hummel F-League Women’s scorches in the freezing capital
The 2013 hummel F-League Women’s debut was anything but quaint as every side staked their claim to become the nation’s best.
Unbeaten Boomerangs (13 points) lead the way after five rounds but a 0-0 final-game draw with Sydney Scorpions kept things tight as Parramatta Blues (12) sit one point off the top and only a few in front of Melbourne Heart (9), Scorpions (8), South Brisbane (7) and Dural Warriors (6). Vic Vipers (3) will look to impress on home turf in the next series while Sutherland Shire showed plenty of grit despite going win-less.
It was certainly a weekend of topsy-turvy results as teams traded blows with each other, and it was interesting to note that four of the last 10 games were won by the team who scored second.
While the home side triumphed,Melbourne and Parramatta picked up plaudits as the highest road achievers with nine points from their ACT outings, Scorpions gaining eight and Brisbane seven.
Individually, Boomerangs ace Ashleigh Palombi leads the Golden Boot race with six goals, one ahead of Blues sharpshooter Renee Tomkins, with Brittany Palombi (Boomerangs), Nikola Orgill (Boomerangs), Georgina Stylianou (Parramatta) and Enza Barilla (Melbourne) all on four goals apiece. Charlotte Boyes (South Brisbane) and Brooke Cowie (Parramatta) have three each.
Overall a tight 85 goals were scored by 50 different players over the opening five rounds, and only Boomerangs and Parramatta (twice each) broke the average mark (4.25 per game) on their own in 20 fixtures.
Funnily enough, Boomerangs and Parramatta are by far the most explosive scorers with 21 goals (Heart are next with nine) but they’ve achieved them in slightly different fashion. While 10 different Boomerangs have scored, just three have managed to do so more than once (top-six scorers Orgill and the two Palombis). The Blues already boast seven multiple scorers to really spread their firepower. The sides with the next highest goalscorers tally are Vipers and Brisbane (seven apiece).
The F-League Women’s series next shifts to YMCA Derrimut in Melbourne for rounds 6-10 on July 6-7. The men’s round 5-10 will be played at the same venue on June 22-23.
Round 1
Dural Warriors 2 (Damelza Howard, Kathryn Mladineo) Sutherland Shire 0
Parramatta Blues 2 (Georgina Stylianou, Renee Tomkins) Sydney Scorpions 1 (Catherine Cannuli)
Boomerangs 3 (Ashleigh Palombi 10, Brittany Palombi 33, Nikola Orgill 49) Vic Vipers 1 (Sarah Richardson 21)
Melbourne Heart 2 (Tina Grkinjic 26, Elaina Vatcky 37) South Brisbane 1 (Nichole Laws 35)
Round 2
Dural Warriors 3 (Natalie Spirovski 20, Parramatta own goal 21, Tess Olson 26) Parramatta Blues 2 (Brooke Cowie 37, Renee Tomkins 50)
Vic Vipers 3 (Ilona Jakab 23, Chloe Drinoczky 26, Sarah Richardson 26) Sutherland Shire 1 (Emma Aston 24)
Boomerangs 6 (Nikola Orgill 4, Ashleigh Palombi 12/47, Brittany Palombi 38, Madelyn Whittall 40, Phoebe Worth 48) Melbourne Heart 0
South Brisbane 2 (Georgina Bridges 18, Brooke Skelly 23) Sydney Scorpions 2 (Filiz Urkanci 5, Laura Donnelly 13)
Round 3
Parramatta 7 (Brooke Cowie 4, Caitlin Jarvie 8/47, Georgina Stylianou 12/14/49, Renee Tomkins 36) Vic Vipers 3 (Rebecca Berry 16, Sophia Iosifidis 20, Michelle Duffy 24) Sydney Scorpions 1 (Zoeie Redman 16) Dural Warriors 0
Boomerangs 3 (Brittany Palombi 23/41, Rebecca Watts 31) South Brisbane 1 (Sarah Amorim 3)
Melbourne Heart 3 (Seyma Erenli 2, Enza Barilla 41/50) Sutherland Shire 1 (Megan Embleton 38 penalty)
Round 4
South Brisbane 4 (Georgina Bridges 30, Charlotte Boyes 36/44, Lisa Wilkinson 49) Dural Warriors 1 (Tess Olsen 23) Sydney Scorpions 3 (Filiz Urkanci 15, Ceyda Cambaz 40, Sarah Roger 41) Vic Vipers 0
Parramatta Blues 2 (Stephanie Asconals 30, Fabiana Perfilio 44) Melbourne Heart 1 (Daniela Gudelj 5)
Boomerangs 9 (Erin Clout 11, Ashleigh Palombi 22/44/50, Kim Smith 27, Michelle Aurousseau 43, Hayley Buckingham 46, Nikola Orgill 49/50) Sutherland Shire 0
Round 5
South Brisbane 2 (Charlotte Boyes 16, Brooke Skelly 44) Vic Vipers 1 (Letizia Sammut 18) Melbourne Heart 3 (Elaina Vatcky 32, Enza Barilla 48/50) Dural Warriors 1 (Dominique Caridad 28)
Parramatta Blues 8 (Jodie Bain 8/45, Brooke Cowie 9, Lauren Diduszko 24/49, Renee Tomkins 45/46, Stephanie Asconals 50) Sutherland Shire 0
Boomerangs 0 Sydney Scorpions 0
Round 1
Boomerangs smack Vipers
A second-half Boomerangs surge lifted them to a 3-1 win over a solid Vic Vipers at the AIS Arena in Canberra on a brisk Saturday morning.
