A Dream Start for Sydney Olympic
One of Australia’s most historic football clubs is reaping the rewards of its women’s program.
After nine rounds, Sydney Olympic sit on top of the table, six points clear of the nearest challenger in the Womens State League.
When you think of Olympic, images of the National Soccer League come to mind. Peter Katholos and Gary Phillips running the midfield, Marshall Soper banging them in up front, Graham Jennings tearing up and down the wing, and Gary Meier flinging himself around in goals.
These days, the boys are still doing well at Belmore, but it’s the women at the adjacent Peter Moore Field that are turning heads, still yet to lose in an eight-game winning streak that has everybody talking.
Wise students of women’s football will do well to look out for the likes of Kate Mitrevski, Danielle Calvi, Kate Halaska, Sophie Scott and Kalista Tsoupis, who have formed the bedrock of this well-balanced side.
Coach George Beltsos is reluctant to point out any one individual. “We’re not a team of stars. We work hard and it shows in our position on the ladder.”
Beltsos, in his second season in charge, makes discipline and professionalism a priority at training sessions and on game day. “There’s no mucking around” he explains, “sometimes I might get a bit passionate, and my players might be a bit scared of me at times, but I want my team to be focused.”
While it might be a well-worn cliché, Beltsos’ side is a close-knit group, where team spirit is valued just as much as individual brilliance. Beltsos’ perchant for discipline has earned him the respect of his players, which is returned in spades.
"I wouldn’t trade these players for anyone else in the competition" says George emphatically.
Last Sunday’s seven goal demolition of St. George was just the latest in a series of sterling performances from the women in blue and white. The week before they took all three points from the always-difficult Western NSW Mariners in Bathurst, winning 3-2 in a nail biter.
Beltsos says that the win in Bathurst might prove to be a season-defining moment for Olympic. “Its always a tough away trip, especially because the Mariners are such a good side. But we showed a lot of character to win that game.”
But despite the dream start to the season, Beltsos remains wary of praise. “We might be on top but we’re not head and shoulders above everybody else. There are a lot of good sides in this competition.”
“We work hard defensively. We might not dominate possession in every match but we play to our strengths.”
After experimenting with his formation during the pre-season, Beltsos has seemingly found the right combinations, encouraging his players to keep space to a premium at the back, and counter-attack with lightning speed.
Losing star striker Kate Halaska, who scored nine goals in the opening five matches, to a hamstring injury certainly didn’t help. However, it doesn’t seem to have affected the side’s strike rate, having scored an impressive 32 goals at an average of four per game.
Olympic come up against APIA Leichhardt this Sunday, before a crunch match against UNSW Lions. Beltsos knows that his side have become one to watch. “Everybody wants to beat us now. We’ve just got to step it up.”
-By Joe Gorman
