by Ben Gilby and Ella McShane (20/7/25)
Above: Ruby Marshall (azure shirt) scores her second and Perth SC’s sixth in the league leaders’ win at home to Murdoch University Melville this afternoon. Marshall was involved in four of her side’s goals. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Balcatta Etna 2-3 Fremantle City
by Ella McShane
Sunday afternoon football at Home Group Stadium was off to a less than ideal start with unfavourable weather and pitch conditions delaying kick off. The waterlogged field caused resistance on the ball and led to a somewhat unavoidable stagnancy throughout the game.
In the first half, Balcatta managed to maintain possession in their preferred side of the pitch whilst Fremantle maintained their threat with their few, yet impactful moments of dominance down the wing.
Despite the contrasting tactical approaches from both sides, the first 40 minutes remained tightly contested. As the first half drew to a close, Balcatta’s Abbey Meakins broke the deadlock, converting a well-placed cross from Jamie-Lee Gale with a volley into the near post, which took the homeside ahead. That’s now 14 goals for Meakins in her last 10 games – an incredible stat.
Freo responded swiftly with an equaliser within mere seconds of the commencement of the second half. A precise through ball from Abbey Green found the feet of a striding Leyna Wood. Splitting Balcatta’s defensive line with admirable pace, Wood slotted the ball past the keeper and secured the equaliser.
The visitors maintained their attacking momentum, and their control over the game became evident. Their efforts were rewarded within rapid succession when Alex Poad’s long ball from the edge of the box found at the 51-minute mark, which earned the port city side the lead.
Fremantle’s momentum was then briefly plateaued by a determined Balcatta defence, which had begun to read and contain the attacking threats more effectively. However, it wasn’t long before Fremantle gained control, when Green struck a clean long ball from the edge of the area and extended their lead three goals to one.
The afternoon concluded with an 89th-minute goal from Gale, reinforcing Balcatta’s continued threat and providing a late spark in an otherwise challenging second half for the homeside.
Despite the seven-point gap separating Fremantle City from Balcatta Etna and the top four, this afternoon’s result has kept their faint top-four hopes alive. With Balcatta now having lost their last two games, the margin for error is gradually narrowing.
Teams: BALCATTA ETNA: Bennett, van Heurck, Murray, Foletta, Spadano, Marwick, Phillips, Jarvis, Meakins, Duncanson, Gale. Substitutes: Comito, Cook, Britton, Hargreaves, M. D’Opera.
Scorers: Meakins 43′, Gale 89′.
FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Poad, Leek, Osborne, Spencer, Kiama, Meaden, Reynolds, Green, Siah, Wood. Substitutes: Spatafore, Adams, Yeo, Lyons, Unlisted.
Scorers: Wood 46′, Poad 52, Green 74′.
Perth SC 6-0 Murdoch University Melville
by Ben Gilby
The Azzurri extended their lead at the top of the NPLWA to five points after a comprehensive win in difficult conditions at Dorrien Gardens this afternoon.
Whilst the match kicked off in dry and breezy conditions, the pitch was extremely wet from earlier heavy rainfall, with the right hand side of the park showing signs of some spray which slowed up the movement of the ball along this area of the surface.
Perth were fast out of the blocks and ahead with only six minutes played, with a goal which seemed to come about in extreme slow motion. Marshall’s first shot came back off the legs of MUM FC keeper Jemma Skinner, with the rebound falling to the Azzurri attacker to hit an effort which trickled over the line despite the visitors trying in vain to stop it from doing so.
It became 2-0 after 22 minutes when a ball in from the left led to Marshall hitting a shot that Skinner parried, only for Lincoln to tap home the rebound for her fifth goal in the last three games.
Just six minutes later, Marshall was involved again as the Azzurri extended their lead further. This time, it was her cross from the right that found an unmarked Tana at the back post, who smashed a first time shot into the net.
On the half hour mark, the visitors had their clearest sight of goal to date when a corner from the right led to Isabella Baldin seeing a shot fly over the top.
Perth ended the half on top and, with the rain beginning to hose down, a free-kick on the left was met with a superb volley from Boehm which flew in.
