Hyundai NTC 0-4 Perth SC

Report by Ben Gilby, photography from Rob Lizzi (29/6/24)

Above: Ella Lincoln (fourth from left), Perth SC’s hat-trick hero at Hyundai NTC celebrates her opening goal. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Rob Lizzi.

Perth SC produced a strong offensive display to overcome Hyundai NTC at the Sam Kerr Football Centre this afternoon with Ella Lincoln hitting a hat-trick in 12 second-half minutes.

The Azzurri were in charge throughout but were frustrated by a combination of the NTC rearguard and a lack of accuracy in front of goal until the final stages. Niamh Healy’s injury for the hosts with just over a quarter of an hour to go increased the amount of space for Perth’s build-up, and in the end, the quality that Danielle Brogan’s side has in the creative zones showed its true worth.

The first half was largely played in the middle third and resembled a patient chess game of two sides looking to establish their passing and movement game on the other to find the breakthrough. It took until just before the quarter-hour mark for the first chance to arrive when Ella Lincoln’s corner in from the right was headed against the bar by Baxter Thew who rose comfortably above the NTC defence.

Within moments, the Azzurri broke through again, this time as Daisy McAllister took advantage of a misplaced pass by Violet Longmore just outside the box. The consistently impressive McAllister advanced to hit a shot that Megan Phillips held.

The teenage hosts were working hard during the opening half hour to reduce the amount of time that Perth’s key creative talents of Charli Wainwright and Georgia Cassidy had on the ball, and there would be a further challenge for Danielle Brogan’s side to overcome as Jess Flannery had to leave the action with injury.

Healy displayed her burgeoning potential for the NTC once more as she was played in by Sakura Leong and showed lovely footwork and confidence to hit a curler from the left of centre which went just wide of the far post. Sophie Rennie also displayed excellent close control and confidence on the ball when able to advance for Ben Anderton’s teenage charges.

However, the challenges of trying to contain Perth were impacting the opportunities to build any attacking moves of their own. Allied to this as the half wore on was the Azzurri‘s growing patience on the ball. They were happy to spend time waiting to play the final killer ball with the consequence that much of their possession was within their own half or the middle third.

With 10 minutes remaining in the half, the visitors stepped up the intensity. McAllister found Lincoln who turned and played a low pass out to Sam Mathers to turn and hit a shot that Phillips repelled well in the NTC goal.

However, just moments later Mathers had better luck. Sophia Papalia held off Rennie and threaded a perfectly weighted pass into Mathers right of centre who shot comfortably into the net.

The NTC had one chance to get on the scoresheet just before the break when Sam Brady was released by Nelli Johnson from the centre of the field. Brady turned Thew superbly, beat Ruby Marshall, and hit a shot just wide of the left-hand post. It would be the hosts’ last shot on goal for the afternoon.

Perth were back on the front foot from the opening whistle of the second period. They increased both the numbers and intensity of their press on the NTC, placing particular focus on the teenage side’s habit of playing out from the back. The pressure was instantly ramped up with regular turnover ball. Ben Anderton’s team would find it virtually impossible to get out of their own half for the rest of the game.

Just before the hour mark, the visitors came close when Phillips’ clearance only went as far as Lincoln, who despite being under pressure from the NTC defence, laid off for McAllister who saw her shot saved by the home keeper.

The chances were racking up now. On the hour mark, the Azzurri appeared to be queuing up to score in the box but Wainwright, Lincoln, and Marshall all saw efforts repelled by the NTC defence. Thew, who hit the bar in the first half, would now see her header come back off the post from Cassidy’s corner. Papalia was then found on the edge of the area, right of centre, and let fly with a great effort that Phillips had to push over the top.

With 15 minutes to go, the NTC’s job got a whole heap harder as Healy had to leave the pitch with an injury. Having used all their subs, the teenage side would have to play out the remainder of the game with 10 players.

Not long afterwards came the game-breaking moment. Wainwright, who was hugely impressive with her vision and ball-playing skills yet again, released Lincoln with a perfectly judged pass. The attacker entered the box and was brought down by Nelli Johnson. A penalty was awarded, but Johnson came off worse and had to leave the field for several minutes of treatment – a spell that reduced her team to nine players.

Lincoln, conversely, picked herself up, dusted herself down, placed the ball on the spot, and fired confidently into the right-hand side of the net.

Into the final three minutes, Perth were able to turn the screw and ensure their scoreboard tally more closely reflected their dominance. First, Marshall threaded a pass through from the midfield for Lincoln to run onto, see off Longmore, and slot home to increase the lead to three despite the assistant referee’s initial flag.

Then, moments afterwards, the icing on the cake came with a moment of brilliance from Lincoln. Wainwright danced her way into the area from the left to find Marshall on the edge of the six-yard box. Under pressure, she played a ball to Lincoln, behind her, just beyond the penalty spot. The Perth attacker had her back to goal, and two NTC defenders tight immediately behind her. However, this didn’t stop Lincoln. She turned brilliantly and lifted an exquisite finish high into the net. It was a fitting way to seal a hat-trick.

Whilst this was a comfortable win for Perth SC, they could and should have put the game to bed a lot sooner than they did – something the likes of Balcatta Etna and Perth RedStar would almost certainly punish them for failing to do. The NTC showed great discipline, organisation, and heart in the face of constant pressure from some of the NPLW WA’s best players – they will learn a lot from this.

More of Rob Lizzi’s photos of the game from the Sam Kerr Football Centre:

Teams: HYUNDAI NTC: Phillips, Longmore, N. Johnson, Cuthbert, Rennie, O’Halloran, Collins, Healy, Leong, E. Gaspar, Brady. Substitutes: J. Johnson, Clayton, C. Gaspar, Collinson, Brooks, McAuliffe.

PERTH SC: Atkinson, Thew, Johnston, McCartney, Marshall, Wainwright, McAllister, Cassidy, Lincoln, Flannery, Mathers. Substitutes: Stajcic, Insch, Harvey, Papalia, Hannan.

Scorers: Mathers 37′. Lincoln (pen) 76′, 87, 88′.

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