Pride Park Record Dominant 8-0 Win On The Road

Sandiacre Town 0-8 Pride Park

By Doug Outt

Above: Beth Jones scored four to make it 38 for the season so far in 13 games. Photo: Shaun Hardwick 

Pride Park made the short trip to Regional League side Sandiacre Town for the 2nd Round of the Derbyshire FA Women’s County Plate on Sunday and after a dominant display are through to the quarter-finals.

Jodie Hill came in for her second third game of the season, Rachel Weaver returned at left back, and we were pleased to welcome Sophie Ayton back for her first tentative steps back after an ankle injury.

Sandiacre had the first chance of the game in the opening minute, firing wide before Pride clicked into gear and took the lead with their first attack after 3 minutes. A free kick for a trip on Steph Eadon was whipped in by Tash Allderidge to be met at the back post by Molly Boultbee for her first goal for Pride Park [0-1].

There was a great chance for Pride to double the lead four minutes layer, as Ellie-Mae Coleman latched onto Jodie Hill’s long kick and threaded a pass through to Beth Jones – who fired just inches wide of the post. The respite for Sandiacre was temporary, however, as Pride extended their lead on 10 minutes. Tash Allderidge put a cross into the box from the second phase of a corner and this time it was Aimee Healy-Raynor popping up at the back post to score [0-2]. 

Two minutes later Beth Jones did exceptionally well to shake off a defender but her shot was just the wrong side of the post. At the other end Jodie was called into real action for the first time after 13 minutes, coming up big to block and divert the ball away from danger. 

Jess Page played an inch perfect ball into Beth Jones, who rounded the keeper and to fire into the open net after 21 minutes to make it 0-3. 

It was 0-4 just before the half-hour, as Ellie-Mae Coleman ran down a long ball, blocked the keeper’s attempted clearance, and cooly passed into the empty net. 

As half-time approached, there was a shot on target for Sandiacre from outside the box, but it rolled through into Jodie Hill’s hands. Pride had dominated the first half and clinical finishing gave them a deserved half-time lead.

HALF-TIME: Sandiacre Town 0-4 Pride Park

The second half started where the first half had left off. The first real sight of goal came for The Pride after 54 minutes when Steph Eadon’s low shot from outside the area was well claimed by the Sandiacre keeper. However, a minute later an Annie Laight free kick through the middle was latched onto by Beth Jones and her shot beat the onrushing keeper [0-5].

Sandiacre’s ‚keeper made a couple of great saves, the first on 68 minutes, diving to her right to stop a rocket from Ellie-Mae Coleman, then two minutes later denying Coleman again, time from close range! 

Aimee Healy-Raynor went close with a header from a corner which was deflected onto the post. There was almost an outstanding goal for Ellie-Mae Coleman when her flick from the outside of her boot went through the defender’s legs but went agonisingly wide. 

There was a sixth for Pride when Tash Allderidge hit a rocket of a free kick into the top corner after 77 minutes.

There was a final flourish with two goals in the final minute for Beth Jones. She completed her hat-trick on 89 minutes, dancing around the defender before opening up her body and slotting home into the far corner [0-7] and completing the scoring with her fourth of the afternoon right on the final whistle as she fired home from close range [0-8].

It was a dominant performance from start to finish, and from front to back to complete a Cup upset by The Pride against higher league opposition. The draw for the quarter-finals was held earlier today and has given Pride an away tie against Sleetmoor United on Sunday 18th February.

It’s back to League business next week and, as a result of Buxton’s County Plategame being postponed yesterday, our League fixture that was due to be played next week will be rescheduled later in the season and instead, we will welcome unbeaten reigning Champions Wirksworth Colts to Moorways as 2nd play 3rd (kick off 1.30pm).

Canberra United v Wellington Phoenix Preview

Impetus’ Ryan Miller-Woods reports on both Canberra United and Wellington Phoenix’s media conferences ahead of round fourteen where they will face each other in an exciting clash (1/25/24).

Canberra United

The media heard from Canberra United’s Sasha Grove and Head Coach Njegosh Popovich ahead of Sunday’s match against Wellington Phoenix. 

Canberra will be determined to get a result after their close and heartbreaking 3-2 defeat last round against Melbourne Victory, of which they were unlucky to have not got a result come the final whistle based on how they played. 

When asked about the result and whether the close defeats have gotten easier to deal with this season, Grove said, “look, it’s never easy with those kinds of results but it doesn’t mean we are dealing with them any differently. We don’t like it, and it’s not a standard we’re willing to accept.” 

Above: Young Canberra United midfielder Sasha Grove reflects on the past round as well as looking ahead to the match with Wellington. Image: Canberra United.

Canberra will be wanting their revenge after the 5-0 defeat they received at the hands of the Phoenix last season in New Zealand. From an attacking point of view, this is quite possible. After 13 rounds of the season, Canberra have scored the second-most goals with 25, only behind league leaders Melbourne City with 31.  

Furthermore, despite being eleventh on the A-League Women’s ladder, Canberra does have both Vesna Milivojevic and Michelle Heyman who are currently tied for first in the A-League Women’s Golden Boot with nine goals respectively. 

However, Canberra’s overall record against Wellington isn’t the best. While they have come out on top once with a 3-0 win at McKellar Park in Round Five last season, they have lost the other two matches with just three goals scored and a concerning eight goals conceded. 

