Above: Megan Wynne speaking to the mediaat Perth Glory’s Fremantle HQ today. Image: Perth Glory.
Perth Glory midfielder Megan Wynne believes that the week off for the international break is a positive for the team as it has allowed them to “regroup”after the huge disappointment of defeat to Canberra United last time out all but ended the team’s Finals hopes.
Perth’s strong home form had seen them set themselves up for a final three games of the season that they knew, if they could preserve that run, could see them earn a first place in the Finals since 2018/19. However, Canberra United became the first visiting team to win on Western Australian soil since Central Coast Mariners on 27th December to bring hopes of Finals football crashing down once more.
“We knew if we won that game, we had a really strong chance (of making the Finals). I think we’ve (now) got to just focus on finishing as strong as we can.
“The initial reaction straight from the (Canberra United) game was very disappointed. We didn’t give the best account of ourselves, so it was real flat after that. We had a couple of days off, and we came back in…it’s been a positive vibe, and everyone is looking to regroup for these last two games.”
Having a fortnight until their next game after that 2-1 loss has come with major benefits. It has allowed the Glory to process the frustration and channel the emotions into finishing the season as powerfully as possible. The Cymru international has outlined how the reflective and re-energising process has gone.
Above: Megan Wynne (centre) celebrating a Perth Glory goal against Western United with Sarah O’Donoghue (left) and Kelli Brown (right.) Photo: Rob Lizzi for Impetus.
“It’s disappointing, and you can see it’s flat. We had a meeting and spoke about the aims for the end of the season. We spoke about the Sydney game, and obviously, the last time we finished above Sydney was a long time ago (2016/17), so that’s been the main focus in finishing as strong as we can.”
Glory’s hosts on Saturday are a very different beast to the one they’ve been for most of the season.
Having been around the bottom of the ladder for most of the season, Ante Juric’s side has hit red-hot form at the right time. With four wins in their last five games, a win over Perth will put them in the frame for Finals qualification. Something that was inconceivable just two months ago.
“They shocked everyone with their start to the season and how badly that went for them…Now they are on the up and they have real motivation to push on…They have a very strong squad, especially off the bench they can change games, so we’ve got to start strongly, get our foot in the door, and get the first goal.”
With Wynne approaching the end of her first season in purple, she looked back on the positives – but feels she has unfinished business ahead of her second campaign at the club in 2025/26.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s really competitive, and I feel that I’ve really settled in here at Perth. It’s been very eye-opening and what I was hoping for in a new challenge. For me personally, I would have liked to have had a bigger impact on the pitch, but I’m looking forward to pushing on (here) next season, and hopefully I’ll have an injury-free season.”
Above : Alana Burn celebrates her first goal since joining South Melbourne.
Round 4 of the NPLW Victoria saw South Melbourne FC take all the points against their traditional rivals in Heidelberg United FC, defeating them 5-1 at the Olympic Village.
In a decisive performance made up of two penalties, two goals scored as a result of corners, and an open play goal, Hellas worked a clinic over Heidelberg United.
Canadian import Nikki Furukawa, who had previously been playing in New Zealand, scored the first and last of South’s five goals for the afternoon.
Furukawa opened the scoring early, nutmegging Heidelberg keeper and captain Mia Bailey, after being played in through an excellent pass from Raquel Deralas.
South Melbourne found the back of the net again only minutes later through defender Alana Burn. The former Bulleen Lions player made great contact on a corner delivery with her head, putting the visitors up 2-0 with less than 15 minutes played.
Only minutes later would Hellas win their first penalty of the afternoon. Meisha Westland was brought to ground just inside the box, leading the referee to point to the spot. Taken expertly by former Melbourne Victory player Tiffany Elliadis, South Melbourne took a definitive 3-0 lead against the Bergers.
Heidelberg managed to stem the bleeding for the rest of the first half, but the struggle continued for them almost immediately in the second.
South Melbourne won and converted, this time by Westland, their second penalty of the game when Bergers’ keeper Bailey took out Furukawa who was in one-on-one with her.
The final goal for South was Furukawa sealing her brace by making an unmarked run on a corner play, allowing her to volley the ball home.
