Fremantle City 8-0 Subiaco
by Ben Gilby (23/6/24)
Above: Abbey Green, seen here in action earlier in the season, was one of four Fremantle City players who hit a brace this afternoon. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Cat Bryant
Fremantle City emphasised both their return to form and top-four credentials with a devastating display of attacking football to blow away Subiaco at Hilton Park this afternoon.
Two goals each from Tanika Lala, Abbey Green, Anna Powell, and Janice Kiama ensured that the port city side increased their tally of goals scored against Subi to 15 this season as they finally recorded a first home NPLW WA win for 2024.
Subiaco looked initially threatening, with Stella Zampogna and Cass Harvey linking up well outside the Freo box. Harvey showed some excellent footwork with tricks and flicks. Savannah Olsthoorn also pushed up to offer some quality balls in from the left, but they could never match the sharpness in attack that Faye Chambers’ side could offer.
Freo’s Abbey Green, Tanika Lala, Anna Powell, and Clara Hoarau were deadly throughout the first half. Green was running amok along the left, with Lala, although playing as a number nine, having the freedom to pop up along either flank as well to devastating effect. Powell was delivering both quality balls in from the right and was a constant threat in the box. In addition, Clara Hoarau was reading Lala’s runs and positioning perfectly to compliment the attack.
The home side hit the front with 13 minutes played as Annabelle Leek played a ball forward to Green, who was positioned centrally around 25 yards from goal. She controlled the ball, turned, and fed Lala who used her sublime footwork and speed to accelerate away from the attentions of two defenders who were initially tightly marking her. The nugget from the Goldfields advanced into the box to beat a third defender before slotting home with aplomb.
Subiaco looked to respond with Frankie Murray-Hocking working hard around the central offensive channels to make herself available, but her side were never quite able to trouble Dayle Schroeder in the Freo goal.
The hosts kept pushing, and Powell delivered a cross in from the right for Lala at the near post, but excellent work from Keziah Burgis did enough to prevent a shot on target.
Just two minutes later though, Lala would not be denied as a Subiaco defensive clearance only went as far as Powell who saw her shot repelled by Isobel Robinson, but the ball fell perfectly for Lala to follow up for her sixth goal of the season.
Fremantle now hit the bit between their teeth and pounded the Subi back line for the remainder of the half. They came close to extending their lead just before the half-hour mark when Powell ran along the right before letting fly with a rasping cross-shot that Robinson pushed onto the bar and out for a corner.
The third goal finally arrived in the 33rd minute as Lala motored through the centre before laying the ball forward for Hoarau. This set in motion a sumptuous sequence where Hoarau played a low pass which Lala backheeled outside the box into the path of Green behind her who curled a first-time beauty from 16 yards into the top corner.
The chances kept coming for Freo. Within five minutes Green ran along the left once more to cross for Lala, whose header went over.
Subiaco conjured up their best chance of the half shortly afterwards when Olsthoorn fed a ball from the left for Harvey to curl a shot wide of the right-hand post.
Normal service resumed as the hosts scored a further two goals in the space of two minutes just before the break. First, Green picked up possession around 10 yards inside the Subi half and turned Shelby Cochran before beating Bonnie McQueen and embarking on a diagonal run that led her inside the box. She then beat Burgis before hitting a low shot from an acute angle that found the net for a sublime individual goal.
With two minutes remaining of the half, Sofie Osborne’s run up the line found Green who supplied a low cross from the right for Powell to score at the back post.
There was still time for another opportunity for Freo when Hoarau offloaded to Lala right of centre and the attacker hit an absolute rocket that smashed into the bar and out for a goal kick.
Any hope of Subiaco mounting a second-half comeback were wiped out within three minutes of the re-start. Lala turned and ran into the box to find Green, whose shot was misjudged by Robinson allowing Powell to tap home from close range.
Nine minutes into the second period, the Freo lead went out to seven as a corner came in high from the right and Kiama pounced inside the six-yard box.
Kiama then completed the scoring with a quarter of an hour of normal time remaining when substitute Natasha Tanner played a ball inside for Hoarau on the edge of the box to hit a firm shot that Robinson could only parry into the path of Kiama who smashed home.
There were two further opportunities – one for either side before the final whistle. Green danced along the left and supplied a cross for Erin Siah who headed over. Then, some positive play by the visitors saw Zampogna supply a dangerous pass out to Burgis on the right. She returned the favour but Zampogna’s sidefooted effort went agonisingly wide of the back post.
With Fremantle now unbeaten in their last four games, this result puts them just two points behind fourth-placed Hyundai NTC. Faye Chambers’ side’s greatly improved run of performances and results now face the ultimate test – a visit from Perth RedStar next Sunday.
Ben Gilby‘s review of all the other Round 11 games will appear on the site tomorrow.
Teams: FREMANTLE CITY: Schroeder, Adams, Leek, Osborne, Hoarau, Kiama, Spatafore, Meaden, Lala, Green, Powell. Substitutes: Poad, Siah, Lyons, Tanner, Mayoe, Boots, Boyle.
Scorers: Lala 13′, 23′. Green 33′, 41′. Powell 43′, 48′. Kiama 54′, 74′.
SUBIACO: Robinson, Olsthoorn, Suckling, Burgis, Cochran, McQueen, Tabain, Bailey, Harvey, Zampogna, Murray-Hocking. Substitutes: Riddle, Rudd, Taylor, Bogust, Aisbett.
Referee: Stewart Beattie.
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