by Ben Gilby and Ella McShane (3/8/25)
Above: Kaitlyn Bellanca (red shirt), in action in a previous game, scored Perth RedStar’s opening goal at Fremantle City today. Photo: Denyse RM Photography.
Fremantle City 2-3 Perth RedStar
by Ella McShane
A wet and windy afternoon at Wauhop Park set the stage for a fiercely contested afternoon of football.
Despite the challenging conditions, both teams maintained disciplined positioning even as the weather conditions caused play to fizzle out.
Perth RedStar asserted dominance early when Kaitlyn Bellanca opened the scoring just 12 minutes in. The clean strike from a tight angle on the left wing impressively found the net, despite the elements working against her.
Freo secured the equaliser a mere ten minutes later when Abbey Green’s surging run into the left-hand side of the box allowed a superb cross to clear overhead. Leyna Wood showcased excellent anticipation when she positioned herself perfectly to meet the cross and guided a header into the back of the net.
A quick turnaround for the port city side was emphasised when Sophie Meaden’s run towards goal surpassed RedStar goalkeeper Gabby Dal Busco. The tap-in from Wood gave the homeside the lead, in a somewhat symbolic show with the sun now shining down on Wauhop Park.
Fremantle’s lead was short-lived as, against the run of play, RedStar’s Renee Leota delivered a precise cross from distance. The ball found the feet of a perfectly positioned Lauren Continibali, whose ever-so-slight redirection guided the ball into the net to level the score.
A RedStar free kick ultimately sealed their win. Andreia Teixeira lifted the ball into the box, and while home goalkeeper Megan Phillips got a hand to it, she couldn’t maintain control, and the ball slipped past her, crossing the goal line.
Despite a closely contested remainder of the second half, the visitors gained a well-earned three points on the road and are currently sitting seven points behind front-runners Perth Soccer Club ahead of their showdown with the Azzurri next Sunday.
Teams: FREMANTLE CITY: Phillips, Poad, Leek, Spatafore, Osborne, Spencer, Kiama, Meaden, Green, Siah, Wood. Substitutes: Yeo, Lyons, Reynolds.
Scorers: Wood 23′ 25′.
PERTH REDSTAR: Dal Busco, Teixeira, Dunn, Monteiro, Doan, Coleman, Carroll, Continibali, Doeglas, Leota, Bellanca. Substitutes: Woolley, Bennett, Ridley, Lornie, Mogridge, O’Donohoe, Devitt.
Scorers: Bellanca 14′, Continibali 30′, Leota 55′.
Around the grounds
by Ben Gilby
Balcatta Etna P-P UWA-Nedlands
Due to a waterlogged pitch
Murdoch University Melville 0-4 Football West Academy
The Football West Academy (FWA) battled through atrocious conditions, which at one point forced the players from the field, to come out on top at Besteam Stadium today.
The game began in exceptionally windy conditions, but the teenage side had the better of the early chances with Theo Mouithys hitting a shot that was pushed out for a corner by home keeper Jemma Skinner.
Just before the quarter-hour mark, the players were taken off the pitch after the strong wind became accompanied by torrential rain, which made playing on impossible. Thankfully, the squall was short-lived, and the action resumed after around four minutes break.
The visitors hit the front with 21 minutes played when Mouithys broke through from the left, and the Junior Matilda slotted a shot across Skinner and in. Eight minutes later, Emily Garnett doubled the FWA’s lead.
Football West Academy got their third with 66 minutes on the clock as substitutes Lacey Heys and Cate McAuliffe combined, with Heys playing a centimetre-perfect pass through for McAuliffe to slot home.
Mouithys got her second and the teenage side’s fourth with five minutes remaining when she turned her defender and curled a shot into the right-hand corner.
Teams: MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE: Skinner, Sabean, Malata, Dunn, Symons, Ascenzo-Cabello, Mastrantonio, Baldin, Jorquera, Denona, Glanfield. Substitutes: Richards, Mello, Mohan, Cleminson.
FOOTBALL WEST ACADEMY: McGreadie Cole, Z. Dumont, Johnson, Williams-Jones, Leong, Lange, Dalton, Santos, Brady, Mouithys, Garnett. Substitutes: A. Dumont, McAuliffe, Collinson, Houlis, Heys, Barlow, Borg.
Subiaco 0-4 Perth SC
The Azzurri overcame challenging conditions and a battling Subiaco side to claim a victory that sees them remain seven points clear at the top of the NPLW WA with just four matches remaining of the regular season.
The visitors were rapidly out of the block with Jess Flannery driving along the left to play a ball in for Ella Lincoln, whose shot was held by Monique Todd in the Subi goal. Shortly afterwards, Sam Mathers was also denied by the shot stopper.
It was all Perth, and with a quarter of an hour played, they took the lead. Lincoln put in a cross on the right for Flannery to turn and hit the ball into the net for a superb goal.
Conditions then took a major turn for the worse as heavy rain fell, accompanied by extremely gusty winds that made it exceptionally tough for the players. Perth looked after the ball very well during this period and earned the one remaining chance of the half when Mathers’ turn and shot from the edge of the area came off the right-hand post and out for a corner that Subiaco dealt with.
After the break, the weather eased slightly, but the wind remained a feature of the game. Just three minutes into the second half, Lincoln scored a superb second when she received the ball some 25 yards out with her back to goal. The Azzurri attacker beat Tayna Campos and curled a shot that hit the right-hand post and then rolled along the line to hit the other post. The goal was awarded.
Six minutes later, Perth made the game safe after clearing a Subi free-kick, which saw Daisy McAllister released to break free and direct the ball calmly into the net.
McAllister grabbed her second and the Azzurri’s fourth with 12 minutes remaining – and it was an absolute peach. A Perth free-kick just inside the Subi half was headed on the edge of the box, and McAllister hit a stunning first-time volley from the edge of the area.
This result and another win for Perth RedStar today sets up next Sunday’s clash between the two sides at RedStar Arena as a really enthralling prospect.
Teams: SUBIACO: Todd, Wallwork, Rudd, Hope, Olsthoorn, Campos, McCulloch, Hughes, Papalia, Tabain, Zampogna. Substitutes: Burdett, Harvey, Suckling, Caceras, Edwards, Tyne.
PERTH SC: Schroeder, Nossent, McCartney, Boehm, Longmore, McAllister, Cassidy, Mathers, Lincoln, Flannery, Marshall. Substitutes: Ottobrino, Ingrey, Warburton, Collins, McCready, Archibald.
Scorers: Flannery 15’, Lincoln 48’, McAllister 54’, 78’.
Ladder
Perth SC P17 Pts 44 +44
Perth RedStar P17 Pts 37 +40
Football West Academy P17 Pts 36 GD +24
Balcatta Etna P15 Pts 31 GD +25
Fremantle City P18 Pts 27 GD +19
Subiaco P18 Pts 16 GD -20
UWA-Nedlands P17 Pts 7 GD-62
Murdoch University Melville P17 Pts 1 GD -70
Fixtures
STATE CUP SEMI-FINALS: Wednesday: Balcatta Etna v Perth RedStar, Fremantle City v Football West Academy (both 7pm KO).
ROUND 19: Balcatta Etna v Subiaco, Perth RedStar v Perth SC, Murdoch University Melville v Fremantle City, UWA-Nedlands v Football West Academy.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 