Heidelberg secured their solitary consolation goal through Keely Lockhart, her first for the season, who came up on the end of a corner clearance and slammed it across the line.
This game marks last year’s league Champions’ first loss of the season, and sees South Melbourne put the rest of the league officially on notice.
In other games, Bulleen succumbed to a second successive defeat due to a 1-0 loss to Alamein.
The Preston Lions won their tie against Essendon Royals 3-1 and Brunswick Juventus scored three against The FV Academy.
In other games, Boroondara-Carey Eagles took full points against Spring Hills FC with a 2-0 win and Box Hill defeated Bentleigh Greens with a 1-0 result.
Above: Tessa Wullaert celebrates her brace. Photo: BelRedFlames on X
Belgium pulled off a shock 3-2 win against injury-ridden England in Leuven, three days after being beaten 5-0 by the same team.
Following a Lionesses game, the reaction on social media can vary from “we are going to win everything” to “we are never going to win a game again”. Fans are vocal and opinionated, their emotions irrevocably tied up in the performance of a team that has given them a huge amount of joy in winning England’s first major trophy since 1966.
This year, the Lionesses have won against Spain and Belgium in stellar performances whilst missing a substantial portion of the squad to injury. The narrative on social media has been positive; suggesting the team are ‘back’, that they have improved so massively that not even their so-called ‘bogey’ team could set them back.
Last time England were in Leuven, the Red Flames pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory. Ask any England fan and they will tell you about the context around that game; it was mere weeks after the world cup final, and the referee on that day got fundamental decisions wrong.
This time, the Lionesses have been in good form, beating the Red Flames 5-0 in the first leg of the double header. However, following the home game in Bristol, England’s injury woes worsened when two players withdrew from the squad: Lauren James and Alessia Russo. Both are fundamental to the team’s structure.
The Lionesses were already without Lauren Hemp, Georgia Stanway and Alex Greenwood, who would all likely be part of the starting eleven if fit. Losing James and Russo in addition to the trio was an immediate blow that turned the positive social media narrative around staggeringly quickly. Questions of man-management; should Wiegman have rested James for the first leg, or not played Russo? This led to further questions about the need for this international window, and the integrity of the UEFA Nations League.
Above: Alessia Russo in action for England during the first game against Belgium in Bristol. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
With James’ injury in addition to Hemp and Greenwood, England’s left flank was most affected, with first choice left-winger and left-back both unavailable.
It was this left side that Belgium exploited in Leuven on Tuesday evening, using the pace of Belgian captain and star player Tessa Wullaert to outrun England’s left-back, Niamh Charles.
James and first-choice left winger Lauren Hemp have both become known for their tendency to track back and aid their defence. With both players injured, 21-year-old Chelsea starlet Aggie-Beever Jones was in their place.
Beever-Jones has yet to solidify her best position; she can play all over the front line. A key difference to James and Hemp is that she is not used to tracking back; a lethal attack-minded player, this is not something she has often had to do.
The lack of support from Beever-Jones left England’s left flank exposed, and Charles alone to face the speed of the Belgian counterattack. Charles is at her best when she can get forward, and as she did this, there was ample space for Belgium to hoof a long ball into because there was no James or Hemp to cover. Charles then struggled for the pace to get back, and found herself beaten by Wullaert every time the Belgian broke forward.
By half-time, England were 3-1 down thanks to two goals from Wullaert and one from Justine Vanhaevermaet. Esme Morgan and Jess Carter, who both play in the US’ NWSL, were brought on at half time for Bright and Charles. Morgan had more success in dealing with Wullaert’s pace, and Carter brought more physicality to the England back line. Whilst the first half could have been four or five to Belgium, they did not register a shot on target in the second half, owing to these changes.
Speaking post-match, Morgan said that “we had clear messaging that we needed to be tighter on the transition, get pressure on the ball and counter press”.
For England fans, the highlight of the evening will be when nineteen-year-old Michelle Agyemang made her debut in the 80th minute, scoring a brilliant goal a mere 41 seconds later. It is often a criticism levelled at Wiegman that she does not trust youth; few would have expected Agyemang to make her debut when she was playing for England’s under-19s a mere few days ago, called up to the senior squad as a replacement for the injured Alessia Russo.