When asked about the trip to New Zealand and whether that helps with what to expect for this weekend knowing that they’ve done it before, Grove said, “absolutely! The Nix (Wellington Phoenix) have put on a performance this season and they want to get points just as much as we do, so we’ve got to bring it. The last time we went, we weren’t successful, so we’re looking to get our hands and feet dirty this week and really make sure we win.” 

Outside observers could say that Canberra have had a bad season so far, based on their position in the ladder, but given the number of goals they’ve scored, the quality players that are within the squad, and the closeness points-wise amongst the teams, a great run of results for United could easily see them up into the top six, especially if other results elsewhere go their way. It’s still all to play for this season for Canberra. 

Above: Canberra head coach Njegosh Popovich speaks with the media. Image: Canberra United.

When asked whether the congested ladder has helped the team stay focused knowing what a couple of good performances could mean for their finals aspirations, Popovich said, “we’re only a couple of games away from being in that top six and I think the girls recognise that without any doubt.” 

While Wellington hasn’t won in over a month and currently sit in ninth position, they’re only two points outside of the finals. Their performances this season in New Zealand have been highly impressive and as such will pose a big challenge to Canberra. 

When asked where Wellington is dangerous as a side, Popovich said, “they’re a very fit team from what we’ve identified. They are a very transitional side; they work hard for each other. For us it’s just about being ourselves, finishing the chances we create and preventing the chances that they create.” 

Wellington Phoenix

The media heard from the Wellington Phoenix’s Kate Taylor and Helena Errington ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Canberra United on Sunday. 

Wellington goes into the match against Canberra off the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Melbourne City, the Phoenix’s fourth consecutive defeat. Despite the close results, it has been a tough month for the Phoenix that sees them ninth on the A-League Women’s ladder. Despite only being two points outside of the Top 6, they’ll want to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later for their finals prospects, which are still very much possible this season. 

Something in favour of the Phoenix that would give the club some confidence ahead of Sunday’s match is that it will be held in New Zealand, where they have been strong results-wise. Furthermore, from the 16 points they’ve achieved so far this season, 81.25% of those points have come at home in New Zealand. 

Above: Kate Taylor reflects on the past few results. Image: Wellington Phoenix.

When asked to reflect on the challenging month Wellington has had, Taylor said, “It’s really difficult and for us, I think we try and take the positives out of it while also learning from our mistakes, which can sometimes be hard. You’ve got to keep people accountable, but it’s all part of it and I think we’re doing a good job at the moment trying to work through our challenges off the field and on the field.”  

Despite the defeat in the last match against City, there were some positives that came out of the second half even though the Phoenix conceded twice. On another day, Wellington may have got a result from the chances they created and how they played during certain periods in the second half. 

When asked whether the team has taken any optimism from how they played against a team such as Melbourne City, Taylor said, “Definitely! I think in some ways we play quite similarly, so for us playing a team like (Melbourne) City with such class players it’s like a good thing that we could see that we could match them. For us, we were still pushing that whole time which is the exciting part and I think we’ll continue to (do that) as well.” 

Above: Helena Errington, the Phoenix’s latest debutant, speaking to the press about her first appearance. Image: Wellington Phoenix.

In the match against City last round, a player who made her A-League Women’s debut was New Zealand youth international Helena Errington, who came on in the 77th minute for Mackenzie Barry. This meant Errington became the 42nd player to have represented the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women. 

When asked about how special the moment was to have made her A-League Women’s debut, Errington said, “Pretty special. It’s always been a dream of mine to play for the Phoenix. Little me would have never thought it was possible, so I’m super happy.” 

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Keane and Logarzo masterclass sinks City

Melbourne City 1–3 Western United 

By Ben Carey 25/1/24

Above: Khali Johnson celebrates with her Western United teammates after scoring the winning goal. Photo: Western United.

Western United have proven once again to be Melbourne City’s kryptonite, securing a commanding 3-1 win over the hosts on Thursday evening. Western took two wins from two last season, and their first match this season ended in a 2-2 draw. This most recent win sees Western leapfrog Perth Glory and Sydney FC to claim second spot on the table, ironically just behind City.

It was a rainy evening in Melbourne and the wet weather had a noticeable effect on the pitch at AAMI Park, resulting in a few more slips than usual and causing the ball to hold up more on the surface.

Western United came out of the gates dominating possession and looking to create chances in Melbourne City’s defensive half. City though, who are known for their possession-based style of play, soon wrestled control back and started creating chances of their own.

Around the 20-minute mark, there was a very nervy five minutes or so for City. There were a few sloppy passes that resulted in turning over possession cheaply in dangerous areas, and then an attempt from City goalkeeper, Lysianne Proulx, to play out from the back clipped the heels of a Western United attacker, narrowly avoiding deflecting back into City’s goals. A few minutes later, a shot from last season’s Golden Boot Winner, Hannah Keane, hit the post. Melbourne City appeared to be on thin ice.

Soon after, after a great steal in the midfield, Western United surged forward. A great ball from Japanese international, Keiwa Hieda, set up Matildas icon, Chloe Logarzo, to take a shot at the City goals. She made good contact with the ball, but Proulx was able to parry it away, but it bobbled up right into the path of Keane, who headed it home, breaking a five-match goal drought.

