Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League Round 9 Review

The Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League match between Sydney University and Sutherland Sharks was postponed until a date to be fixed.
Although the skies looked bleak as kick off approached at Marconi Stadium we were already for an exciting game of football between two of the league?s more attractive football playing sides. Second placed Manly United FC were favourites in their clash with Marconi Stallions but the young fillies from Marconi were out to prove their worth with a big performance against a another of the competition?s heavyweights.
The early exchanges were evenly shared as both sides tried to settle. Liz O?Reilly was playing a dominant role in midfield for the Stallions. A high ball into the box by Filiz Urkanci was won by Emma Stanbury who turned and passed across the face of goal where Helen Petinos, ghosting to the back post, volleyed the ball wide. Marie Svinos was also proving a tower of strength to the home side in a deep, defensive midfield style role where she was serving up some great passes for her supports.
The Stallions were taking the game to the older and more experienced Manly side with Petinos once again shooting wide from point blank range. Manly countered from a defensive position with a long ball to Gill Foster brining a stinging shot from the ex Matilda which won Manly a corner. The opportunity didn?t pay off though as, while Manly won the ball in the air, the header was pushed wide of the target. More good lead up play by the visitors saw a Gill Foster cross plucked out of the path of Bronte bates by an advancing Marconi keeper, Courtney Halpin.
The diminutive Doris Osman then won a ball in the middle of the park for Marconi. Her fine through ball found Emma Stanbury steaming onto the ball. As she raced down the right flank Stanbury passed infield towards Helen Petinos. Petinos didn?t win the ball but harassed the defence enough to see the ball turned back to Stanbury outside the penalty box. Her right foot bullet beat Manly keeper Anne Rutlidge to put Marconi up 1-0 after 18 minutes.
The young Marconi fillies were playing with plenty of confidence after their initial goal. They continued to press forward and maintain pressure on the Manly defence. Manly?s few chances were coming on the break but Marconi were managing to recover well.  Bates and Foster combined well though before Foster?s cross was met in front of goal by Louise Neville. Manly?s chance went astray however with a shot across goal.
Marconi appeared much more aggressive to the loose ball than their opponents. This was helping them to create some opportunities out of nothing situations.  More fine play by Marconi saw Coates and Stanbury combine before a lofted cross was met wide of the back post by Urkanci. Her brilliant shot at goal was kept out be an equally brilliant save from Anne Rutlidige but Marconi were turning on a fine display of attacking football.
In the 35^th minute a controversial call saw Manly awarded a penalty after Liz Morrison was downed on the edge the Marconi box. The referee had initially called a free kick on the edge of the Marconi box before intervention by the linesperson.  Manly Captain Gill Foster stepped up to keep her Kevin Muscat like penalty score ration intact despite Courtney Halpin almost bringing off a fine save.  This goal had come against the run of play. The question was being asked whether this setback would stall the home side?s momentum.
Manly did lift their level at this point but Marconi took no backward steps either. They continued to attack at every opportunity, winning successive free kicks; the second of which brought a leaping take from Rutlidge in the Manly goal.
The half time whistle went with Marconi again besieging the Manly goal. The 1-1 scoreline didn?t appear to be a true indication of the weight of play in the first half but Manly had managed to stay in the game.
The second half opened with an immediate attacking thrust from Marconi. An incisive dash down the left flank by Helen Petinos was completed with a fine cross into the box. Emma Stanbury, harassed by a Manly defender, was unable to take advantage and pushed the ball wide.
Manly then took the play to the opposite end where a free kick was awarded against Marie Svinos for a foul on the edge of the box. The resulting place kick saw Gemma O?Toole leap above the pack to head home the goal and give Manly a 2-1 lead. Marconi attempted to reply, winning successive corners, but were unable to capitalise. Marconi then attacked keenly with a distance shot from O?Reilly and some good attacking play from Osman. Still, Manly held firm.
Manly started to enter their most dominant period of the game, taking significant territorial advantage. Their best chance came though when breaking from defence. Good lead up play saw Liz Morison found unmarked in front of goal but her shot was saved by a diving Courtney Halpin in goals for Marconi.  Manly surged forward again soon after with Elyce Bates about to pull the trigger before being dispossessed by a desperate Jess Coates. The second Manly goal seemed to have taken the sting out of the Stallions. When Gill Foster was found open just to the left of goal it appeared that the coup de grace was about to come but Foster?s shot went wide of goal.
Now it was Marconi who seemed to have been left to grasp straws with breaks from defence. Manly went forward again, ending in a shot from Liz Morison which went straight to keeper Halpin. Morison was then on the end of good work from Foster and Neville before blasting over the top of the cross bar. Foster then crossed beautifully but Morison was unable to control the ball and the ball flew away for the safety of a Marconi goal kick.
Marconi were able to unlock the Manly defence through some great play by Osman and O?Reilly which sent Stanbury racing onto the ball. With the equaliser beckoning though Stanbury blasted high and wide. Petinos then made a dash for Marconi but wasn?t able to find a target in front of the Manly goal.
Suddenly the game was turned on its head with the referee red carding Manly?s Gemma O?Toole, apparently for dissent.  Marconi now had a sniff of a comeback playing against ten players for the remainder of the match.
