Ben Gilby and Ava-Marianne Elliott provide a full review of this weekend’s action, including photography from Rob Lizzi and Cat Bryant (28/7/24).
Above: Ella Lincoln (azure shirt) holds off Perth RedStar’s Mischa Anderson today. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Rob Lizzi.
Game of the week
Perth RedStar 2-1 Perth SC
by Ben Gilby
Perth RedStar earned a crucial victory in the battle of the top two which sees them go five points clear of The Azzurri at the NPLW WA summit.
Goals from Jayna Ridley and Olivia Wood, with Tijan McKenna’s penalty in between ensured that the home side gained the three points that have gone a long way to see them retain the title for another year.
Carlos Vega Mena’s side were boosted by the return of Caitlin Doeglas to their matchday squad as a substitute. For the visitors, Grace Johnston was back after last week’s injury scare and took her place on the bench. Sam Mathers was down as sub with Ruby Marshall coming into the starting line-up. Lilly Bailey played her last game before moving to the USA for college football.
Perth SC opted for an extremely young and gifted midfield with the Young Matildas and A-League Women stars Georgia Cassidy and Tijan McKenna joined by the talented Charli Wainwright. The runs and insightful passes that the trio possess could be potentially game-changing if they could stamp their authority on their experienced RedStar opponents.
The early stages were an arm-wrestle with the hosts seen more from an attacking perspective, which required visiting captain Baxter Thew to maintain her concentration and mop up when necessary.
Around the quarter-hour mark of the encounter, RedStar began to step up the intensity. Quyen Doan was able to get on the ball more and look to bring those around her into the game, but The Azzurri were still comfortable in defence.
Indeed, shots were few and far between at this stage. The home side were working tirelessly to keep Ella Lincoln at arm’s length, and the attacker was dropping deeper in a bid to look for possession and outlets as well as helping out her side’s backline.
With 20 minutes played, a situation that looked to be well under control at the back for the visitors suddenly turned into disaster. Kim McCartney was comfortable in clearing up a RedStar attack and laid a pass for Cassidy inside her. However, the Young Matilda came under pressure from two red shirts, with Jayna Ridley pouncing to gain possession and send a classy low finish into the right-hand corner of the net from the edge of the area to put the home team ahead.
On the half-hour mark, Ridley was involved again as she laid a pass out to Reina Kagami on the edge of the box to the right of centre, but the Japanese attacker’s shot went over the top to end a sublime move that also involved Olivia Wood.
Shortly afterwards, the home side almost profited again from an error at the back. This time, Thew, who has been sensational in recent weeks, and indeed largely throughout this game, misstepped to allow Ridley in, but Perth SC goalkeeper Bailey saved with her right foot.
The final 10 minutes of the half saw the visitors have their most consistent spell of possession and territory to date, which coincided with the trio of Cassidy, McKenna, and Wainwright stepping up their accuracy and intensity.
Cassidy found Wainwright inside her from the right flank, and the youngster slipped a sumptuous pass between defenders for Lincoln to curl a strike just wide of the right-hand post.
RedStar responded in the final stages of the half by putting together a spell of outstanding one-touch passing football that looked to carve its way through the visitors. From one such move, Wood turned and hit a shot from the edge of the box that Bailey held.
The visitors came out firing after the interval to create the first opportunity of the second 45. McKenna showed great footwork to beat Sarah Carroll and play a crossfield pass. The move ended with Marshall coming in at the back post just unable to direct the ball on target.
However, RedStar stepped up the pressure and possession. Kagami escaped along the right and played a cross in that Bailey missed, but her defence tidied up.
Shortly afterwards, Kagami was involved again and benefitted from pressuring McKenna into a mistake. The RedStar attacker motored up the flank and cut inside to hit a low shot at the near post.
Yet, just before the hour mark, the Azzurri equalised. A superb move along the left flank saw Lincoln feed Wainwright. The midfielder played a wonderful dummy to bring Mathers into the game. A one-two allowed Wainwright to advance into the area where she was brought down by Andreia Teixeira and referee Stewart Beattie had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped McKenna to dispatch a powerful penalty into the right-hand side of the net.
The visitors were buoyed by the goal and gained momentum. Lincoln broke into the box from the left and saw an effort roll wide of the far post. Then, from the resulting clearance, McKenna held off Kagami and hit a long-range shot that was deflected just over. From the resulting corner, Lincoln crossed in at the second attempt for Marshall to direct a header goalwards that was met with a diving save from Dal Busco.
As ever, the rule when facing RedStar is to take your chances when they come, and with those opportunities not finding the net, the defending champions hit back with a vengeance as they always seem to do.