In typical Melbourne City fashion, they upped their intensity and put pressure on Western’s goals once more. Just three minutes after they conceded, City narrowly missed an equaliser after Brylee Henry took a shot on goals that deflected off Grace Maher and hit the crossbar. The resulting corner, however, was more fruitful for the home side. The corner was whipped in by Rhianna Pollicina, which then found three consecutive Melbourne City heads. The first was Taylor Otto, who flicked itjust beyond the far post where Kaitlyn Torpey redirected it back in front of goals for New Zealand’s World Cup hero, Hannah Wilkinson to finish. Melbourne City really used their heads to nab the equaliser.

Melbourne City came out strong in the second half, mounting a number of attack on Western United’s goals. The best attempt came at the 50-minute mark and was the result of some fantastic build up play from City. Torpey made a spirited run down the left flank and hit a beautifully weighted pass to Wilkinson in front of goal, who finished the goal perfectly. Much to the dismay of City fans, the goal was disallowed for offside against Wilkinson.

Western could not be silenced for long though. Three minutes after Wilkinson’s disallowed goal, a magnificent ball from Julia Sardo cut across a staggered Melbourne City defensive line and found the feet of Logarzo who tapped it past the keeper and found Keane, who scored again to give Western the lead back. 

City picked up their intensity once more, mounting waves after waves of attack on the Western goals, desperate to equalise again. There were a number of good chances, but the final product just wasn’t there.

Just before the 80th minute, a great ball from Keane found the run of the tireless and ever-present Logarzo, who left her shot a little too late but still forced a diving save from Proulx. Unfortunately for City, they were unable to clear the ball before freshly substituted Khali Johnson took a fabulous shot from a tight angle and snuck it past the keeper. This would prove to be the nail in the coffin for Melbourne City.

Melbourne City will be disappointed with the loss, which prevented them from going 10 points clear at the top of the table. It’s probably worth noting that City were missing two keyplayers in Emina Ekić and Julia Grosso, who both usually carry a huge workload up front and in the midfield respectively. City’s standout player was Torpey, who bagged an assist and created a number of other huge chances. Besides her, City worked well as a team but they just weren’t clinical enough, and the lack of Ekić and Grosso really showed.

Western United on the other hand played great attacking football and were a lot more clinical. Western put in a high-quality team performance. Maher was solid in the backline. The entire midfield put in a very good shift. But the stars of the show were Logarzo and Keane. They have proven to be an absolute nightmare for Melbourne City. Including this match, Logarzo and Keane now have nine goal involvements between them against City (Keane with four goals and two assists; Logarzo with two goals and one assist). No doubt their faces will be haunting the dreams of the City defenders for some time to come.

Western United will host the Central Coast Mariners next Saturday, while Melbourne City will take on Canberra United away from home the day after on Sunday.

Teams: MELBOURNE CITY (5–3-2): Proulx, Torpey, Chinnama, Stott, Otto, Roestbakken, Galic, Hughes, Pollicina, Henry, Wilkinson. Substitutes: Barbieri, T. McKenna, Varley, Davidson, Karic.

Scorers: Wilkinson 32’.

WESTERN UNITED (4–3-3): Beall, Maher, Dakic, Cerne, Sardo, A. Taranto, Sawicki, Logarzo, Hieda, Keane, M. Taranto.Substitutes: Dall’Oste, Papadopoulos, Robers, Prakash, Johnson.

Scorers: Keane 28’, 53’, Johnson 79’.

Referee: Rebecca Durcau

Attendance: TBD.

Melbourne City ready for tough test against Western United

By Genevieve Henry (24/01/24).

Above: Dario Vidosic speaking to the press about his team’s approach to their clash with Western United. Image: Melbourne City.

Dario Vidosic’s Melbourne City will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the A-League Women’s table against Western United this Friday. 

Reflecting on the testy 2-1 victory over Wellington Phoenix which saw one of City’s most in-form stars receive a red, Vidosic shared the difficulty of the game which required a tactical shift at half-time to secure the win, saying “we got the reward in the end.” On Emina Ekic’s dismissal from the match and how it will affect tactics for the upcoming match, Vidosic shared, “it’s hard to replace her, but we’ve got good squad depth. It was disappointing to lose her, I thought it was a very harsh second yellow card.” Although this loss of star power will certainly dim the match, Vidosic articulated this being the exact reason squad depth is important. “We’ve got great squad depth and we’re confident in everyone, so whoever we put forward tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll have a great game and fill the void of Emina.”

“There could be a couple things that are thrown our way,” Vidosic said of their upcoming opponents. Although City sit 9 points in front of Western United, it will certainly be a tough trial for them, as they have yet to beat them since Western’s creation. “Even though we’ve not got the result against them in the past three encounters, we’ve played very, very well in those three encounters and probably could’ve won all three.” He continued on saying, “And probably should’ve won all three.” Vidosic plans to have his team play more of the same, as they have been very successful thus far. Being clinical in both boxes will be the focus for City as they face this strong side. Vidosic praised Western United, expressing his admiration for many aspects of their play, but especially their defence, emphasing the need to put away chances when they are created.

As the side will return to AAMI Park for a double header with the men, Vidosic touched on their mantra, saying that “anywhere, anyone, anytime” was one of City’s ingredients to success. “We don’t care what day, how long of a turnaround we’ve got, if we’re tired. Once we step across the line, the girls understand that there are no excuses.” 

As the longer season plays on, City will hope to not fall complacent, Vidosic saying, ”regardless what the gap is, the mentality is the same.” This match against Western could assure that they continue to pull in front of the pack, or it could signal a shift in the direction of the season. 