Marconi attempted to build some momentum but couldn?t quite find the right moment. Shots blasted high and wide, free kicks hitting defenders; it wasn?t quite falling the home side?s way. Another corner won through sheer persistence was wasted before manly raced to the other end where Liz Morison, once again, went high wide and handsome.  Manly had had numerous chances to kill off the match but had wasted all of them.
Play was now centred around the Manly box with the youthfulness of the Marconi team starting to work in their favour.
The final whistle blew with manly running out 2-1 winners to maintain the top two spot on the ladder. This was another near miss for an unlucky Marconi side.
Manly Captain Gill Foster was full of praise for her side?s youthful opponents. ?This was a really good battle. I enjoyed the game more than any other we?ve played this season? said the former Matildas star. ?Marconi came to play and really took the game to us. They were very dangerous and we were overcome by their enthusiastic approach early in the game. We expected a good game and got one? stated Foster.
Marconi Coach Rob Pearce was understandably disappointed with the result but not with his team?s performance. ?The girls put in the effort? said Pearce. ?We had the better of play at various stages. The girls are having a go which is all I can ask.? The Marconi Coach said that the ?young heads? may have got lost in the second half but that his side was going through a rebuilding stage which is highlighted by their promising youngsters.  It?s obvious that Rob is a very proud coach!
This was a quality game of football. I?m not sure that 2010 will be Marconi?s year but, if they keep this side together, the glory days will soon be back at Marconi Stadium.
Manly United FC continue on their winning way, continuing to impress. They are certainly looming as the main danger to Illawarra Stingrays in their attempt to score back to back titles.
MARCON STALLIONS  1 (E.Stanbury 18m)
MANLY UNITED FC      2 (G.Foster 35m, G.O?Toole 48m)
In Bathurst the Western NSW Panthers met the visiting Macarthur Rams.
The Panthers were out to bounce back from successive losses whilst The Rams sought to maintain third place on the competition ladder.
The Rams grabbed the lead in just the fifth minute of play when Deadly Stephanie Haim scored; a feat she repeated in the 20^th minute to extend her side?s lead to 2-0.
The Panthers fought back ten minutes before half time though when their leading goal scorer in 2010, Megan Embleton, put her team on the board with a fine strike.
After half time though, Macarthur put their foot on the accelerator. Linda Dudek scored in the 55^th minute before Laura Donnelly found the back of the net in the 75^th minute to cement a 4-1 win for the visitors.
The Panthers tried hard but Macarthur were too good on the day.
WESTERN NSW PANTHERS 1 (M.Embleton 35m)
MACARTHUR RAMS           4 ( S.Haim 5m/20m, L.Dudek 55m, L.Donnelly 75m)
At J.J.Kelly Park the Illawarra Stingrays met Southern Branch.
Unfortunately for Southern Branch this match was over by half time. Michelle Carney opened the scoring for the locals in the 13^th minute and then proceeded to add three more goals to her tally prior to half time. When Ash Connor completed the first half rout in the 42^nd minute it was 5-0 to Illawarra.
The second half didn?t get much better for Southern with The Stingrays adding four more goals; a second to Conner in the 69^th minute along with strikes to Lee (53m), Sam Muscat (78m) and Jill Cooper (87m).
I guess such a result was not totally unexpected given that it was top of the ladder playing the cellar dwellers but, nonetheless, it would be another hard pill for the Southern Branch team to swallow.
Illawarra march on; still unbeaten and still looking the team to beat in 2010.
ILLAWARRA STINGRAYS 9 (M.Carney 13m/27m/30m/41m, A.Connor 42m/69m, K.Lee 53m, S.Muscat 78m, J.Cooper 87m)
SOUTHERN BRANCH        0
Finally, at ELS Hall Park, the NWS Koalas played host to fourth placed Inter Lions.
Anna Mclean snatched a shock lead for The Koalas in the 28^th minute. The home side maintained this advantage into the half time break.
If Inter fans expected a second half resurgence they were in for a shock.  In the 50^th minute Evelyn Chronis doubled the NWS lead before Katrina Kraft added a third two minutes later.
The Koalas now had a full head of steam with Borg adding a fourth in the 59^th minute before Claire Tyson completed the scoring for The Koalas with her 90^th minute strike. A minor consolation for Inter Lions was Stephanie De Francesco?s converted penalty deep into injury time.
This loss will certainly have Inter Lions?s Coach Joe Baldacci working overtime on his whiteboard in an effort to discover where his team is falling down. The Koalas, in the mean time, will be buoyed by a fabulous win that may kick start bigger things for them in coming weeks.
NWSKOALAS 5 (A.McLean 28m, E.Chronis 50m, K.Kraft 52m, D.Borg 59m, C.Tyson 90m)
INTER LIONS  1 (S.De Francesco 92m)
Obviously the Arrive Alive Women?s Premier League produced some very competitive matches this weekend. The top four remains the same but only just. Some ?lesser lights? flexed their muscles to show that the league is not about a small number of sides. Beware of more upsets in the coming weeks as round two of the competition commences.
See you at a ground next weekend.
-By Ross Anderson