Arrive Alive NSW Women?s Premier League Preliminary Final Review
Well, last weekend proved once and for all that God is not, in fact, a woman! Why else would he allow all that rain to wash out a major weekend of football matches in the Arrive Alive NSW Women?s Premier League?
No, God is obviously a man; a man who felt like a lazy Father?s Day at home rather than hitting the highway to Christie Park to watch his talented female footballers in action.
God?s apprentices at Football NSW were forced to reschedule the postponed games to midweek fixtures and so it was that your intrepid reporter found himself at Christie Park last evening. Christie Park is a lovely little ground. However, if I were managing the complex, I?d seriously consider investing in some outdoor gas heaters for night fixtures. It?s very difficult to type this write with frostbitten fingers but at least the icicles on the ends of my ears have now melted.
The NWS Koalas and Marconi Stallions went to war knowing that there were no second chances in this game. The Stallions had been buoyed by a fine win over Manly United FC in last week?s minor semi final. The Koalas had suffered a heart breaking penalty shoot out loss to Macarthur Rams in the major semi final and were looking for redemption. It may have been cold on the sideline but you could tell that the temperature would be high out in the middle.
The opening moments saw both sides looking to assert themselves. An early free kick to Marconi was defused comfortably by The Koalas defence. Alicia Cavanagh and Natalie Spirovski then combined but Spirovski?s shot cleared the cross bar.
As the dust began to settle though, it was Marconi who appeared to be clicking into gear first. The Stallions seemed to have more structure to their attack with plenty of width and movement. The Koalas were struggling to put passes together and Marconi?s wealth of possession was allowing them to build pressure. During this period Jodie Bain created an opportunity for Laura Smiles which was saved by Koalas keeper Anne Rutlidge. Brook Starrett was also prominent for Marconi, constantly stretching the left hand side of The Koalas defence.
Koalas did have their moments, probably the best being when a great ball Spirovski freed Cavanagh whose bullet like shot was flicked over the bar by Marconi?s acrobatic keeper Fiona Ryan. This was just a precursor for what was to come.
At the 22nd minute mark of the first half Koalas Adrianna Cirjak put a long, high ball into the Marconi area. Keeper Ryan advanced into the pack to punch the ball away but misjudged the flight. The ball flew through to Anna McLean near the back post. McLean made no mistake with her shot to put The Koalas 1-0 up. The Koalas had managed to soak up the Marconi pressure before hitting back.
Marconi continued to have the better of play though with more than one corner causing havoc in the NWS Koalas defence. Some fairly desperate attempts at clearance managed to keep the scoreline in The Koalas favour. Natalie Spirovski was busily pulling the strings in The Koalas attack but the opportunities were not quality ones. A Spirovski free kick found the head of Sanaa Hawkins but the header lacked power. Katarina Kraft intercepted a poor clearance by the Marconi goalkeeper but was unable to work her way into clear shooting space.
On half time though, it was Marconi who almost came up with the equaliser. Laura Smiles unleashed a fine shot on goal from wide on the left. The chance was saved by a diving Anna Rutlidge but the resulting corner had The Koalas at sixes and sevens. A Stallions shot was cleared off the line by a rattled defence. The half time break was a welcome intervention for NWS, despite their 1-0 lead.
The Koalas snared the best opportunity early in the second half. That girl Spirovski let Anna McLean loose down the left flank. McLean?s cross found Sanaa Hawkins open in front of goal but Fiona Ryan was equal to the task, pulling off a classy save.
Marconi responded with a shot from outside the box by substitute Nicole Kimber. Her strike rattled the cross bar. Cergovski, Bain, Starrett and Muscat had all been involved in the lead up for The Stallions. The Koalas were having great difficulty in getting out of their own half. Passes were continually going astray and Marconi were building the pressure on the NWS defence. Koalas Coach, Claude De Francesco, opted to bring Danni Calvi into the game for Katarina Kraft.
Calvi took little time to make her mark with a fine shot from wide on the right being saved by a leaping Fiona Ryan. Calvi then combined with Cavanagh to win a corner but the Cavanagh?s header from the dead ball situation went wide. Amanda Poulton then made a strong run from defence for Marconi before being dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area. The Koalas turned defence into attack with Calvi breaking clear. The Koalas sub tried to work space for Alicia Cavanagh but the Marconi defence were able to close the movement down. Evelyn Chronis took the place of Sanaa Hawkins in the Koalas line up at the 70 minute mark.