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Norfolk Weekend Wrap

Above: Kings Lynn Town (Blue) were beaten 9-0 at home by Real Bedford on Sunday. Credit – Stuart Cobb.

by Darrell Allen (23/01/24)

Eastern Region Premier Division

Kings Lynn Town were beaten 9-0 at home by Real Bedford. The visitors had a Hat-Trick from Neve Mayes plus braces from Gemma Croucher and Izzy Cooks with a goal each from Jasmine Ajayi and Amber Smith the other two in the 9-0 victory.

Eastern Region Division One North

Dussindale & Hellesdon lost top spot to Harpenden Town after a 2-1 loss at Harpenden. Victoria Leyer was on the scoresheet for Dussindale & Hellesdon within Chloe Dinsey and Sophia Amanor scoring for Harpenden.

Mulbarton Wanderers were 3-2 winners over Fakneham Town in a Norfolk Derby. Rebekah Lake scored a brace with Samantha Walker scoring the other goal for Mulbarton Belles. Chloe Gravett and Nicole Costin scored for Fakneham Town.

Above: Action from the match between Mulbarton Wanderers (Blue/Black) and Fakenham Town on Sunday. Credit – Ben Cunningham

Norfolk Women and Girls League Division One

Caister went back to the top of the table with a hard-fought 2-1 win at University of East Anglia. Caister were dominant through the first 45 minutes and showed excellent game management in the second half to ensure they took the points and take Matthew Smith’s side back to the summit of Tier Seven. Bethany Turner scored both goals for the Lifeboat Women. Ella Burnley got the UEA goal.

Bungay Town also produced a 2-1 away win to keep their own unbeaten start to the season going. Goals from Lauren Goulder and Mia Rose saw them take the points at Aylsham. Jordan Arnoup scored for the hosts.

Sprowston continue to be a title contender with a 5-1 win at home to Kings Lynn Soccer Club. Rosie Milligan scored a brace with Bailey Duffield, Mollie O’Callaghan scored one each and the other was an Own goal. Taeya Mayes scored for Kings Lynn Soccer Club.

Costessey Sports were 6-0 winners at Thorpe St Andrew, Freya Tyack scored a Hat-Trick with Summer Copland, Abbigail Tate and Martyna Chwaszczewska scoring the other goals.

Long Stratton were 5-1 winners at North Walsham Town thanks to goals each from Elisha Bower, Elsie Downer, Caitlin Skipper, Grace Wall and Summer Whiting. Lucy Taylor scored for North Walsham Town.

Above: Lauren Goulder (pictured) scored for Bungay Town in their 2-1 win at Aylsham. Credit – Steve Wood

Norfolk Women and Girls League Division Two

Bure Valley continue to lead the way after a 3-1 win over South Walsham Lingwood. Emma Macmillan, Jasmin Snelling and Megan Swain scored for Bure Valley with Laura Atkinson scoring for South Walsham Lingwood from just inside their own half.

Beccles Town were 4-0 winners over Mundford in a big game between two title contenders at College Meadow. The teams played last weekend with Mundford winning 2-0 but roles were very much reversed this time around with Beccles running out 4-0 winners thanks to goals from Millie Reeve, Saffron Jones-Yates, Vicky Bloomfield and an Own Goal.

Stalham also continued their pursuit for the title with a 1-0 win at FC Viking Valkyries thanks to a goal from Emma Gillespie.

Shrublands sit best of the rest behind the four title contenders after a 2-1 win at Freethorpe. Amy Durdin and Chloe Bailey scored the goals with Viktorija Miglane scoring for Freethorpe.

Elsewhere, there was a thrilling game between Great Yarmouth Town and Red Rose. An early own goal instigated by some forceful play by Chelsea Godden gave Red Rose an early lead before Great Yarmouth equalised to make the score 1-1 at Half Time. Great Yarmouth then took the lead in the second half but Red Rose dominated the remainder of the fixture and two goals from Claire Weekes saw them claim a deserved victory in a pulsating Step 8 encounter. The Great Yarmouth goals on the day were scored by Courteney Beare and Lucie Morley.

Horsford Harries were 2-0 winners at home to Waveney thanks to a goal each from Ruby Dowe and Isla Toop. It was also a 2-0 win for Horsford Hurricanes as they won 2-0 at Martham thanks to a goal from Gabrielle Harris and another from Deanne Betsford.

Norfolk Women and Girls League 7’s Division One

Dussindale & Hellesdon were 2-0 winners over Horsford thanks to goals from Helen Finn and Amy Young.

Rockland United were 7-0 winners over Loddon United thanks to a Hat-Trick from Rebecca Humphreys and a brace each from Daisy Eke and Leanne Warnes.

Taverham were 1-0 winners over Left Field, Kiera Braithwaite scoring the only goal of the game.

Mulbarton Wanderers were 8-0 winners over Waveney thanks to four goals from Alice Ladbrooke, a brace for Joanne Hooper and other goals from Cara Anderson and Julia Robathan.

Norfolk Women and Girls League 7’s Division Two

Madra were 2-0 winners at University of East Anglia thanks to goals from Emma Bumphrey and Jessica Bradley.

FC Viking Valkyries were 4-1 winners at Aylsham. Kayleigh Ellwood and Laura-Jane Tooke both grabbed a brace with Emma Wayte scoring for Aylsham.

