by Ben Gilby & Ella McShane (27/4/25)
With Balcatta Etna’s eagerly awaited clash with Perth SC called off on Friday, there were three games remaining this weekend, which produced 21 goals.
Fremantle City 4-2 UWA-Nedlands
by Ben Gilby
Fremantle City overcame a dogged UWA-Nedlands side to gain their first win of the season at Hilton Park today.
The home side were rampant in the first half, commanding the vast majority of territory, possession, and chances.
Leyna Wood was in the thick of the action. With 24 minutes played, she curled an inviting shot narrowly over the top before breaking through shortly afterwards, but her shot slid just wide of the post.
The chances continued to rack up. Abbey Green sped along the left to feed Sophie Meaden, who put a cross in, which was headed over. Almost immediately following was Catherine Adams, who sent a powerful shot that UWA-Nedlands goalkeeper Janina Sauer tipped over with a superb flying save.
Finally, the dam broke two minutes from the interval when Isabelle Dadswell’s back pass from the left flank rolled perfectly into the path of Wood, who slotted home from close range.
Freo mustered 18 shots to three from UWA-Nedlands in the first half, with nine on target. They would be looking to convert a far greater proportion in the second 45.
The home side extended their lead 20 minutes into the second half when Wood’s cross into the box found Erin Siah, who sent a shot in that came off the arm of Emma Gibson, and a penalty was awarded.
Up stepped Annabelle Leek, but her effort was saved by Sauer’s foot, which sent the ball spinning up high. When it returned to the ground, Leek was able to pounce to turn it home.
Fremantle looked to have the game wrapped up with 15 minutes remaining as Leek’s ball down the right-hand flank for Olivia Trueman led to possession being transferred to Poad, who fed Abbey Green for the former Perth Glory player to dispatch the ball into the net.
Yet, UWA-Nedlands are always gritty opponents who work hard to get up off the floor. Nine minutes from time, Freo keeper Megan Phillips was put under pressure by Chloe Rodrigo from a back pass, and her clearance fell to Ella Vulin on the edge of the box to hit a superb first-time lofted shot into the net.
Then, just as the clock hit 90, the visitors pulled another back. After a free-kick led to a bout of penalty box pinball, Rodrigo turned on the edge of the area and hit a low shot home.
However, any thoughts of a nervy spell of stoppage time for Freo were laid to rest as shortly afterwards they re-established a two-goal lead as a low ball into the box from the left was turned in by Trueman at the near post.
Teams: FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Poad, Leek, Reynolds, Spencer, Adams, Kiama, Meaden, Green, Siah, Wood. Substitutes: Trueman, Mayoe, Osborne, Johnson, Harries.
Scorers: Wood 43′, Leek 65′, Green 76′, Trueman 90+2′.
UWA-NEDLANDS: Sauer, Gibson, Cain, Dadswell, Kinkaid, E.Gaspar, Seeley, Short, Riches, Rodrigo, Franklin. Substitutes: Hayward, Hartley, Preiato, Visic, Large, Beese, Vulin.
Scorers: Vulin 81′, Rodrigo 90′.
Murdoch University Melville 1-8 Perth RedStar
by Ella McShane
Perth RedStar returned to winning ways with Renee Leota hitting a superb five goals in this huge win at Besteam Stadium this afternoon.
An early handball saw RedStar awarded an free-kickand Sarah Carroll’s shot calmly found the net despite a promising dive from goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mohan.
Leota’s introduction for a successful afternoon came 12 minutes in, when a successful stride down the left wing earned her a prime position for a shot at goal, which saw her. calmly slotting into the back of the net, and she repeated the pattern at 21 minutes in a similar fashion.
In timely succession, Quyen Doan then expertly exploited an opening in the box to make it 4-0.
Despite the scoreline, there were some positive defensive reactions from the home side, which prevented numerous close calls in rapid succession of each other.
A break came for Murdoch University Melville when Taylor Reid’s exorbitant speed from the halfway line, and effortlessly broke through RedStar’s backline to get the home side on the board 31 minutes in.
After the break, Leota’s hunger for goals was repetitively satiated at the 57, 72, and 83-minute mark. The forward made rampaging runs that the home side simply couldn’t deal with as RedStar caught Mohan off her line on multiple occasions.
Following her second-half substitution, Caitlin Doeglas secured a dominating RedStar an even bigger lead as the Perth Glory attacker clinically slotted the ball in from a tight left angle.