She scored with her second touch in the match, getting hold of a cross from Leah Williamson and smashing the ball into the top left corner. England pushed for the remainder of the match, however were unable to find the back of the net.
Asked for her thoughts post-match, Wiegman said that “Belgium are a different team with and without Tessa Wullaert”, and that certainly proved to be the case. She added that for her team, it simply “was not good enough”; that it “does not feel good” but she and her squad will learn from this loss.
It is difficult to truly assess this performance for England given the number of injuries to important players. The next window includes the home game against Portugal and the away leg against Spain, and at least some of the injured players should have returned by then to provide a much more accurate view of where the Lionesses are in their preparations.
Above: England head coach Sarina Wiegman thanks fans after the game. Photo: Lionesses
For Belgium, this is the first win under new coach, the Icelander Elisabet Gunnarsdottir. After narrowly losing to Spain 3-2, they will be hoping to use this result as a springboard to develop ahead of this summer’s European Championships. They remain bottom of the Nations League group, one point behind Portugal.
Spain returned to the top of the group, and as things stand, they will head to the finals later this year. If England win against Portugal, the group standings would come down to the final game in Spain, taking place in June.
Above: Ireland celebrate their win. Photo: Ireland Football
The Republic of Ireland has made it two wins from as many matches against Greece this international window, after winning 2-1 tonight in Dublin.
The Girls in Green dominated in many key areas but just could not finish cleanly in front of goal. The Irish goals came from Amber Barrett and Anna Patten, while the Greeks pegged one back late off the boot of star midfielder Veatriki Sarri.
Unlike the first match between the sides this window, the Republic of Ireland were on the front foot early, dominating possession and pressing high, putting the Greeks under plenty of pressure. The Irish were finally playing with the true confidence that had perhaps been missing for a while, and were showing the dominance that had perhaps been expected of them all campaign.
The Irish dominance was rewarded early when Barrett perfectly converted a penalty kick in the ninth minute.
However as the half progressed, as much as the home side were dominating possession, the Greek defence sat back and crowded the box, making it harder for the Irish to get shots on goal, which led them to take shots that were rushed and from further out.
Barrett’s goal was ultimately the only goal in the first half, with plenty to think about for both sides ahead of the second half.
The Republic of Ireland took even less time in the second half to score a goal than they did in the first, after Patten headed in a goal to convert a strong Megan Campbell corner within the first five minutes of the half.
Despite being well beaten in many areas for most of the night, Greece never gave up hope of finding themselves a goal, and they eventually did with a long strike from Sarri in the 72nd minute.
This gave the visitors a bit of a boost, who took control of possession and controlled things for a bit, which was helped along by a drop in the quality of the Irish passing.
However the Republic of Ireland did eventually wrestle control of the match back, but as much as they were controlling the game, a crowded box full of Greek defenders meant that the shots on goal the home side were taking were often from far out and rarely on target.
One player who impressed for the home side from opening whistle to final whistle was Aoife Mannion, who despite playing as a centre back was at times more playing like a wing back, getting high up the pitch and creating nice attacking drive on multiple occasions.
Despite picking up a vital three points, the Republic of Ireland will need to get their scoring boots on in the final two matches of the leagues if they want to catch up to group leaders Slovenia and automatically qualify for promotion back to League A. Slovenia’s goal difference is currently seven goals better than the Girls in Green’s.
Above: Lionesses train in Leuven, Belgium. Photo: Catherine MacKenzie for Impetus
On a beautifully sunny afternoon in Leuven, Belgium, England’s Lionesses trained ahead of their second match in the UEFA Nations League double header against the Belgian Red Flames. The home leg saw a dominant win for England, with five different players on the score-sheet. Joy from Friday’s performance was marred only by injuries, as Alessia Russo was the third player to withdraw from the squad this window.
Despite these (and other) injuries, England head into the game top of their Nations League group half-way through the phase. They are one point ahead of world champions Spain, and a win against Belgium will see them retain that lead. Draw or lose, and that lead diminishes, dependent on Portugal’s ability to thwart their Spanish rivals.