Above: Action from the match between Bure Valley (Red/Blue) and South Walsham Lingwood. Credit – Shay Porter

Daniela Galic: the rising star born into football

By Kieran Yap 24/1/24

Above: Daniela Galic and Caitlin Karic celebrate a goal for Melbourne City Photo: Melbourne City

Melbourne City attacker Daniela Galic spoke to Impetus71 about growing up in football, Young Matildas hopes and the quality at City.

Round 11 bore witness to one of the best individual displays the A-League Women has seen this season. In just one half of football Melbourne City’s Daniela Galic had scored three times, and set up one to give her side a 4-0 lead. But the numbers, remarkable as they are do not do her justice. Instead of a sideline reporter, media outlets should have sent a poet.

For her first goal, she cut past Ella Tokin to curl the ball home with force, her second was a tap in after a determined run from deep, and her third was a side footed finish after getting one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Between her brace and her hatrick she found time to deliver a perfect left footed cross for Kaitlyn Toprey to finish.

That day was one of her most complete games, but for those who have watched Galic since she joined the A-League Women last season, it felt inevitable. She made an impact in a new-look Melbourne City team last season, scoring twice from a central midfield role including a terrific volley, but it was her ability to perform consistently that stood out to most observers.

Daniela Galic is fast, balanced, has a deadly change of direction, impressive vision and the ability to use either foot to equal effect.

She has football instincts beyond her years, and can create opportunities out of seemingly nothing. A recent goal for The Young Matildas in China saw her intercept the opposition pass, slalom between two defenders and slot past the goalkeeper in a move that was simultaneously lighting quick but also completely unhurried.

If it sometimes feels like Galic was born to play the game, that is not far from the truth.
She has been in football as long as she can remember. Both of her parents played for the Lidcomb Waratahs in Sydney, and Galic would spend weekends watching her father and mother play before joining the club herself were she stayed until the age of seven.

“Growing up I was a big fan of Messi,” Galic told Impetus Football about how her eye catching style developed,

“But also my mum and dad played so I was watching my dad on a Saturday and my mum on a Sunday. Spending most of my weekends in the park, I probably learned most of my tricks from there.

“Playing soccer in the park with my family, that’s probably where I learned creativity and skills.”

She appears to combine the talents of both parents, at least positionally. Now 17 years old, Galic roams the midfield for the Young Matildas while for Melbourne City she is often found in the attacking third.

“They’re pretty equal,” she says of her parents abilities.

“My dad was a striker, my mum was a midfielder, they had very different games.”

“I used to go to the A-league when I was younger. I was a Western Sydney supporter, so I used to watch them (too), but a lot of my memories are just from watching my parents.”

Although it is her goals that make headlines, Galic first came to wide attention in the centre of the pitch. When The Young Matildas played Costa Rica in the 2022 Under 20 World Cup, Galic used her array of skills and tricks to torment the home side in front of over 30,000 fans and win player of the match.

At just 16, she was one of the youngest players in the tournament, but looked ready for the occasion despite the fact that Australia’s inclusion was a surprise in itself.

“I remember when Leah (Blayney) first told us all, I had no clue if I was going to go or not. I was at school when she told us all, it was pretty exciting, obviously I had that goal to be there.

“Finding out I was going I was very happy. It was a proud moment for me and my family.

“Just being there in Costa Rica was just a great experience. It was so professional, what you see on TV, what you see in World Cups… to be there amongst it was really special.”

Despite being subjected to a parochial crowd of Costa Ricans, and conceding a first half goal, the Young Matildas rallied to win 3-1 with a varied but relentless attacking display.

“They were pretty loud,” she says of the crowd.  

“But they were speaking Spanish so we didn’t really know what they were saying, which helped.

“I really enjoyed it. It was the first time playing in that sort of crowd and I haven’t played in anything like that since so it was definitely unforgettable.

“We didn’t let it phase us, we still won.

“I think the whole experience at the World Cup, showed that there was more than just Australian football (to learn.)  There was more than what we see and play and how differently we have to play against some teams. Obviously it was a lot faster, and I think that has helped me (back here.)”

Young players often take some time to adjust to the speed of the professional game. But following her World Cup adventure, Galic looked immediately at home in the A-League Women. She made 17 appearances for Melbourne City in her debut season and the club finished third on the table.

Her coach has helped with that. Like Galic, City manager Dario Vidosic was an attacking midfielder in his playing days, and she says that has been influential in improving her game.

“I think he definitively has helped, spending time with me, watching clips back, what he says in training, not just to me but the whole team. We know what experience he has.”

City currently sit on top of the table, seven points clear of second place and are started to score more freely. Emina Ekic’s arrival has added more firepower to an already enviable attack, and the multiple threats have allowed everybody to flourish in recent weeks.

“We have a real quality team this year. We all work well together and there’s not really one main person, we all bring our own qualities to make a really good squad.”

Galic describes a confidence among the attack, they are not perturbed by missing chances as long as they are attempting them they have confidence that it will be reflected on the scoreboard, “If they don’t go in we keep taking them, if they do it’s a goal,” she says as a matter of fact.

Galic’s form and versatility has naturally resulted in talk of a senior Matildas call up, but the City playmaker is only focussed on the present. There is little doubt that she has the talent but she is in no rush.

“I don’t read into it,” she says of the external hype.

“If I did make it into the squad I’ll be very happy, but I don’t pay it much notice anyway. It (Matildas talk) doesn’t really bother me.”