The Stallions continued top push forward with some enterprising play. A free kick on the edge of The Koalas penalty area after a Cavanagh hand ball was wasted but salvation was just around the corner for Marconi.
In the 78th minute Ash Connor followed through a ball after a quick turnover of possession. The Marconi striker did her job to perfection, beating the advancing Rutlidge with a well taken shot. Suddenly it was 1-1 and The Stallions were on a roll.
Within two minutes Marconi were in front. A magnificent run by Trudy Camilleri ended with the Marconi star laying on a fine ball for Amanda Cergovski. Amanda made no mistake with her opportunity and things suddenly looked bleak for The Koalas at 1-2 down with less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Koalas brought Stephanie De Francseco into the game for Gabbie Dickinson. Soon after Alicia Cavanagh made a break and was brought down in the area. Cavanagh?s pleas for a penalty were disregarded by referee James Hurst. Cavanagh then layed off a shot for De Francesco but her shot was wide of the mark.
Tragedy then struck for The Koalas when Spirovski was injured. The talented playmaker was replaced by Leonore Carr. With only moments remaining in the game it looked like The Koalas would be planning their end of season celebrations a little earlier than expected. BUT, (that?s a big but by the way as opposed to a big butt) The Koalas were not finished with just yet. A speculative cross into the Marconi box by Rachel Doyle caused mayhem. In a scramble for the ball, Danni Calvi managed to get one sliver of the toe nail on her big toe onto the ball. The ball trickled ever slowly towards the line before crossing the gaol line in front of a desperate Marconi defender. The Koalas had escaped from gaol in the dying seconds of the game! Despair filled the Marconi faces both on the field and in the crowd. The score was now 2-2 and extra time beckoned with the final blow of the referee?s whistle.
Though the symptoms of hypothermia were becoming noticeable on the person of your correspondent he couldn?t complain because these two teams were certainly giving him his money?s worth. This was finals football at its best.
Another thousand words probably wouldn?t do justice to the highs and lows of the period of extra time. Marconi took the game to the Koalas from the kick off and, within four minutes, had been rewarded with a goal. Laura Smiles made a fine run off the ball to meet an incoming corner to put The Stallions back in front.
The Koalas were now relying on a reshaped defensive line with Rachel Doyle and Lara Neilson trying to stem the tide. Options weren?t happening further up the park and The Stallions looked to be back in the driver?s seat.
Suddenly The Koalas had a free kick? Why? The crowd were confused. It appeared that referee Hurst had ruled against Marconi keeper Fiona Ryan for having two touches. The referee wasn?t likely to be invited to a free dinner at the Club Marconi Bistro after this decision. Even less so when Alicia Cavanagh showed her class to expertly put away the free kick and even the scores. Cometh the moment, cometh the player!
The second half of extra time saw tow very tired sets of players battling to deliver the final blow. The best opportunity came to Marconi when they broke away with three on one in attack. A great cross saw Sam Muscat unmarked and running at goal. However, Koalas keeper Anne Rutlidge came up with a super save to keep her team alive. What was that about cometh the moment? Neither side were able to grasp the last chances to settle the match and so the dreaded penalty shoot out was to be the decider.
The shoot out brought some skilful goal keeping, some well taken shots, outpourings of relief and gasps of disappointment. At the end of it all though only one team was left standing and that was NWS Koalas.
One has to feel sorry for The Stallions, who played so well on the night. I?m sure that Coach Mauro Taco would have been very proud of his team?s effort. The Koalas had experienced that same deflating feeling the previous week when The Rams snatched victory from NWS in the closing seconds of their semi final. I guess what goes around comes around as such. This time The Koalas were the ones left smiling.
So, your Arrive Alive NSW Women?s Premier League Grand Final will see Macarthur Rams meet NWS Koalas at Cook Park St Mary?s next Sunday at 4pm. Given the rivalry between these two teams during the season plus the drama of their major semi final clash this promises to be a wonderful climax to the season.
God, if you?re listening, take the day off again next Sunday and get out to the Grand Final. You?ll have a great time! And no rain, please?
-By Ross Anderson
