Women’s Super League Round 4 Review

One thing almost everyone can smile about though was St. George getting their first win of the season.  
Southern Branch 2 ? 4 Northern Tigers
It might have been cold and raining but the football was display at Ison Park was outstanding with six goals in total split 4-2 in favour of the travelling side, Northern Tigers.
In the opening 10 minutes, Southern Branch looked the stronger of the two sides with no fewer than five corner kicks next to their name. Northern Tigers? defence held strong but looked to be crumbling under pressure.
By the 12 minute Southern Branch had scored. A mix up and poor communication between Jess Golledge and her defence meant A. Graham could steal the ball away and walk it into the net. A great start for the home team who had been testing the Tigers? goal since kick off.
Midway through the first half there were more offside calls and corner kicks than there were shots on target from both sides, proof of how compact and midfield heavy this game was proving to be.
Against the run of play, Northern Tigers? pacey winger come striker Grace Ha picked up a loose ball inside the box, taking it past Southern Branch?s keeper and slotted the ball home. As effortless as Ha made that goal look, it took a lot of talent. There was a hint of it being as own goal as E. Dowse was last to touch the ball as it rolled into the goal.  
Just before the break Northern Tigers took the lead through their captain Gab Dal Pozzo. After some brilliant build up play, Dal Pozzo was played into space, had time to line up her shot and chipped the onrushing keeper.  
As the half time whistle blew, the away side were definitely the happier of the two however Tigers head coach Eric Daly knew his side needed to work a lot harder in the second half if they were to claim maximum points.
With just moments on the clock in the second half, Northern Tigers extended their advantage with Grace Ha once again getting her name on the score sheet with a strike from an impossible angle. The travelling side were now really starting to show off their footballing abilities after a half time pep talk. 
A second mistake by Jess Golledge gave Southern Branch a sniff of coming back into the game. It was a miskick which landed directly into the path of an opposition striker who was able to square up the ball across goal leaving Branch?s Elise Battin with the simplest of tap ins. ?Game on? was the cheer from the home team.
With 10 minutes left on the clock it was captain fantastic, Gab Dal Pozzo with her second goal of the game and the winner for Northern Tigers.
The score remained 4-2 as the final whistle blew with fringe first team defender Grace Balicki calling out ?Tigers are the greatest team ever!?, showing off just how important this win was against the former Premier League side.
Northern Tigers? attention now turns to UNSW Lions as they go head to head next weekend in what is sure to be a must see match at Mills Park. For Southern Branch, it might be time to rethink some tactics as they travel to Cook Park to take on Nepean FC.
Eastern UNSW Lions 8 ? 0 Southern Districts
UNSW Lions ran riot claiming a solid 8-0 win at home as things go from bad to worse for Southern Districts. After last weekend?s defeat, Southern Districts were still missing some key players coming into this fixture, UNSW Lions on the other hand were in fine form as L. Mitchell put four goals next to her name, Ayse Adalis scored three and with a lone goal ,M. Petschy. After some tough games, Districts now face the difficulty of trying to sign players in important areas to try and get their season back on track.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers 3 ? 1 Nepean FC
With all the goals coming in the first half, it was 45 minutes to remember for the girls from APIA Tigers as they continued their title defence. With three different scorers, E. Noro, N. Spirovski and J. Abrahim all getting on the scoresheet today, APIA showed off their class across the whole pitch as Nepean were let struggling to claw back into the game.
Parramatta Lady Hawks 1 ? 1 Sydney Olympic
The Lady Hawks battled hard against a Sydney Olympic side who have been getting stronger each week. Despite an early goal from P. Schafer, the Lady Hawks could not get the all-important second goal to close down Olympic. Just before the break, Kate Halaska managed to get the equaliser and secure an all-important point away from home.
St. George FC 2 ? 1 Western NSW Mariners
In their first win of the season, St. George FC achieved an epic 2-1 win over Western NSW Mariners. Goals from A. Humpries and P. Pearson were the difference as the home side let out a cheer as the final whistle went. Happy days to be a St. George player.
RESERVE GRADE:
Away from home, Northern Tigers achieved a strong 4-1 win over Southern Branch with youngster Katie Baker scoring a hat trick in the process. Considered a ?goal scoring machine? by the club, Baker is in fine form and pushing strong for a play in the first team.
Southern Districts? woes continued as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against UNSW Lions. The girls from APIA Tigers had something to cheer about as they cruised to a 4-1 win over Nepean FC. Parramatta Lady Hawks were very happy with a 2-0 win over Sydney Olympic and finally the travelling side, Western NSW Mariners went home with all three points as they scored a 2-1 win over St. George FC.
-By Peter Nowakowski