She has one of the brightest futures in Australian football, but Galic has more immediate concerns, Melbourne City are looking to win some silverware this year, and The Young Matildas have an Asian Cup fast approaching in March.

“We’ve been preparing since last year,” she says of Australia’s Under 20 team.

“We have a really good quad …I’m just excited to experience my first Asian cup and hopefully we can go far into the tournament and win it.”

A strong performance in Uzbekistan could see Galic at her second Under 20 World Cup, a feat that is both remarkable and unsurprising.

But that is further down the line. The immediate future is Melbourne City’s game against Western United, a team that City have not yet beaten, but with Daniela Galic currently on fire, that could be about to change.

Melbourne City play Western United on Thursday at 5pm AEST.

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A-League Women Weekly Awards

Members of the Impetus team of contributors covering the competition unveil their choices of player, coach, and event of the week. We’ll keep a tally of all the votes and just before Finals, reveal which player and coach have received the most votes across the season to be named the Impetus A-League Women Player and Coach of the Season 23/1/24

Player of the week

Ben Carey

Morgan Aquino. Her perfomance against Brisbane Roar was phenomenal, and showed yet again why she’s the best keeper in the league right now. Aquino kept a clean sheet, made eight saves, and even saved a penalty. Amazing effort.

Kieran Yap

Alexia Apostolakis. The Western Sydney youngster is developing into one of the most complete players in the league. She is part of the Wanderers first line of defence and is creating scoring chances regularly.

Against Central Coast, her pass for Holly Caspers to score was excellent. She was a huge difference in this game.

Coach of the week

Ben Carey

Ante Juric. His side, Sydney FC, were down 1-0 against an inspired Newcastle Jets. His half time talk must have breathed new life into his team. And his choice to bring on Zara Kruger was an excellent one, because she scored the winning goal in stoppage time.

Kieran Yap

Jeff Hopkins. Victory needed a win, when you play Canberra you know they’re probably going to score or at least get chances , so Hopkins trusted his attackers to get the job done. It happened late and in spectacular fashion but his faith was rewarded.

Moment of the week

Ben Carey

Emily Gielnik’s late winner against Canberra United. She beat her defender and then got out the paintbrush. Her strike was high and curled in at the last moment into the inside side netting. A great effort from the substitute and hopefully and indication of a return to pre injury form.

Kieran Yap

Keiwa Hieda’s winning goal. The instant control, the shimmy, the change of direction and then the composure to find the winner for Western United. Brilliant stuff.

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Arsenal take away three points against an improving Everton 

Arsenal 2-1 Everton

By Aimee Logan 22/1/24

Picture: Arsenal celebrate after Beth Mead secures the victory Credits: Arsenal.com

The cold weather at Borehamwood didn’t stop the Gunners today as they led Everton to a 2-1 victory in front of a loud home crowd. Despite the risk of the game not going ahead, Arsenal’s dedicated fans showed up in full force to welcome the WSL back after the Christmas break. 

The home advantage seemed to be working for The Gunners as Beth Mead rattled the crossbar in the fifth minute of play. This wasn’t Arsenal’s only chance withing 10 minutes as shots came from Alessia Russo, Katie McCabe, Victoria Pelova and Vivianne Miedema but they all just couldn’t find the back of the net. 

Caitlin Foord was caught offside as Arsenal continue to dominate the visitors in attack, but seconds later, Foord opened the score sheet for the Gunners in the 9th minute of play. The Matilda’s forward has been breaking through the Everton defensive line since kick off, making Arsenal’s early lead inevitable.

Despite consistently dominating on attack, Everton spotted an opening in The Gunners’ midfield. A shot from outside of the box from Snoeijs caught Arsenal keeper, Manuela Zinsberger, off guard, and the ball drifted into the back of the net making the sides level. A lack of communication along the back line took away the opportunity for Arsenal to take a clean sheet away from the fixture: an arguably recurring theme for The Gunners.

Picture: Katja Snoeijs (25) celebrates with Karoline Olesen (left) after their attacking move brought their team level Credits: Everton Women twitter 

The away side were given little chances to add to this attack in the first half as Arsenal continuously pressured the Everton defence. 

There were elements of Everton’s squad that showed the level that the side has reached in recent years. Heather Payne strode past Foord on the wing to open a wave of attack for her team, but no one was there to get past Lotte Wubben-Moy who has superbly been holding the defensive line for Arsenal. 

Wubben-Moy was voted, by fans, as Arsenal’s player-of-the-month for December, and this is definitely testament to the number of minutes she’s had on the pitch performing each week for her club. This fixture was no different: in partnership with Amanda Ilestedt and new signing Emily Fox the defensive line, they remained structured throughout the match. 

The first half was closed with a strike from Beth Mead that gave the home side a goal advantage going into the break. 

When the second 45 minutes kicked off, the advantage remained in the hands of the home side as they continued to test Brian Sorensen’s team. Brosnan was called upon by her teammates, multiple times, to make impressive saves to keep her team only trailing by one goal.

The match, as a whole, was very physical as players from both sides found themselves stuck in powerful tackles and blocks from the opposition. This gave opportunities for players from either side to perform in the midfield.

A player that stood out to me from Everton was Clare Wheeler. In her partnership with Payne in the midfield, she consistently promoted an attack for her team as she tested the opposition. Her through balls to players in Everton’s front line, although they didn’t result in a goal, it created more opportunities for the visitors to dominate. I think her impact in the midfield meant that Everton could be on the ball more in the second half.

