by Ben Gilby and Ella McShane (11/5/25)
Above: Caitlin Doeglas, who scored a hat-trick and contributed two assists in Perth RedStar’s 6-2 win over UWA-Nedlands today. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Perth SC 1-1 Fremantle City
Fremantle City continued their strong run of form by coming from behind to gain a point at unbeaten Perth SC this afternoon.
The opening quarter of an hour was a real arm-wrestle between these two in form sides. Freo, after a tough start results wise, came into this game unbeaten in three. It was the visitors who conjured up the first opportunity as Abbey Green showed great footwork along the left flank, combining excellently with Sophie Meaden in a move which ended with the latter getting a shot away that Dayle Schroeder saved.
The Azzurri then put together an incisive move with Jess Flannery providing a centimetre perfect long pass through for Louise Tana to the right of centre. Her low shot went across Freo keeper Megan Phillips, and Lincoln was only denied at the back post by a superb covering block.
Perth were now on top, and Flannery’s eye for on point passing showed once more with 22 minutes played as she found Daisy McAllister who broke through but hit her shot just wide of the left-hand post.
Just two minutes later, the Azzurri were ahead. Sam Mathers held possession and found Lincoln outside the box to lay off to Flannery who returned the favour. Under close attention from two defenders, Lincoln showed great poise to play the ball back to Mathers, who was stationed just outside the box. Mathers looked up and saw Flannery outside her. She turned Alex Poad and then bent a stunning shot into the right hand corner.
Freo looked to hit back with 11 minutes of the half remaining as Leyna Wood supplied a pass along the left for Mikayla Lyons at the near post, but Schroeder saved.
Perth had an excellent chance shortly afterwards to double their advantage, as McAllister gained possession from Hannah Reynolds and broke through to the edge of the area where she found Lincoln whose shot went over the top.
Then, just two minutes before the interval, the port city side levelled. Phillips’ high goal kick bounced inside the Perth half for Wood to feed Lyons who ran through and finished calmly under the onrushing Schroeder to ensure the sides went in level at the break.
Defences were on top in the second half with clear cut chances few and far between. The best opportunity fell the Azzurri’s way just three minutes in when, from a free kick inside the Perth half, Annabelle Leek played the ball backwards towards Reynolds who was put under immediate pressure by Lincoln. The Perth attacker won the ball and advanced one on one with Phillips, but the visitors’ keeper pulled of an excellent save.
Much of the reminder of this encounter was akin to an arm wrestle with both sides having plenty of possession, but out and out chances were extremely limited.
There was one half chance apiece in the dying minutes. First, Lincoln held off her defender, but Phillips held onto the shot. For the visitors, Catherine Adams saw a shot go narrowly over the top a minute into stoppage time.
Freo will no doubt be the happier of the two sides with this outcome, but it could be argued that the real beneficiaries from this outcome is Perth RedStar, who are now within a single point of the Azzurri.
Teams: PERTH SC: Schroeder, Nossent, Collins, McCartney, McAllister, Archibald, Marshall, Lincoln, Flannery, Tana, Mathers. Substitutes: Ottobrino, Warburton, Garcia, McCready, Rennie, Cavill.
Scorer: Flannery 24’.
FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Poad, Leek, Osborne, Reynolds, Adams, Kiama, Meaden, Green, Wood, Lyons. Substitutes: Siah, Harries, Johnson, Spencer.
Scorers: Lyons 43’.
Referee: Jasmine Bremner.
Subiaco 3-0 Murdoch University Melville
by Ella McShane
Subiaco earned their second win over Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) in a fortnight, and rose to within touching distance of the top four as a result.
Subiaco were on the front foot from the get-go this afternoon when Jaalah Rudd posed a threat to with a powerful stride up the wing, an impressive preview of what was to come.
Just 12 minutes in, and the home side had confidently inhabited their favourable end of the pitch. Positioned in a spacious right corner of the box, Greta Bailey made an excellent break. The break allowed a cross to fall at the feet of Soyi Kim, positioned at an open goal. Kim’s one touch securing the home side an early lead.
The visitors were visibly unsure of their tactical identity, enabling Subi to generate a substantial number of chances in the first half alone. MUM’s Gabriella Saraceni’s authoritative stride up the centre midfield at the 33-minute mark, being one of few displays of dominance.