During the press conference, questions primarily revolved around these injuries – both new and long-term. Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman was asked for updates on the three players who left camp, but could not provide any this soon. In terms of those out longer-term, Wiegman shared her hope that all or part of the trio (Lauren Hemp, Georgia Stanway and Alex Greenwood) will return in time for the last scheduled camp before this summer’s European championships.
The role of Beth Mead was highlighted by media, with her head coach agreeing that the Arsenal player was integral for the team’s attack in the home game – particularly linking up with Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze. This is something Wiegman will be hoping to replicate on Tuesday evening, although she admitted that she is expecting a different game – that Belgium will “play a little deeper” and be tougher to break down.
Above: Beth Mead for England. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
With the likely return of Belgian star player Tessa Wullaert and the Belgian fans known to be loud in their support, the game already has potential to be difficult. There are echoes of the time England played here in late 2023; they were also besieged by injuries that autumn, however were not on as good a run of form.
The game in 2023 also came soon after the world cup, when many players were feeling the fallout from their journey. Looking ahead, Wiegman issued a strong statement: that England are out “to get revenge on ourselves” – that the team did not play well in 2023, and are looking to rectify that.
Wiegman was joined by Chelsea left back Niamh Charles, who has endured a difficult season thus far. One of England’s most promising young players, Charles suffered an injury late last year and missed a few months of Chelsea’s season alongside two England camps.
Above: Niamh Charles for England against Belgium. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
Asked what it is like to come back into a squad that is developing rapidly ahead of a summer tournament, Charles responded that it has been nice to be back “catching up on what I’ve missed and being in and around the conversations we’ve had as well, that it is sort of a new team and we’re really looking forward to developing that camp by camp.”
She continued; “…it was nice, although it was horrible watching from the side-lines. It was sort of nice to see the progress and then come back in and be a part of it.”
Belgium v England kicks off at 19:30 UK time on ITV.
Above: The Matildas celebrate their second goal in Newcastle tonight. Photo: Football Australia.
Australia has completed a series clean sweep against Korea Republic, after defeating them 2-0 tonight in Newcastle in a composed performance.
Once the Matildas took control of the game, they really asserted their dominance, and found the goals through Mary Fowler and a second successive own goal from Lim Seon-Joo.
Both sides were up and about early in the clash, with a lot of end-to-end action, and recorded some promising shots on goal. However, it was the visitors who looked the more dangerous of the sides early, with the likes of Mun Eun-Ju, Choo Hyo-Joo, and Kang Chae-Rim getting into really good positions and being able to sneak past the Matildas’ defensive line on a number of occasions.
Eventually, Australia did get settled into the match, and started to get their attacking systems firing. Fowler and Holly McNamara were starting to ask questions of Korea’s defence, but just could not find the space to inflict maximum impact.
The Korean defence was holding up really well and double teaming Matildas’ attackers at times, and just as it was starting to look like there may be no goals in the first half, Fowler was played in with a well-timed pass from Emily van Egmond to wriggle her way past Korea’s defence and slot the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Both sides started the second half with high energy and intensity, as the on-field play was free-flowing and end to end, much like it was in the first half.
Australia did eventually pick up a second goal, which came just after the hour mark. The goal came after the ball pinballed around in the box after a number of deflections of Caitlin Foord shots, and ultimately, a strike from Torpey was accidentally helped in by Lim Seon-Joo. Things went from bad to worse for the Korean defender, as after the goal, she was stretchered off the field.
As the game reached its final stages, the Matildas really started to put their foot down. They started to dominate possession and time in the forward half, and as a consequence, the shots started to rack up too.
In the first half, the Australia had three shots on goal, with two of them being on target, while in the second half they had 13, five of which were on target. By comparison, Korea Republic had four shots in the first half with one of them on target, and in the second half they ultimately finished with six shots for the half, but only one of them was on target.
Just as the visitors looked like they were again going to go goalless against Australia, they almost picked up a goal through Ko Yoo-Jin, but an offside call meant it did not count.
