by Ben Gilby (30/3/25)
Above: Perth SC’s opening goal scorer Ruby Marshall (azure shirt) out to beat Murdoch University Melville goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mohan. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
After last weekend’s reduced set of opening matches due to extreme heat, this second round saw all eight sides in action for the first time.
However, before the Round Two action, one of last week’s postponed games was played on Monday night at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, and it produced an eye-catching result.
Hyundai Football West Academy (FWA, formerly Hyundai NTC) earned a superb 3-0 win over a Balcatta Etna side who a number of people believe will be pushing hard for championship and Top Four Cup success in 2025.
Pete Rakic’s side already have the Night Series Cup in their back pocket, but FWA took the honours in style with goals from Xuri Dalton, Nelli Johnson, and Sakura Leong.
Round Two
Fremantle City 2-2 Balcatta Etna
Week two of the action got underway on Saturday afternoon at Hilton Park with two sides looking for their first win of the campaign, despite being favourites for the top four this season.
Freo have shown in flashes what they are capable of across both the Night Series and during their opening week loss to fellow top-four favourites Perth SC. However, they face a devilishly tough set of fixtures across the opening month with the Football West Academy, and Perth RedStar ahead in the next fortnight.
For Balcatta, this was a chance to get back on the horse and make a statement against a tough opponent after Monday night’s setback at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
It was the home side that hit the front with just five minutes played. Great work from American Leyna Wood in the build-up play along the right earned her side a corner. Abbey Green’s flag-kick came in high at the near post. Rebecca Bennett in the Etna goal pushed it up, but her defence were unable to clear sufficiently, and the ball fell for Alex Poad to direct goalwards with Janice Kiama pouncing to strike home from just outside the six-yard box.
Freo’s lead lasted just six minutes. Abbey Meakins lifted a free-kick into the left-hand side of the box from just over 25 yards out, which Jamie-Lee Gale picked up to start a scramble which was ended by Alyssa van Heurck sticking out a leg to direct the ball into the left hand corner of the net, with Megan Phillips wrong-footed in the home goal.
Balcatta completed their comeback just over 15 minutes into the second half from a Freo corner. Zoee Spadano intercepted a loose pass outside the area allowing her to break free and run into space. Up ahead, Lucy Jerram battled with Sophie Meaden, the only home outfield player back, allowing Spadano’s pass to roll into Gale, who ran in unopposed to round Phillips and calmly place the ball into the net.
However, it proved not to be enough to win all three points. With seven minutes left, the impressive Wood raced into the Balcatta box for a one-on-one with Bennett in the Balcatta goal, but van Heurck got back superbly to block at the cost of a corner.
Siah’s resulting flag kick came in high from the right which made it hard for Bennett to claim, and rising highest towards the back post behind the keeper was Kiama to nod home her second.
In tough, hot conditions, this was an excellent game between two good sides. Balcatta may well rue that late equaliser that left them with a haul of one point from a possible six – albeit having faced two very good teams to open their campaign.
For Freo, this will give Sam Geddes’ charges confidence as they look to push on in the coming weeks. They may well need to find more cutting edge upfront as the weeks go by, which could well prove to be the difference in their vital matchups against top-four rivals across the season, but the spirited effort and fight back bodes well.
Teams: FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Poad, Leek, Osborne, Spencer, Lush, Kiama, Meaden, Green, Siah, Wood. Substitutes: Adams, Reynolds, Johnson.
Scorer: Kiama 5′, 83′.
BALCATTA ETNA: Bennett, van Heurck, Davis, Murray-Hocking, D’Opera, Meakins, Jarvis, Spadano, Duncanson, Gale, Britton. Substitutes: Comito, Gama, Cook, Jerram, Hargreaves.
Scorers: van Heurck 12′, Gale 62.
Perth RedStar 1-2 Football West Academy
The Football West Academy continued their outstanding start to the season with a come-from-behind win at the death away to champions Perth RedStar.
The teenage side were trailing into second-half stoppage time before last-gasp goals from Theodora Mouithys and Klaudia Houlis sealed an incredible win.
This victory was the FWA’s second win against a team likely to be established in the top four come the end of the campaign in just six days, after they dispatched Balcatta Etna earlier in the week.
All the goal action was condensed into a thrilling last 13 minutes of action. RedStar hit the front when Renee Leota pounced on a loose control from FWA goalkeeper Sofia Borg on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Leota turned a low pass for Caitlin Doeglas, who saw her first shot blocked by Daniella Santich, but her second was dispatched into the far corner of the empty net.
Nine seconds into stoppage time at the end of the game, Sakura Leong’s attempt at a tackle ricocheted through for teammate Theodora Mouithys to race ahead into open space and calmly dispatch the ball past Gabby Dal Busco to level the scores.
