by Ben Gilby & Ella McShane (6/7/25)
Above: Perth SC’s Ella Lincoln (right) seen here in a previous game, hit a hat-trick for her side in their 4-0 win at then league leaders Football West Academy today. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Football West Academy 0-4 Perth SC
by Ben Gilby
The Azzurri ran out comfortable winners in the battle of the NPLW WA top two to leap frog the Football West Academy and hit the ladder summit.
The win came in difficult conditions with the usual strong breeze at the Sam Kerr Football Centre accompanied by driving heavy rain in the second half.
Whilst the opening 45 was largely transitional in nature, Perth were crucially able to have time to play their passes which assisted them in retaining more of the ball than their teenage opponents. Both Ella Lincoln and Sam Mathers put in arguably their most eye-catching displays of the league season to date enabled Perth to have the better of the exchanges.
The Azzurri hit the front just after the quarter of an hour mark when Jess Flannery escaped along the left to pull over a high cross, aided by the wind that Mathers was able to nod home from close range.
The league leaders had just the one major opportunity, which came with four minutes of the half remaining as Sakura Leong crossed in from the right and Klaudia Houlis volleyed the ball into the net, but the assistant referee’s flag was up instantly, judging that the ball had gone over the by-line before Sakura could deliver it.
Right on half time, the Azzurri doubled their lead after referee Jasmine Bremner awarded an in-direct free-kick in the penalty area to the left of centre following a scramble of epic proportions where the ball got caught up amidst a forest of legs. Mathers laid the set-piece off for Lincoln to fire home.
The home side looked to ring the changes at the break with three substitutions made, but it had little impact as within seven minutes of the re-start, Perth went three up.
Lincoln and McAllister combined to the left of centre and McAllister turned the ball across for Lincoln to sweep into the net.
Just after the hour mark there was a chance for both sides in quick succession. First, Flannery and McAllister worked an entry into the box, but Daisy McGreadie Cole made the save. Then, Leong’s pace beat Violet Longmore along the right, however, the eventual shot went wide of the left-hand post for the Academy.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, Lincoln completed her hat-trick after Flannery skipped past Sam Brady on the left hand edge of the box to supply the perfect low ball in for her partner in crime to sweep into the net.
Perth have now produced two statement making results in a row, scoring nine goals against teams who went into those games top of the ladder. With two of the Azzurri‘s final eight games against a red-hot Balcatta Etna side, and further encounters with Perth RedStar and the Football West Academy, it’s going to be a thrilling final third of the season.
Teams: FOOTBALL WEST ACADEMY: McGradie Cole, Santich, Johnson, Barlow, Leong, Houis, Kuzamba, Dalton, Heys, Mouithys, McAuliffe. Substitutes: Dumont, Williams-Jones, Santos, Garnett, Brady, Borg, Wainwright.
PERTH SC: Schroeder, Nossent, McCartney, McKenna, Longmore, McAllister, Cassidy, Collins, Lincoln, Flannery, Mathers. Substitutes: Ottobrino, Ingrey, Tana, Archibald, Boehm, Marshall.
Scorers: Mathers 16′. Lincoln 45+1, 52′, 69′.
Referee: Jasmine Bremner.
Perth RedStar 0-5 Balcatta Etna
by Ella McShane
Balcatta extended their winning run to eight league games as they entered the top two following a sensational five-goal victory at defending champions Perth RedStar today.
Ironically, it was RedStar who were the last side to defeat Balcatta on 4th May by five goals to nil. However, Pete Rakic’s side are a very different beast now.
A jam-packed ten minutes opened this encounter when mere metres separated Emily Dunn from the penalty area when she committed the foul against in form Balcatta midfielder Abbey Meakins.
A free kick was awarded and Meakins’ shot was pushed away by Gabby Dal Busco, with the resuting corner repelled again moments later.
Faye Phillips opened the scoring for the visitors after 11 minutes when taking possession on the left-hand side of the final third gave her enough space to strike a clean volley from just outside the box.
For the 20 minutes that followed, and recurring throughout the game, neither side managed to maintain enough possession to build sustained attacking momentum. The game heavily contested on the wings, marked by frequent interceptions, and set pieces from both teams.
Balcatta found a response through Ella Marwick, whose sharp strike from inside the box caught everyone off guard to double her side’s lead four minutes before the break. Despite close marking by the RedStar defence, her shot beat a well-positioned Dal Busco.
The opening ten minutes of the second half were characterised by a familiar stagnancy from both respective sides. Until that is, Jamie-Lee Gale reignited Balcatta’s momentum by tapping in from a crowded box after a well-delivered corner kick just after the hour mark.