This was an extremely positive way to round off the April international window. A strong performance, particularly in the second half, and two clean sheets in a row bring confidence flooding back ahead of the next series at home to Argentina at the end of May.
SOUTH KOREA (4-2-3-1): M. Kim, S.J Lim, N Shin, S. Kim, Y. Choi, S.Y Ji, Mun, Y.J Lee, H.R Kim, H.J Choo, Kang. Substitutes: Choi, E. Lee, K. Kim, Jeong, Bae, Ko, D.J Lee, Jung, M. Kim, Y.R Choe, G.M Lee, Phair.
Melbourne Victory have kept their title race alive with a 1-0 win away to Western Sydney Wanderers. A Danika Matos own goal was the difference between the two teams, which leaves Victory only two points behind league leaders Melbourne City with two games to play.
This rescheduled fixture left both sides understrength. Victory’s star central defender Claudia Bunge was away with The New Zealand national team, while Wanderer Sienna Saveska was on Young Matildas duty.
The game was decided early, a Nikki Flannery cross in the opening minutes evaded everybody in the penalty area except for a lunging Matos. The header wrong footed Sham Khamis in goal and nestled in the back of the net. Victory had a lead to defend, and even with the relatively inexperienced Rosie Curtis in place of Bunge, it was a big ask for the gun shy Wanderers.
Emily Gielnik was the most obvious outlet for a second goal. The club leading scorer thought she had doubled the lead in the 24th minute, but the referee assistant flagged for offside. She came close soon after after Sara D’Appolonia played her through on goal, but her shot skidded wide.
As with many occasions this season, Melbourne Victory did just enough to win. It was not a game of many clear chances, and those that were created went begging. Alana Jancevski’s dangerous free kick was met by Ellie Wilson at the back post, but her header missed the target.
This win was mostly due to a typically Herculean effort from captain Kayla Morrison. She not only played an excellent individual game, but marshalled a defence featuring the prodigious but inexperienced Curtis, but also Wilson who is still returning to full fitness after injury and the converted left back Jancevski.
The back four were admirably solid as they have been for many of this season’s tight wins and to do this without Bunge was a particularly impressive effort.
Victory’s lack of goals and free-flowing football can be a source of frustration for fans, but this is a team that has managed to get the job done more often than not, and they are still a chance of lifting the premiership on the final day of the season. They will be dependant on Melbourne City dropping points against either Newcastle or Perth, but stranger things have happened in this league and the fact they are still in this race is a testament to their underrated consistency this season.
This game will not live long in memory, it was not highlight packed or even particularly exciting, but as they so often do, Victory did enough when it mattered, and bank another three points.
Check out our Instagram page – @ImpetusFootball to see Kris Goman’s exclusive photos from the game for Impetus
Above: Perth SC celebrate after Epril Nossent (fourth from right) hit a spectacular long-range lob to put the Azzurri 3-0 up at UWA-Nedlands yesterday. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Hyundai Football West Academy 3-1 Fremantle City
The talented teenagers (formally Hyundai NTC) continued their perfect start to the season with this victory over Fremantle City at the Sam Kerr Football Centre in the early Saturday match.
All the goals came in an incredible spell in the final half hour of the match. The hosts took the lead with 63 minutes played when Fremantle lost possession trying to play out from the back. Excellent work from Lacey Heys ensured that the ball eventually broke for captain Klaudia Houlis to lift a superb shot into the top corner of the net from the left-hand edge of the box.
Just two minutes later, the home side doubled their advantage. Houlis was fouled on the edge of the box to the left of centre. Heys’ free-kick came crashing back off the bar and fell perfectly for Izzy Wainwright to turn home from close range.
Freo grabbed a lifeline with 19 minutes remaining as a ball was played forward into the path of American attacker Leyna Wood, who chested it down on the edge of the box and finished with a lovely low shot past Sofia Borg.
The FWA secured their third victory from as many matches as the clock ticked into stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes. Theodora Mouithys took possession and drove up the left channel to square a low ball across into the path of Wainwright to side-foot home from the edge of the six-yard box.