Visiting goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mohan was the redeeming asset to the away side, repeatedly denied promising attempts at goal from the hosts. One of her key saves in this spell came with her blocking a crossbar rebound from a corner, from entering the goal at the 35-minute mark.
Ultimately capitalising on the many opportunities at goal created by Subiaco, a long ball fell at the feet of an offside open Kim. With Mohan off her line in an attempt to save the ball, Kim exploited a now open goal, leaping over the keeper, and raised the scoreline to 2-0. The goal was ultimately allowed; however, the question of offside was a valid one.
Creeping into the mere minutes of added time, Subiaco’s attack from the left side of the box called for Mohan’s immediate attention. Subiaco’s Tayna Campos, able to beat the keeper to it, left the Subiaco goal exposed. Ana Denona skillfully neutralised the threat posed by Campos, kicking the ball out of play, centimetres from the goal line. An exceptional defensive display.
Kim opened the second half in a comparable approach at goal. A long ball from the centre circle, found the feet of an open Kim. Dribbling away, the South Korean calmly netted the home side’s third goal.
Kim continued to emerge as a threat to MUM’s defence, as she netted yet another goal. However, the effort was from an offside position.
Today’s matchup was also one of mutual frustration, with a total of 22 fouls recorded. A foul committed by Denona outside Subiaco’s box resulted in a free kick in prime position. Stella Zampogna’s effort failed to add a fourth goal for the hosts.
MUM made a promising eleventh-hour attempt at goal 88 minutes in, with Sophie Patience and Eduarda Mello making a convincing run up the centre midfield. However, the attempt was whisked out of danger by Brooke Burdett centimetres from the goal line.
With the league now taking a week’s break due to the State Cup, Subi will be looking to hit the top four when they resume NPLW WA duty in a fortnight’s time at home to UWA-Nedlands.
Teams: SUBIACO: Robinson, Burdett, Suckling, Rudd, Campos, Bailey, McCulloch, Papalia, Harvey, Kim, Zampogna. Substitutes: Hughes, Taylor, Edwards, Jahn, Lyne.
Scorers: Kim 13′, 43′, 49.
MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE: Mohan, Denona, Ellis, Ascenzo Cabello, Cleminson, Byrne, Saraceni, Baldin, Patience, Glanfield, Baiamonte. Substitutes: Mello, Supljeglav, Skinner, Bui.
Balcatta Etna 4-2 Football West Academy
by Ben Gilby
Balcatta Etna hit back from their disappointing defeat to Perth RedStar last time out to defeat ladder leaders Football West Academy (FWA) at their first home game this season.
Home Group Stadium was back up and running after extensive renovations over the close season, which has meant Pete Rakic’s side had to play all games up to this stage away from home. This was a vital win to get Balcatta back up and running, as they condemned the FWA to a second successive loss.
It was though the visitors who hit the front after seven minutes through Cate McAuliffe, a lead they held until the break, when the home side re-grouped and came out firing.
Within two minutes of the second half, Abbey Meakins was positioned just outside the box on the left-hand side and lifted a shot straight over Sofia Borg and in.
Nine minutes later, Meakins was involved again. Her free-kick from the left came back out to her to fire back in again for Alyssa van Heurck to turn and fire home from inside the six-yard box.
The teenage visitors grabbed an equaliser with 22 minutes of normal time in some style. Nelli Johnson beat Rachel Jarvis to the ball and hit an absolute stunner from over 30 yards past a diving Rebecca Bennett.
Then came the real drama. Just as the clock ticked into the 90th minute, Jamie-Lee Gale’s corner came in from the right. The visitors couldn’t clear, and Carys Davis lashed home from the left-hand side of the box.
Then, five minutes into stoppage time, up stepped Meakins with one of her long-range specials, as the midfield star was found unmarked by Monique D’Opera to send in a shot from approaching 25 yards that bounced in front of FWA keeper Borg and landed in the left-hand corner of the net.
Balcatta now re-enter the top four on goal difference from Subiaco, and with two games in hand, could well stay there.
Teams: BALCATTA ETNA: Bennett, van Heurck, Davis, Murray-Hocking, St. Pierre, Meakins, Marwick, Jarvis, Gale, Cook, Jerram. Substitutes: Comito, Duncanson, Britton, Hargreaves, M.D’Opera.
Scorers: Meakins 47′, 90+5′, van Heurck 56′, Davis 90′.