Again, for the home side, another Australian player that impressed was Caitlin Foord. She opened her team’s account in the fixture but had plenty opportunity to increase her tally even more. Even though she didn’t score anymore goals today, her movement on and off the ball should shut down the criticism she has received in recent weeks. 

The Arsenal Women Supporters Club named Switzerland captain Lia Walti as their player of the match for the second week in a row, something that is hard to argue with. Walti’s ball handling in the midfield consistently improved Arsenal’s opportunities to score more goals. Her finest work of the game was her perfect pass to Mead on the back post to secure her team the victory. 

The game finished in a 2-1 victory for the home side, but Everton’s determination and physicality showed how the WSL has reached new levels in recent years. 

In conversation with Brian Sorensen post-match, I asked him what he thought his team needed to do to go level with the opposition, he replied, ‘’It’s hard because we’d been running for the first hour, then we have to find the energy to put into the game.’’ He ultimately believed that his team ‘’did everything [they] could’’ but Arsenal was just too tough of an opponent to take a point away from the game. 

Emily Fox is Jonas Eidevell’s recent addition to his strong team, but despite being new to the set-up, she has played a full 90 minutes in both fixtures so far under her new manager. Eidevell was asked about how he felt Fox was progressing at Arsenal: ‘’I’m really pleased with her onboarding process and that’s credit to a lot of people from operations to players to squad to staff that have helped her integrate.’’ 

He also praised how well his new signing has settled into the WSL: ‘’I don’t think she looks like a player that played her first WSL game.’’ This just shows how much impact his new signing is having on the pitch significantly as she’s now played two full games for Eidevell. 

Fox herself expressed how much she loved being in North London: ‘’I’ve been amazed with how seamless it’s being here. The girls and the staff and all of the fans have been so welcoming. It feels like I’ve been here for a while.’’ She even recognised how the fans have already developed a chant for her, ‘’It’s been really special having a chant, we don’t have that in the US.’’ 

She also explained how she attended The Emirates to watch the Arsenal girls take the points against Chelsea but now she ‘’can’t wait’’ to be one of the players on the pitch in front of a 50,000+ crowd: ‘’When I was at the Chelsea game it was surreal being at The Emirates.’’

Arsenal’s next fixture is in the Continental Cup when they take on Reading. Jonas Eidevell has spoken that there is possibility of this weekends fixture being the last without centre back and Lionesses captain Leah Williamson. Everton are also on the road for the Continental Cup as they take on fellow WSL side Leicester City.

LINEUPS:

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Zinsberger, Fox, Illestedt, Wubben-Moy, McCabe (Catley 83’), Pelova, Walti, Mead (Lacasse 90+6’), Miedema (Maanum 71’), Foord, Russo (Blackstenius 83’)

Subs: Beattie, D’Angelo, Codina, Cooney-Cross, Williams 

Scorers: Foord (9’), Mead (45+3’)

EVERTON (3-4-3): Brosnan, Stenevik, Finnigan, Holmgaard, Payne (Madsen 61’), Wheeler, Galli (Duggan 76’), Bissel(Campbell 61’), Bennison, Snoeijs (Piemonte 76’), Olesen(Hope 60’)

Subs: Hart, Wilding 

Scorers: Snoeijs (24’)

Referee: Melissa Burgin

Attendance: 3,713

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Wanderers move to fourth with win over Mariners

Central Coast Mariners 1-2 Western Sydney Wanderers

By Kieran Yap 22/1/24

Above: Wanderers players celebrate the Mariners own goal that saw them win the game. Photo: Western Sydney Wanderers

The Western Sydney Wanderers are up to fourth on the ladder after Holly Caspers and Maliah Morris secured a 2-1 win away against The Mariners.

Central Coast took to the field for the second time this week, and hosted Western Sydney with hopes of repeating their win against Sydney FC on Wednesday. The drama of that epic contest was largely absent, although this one was tense and not without controversy.

The Mariners welcomes back Casey Dumont to the field after being withdrawn midway through Wednesday’s game. Chloe Louise Carmichael came in as the substitute keeper meaning that Ash Irwin was allowed to return to her preferred position of centre back. The Wanderers named an unchanged lineup.

Western Sydney found themselves in the unfamiliar position of having most of the early possession. Their best chances still came from counter attacks with Cushla Rue and Morris enjoying plenty of space with Sophie Harding being tightly marked but remaining busy. However, it was the home side that fashioned the best chances in the first half hour with Wurigumula firing wide from the edge of the box and Jazmin Wardlow’s close range header coming close.

Morris was the Wanderers most dangerous attacking outlet and was millimeters away from scoring when her shot clipped the crossbar after she burst into the penalty area. The game was quickly becoming and end-to end affair.

Holly Caspers opened the scoring in the 43rd minute after ghosting behind the defence and finishing off a brilliant Alexia Apostolakis through ball. There was a strong hint of offside about it, but the finish was enough to beat Dumont and the pass-through traffic was perfectly placed by Apostolakis.

The Mariners are no strangers to adversity this week and were not about to let their heads drop from a contentious goal. They hit back immediately after half time through Isabel Gomez’s thunderous strike. The midfielder found the bottom corner after a corner was cleared by Kaylee Collins but fell to an unmarked Gomez. There was still plenty for her to do and she struck the half volley through the crowded penalty area to level the scores.