With 17 minutes remaining, Wood found Emily Dunn on the right from the centre of the park. Dunn returned the favour, with Ridley then found centrally just outside the box. The home side’s opening goalscorer saw the onward run of Wood and laid a perfectly weighted pass into her which she then hit into the net on the half-volley. Wood is a player in superb form, and will not pass up opportunities like that. It was another great goal to add to her ever-growing scrapbook.
Perth looked to respond, and four minutes later, Wainwright was brought down in the box again, this time by Doan, but penalty shouts were waved away. Deep into stoppage time the same Azzurri player was felled again centrally, just outside the box by Kaitlyn Bellanca who received a yellow card. Wainwright stood over the free-kick and squared a pass for Cassidy to hit one of her trademark long-range rockets – but it was off target.
RedStar saw out the rest of the game comfortably and earned a hugely important victory. Whilst this result makes it unlikely that Vega Mena’s will be caught at the top of the ladder, there is still plenty to play for this season. Perth SC will be determined to lower RedStar colours in both the State Cup Final and the Top Four Cup, and Fremantle City are currently on a superb run of form that also marks them out as potential silverware winners.
The months of August and September are going to be one heck of a ride in the NPLW WA. Strap yourselves in, there’s some incredible football ahead of us.
More of Rob Lizzi’s photography from RedStar Arena:
Teams: PERTH REDSTAR: Dal Busco, Woolley, Teixeira, Anderson, Doan, Sakairi, Kagami, Carroll, Ridley, Wood, Dunn. Substitutes: Doeglas, Bennett, Arai, Leota, Finnegan, Odonohoe, Bellanca.
Scorers: Ridley 20′, Wood 73′.
PERTH SC: Bailey, Thew, Nossent, McCartney, Harvey, Wainwright, Cassidy, McKenna, McAllister, Lincoln, Marshall. Substitutes: Johnston, Insch, Bohm, Mathers, Papalia, Cavill, Hannan.
Scorers: McKenna (pen) 60′.
Referee: Stewart Beattie.
In-depth
Hyundai NTC 2-1 Murdoch University Melville
by Ava-Marianne Elliott
Hyundai NTC grasped the edge in a competitive battle against Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) at the Sam Kerr Football Centre as Round 16 opened on Saturday afternoon.
The NTC went into the game on the back of a midweek reverse to Subiaco and knew that three points were necessary to stay on the front foot in their battle with Fremantle City for fourth place on the ladder. However, MUM FC had a huge confidence boost from last weekend’s superb win over Balcatta Etna and knew another success would take them off bottom spot.
Play opened with vigour, and both sides set out immediately to maintain control of the possession, however, it was the home side that found themselves establishing a more powerful presence on the field.
NTC’s string of chances remained solid in the opening run of the game, with the visitors finding very few opportunities to break forwards. It was only a matter of time before the teenage hosts found a breakthrough.
In the 15th minute, a misjudged pass from Sophie Patience was capitalised on by Theodora Mouithys. Her cross was just parried away by Annabel Cook, however, she was unable to keep a hold of the ball, leaving it to fall to an awaiting Angelique Clayton. Despite her positioning in front of goal, the ball was just cleared on the line by the visitors.
MUM FC had an opportunity themselves. Last week’s hat-trick hero in their win over Balcatta, Ellis Glanfield, saw her header go wide of the post, keeping the scoreline level. Although struggling when NTC layered on the pressure, the visitors were purposeful offensively.
The first goal of the game was produced in the 34th minute, when Mouithys produced a stunning strike from distance. Her shot soared in the top right-hand side of the net.
Murdoch University Melville continued to pose problems in attack. Glanfield found herself in yards of space in the box but the former Perth Glory player saw her effort creep past the far post. Then, in the 45th minute, Isabella Baldin found herself in the right place, sending a shot that just rolled into the net – however, the goal was disallowed.
The beginning of the second half opened with an immediate return to the same levels of intensity and fight between the two sides. It would be the visitors who finally made their mark on the scoreboard.
After 67 minutes of play, former WSL player and Matildas cap Ella Mastrantonio stepped up to take a free kick. Her effort found Baldin with pinpoint accuracy to score.
However, Murdoch University Melville would only be level for six minutes. Klaudia Houlis relentlessly pressed the visitors’ backline, stealing the ball and sending it across to Ischia Brooking. Brooking, who had come off the bench just over ten minutes prior, had her say when she sent the match-winner cooly into the visitors’ net. It was the A-League Women’s youngest-ever player’s first goal of the season in the NPLW WA.
At the sound of the final whistle, Hyundai NTC’s victory took them into fourth place. Whether they would stay there would depend on Fremantle City’s fate against Balcatta Etna the following day.