Teams: MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE: Mohan, Denona, Harding, Ascenzo-Cabello, Klomp, Saraceni, Baldin, Baiamonte, Patience, Glanfield, Reid. Substitutes: Cook, Ellis, Cleminson, Skinner, Bailey, Bui.
Scorer: Reid.
PERTH REDSTAR: Dal Busco, Woolley, Bennett, Doan, Teixeira, Dunn, Monteiro, Ridley, Continibali, Carroll, Leota. Substitutes: Doeglas, Bellanca, Lornie, Gray, O’Donohue, Devitt.
Scorers: Leota 5, Carroll, Doan, Doeglas.
Subiaco 1-3 Football West Academy
Football West Academy (FWA – formerly Hyundai NTC) worked extremely hard to defeat a strong Subiaco side, thanks to two goals in the final 15 minutes at Rosalie Park today.
Both sides were missing key attacking weapons – Marianna Tabain for Subi, and Theodora Mouithys for the FWA. It was the teenage side that had the better of the chances in the opening 45 minutes, using the flanks to create and threaten Subiaco.
Greg Farrell’s side were well organised, disciplined, and ready to battle throughout, which ensured that the visitors were unable to create the number of clear-cut chances that their share of the possession potentially warranted.
There was just a single goal in the first half, which came in the 25th minute from an excellent team move, which showed the ball-playing ability of this FWA outfit.
Sakura Leong dispatched a pass for Sam Brady to advance along the right-hand flank before laying the ball back for Lacey Heys to take a touch and provide a low pass for Cate McAuliffe to sweep home from the left of centre near the six-yard box. Yet another assist for Heys in an impressive start to the campaign for her.
Subi levelled the score just two minutes into the second half when Greta Bailey was tripped in the box by Nelli Johnson. Stella Zampogna hit the resulting spot kick high into the centre of the net.
The home side were now in the midst of their best spell of the game, and Isla Edwards powered a shot just wide of the post after the ball deflected to her on the edge of the box.
The game was largely transitional in the middle part of the half. Klaudia Houlis was looking to create for the visitors with her searching, incisive passes in the final third. Yet, Subiaco were working hard to deny the teenagers the space and time to create.
The league leaders hit the front with 14 minutes remaining when Rutendo Kuzamba won possession in the centre of the park and fed McAuliffe on the right channel to play a ball into the box that was turned in by substitute Xuri Dalton.
Subi looked to respond and, with 84 played, Bailey curled in a shot that was superbly pushed away by a diving Daisy McGreadie Cole.
Monique Todd denied the visitors twice shortly afterwards when she turned away Dalton’s dangerous shot superbly for a corner, and did the same from Kuzamba’s powerful run.
However, Todd would have no chance from that second corner from Dalton, which was initially headed out, but only as far as McAuliffe on the edge of the box, who fired an absolute rocket into the bottom left-hand corner to seal the win.
This is an excellent Football West Academy side who can produce some quite magnificent pieces of individual skill to link up play. There is still the thought that they can step up further, and that will make next weekend’s first against second clash with Perth SC extremely mouthwatering.
Whilst Subi went down to defeat, the final scoreline could be considered a bit harsh on them. They had lots to offer both offensively and defensively. If they can remain cohesive and disciplined, they will pick up points regularly through the season to give them a chance of remaining in the top-four conversation.
Teams: SUBIACO: Todd, Burdett, Rudd, Ntoumenopoulos, Edwards, Papalia, de Campos, Hughes, Bailey, Zampogna, Taylor. Substitutes: Suckling, McCulloch, Kim, Silver, Robinson, Steele.
Scorers: Zampogna (pen) 47′.
FOOTBALL WEST ACADEMY: McGreadie Cole, Johnson, Santich, Leong, Santos, Dumont, Kuzamba, Houlis, Heys, Brady, McAuliffe. Substitutes: Wainwright, Price, Barlow, Borg, Dalton, Snowden.
Scorers: McAuliffe 25′, Dalton 76′, Heys 89′.
Ladder
- Football West Academy P6 Pts 18 GD +15
- Perth SC P5 Pts 13 GD: 9
- Perth RedStar P6 Pts 10 GD +14
- Balcatta Etna P4 Pts 7 GD +6
- Fremantle City P5 Pts 5 GD -1
- Subiaco P4 Pts 4 GD -2
- Murdoch University Melville P4 Pts 0 GD -19
- UWA-Nedlands P6 Pts 0 GD -20
Round Seven Fixtures
SATURDAY: UWA-Nedlands v Murdoch University Melville. SUNDAY: Perth RedStar v Balcatta Etna, Fremantle City v Subiaco, Perth SC v Football West Academy.
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