Ash Irwin ignited the home crowd with a long range effort that hit the woodwork. The defender-turned goalkeeper has now shown off her full array of skills this wee after intercepting the ball at halfway, taking a few strides forward and then unleashing an attempt that had Collins beaten but not the crossbar.

The eventual winner came through another sweeping move by Western Sydney, Morris received the ball wide on the right and tried to send it back across goal. The cross took a light but vital deflection off Wardlow to put it past Dumont and make it 2-1. Despite The Mariners best and repeated efforts they could not find the equalizer. Wurigumula spurned their clearest chance after Peta Trimis cut the ball back to her with only Collins to beat.

The loss must be a hard one for Central Coast to swallow. Playing twice in a week is not easy, and after the adrenaline of Wednesday night’s classic they put in another strong performance against The Wanderers. However, vital things did not fall their way on this occasion and fortune was not on their side. Nevertheless, they created a flurry of chances and kept a settled and defensively confident Wanderers side on high alert for much of the evening. If they play like this every week they will win more than they lose.

Western Sydney are up to fourth and have a game in hand. We are just over half way through the season so there is plenty of football left, but Robbie Hooker’s team is playing with an air of confidence that makes them look organized and feel dangerous.

They were able to fashion a win without a Sophie Harding goal, though the star forward was vital in opening up space for her teammates and holding possession to help switch play. Holly Caspers now has two goals in as many games and Apostolakis continues her impressive form in midfield.

They host Brisbane Roar next week in what will be an intriguing battle between two sides that play a similar styler. Central Coast will make the short trip to face Newcastle Jets in an important showdown between seventh and eighth.

Teams:

Central Coast Mariners 4-3-2-1: Dumont (GK, Bryson, Irwin, Karambasis, Wardlow, Hayward, Gomez, Galic, Trimis, Badawiya, Wurigumula. Substitutes: Martin, Rasmussen, Karrys-Stahl, Evans, Carmichael.

Scorers: Gomez 48’

Western Sydney Wanderers 3-4-1-2:  Collins (GK), McComansky, Harrison, Bruce, Rue, Apostolakis, Price, Matos, Caspers, Morris, Harding. Substitutes: Ferris, Caceras, Breier, Younis, Segavcic.

Scorers: Caspers 43’ Wardlow (og) 54’

Referee: Rebecca Durcau

Attendance: TBC

Millwall Lionesses overcome National League opposition after penalties

Millwall Lionesses 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

Millwall win 5-4 on penalties

By Myles Thornton at St Paul’s Sports Ground. 21/1/24 

Above: Wiktoria Gmiterek – Tom West Photography 

Ella Bailey scored the deciding penalty in a penalty shootout as Millwall Lionesses overcame Women’s National League Division One South East side QPR to progress into the next round of the Women’s Capital Senior Cup.  

Joint managers Alex Russell and Adam Rowland made two changes to the side that lost the previous week, Ella Bailey and club captain Jordan Butler made way for academy graduate Melissa Jones and Grace Seely who both started this one.  

It was a much better start to the game than last week at home to Ebbsfleet United where the Lionesses found themselves behind after just 10minutes. This time around, Millwall were nearly ahead after 10 minutes, Shannan Drewe made a blinding run down the right hand side before putting the ball across the face of goal for the lightning fast Ellen Napper but she just couldn’t get her foot onto the end of the great ball.  

Then on 17 minutes, QPR’s Ellie Searle had a fantastic opportunity to break the deadlock but her effort wentjust adrift.  

Shannan Drewe then nearly scored a magnificent free kick, but QPR stopper Nicole Melling tipped it just over the bar.  

The deadlock was then finally broken when Maizi Garwood got her fourth goal in 3 games. Ellen Napper worked very well down the right side, she put a good ball in the box and Clemmie Young’s effort hit off the crossbar and Maizi Garwood was there on the follow up to smash it home.  

Nine minutes into the second half,QPR got a helping hand back into the game when the referee gave a contentious penalty from Melissa Jones’ challenge on Ellie Searle, who then converted from the spot. 

The rest of the game was quite even, however Millwall deserved to win, but after 90 minutes, the score was level, and it was off to penalties.  

The kicks were taken in front of the Joe Hughes end. It was locked at 4-4with both teams still to take their fifth penalty, Frankie Websters penalty was saved by U18’s goalkeeper Wiktoria Gmiterek, before Millwall’s Ella Bailey converted the winner.  

After the game, joint manager Alex Russell spoke to Maritime Radio’s Jeff Burnige and said the result was “very pleasing” and he also was full of praise for the 3 youngsters (Gmiterek, Young, and Bethelmie) who were involved in today’s game. Maya Bethelmie was the youngest of the bunch at just 16 years old.  

Teams: 

Millwall: Gmiterek, Huseyin, Payne, Jones, Chapman, Seely (C), Napper, Young, Garwood, Drewe, Burr. Subs: Butler, Bailey, Giordani, Bennett, Bethelmie.  

Scorer: Garwood 32’ 

QPR: Melling, Curr, McCrea, Carolan, Blodgett, Lewin, Shepherd, Hennessy, Stanley, Ward-Chambers, Searle. Subs: Nygaard-Parsons, Hill, Webster, Francis-Pownell.  

Scorer: Searle 54’ 

Referee: Alfie Howden 

Attendance: 55