Three minutes later, Leong hit a perfectly weighted ball from inside her own half to release Lacey Hayes on the left. She broke forward but saw her shot blocked by the onrushing Dal Busco, only for the ball to fall for Klaudia Houlis, who got in ahead of a would-be tackler to shoot into the right-hand corner of the net.
UWA-Nedlands 2-6 Subiaco
Subiaco produced a clinical display of attacking football to claim their first victory of the season in their opening game at UWA-Nedlands.
With their Round One game against Murdoch University Melville postponed due to extreme heat last week, Greg Farrell’s team shook the cobwebs off in style against the home team who built a 2-1 lead over Perth RedStar last week before succumbing in the second half.
UWA-Nedlands took the lead in this one as well. With just five minutes on the clock, Emily Dinsdale showed her quality on the right, and the ball went on to find Samara Riches at the back of the 18-yard box, who fired high into the net.
Subi levelled just under a quarter of an hour later. Tayna de Almeida Campos was fouled around 30 yards from goal, before dusting herself down to play the resulting free-kick high into the box. A back header came across for Kim So Yi to direct in at the left-hand post.
The visitors took control with a spell of three goals in less than 15 minutes before half time.
With 34 minutes on the clock, Cass Harvey found de Almeida Campos, who raced through and clipped a finish high into the net. Five minutes later, it was 3-1 as So Yi broke along the right and played in Harvey in the centre of the box to side foot home. Then, two minutes into stoppage time, de Almeida Campos found So Yi, and the 29-year-old midfielder from Korea Republic fired home from the right-hand side of the box.
UWA-Nedlands have been a side that never gives up and always look to create since they came into this league in 2024, and they showed that again by reducing the deficit just after the hour mark. Isabelle Dadswell played a ball over a defender for Melina Franklin who held off Greta Bailey and hit a low shot from the left-hand edge of the six-yard box.
Subi had the final say with another rapid burst of goals – two in as many minutes this time. With 14 remaining on the clock, Harvey strode purposefully through and slotted under the advancing home keeper Janina Sauer. Then, shortly afterwards, Harvey began a similar move before spreading play to the left for So Yi to hit a low effort, which Sauer parried, but de Almeida Campos was in the right place at the right time to score.
Murdoch University Melville 0-3 Perth SC
The Azzurri ran out comfortable winners at Besteam Stadium on Sunday afternoon thanks to goals from Ruby Marshall, Tamsyn Hannan, and Sam Mathers.
After seeing their opening round match against Subiaco postponed due to extreme heat last weekend, this was MUM FC’s first competitive hit out of the new season.
Tom Glavovic’s side were pressing hard from the very start. Any time the hosts looked to play out from the back, they were immediately put under huge pressure which was constant, and gave MUM only rare chances to break out of their own half. Perth were relentless, calm in possession.
With nine minutes played, Daisy McAllister broke through to get one-on-one with MUM goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mohan who saved.
Just three minutes later, the visitors hit the front when Ottobrino found Marshall on the edge of the box with a perfectly judged pass that dissected the Murdoch defence. Marshall was able to advance into the box with ease and slot home with aplomb.
Perth were creating a stack of chances, showed great energy and creativity in the heat, but were just not able to transfer the possession, territory, and shots on goal dominance onto the scoreboard.
The second half was only 42 seconds old when the home side were reduced to 10 after an off-the-ball incident. From here, MUM looked to play the offside trap that bit more often in a bid to both break the game up and reduce the flow of Perth chances.
With 19 minutes remaining, Perth finally got the second goal that their dominance deserved. Marshall picked up possession on the right and fed the ball to Sam Mathers inside her who advanced and laid off a pass for substitute Hannan to fire high into the net.
Ten minutes later, it was three as Mathers’ claimed a stunning Olimpico from a corner on the right.
The visitors had chances to extend their lead further – one such attack saw a 20+ pass movement from inside their own half, which ended with a shot going narrowly wide.
There will be positives for the home side to take from a tough first game of the campaign – they worked incredibly hard and on the occasions when Sadie Lawrence was able to direct traffic and Ellis Glanfield got forward, they showed that they will be confident of picking up points to avoid a repeat of the challenges of 2024.
Ladder Round Two
- Perth SC P2 Pts 6 GD: +5
- Football West Academy P2 Pts 6 GD: +4
- Subiaco P1 Pts 3 GD: +4
- Perth RedStar P2 Pts 3 GD: +2
- Fremantle City P2 Pts 1 GD -2
- Balcatta Etna P2 Pts 1 GD: -3
- Murdoch University Melville P1 Pts 0 GD: -3
- UWA-Nedlands P2 Pts 0 GD: 7
Round Three Fixtures
Saturday: Hyundai Football West Academy v Fremantle City, UWA-Nedlands v Perth SC. Sunday: Perth RedStar v Subiaco, Balcatta Etna v Murdoch University Melville.
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