UWA-Nedlands 0-4 Perth SC
Above: Daisy McAllister (8) celebrates her goal for Perth SC with teammates Sam Mathers (13) and Maja Archibald (10). Photo: Rob Lizzi.
The Azzurri hit the top of the NPLW WA ladder with a dominant victory over UWA-Nedlands at the Sports Park on Saturday afternoon.
Despite some early attacks in the opening exchanges from the home side, Perth quickly asserted their control and hit the front with 17 minutes on the clock. Pushing up strongly on UWA-Nedlands who were trying to play out from the back, the visitors gained possession, with the ball falling perfectly for Maja Archibald to fire home from around 15 yards.
Pressure on the home defence continued to mount, and with 25 minutes played, Ruby Marshall advanced once more up the left and squared a pass into the centre of the box for Louise Tana. UWA-Nedlands defender Ella Gaspar got a touch which presented Tamsyn Hannan with a perfect opportunity, unmarked on the right of the area to fire home.
Perth continued their dominance in the second period and, with 63 minutes played, extended their lead with a third goal of exceptional quality.
UWA-Nedlands lost possession from a throw inside the Azzurri half, earning the visitors a throw of their own.
The move gradually built to substitute Insch, who drove up the left-hand flank before squaring a pass inside her. The ball was further moved across to the right for Epril Nossent to hit a sensational first-time lob from the edge of the area that flew over Sauer and in. Superb vision for a superb goal.
The final exchanges minutes saw Perth claim a fourth that their dominance deserved. A superb sweeping team move rented with substitute Sam Mathers playing a cross in for McAllister to turn the ball home.
Murdoch University Melville 0-5 Balcatta Etna
Balcatta claimed their first win of the season with this success at Besteam Stadium earlier today.
It was set-pieces that destroyed all hope that the home side had of staying in the game, with four of Etna’s goals coming from that route.
Pete Rakic’s side took the lead with eight minutes gone as Jamie-Lee Gale’s corner came in high with Jaime Duncanson turning the ball in at the back post.
Eleven minutes later, the lead was doubled from another corner. This time, it was Abbey Meakins who played the telling ball in high to the back post, where Frankie Murray-Hocking nodded home.
With 41 on the clock, MUM FC’s corner woes reached their nadir when Gale delivered an Olimpico from the left. There was initially some confusion among the officials as to whether ball had gone in, and play went on for a fair few seconds afterwards before seemingly the referee got word from his assistant.
Gale grabbed her second just before the hour mark. Zoee Spadano won possession on the right and fed Rachel Jarvis. Her ball to Liana Cook was played on for Meakins who in turn fed Gale on the left-hand edge of the box to sweep home.
Balcatta made it five with 71 minutes played. Spadano’s free-kick on the right came in high towards the left of the box where Murray-Hocking finished.
Perth RedStar 6-0 Subiaco
Above: Caitlin Doeglas, Perth RedStar’s hat-trick hero, seen in action last season. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Caitlin Doeglas bagged a first-half hat-trick as RedStar returned to winning ways with this comprehensive victory at home to Subiaco today.
Chris Atturo’s side got back on the horse in style after late heartache against Football West Academy last weekend and hit the front in the opening exchanges.
Abbey Woolley strode through the middle of the park and found Jayna Ridley. Her attempted pass deflected off of Subi’s Brooke Burdett into the path of Carla Bennett, who supplied a low cross into the box. Goalkeeper Monique Todd got her hands on it, but the ball rolled on perfectly for Jay Coleman to slot home from close range.
They extended their lead just before the quarter-hour mark when Grace Monteiro released Doeglas with a pass from inside her own half. The former Perth Glory attacker held off her defender to advance and fire into the net.
Just six minutes later, Doeglas was in again. This time, it was Renee Leota who fed the attacker on the left flank to hit a low shot that squirmed in across Todd.
Doeglas’ hat-trick was completed from the penalty spot with a minute of regulation time remaining in the first half. Emily Dunn tangled with a Subiaco defender and up-stepped the 28-year-old to power her shot down the middle.