The second half opened in drier conditions, and Murdoch University Melville had their best consistent spell of possession and territory, building consistent passing movements, but were still not able to dent the home defence.
With 13 minutes remaining, Perth made it five thanks to a move that began with goalkeeper Dayle Scroeder restarting play. Possession advanced up the right flank and ended with Nossent’s cross that found Flannery unmarked to turn the ball in.
Fittingly, it was Marshall who started what she finished with the final goal of the afternoon. Flannery fed Longmore out on the left and her cross was missed by a MUM defender sliding in, leaving the Azzurri attacker with plenty of time and space to dispatch the ball into the net. Marshall had had an excellent game, and was involved in four of the Azzurri’s six goals.
Teams: PERTH SC: Schroeder, Ottobrino, Boehm, Longmore, Cassidy, Collins, Archibald, Mathers, Lincoln, Tana, Marshall. Substitutes: McAllister, Ingrey, Nossent, Flannery, McCartney.
Scorers: Marshall 6’, 90′. Lincoln 22’, Tana 28’, Boehm 42’, Flannery 77′.
MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE: Skinner, Sabean, Ascenzo-Cabello, Symons, Denona, Malata, Mastrantonio, Patience, Baldin, Glanfield, Hotchin. Substitutes: Jorquera, Harding, Mohan, Cleminson, Bui.
Subiaco 5-1 UWA-Nedlands
by Ben Gilby
Subiaco made it back to back wins with this success in the local derby with UWA-Nedlands at a wet Rosalie Park this afternoon.
The visitors’ start to the game was as miserable as the weather as they were 2-0 down after just five minutes.
First, UWA-Nedlands lost possession from their own throw, parallel with the penalty area as the ball came crashing back off their own player, leading to the home side gathering possession and as it was turned back across the box, Ginger Cain turned it past her own goalkeeper Madison Large after three minutes. Shortly afterwards, Stella Zampogna slotted the ball into the net from close range.
The visitors got back into the game with 18 minutes on the clock after the ball was squared for Andrea Preiato to lift home a superb shot from outside the box.
However, that was as good as it got for UWA-Nedlands, as Subi hit back with two further goals in an 11 minute spell either side of the half hour mark. Marianna Tabain strode through the middle to play in Greta Bailey, who held off Cain superbly to advance and dispatch the ball into the net.
Zampogna grabbed her brace nine minutes from time when she benefited from superb work by Savannah Olsthoorn along the left to finish a great move in style.
The scoring was completed with 71 minutes played as Bailey’s corner from the right came in high, the visitors couldn’t clear, allowing Tayna Campos to score from close range.
Teams: SUBIACO: Caceras, Wallwork, Rudd, Hope, Olsthoorn, Campos, Bailey, Hughes, Papalia, Tabain, Zampogna. Substitutes: Burdett, Taylor, Suckling, McCulloch, Steele, Edwards, Robinson.
Scorers: Cain (OG) 3′, Zampogna 5′, 36′. Bailey 25′, Campos 71′.
UWA-NEDLANDS: Large, Kinkaid, Hartley, Cain, Dadswell, Preiato, Rodrigo, Dinsdale, Riches, Muller, Franklin. Substitutes: E. Gaspar, Dewar, Visic, Short, Reid, Klomp, Carr.
Scorer: Preiato 18′.
Football West Academy v Perth RedStar was postponed and rescheduled to 13th August, 6:30pm KO.
Ladder
Perth SC P 15 Pts 38 GD +39
Football West Academy P 15 Pts 33 GD + 24
Perth RedStar P 15 Pts 31 GD +36
Balcatta Etna P 15 Pts 31 GD + 25
Fremantle City P 16 Pts 24 GD +16
Subiaco P 16 Pts 16 GD -12
UWA-Nedlands P 16 Pts 7 GD -61
Murdoch University Melville Pts 15 Pts 1 GD -66
Fixtures
STATE CUP SEMI-FINALS: Wednesday: Balcatta Etna v Perth RedStar, Fremantle City v Football West Academy.
NPLW WA Round 17 – Sunday: Balcatta Etna v Murdoch University Melville, Fremantle City v Football West Academy, Perth RedStar v Subiaco, Perth SC v UWA-Nedlands.
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