with 29 minutes played as Michaela Thawley’s corner eventually came out to Alexandra Lyons on the edge of the box to turn a low shot goalwards that squirmed into the net at Indiana Antunes’ near post.
It would get better for UWA-Nedlands on the hour mark. There looked to be no danger at all when Tiana Boots’ clearance for Freo fell to Lyons around 30 yards from goal. However, the visitors’ player looked up and saw Antunes was off her line, sending a high shot goalwards – but the home shot-stopper looked to have it covered, only for the ball to creep past her and into the net.
Just before the 70-minute mark, the home side got back into the game when former NTC star Lala found Anna Powell who turned a sublime first touch into the net.
UWA-Nedlands kept battling away, and within five minutes restored their two goal advantage. Amy Hartley won possession from a goal kick and drove along the right, beating both Erin Siah and Boots before sending in a cross for Erin Armstrong to bundle home from close range at the back post.
Fremantle got a late consolation from the penalty spot as Annabelle Leek’s powerful shot went into the left-hand corner.
Whilst this win lifts UWA-Nedlands to sixth, Freo are now just one off the bottom and travel to cellar-dwellers Murdoch University Melville next weekend in a must-win game to get their season on track.
Murdoch University Melville 1-4 Perth SC
Perth SC continued their pursuit of Perth RedStar at the top of the NPLW WA with success at Besteam Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The home side went into the game on the back of two successive wins – over Perth AFC in the State Cup, and last weekend’s vital victory over UWA-Nedlands in the clash of the league’s bottom two. The Azzurri were buoyed by a ruthless demolition job of the NTC in their previous outing.
Indeed, it was the visitors who hit the front with 26 minutes played. Epril Nossent drove up the right wing to deliver a high cross that was met by the head Anika Stajcic.
It was 2-0 just under 10 minutes later when Impetus’ NPLW WA player of the month for April, Ella Lincoln hit the net from close range.
Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) kept working, and to their credit halved the deficit five minutes into the second half. After good work from Jessie Ellis, Brooke Burden’s ball through found Taylor Reid who drove between two defenders gained possession back when an attempted clearance ricocheted off of her and turned to send the ball into the net.
However, any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out by Perth SC within four minutes. Lincoln’s classy pass through to Jess Flannery from the middle of the park was perfectly weighted. The pair are building a superb connection this season, and Flannery timed her run brilliantly to profit, holding off Ellis and sending a shot into the left hand corner of the net.
The Azzurri sealed their win on the hour mark with another fantastic goal. Georgia Cassidy released a pinpoint pass to Flannery outside her on the left flank who in turn played a fantastically judged pass between two defenders for Lincoln to run onto in the central channel. The initial shot was blocked by the head of MUM FC keeper Manon Gebauer but fell perfectly for Daisy McAllister to hit a first-time side-footed finish into the left-hand corner of the net.
Subiaco 3-1 Hyundai NTC
Subiaco moved within two points of the top four after gaining an excellent win over the NTC at Rosalie Park in the weekend’s final game.
The NTC’s third straight loss, a run which coupled with Greg Farrell’s side’s continual improvement, sees Subi now firmly in the Top Four Cup race this season.
The home side gained the upper hand with two goals in the space of just 62 seconds before the half-hour mark. Their opener came when Stella Zampogna, a key signing over the close season, was found by Tayna Campos to dispatch a low shot into the net.
Subiaco’s second goal was an absolute peach. A misplaced crossfield ball from the NTC when trying to play out from the back went straight to Frankie Murray-Hocking, who was positioned to the right of centre and chested the ball down before feeding Marianna Tabain inside her. The former A-League Women star laid off to Campos who looked up and played a superbly judged first-time lob over NTC keeper Megan Phillips and into the net.
Subi’s lead held until 10 minutes before time when, after an impressive passing move, the ever-dangerous Mia Britton gathered possession on the right, held off Subi’s Savannah Olsthoorn to supplied a typically on point cross for Theodora Mouthiys to come in at the back post and turn home.
However, less than a minute later, the home side restored their two-goal margin, with another excellent piece of skill. Shelby Cochran’s throw-on on the right flank near the edge of the box found Murray-Hocking whose stunning first touch pulled the ball in front of her and then slammed a fantastic shot into the far corner of the net.
Subiaco’s continual improvement over the past three seasons is gathering pace – with the way the ladder is opening up after the opening six weeks of the campaign, they have every chance of celebrating a first spot in the Top Four Cup come the end of August.
Round Seven Fixtures – Saturday: Perth RedStar v Hyundai NTC (Geraldton), Perth SC v Subiaco. Sunday: UWA-Nedlands v Balcatta Etna, Murdoch University Melville v Fremantle City.
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