RedStar continued their dominance after the break but had to wait until the 73rd minute to add to their tally. Andreia Teixeira lifted a free-kick into the box from the left for Quyen Doan, who had another excellent game, to nod across for Leota to slot into the right-hand corner.
Ten minutes later, the home side completed the scoring with a move that started from Chloe Finnigan’s throw on the left. The ball came to Lauren Continibali, who in turn found Kaitlyn Bellanca to calmly break through and place the ball under Todd’s legs and in to the net.
Above: The talented teenagers of the Football West Academy are three from three. Photo: Football West.
Ladder
Perth SC P3 Pts 9 GD +8
Football West Academy P3 Pts 9 GD +6
Perth RedStar P3 Pts 6 GD +8
Balcatta Etna P3 Pts 4 GD +2
Subiaco P2 Pts 3 GD -2
Fremantle City P3 Pts 1 GD -3
Murdoch University Melville P2 Pts 0 GD -8
UWA-Nedlands P3 Pts 0 GD -11
Round Four Fixtures
Sunday: Balcatta Etna v UWA-Nedlands, Murdoch University Melville v Hyundai Football West Academy, Perth RedStar v Fremantle City, Perth SC v Subiaco.
Above: Aggie Beever-Jones celebrates her first senior goal. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
Five different Lionesses were on the scoresheet at Ashton Gate on Friday evening, as England followed up February’s win over Spain with a demolition of Belgium’s Red Flames.
England came into the game against Belgium with positivity following a win against world champions Spain in February. The Lionesses started the game joint-top of their Nations League group, level on points and goal difference with Portugal.
Marvellous Mead goes under the radar
It is rare that a player of the match performance goes to a player who did not get on the scoresheet. However, on a chilly Friday evening in Bristol, Beth Mead accomplished exactly that. Whilst Lucy Bronze also deserves many plaudits and was a standout player in the match, Mead deserves a mention in the conversation.
England’s most active goal scorer in the last European Championship, Mead’s role for club and country has evolved over recent months, following a lengthy absence due to an ACL injury. At twenty-nine, she is now one of the older members of this Lionesses squad, and goalscoring duties mainly rely on her Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo.
For some, this evolution has implied that Mead is somehow past her best; that her most effective position is as an impact player off the bench. However, she has consistently been putting in strong performances for Arsenal, scoring six goals in 17 appearances, assisting twice and making a goal-line clearance against West Ham in the closing moments that saved the game.
Mead was withdrawn from the last England camp due to a minor injury (replaced by Chloe Kelly, who has pulled out of the current camp due to minor injury), so she missed the Lionesses’ statement win over Spain. However, her link-up play with teammate Russo was something fans were eager to see spill over into England performances, and this was certainly the case against Belgium.
She played the full 90-minutes, providing an assist for Aggie Beever-Jones, making 40 accurate passes (out of 44, for a completion rate of 91%), nine key passes, six crosses, and creating two big chances. She also made a couple of tackles at the other end, showcasing her willingness to get back and help her team defend.
Above: Beth Mead for England. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
Substitutions make an impact
When England won the 2022 Euros, substitutions made the difference. Every player wants a starting position; to stand facing the audience to sing the national anthem, to be featured in the starting line-up photograph. The importance of being an impact player is often underestimated; Toone’s goal off the bench in the Euros final is not marred by the fact that she did not start the game, neither is Kelly’s. The impact player has a vital role in tournament football and is something England will have been slightly concerned about in recent windows.
However, the win against Belgium showed that the impact substitutions are still there for England if squad members take their chances. Aggie Beever-Jones replaced Lauren James at half-time, scoring her first senior goal and causing the Belgian defence a lot of concern with her pace and ability to stretch the opponent. It is difficult to know if she would have had such an impact from a starting position, however given Russo’s form of late, a substitution was always going to be the most likely option to give Beever-Jones minutes.
Another substitution that made a difference was Jess Park, who replaced Ella Toone on the hour mark. After scoring against Spain to secure a vital win, Park may have felt aggrieved not to start against Belgium. It is likely the Toone-Clinton club connection that is currently working so well that pushed Park out of the starting line-up, however Park took her chance and showed why she is also effective as a substitute. The Belgian defence was fatigued by this point and gave Park the space to be at her creative best, leading to England’s third goal.
