Arrive Alive Women?s Super League Round 9 Review

The Central Coast Lightning v PCYC Lady Hawks game at Pluim Park, the Sydney Tigers v Northern Tigers match at Lambert Park and the St George FC v Inter Lions game at St George Stadium will all be rescheduled for a date to be fixed. More catch up games is the last thing anyone needed, especially for Central Coast Lightning and St George FC who have each played only six matches so far this season.
Magdala Park at North Ryde had no shortage of moisture itself. The surrounds were quite water logged but the pitch itself, apart from a very muddy goalmouth area at one end, was in good enough condition to sustain the match between Gladesville Ravens and Western NSW Panthers.
It was obvious early that the local girls had come to play. They traded attacks with The Panthers; Liz Talarico pouncing on a poor Panthers clearance only to shoot wide of goal.
In the fifth minute Gladesville were awarded a free kick on the left edge of The Panthers box. Fatma Agar stepped up to take the kick for The Ravens, slotting the ball almost Beckham like through the keeper?s hands and into the back of the net. A great start for The Ravens!
This early goal gave Gladesville plenty of confidence. They matched their more highly ranked opponents with the defensive trio of Tanya Black, Melissa Fornito and Aleasha Bird outstanding. The Panthers attack appeared to have a touch of pace over their opponents but The Ravens read the game well, always seeming to be in the right place at the right time.
Olivia Bird was proving the main thorn in the side of The Ravens defence but the opportunities she created were more half chances than anything else. Similarly, though Ravens were creating openings themselves but quality shots on goal were not part of the end equation. Still, both sides were playing some good football. The Ravens performance in this first half belied their position on the competition table. The locals certainly held a territorial advantage and all their players were contributing to a solid team effort. The Panthers were struggling to find space for their attacking players. Coach Paul Waine would have to rethink his strategy at the break.
Both teams contributed to an entertaining first half but The Ravens half time lead was well deserved.
The second half commenced with an immediate chance for Gladesville. Liz Talarico put in a great ball which found a team mate in front of goal but an uncontrolled header saw the opportunity go astray. It was obvious that Western NSW had changed their formation in an attempt to create space out wide and stretch the Gladesville defence. The Panthers moved the ball upfield. The Ravens defence, for once, was a little indecisive and The Panthers grabbed a quick turnover. A pass found Olivia Bird in front of goal. Bird turned her marker and chipped over the Gladesville keeper to score for The Panthers.
The Ravens lifted after this setback with Ashleigh Smith and Alison Crosbie both making inroads for the locals. The Panthers lost experienced Jade Braun with a shoulder injury soon after. Her replacement, Kira Churchland, was instrumental in the next Panthers attack when she released Tegan Courtney down the left flank. Courtney?s shot flew over the bar however.
In the 60^th minute, after a Ravens foray, The Panthers broke from defence. Good combination between Gillian Rosconi and Olivia Bird saw the latter burst into the open. Bird stepped inside a defender before coolly slotting away a one on one with Ravens keeper Claire Cherrington. Suddenly the visitors had their noses in front for the first time in the match.
Almost immediately The Panthers surged forward again, this time through Tegan Courtney. Courtney raced into the 18 yard box but her shot was palmed down and regathered by an advancing Cherrington. Soon after the hard working Ashley Hulme was yellow carded after a strong challenge. The momentum had now swung towards The Panthers. Gladesville looked to be in trouble.
Alison Crosbie was working overtime for The Ravens in the middle of the park. Najla Eid was also in the thick of things, making a number of incisive bursts including a shot at goal which flew straight to Panthers keeper Sarah Hunt.
In the 70^th minute, with seemingly nothing happening for The Ravens, the ball was laid back to Ashley Hulme on the edge of the centre circle. Hulme unleashed a long, high shot on goal which burst through the keepers hands and into the back of the net. Hulme reward was to be replaced by Danielle Coombs but the Gladesville midfielder had done a fine job for her team.
The Ravens were buoyed by this equaliser. They seemed to be getting the better of the game again though The Panthers were lifting to meet the challenge. Both sides were looking for that one moment of inspiration to snatch the game. In the 81^st minute that moment came The Panthers way. After The Ravens failed to clear a ball the advancing Panthers attack took hold and centred beautifully to find Tegan Courtney leaping above the pack to head the ball past an advancing Claire Cherrington. The Ravens keeper tried to recover her ground but the ball had enough on it to win the race to the line and give The Panthers a 3-2 lead.
This was a deflating moment for the local team. Try as they might they could not recover and Western NSW actually went close to increasing their lead in the final minutes. The final score of 3-2 in favour of Western NSW Panthers left the Gladesville girls heartbroken.
Ravens Coach, Paul Wade, admitted to being gutted by the result. He thought that his team had played some magic football. Wade was very pleased with his team?s work rate but lamented their ability to concede some cheap goals. Wade said that, if his girls kept playing in the style they did today, they?d beat plenty of teams as the competition goes on. ?They?re doing everything but winning? stated the doting coach.
Paul Waine, Western NSW Panthers Coach, expressed surprise at where Gladesville sat on the competition table. He complimented them on their display today. Waine felt that the change to a 4-3-3 formation in the second half had changed the match for his team. Whilst this was a hard fought victory Waine felt that it typified the character within his team.
This was an enjoyable game of football. The Panthers stuck to their task and got the job done. The Ravens played a fine match though and probably deserved something from the game. Gladesville would take plenty of positives from the game but The Panthers will be happy to be back in the winners? list.
Gladesville Ravens         2 (F.Agar 5m, A.Hulme 70m)
Western NSW Panthers 3 (O.Bird 48m,/60m, T.Courtney 81m)
In the only other game played on Sunday Southern NSW FC met Blacktown Spartans at Ison Park in Nowra.
The locals led 2-0 at half time after a brace from Katie French who scored in the 16^th and 36^th minutes.
Blacktown tried to bounce back after half time but French completed her hat trick in the 64^th minute, effectively killing off the contest. Elyse Cobb added a fourth for the home team in the 83^rd minute before Blacktown grabbed a consolation goal by Mouritz in the 88^th minute.
This win keeps the Southern NSW side in touch with the leaders. Their finals chances are looking good. A disappointing result for The Spartans who are now scheduled to back up mid week, weather permitting, to play Gladesville Ravens.
Southern NSW FC   4 (K.French 16m/36m/64m, E.Cobb 83m)
Blacktown Spartans 1 (B.Mouritz 88m)
So, another truncated round of games for the fans of the Arrive Alive Women?s Super League. With more rain forecast for this week further frustration may lie ahead for players, coaches and supporters. Let?s hope that we start seeing rainbows rather than rain clouds!

-By Ross Anderson