FOOTBALL WEST ACADEMY: Borg, Santich, Johnson, Barlow, Williams-Jones, Leong, Houlis, Kuzamba, Dumont, Dalton, McAuliffe. Substitutes: McGreadie-Cole, Brady, Santos, Collinson, Heys, Garnett.
Scorers: McAuliffe 7′, Johnson 68′.
Perth RedStar 6-2 UWA-Nedlands
by Ben Gilby
Perth RedStar won their third successive match, taking their goalscoring tally to 19 in the period, with this win over UWA-Nedlands at RedStar Arena today.
The match was punctuated by a superb contribution from Caitlin Doeglas, who scored a hat-trick and added two assists, with Renee Leota also hitting three, as RedStar moved ominously within three points of ladder leaders Football West Academy after this latest success.
The home side hit the front with 11 minutes on the clock when Renee Leota pounced on a ball played across her own box by UWA-Nedlands’ Isabelle Dadswell to turn the ball into the net.
The Kiwi star was at it again just before the half-hour mark when a low cross in from the left from Doeglas found Leota in acres of space to tap home from close range.
Three minutes later, however, the visitors got a foothold back in the game. Melina Franklin was fouled five yards outside the box on the left-hand side. Chloe Rodrigo’s low free-kick came in. Hannah Seeley’s first shot was blocked, and the clearance came back to her to hit a follow-up shot in.
Ten minutes before the break, the hosts re-established their two-goal cushion. Four loose touches in a row from the visitors ended with Doeglas crossing in from the left, and an unmarked Leota pounced to complete a 24-minute hat-trick.
With 55 minutes on the clock, Doeglas got on the scoresheet herself in style. Released along the left by a superb pass from Abbey Woolley, the Perth Glory A-League Women striker ran into space before lifting a quality finish from just inside the area.
RedStar gained their fifth after a sumptuous passing move which ended with Grace Monteiro finding Doeglas on the left to hit a first-time shot from the edge of the area across UWA-Nedlands keeper Janina Sauer and in.
Two minutes later, Doeglas completed her hat-trick when her cross from the left hit the arm of Ginger Cain, and the attacker fired the resulting penalty to the right of centre of the net.
The visitors pulled another back in stoppage time at the end of the game when RedStar keeper Gabby Dal Busco’s clearance fell kindly for Franklin, who lifted a first-time effort straight in.
RedStar are now hitting their straps and after the break for the State Cup, they travel to the Sam Kerr Football Centre to face league leaders Football West Academy. Win that, and the march of the Red Army is well and truly on once more.
Teams: PERTH REDSTAR: Dal Busco, Carroll, Teixeira, Woolley, Ridley, Dunn, Bellanca, Monteiro, Leota, Coleman, Doeglas. Substitutes: Continibali, Doan, Benett, Finnegan, Gray, O’Donohoe.
Scorers: Leota 11′, 29′, 35′. Doeglas 55′, 72′, pen 74′.
UWA-NEDLANDS: Sauer, Gibson, Cain, Dadswell, Seeley, E.Gaspar, Short, Riches, Rodrigo, Franklin. Substitutes: Dinsdale, Kinkaid, Hartley, C.Gaspar, Visic, Beese, Carr.
Scorers: Seeley 35′, Franklin 90+5′.
Fixtures
STATE CUP 1st ROUND: Friday: Football West Academy v Fremantle City (WD1). Saturday: Mandurah City v Perth RedStar. Sunday: Subiaco (WD1) v Murdoch University Melville, Subiaco (NPLW WA) v UWA-Nedlands (NPLW WA), Balcatta Etna v Sorrento, Queens Park v Hamersley Rovers, UWA-Nedlands (WD1) v Fremantle City (NPLW WA), Perth SC v Perth AFC.
NPLW WA ROUND 9 – Saturday 24th May: Football West Academy v Perth RedStar. Sunday 25th May: Murdoch University Melville v Perth SC, Fremantle City v Balcatta Etna, Subiaco v UWA-Nedlands.
Ladder
- Football West Academy P8 Pts 18 GD +10
- Perth SC P 7 Pts 17 GD +12
- Perth RedStar P8 Pts 16 GD +23
- Balcatta Etna P6 Pts 10 Pts +3
- Subiaco P7 Pts 10 GD +2
- Fremantle City P7 Pts 9 GD =
- UWA-Nedlands P8 Pts 3 GD -22
- Murdoch University Melville P7 Pts 0 GD -28
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