Above: Jess Park preparing to shoot for England. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
Esme Morgan, Jess Carter and Nikita Parris also got minutes, giving Leah Williamson, Millie Bright and Russo some time to recover ahead of the return leg on Tuesday.
First senior goals for Beever-Jones and Keira Walsh
Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Keira Walsh has numerous accolades to her name – from winning the Champions League with Barcelona, to the 2022 Euros with England. On her 83rd cap Friday evening, she added another ring to her belt – goal-scorer for England.
Defensive midfield is not a position known for its goal-scoring potential, however Walsh put that right against Belgium. Speaking post-game, head coach Sarina Wiegman said that she encouraged Walsh to shoot more – “she has a good shot!”.
Slightly earlier in her England career, twenty-one year old striker Aggie Beever-Jones also netted her first goal, getting into the right position to strike from a superb Mead cross.
Momentum is building
Ahead of the match, Wiegman admitted that her focus on the Nations League is split with focus on the European Championships this summer. Following the win against Spain, there is a feeling about England – that something is shifting, that they are discovering the form that made them so unbeatable back in 2022.
This is the first time that feeling has been around since then, and it is striking that it is being felt when the squad are dealing with so many injuries to important players. That is important to remember – Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp, and Alex Greenwood are still to be added to the squad.
Speaking to Ian Wright and Karen Carney post-match, Wiegman admitted that she is feeling this too; she said “…something is happening, we are getting closer.” A key test of this momentum will be to see if they can maintain this high level of performance, remaining consistent in the few remaining games heading into the tournament this summer.
England now lead their group with seven points, one ahead of Spain in second. They also have a superior goal difference, with six compared to Spain’s two.
Above: The Ireland squad who defeated Greece 4-0. Photo: Ireland Football.
Greece 0-4 Republic of Ireland
by Alyce Collett (4/4/25)
The Republic of Ireland’s Nations League campaign is back on track after an emphatic 4-0 win over Greece this afternoon.
Second half goals to Marissa Sheva, Kyra Carusa, Jessie Stapletonand Amber Barrett saw the Irish completely eliminate the damage done to their goal difference in the last match and bag the three points.
It was a free flowing match to begin with, with the ball freely moving end to end. However Greece did look more dangerous in attack early, with the home side able to use speed and space much better than their visitors.
However as the half progressed, the Republic of Ireland started to warm up a little and things started to come together better in attack, with players like Ruesha Littlejohn, Denise O’Sullivan and Leanne Kiernan starting to threaten in attack.
But the Greek threat was not going away, with the likes of Eleni Saich and Anastasia Spyridonidou not afraid to use their speed and shoot from distance. Goalkeeper Zoi Nasi was also really keeping her side in the match with some strong and brave saves.
The other thing that was letting Ireland down was passing accuracy in midfield in transition from the middle third into the final third. The passes were not coming with the usual polish that has come to be expected from the team.
The score was ultimately goalless at half time, but with all things considered the home side would have been the happier camp at the break.
The Republic of Ireland started with strong intent in the second half, and finally got some reward for effort with a goal within the first five minutes of the half from Sheva. Sheva – who had only been on the pitch mere minutes – let a shot rip from outside the penalty box, and although it did take a deflection on the way into the back of the net, no one in an Irish shirt was complaining.
Whatever the Irish manager Carla Ward said to her troops at half time worked, because the visitors had renewed sense of energy in their play, and the goal just added more pep in their already re-energised step.
The Republic of Ireland found a second goal 10 minutes later when Carusa tapped the ball into the back of the net after Kiernan’s initial conversion attempt of Katie McCabe’s cross was blocked.
The visitors were really starting to play like their old selves again, and were rewarded with a third goal about 10 minutes after their second, when Stapleton headed the ball into the back of the net to convert a McCabe corner.
The Irish were not done scoring though, with Barrett completing the scoring with less than a minute left in the match. She struck one in the bottom corner and into the back of the net after having sprinted down half the pitch to cap off her 50th appearance for the national team in style.
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