The visitors made it 4-0 when a penalty was awarded as a result of a handball committed by RedStar’s Abbey Woolley following a charge into the box. Meakins stepped up and calmly converted from the spot for her 13th goal in the last eight games.
Gale capped off her dominant performance with a second goal when a charge starting from the halfway line, surpassing the RedStar defence and slotting the ball into an open net with ease.
RedStar showed infrequent signs of an obvious struggle, successfully intercepting passes and maintaining a tightly marking defence. Ultimately, it was the home sides inability to generate attacking momentum that cost them. It’s now a very un-RedStar like 10 goals conceded in their last two matches – both of which were against top four rivals.
Teams: PERTH REDSTAR: Dal Busco, Woolley, Dunn, Carroll, Doan, Coleman, Bennett, Monteiro, Doeglas, Leota, Ridley. Substitutes: Skinner, Bellanca, Continibali, Mogridge, Noto, Gray, Devitt.
BALCATTA ETNA: Bennett, van Heurck, Davis, Murray, Spadano, Marwick, Phillips, Jarvis, Meakins, Duncanson, Gale. Substitutes: Comito, Cook, Britton, Hargreaves, M.D’Opera.
Scorers: Phillips 11’, E. Marwick 41’, Gale 61’, 77’. Meakins (pen) 65’.
Around the grounds
by Ben Gilby
Murdoch University Melville 0-0 UWA-Nedlands
Bottom side Murdoch University Melville (MUM FC) overcame the sending off of Monique Baiamonte to secure their first point of the season against fellow strugglers UWA-Nedlands.
However, it will be the visitors who leave Besteam Stadium as the happier of the two sides, as the draw ensures they continue to hold a six point cushion over MUM FC at the bottom of the table.
Baiamonte saw red with nine minutes of the first half remaining after an altacation in the lead up to a corner. However, the home side rallied strongly and continued to pose a threat into the final stages of this vital clash.
The final 10 minutes saw chances galore at either end. First, for UWA-Nedlands, Rhiannon Short let fly with a long range effort that was held by home keeper Jemma Skinner. Then, Taylor Reid, playing against her former MUM FC team mates embarked on a mazy run which ended with a shot that wasn’t quite powerful enough to trouble Skinner.
With two minutes remaining, Ellis Glanfield broke through for the home side and was only denied by an excellent diving save from Madison Large in the UWA-Nedlands goal.
The visitors responded instantly as Melina Franklin ran free up the right and into the area where Skinner pushed away her shot with a dramatic dive.
Murdoch University Melville had the two last chances. With a minute of regular time remaining, Glanfield was through one-on-one with Large, but put her shot wide. Then, in the dying embers, Sophie Patience saw her shot cannon back off the cross bar.
So near but yet so far for MUM FC. However, their endeavours and character to battle so strongly with 10 players will buoy hopes of picking up the necessary points over the final seven weeks of the season to make up the gap to UWA-Nedlands.
Subiaco 1-4 Fremantle City
Fremantle City’s winning run now extends to four league and cup games after four goals in 24 second half minutes clinched this victory at Rosalie Park.
The port city side’s striker Leyna Wood claimed a hat-trick, with her first arriving just after the hour mark when she was played in by a beautifully weighted diagonal slide rule pass that found her unmarked in the box to turn the ball home.
A spell of three goals in eight minutes killed off Subi’s resistance, with Annabelle Leek making it 2-0 when she headed in Abbey Green’s corner kick that came in from the left.
Freo scored again when Erin Siah drew home goalkeeper Monique Todd in a one-on-one and squared to Wood to slot in.
Four minutes later, Subi lost possession allowing Wood to complete her hat-trick by turning her marker and roll a low shot that dribbled over the line almost in slow motion.
The home side had the final word deep into second half stoppage time with the goal of the game as Stella Zampogna lifted a glorious shot into the top right hand corner from outside the box on the right.
Ladder
Perth SC P 13 Pts 32 GD +31
Balcatta Etna P 13 Pts 31 GD +27
Football West Academy P 14 Pts 30 GD +23
Perth RedStar P 14 Pts 28 GD +29
Fremantle City P 14 Pts 21 GD +17
Subiaco P 14 Pts 10 GD -19
UWA-Nedlands P 14 Pts 7 GD -50
Murdoch University Melville P 14 Pts 1 GD -59
Fixtures
SATURDAY: Football West Academy v Balcatta Etna, UWA-Nedlands v Perth RedStar. SUNDAY: Fremantle City v Perth SC, Murdoch University Melville v Subiaco.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 