Teams: HYUNDAI NTC: Skinner, Johnson, O’Halloran, Cuthbert, Collinson, Collins, Houlis, E. Gaspar, Mouithys, Britton, Clayton. Substitutes: Garnett, Brooking, Phillips, Longmore, Barlow, Leong.
Scorers: Mouthiys 34′, Brooking 73′.
MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE: Cook, Sabean, Burdett, Brown, Eastman, Mastrantonio, Jayme, Patience, Reid, Glanfield, Baldin. Substitutes: Giles, Noack, Adu-Pipim Borduo, Gomez Basallo, Ellis, Ascenzo-Cabello, Hoath.
Scorer: Baldin 67′.
Round wrap
by Ben Gilby
Balcatta Etna 2-4 Fremantle City
Fremantle City regained fourth place in the table with victory over third-placed Balcatta Etna at Home Group Stadium on Sunday.
The visitors hit the front with eight minutes played when Janice Kiama, on the left fed Olivia Truman on the opposite flank. Her high ball was met by Abbey Green at the back post who slid a pass for Kiama to tap home from close range.
Two minutes before the break, Freo doubled their lead. What started as a playground-style scrimmage on the edge of the box with Kiama on the groundm ended with Alex Poad coming in to take the ball into space and lift a stunning shot over Rebecca Bennett and into the top left corner of the net.
Balcatta hit back just over 20 minutes into the second half. A free-kick deep inside their own half was played up for Nikayla Hughes. She was able to find Kat Jukic via Liana Cook. A one-two then saw Cook lash home from the edge of the area.
Any hopes of a comeback for the home side were snuffed out with 10 minutes to go as Green raced away from Faye Phillips along the left, drove into the box, and unselfishly squared for Anna Powell to sweep home at the back post to restore Freo’s two-goal buffer.
Two minutes later, it was four for the visitors. Annabelle Leek’s free-kick inside her own half was pumped forward and bounced on the edge of the box for Tanika Lala to run onto and crash home a powerful half-volley.
Balcatta reduced the deficit to two goals with two minutes remaining. Phillips played a pass through from the middle of the park for Jukic. She in turn found Hughes who was brought down in the box by Maya Spatafore. A penalty was awarded which Abbey Meakins dispatched into the left-hand corner of the net.
UWA-Nedlands 1-4 Subiaco
Subiaco earned their second win in the space of four days with this excellent result at UWA-Nedlands.
Greg Farrell’s side had been on a disappointing run of results prior to their midweek game at Hyundai NTC, but those losses are now a fading memory after they restored Top Four hopes with this win at the UWA Sports Park.
They had to do it the hard way though, as the home side went ahead with 21 minutes on the clock when Emily Dinsdale was released along the right and pulled a low cross into the box. Erin Armstrong timed her run perfectly through the Subi defence to meet it with a low volley that flew into the left-hand corner of the net from around 12 yards.
Subiaco levelled on the half-hour mark. Out on the left, Cass Harvey played a one-two with Marianna Tabain which ended with her advancing into the area and, as Alyssa Kinkaid came in to tackle, Harvey’s shot looped up and into the right-hand corner of the net from 15 yards. It remained level at the break.
The visitors opened the second half with a bang. Just three minutes after the re-start, Stella Zampogna, who scored Subi’s winning goal in midweek at Hyundai NTC, picked up possession in the centre of the park and laid off to Tabain outside her. The former Perth Glory and Melbourne City star returned the favour with a low pass that Zampogna ran onto. Her first effort was blocked by the midriff of UWA-Nedlands’ keeper Morgan Springer, but her second attempt rolled into the net from the edge of the box.
Subiaco’s game-breaking goal arrived with 56 minutes on the clock. Greta Bailey lifted a high ball towards the box that Tabain brought down superbly and controlled, before turning two defenders and hitting a low shot into the right-hand corner of the net.
The visitors made it four with just over 20 minutes to go as Keziah Burgis’ cross from the right towards the edge of the area was turned goalwards by Tayna Campos, allowing Shelby Cochran to nip in and direct a half-volley into the left-hand corner from 10 yards.
Whilst Subiaco move within four points of the top four, albeit having played more games than Fremantle City in fourth, this defeat sends UWA-Nedlands to the bottom of the ladder having scored fewer goals than Murdoch University Melville who have the same number of points and goal difference.
More of Cat Bryant’s photographs from UWA Sports Park
NPLW WA Ladder Round 16
Midweek Result
Hyundai NTC 0-1 Subiaco (Zampogna).
Round 17 Fixtures
SUNDAY: Fremantle City v Hyundai NTC, Perth RedStar v UWA-Nedlands, Perth SC v Balcatta Etna, Subiaco v Murdoch University Melville.
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