Ashleigh Palombi got the ball rolling with a 10th minute strike that pushed the home side out to an early 1-0 lead, but Sarah Richardson put Vipers right back in it with an equaliser just before the break and the game stayed level until Brittany Palombi’s 33rd-minute snatch, Nikola Orgil making sure of it for Boomerangs with a last minute signature.
Melbourne edge Brisbane
Melbourne Heart and South Brisbane met in the middle at Canberra and it was the southerners who prevailed 2-1 in a tight match at the AIS Arena on Saturday morning.
A scoreless first half was broken when Heart’s Tina Grkinjic smashed one in a minute after the restart and both sides went at it for the next 10 minutes, South Brisbane finally drawing level through Nichole Laws to set up an enthralling final quarter-hour.
Elaina Vatcky added to the excitement with a Heart goal just moments later but it would be a second state of origin heart-ache for the Queenslanders as the Victorians held on for a tense 2-1 victory.
Round 2
Warriors overcome Blues
Dural Warriors did it the hard way in a tough 3-2 win against a gallant Parramatta Blues at the AIS Arena on Saturday morning.
Dural’s Natalie Spirovski broke through after an even opening 20 minute and a Parramatta own goal a minute later gave Warriors a 2-0 headstart heading into the second period, Tess Olsen scoring seconds after the restart to leave the Blues staring down the barrel of a big defeat.
But the Parramatta white flag will never be raised and the Blues even threw the kitchen sink at Dural, Brooke Cowie’s 37th minute strike pulling one back, but they couldn’t find another breach until Renee Tomkins’ last-ditch consolation.
Vipers rattle Sutherland
A Vic Vipers death rattle was the only difference in a titanic struggle with an understrength Sutherland Shire at the AIS Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Action at both ends culminated in Ilona Jakab snaring a 23rd-minute lead for Vipers only for Emma Aston to equalise in the blink of an eye for Sutherland.
The Vics must’ve had something special in their halftime drinks as Chloe Drinoczky and Sarah Richardson both blasted in goals to start the second half and try as the Shire did they just couldn’t breach the gap and Vipers claimed their 3-1 victory.
Brisbane level with Scorpions
South Brisbane and Sydney Scorpions fought out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the AIS Arena on Saturday afternoon to grab their first F-League point.
Scorpions struck first when Filiz Urkanci rippled the net on five minutes and Laura Donnelly doubled the advantage 10 minutes later to lift Sydney 2-0 in front.
The South Brisbane counter was swift as Georgie Bridges scored in the 18th-minute and a Brooke Skelly equaliser made sure the teams went into halftime all square once again.
Both sides had terrific chances in the second half to add their tallies but the tension built until fulltime was called with the teams deadlocked at 2-2.
Boomerangs belt Heart
A rampant Boomerangs second half helped them blitz Melbourne Heart 6-0 at the AIS Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Nikola Orgill struck early for the home side but Melbourne held with them to trail by two goals at the break, before the Territorians went on a second-term rampage to run out six-goal victors, Ashleigh Palombi grabbing a brace and Brittany Palombi, Madelyn Whittall and Phoebe Worth also grabbing goals in a comprehensive whitewash.
Round 3
Blues devour Vipers
Parramatta Blues delivered a second-half knockout to defeat Vic Vipers 7-3 at the AIS Arena on Saturday afternoon.
In a frenetic opening term Brooke Cowie, Caitlin Jarvie and a Georgie Stylianou double pushed Parramatta out to a 4-0 lead inside the opening quarter-hour before Vipers finally woke up and responded in venomous fashion, Rebecca Berry, Sophia Iosifidis and Michelle Duffy strikes bringing the deficit back to 3-4 at the interval.
But the Blues smiled broadest in the second half as Jarvie and Renee Tomkins consolidated Parramatta’s stranglehold on the Vipers to run out 7-3 winners, Stylianou completing the competition’s first hat-trick just before fulltime.
Scorpions sting Warriors
A Zoeie Redman first-half strike was enough to separate Sydney Scorpions from Dural Warriors at the AIS Arena on Saturday evening.
The game was short on goals but never short of drama as the two teams went toe-for-toe for the full 50 minutes. IN the end, Redman’s first-half punisher was enough for Scorpions to taste their first F-League victory, and Dural their first defeat.
Boomerangs pip Brisbane
Boomerangs made it three-from-three with yet another solid second-half display, beating a courageous South Brisbane 3-1 at the AIS Arena on Saturday night.
Brisbane got off to a flyer when Sarah Amorim opened in the third minute, only for Brittany Palombi to level the ledger just seconds away from halftime.
Rebecca Watts added to the Boomerangs tally five minutes into the second period and the two sides traded blows before Palombi fired in her second 10 minutes later to give the home side an unassailable edge to run out 3-1 winners.
Heart beat Shire
Melbourne Heart were tested by a developing Sutherland Shire, the game only sealed in the final minute for the southerners to win 3-1 at the AIS Arena on a crisp Canberra Sunday morning.
Heart went ahead after just two minutes through but they couldn’t shake a determined Sutherland outfit, who restored parity when captain Megan Embleton converted a mid-second-half penalty to make it 1-1 for a final 10-minute showdown.
Enza Barilla gave Melbourne the advantage with a 41st-minute strike but it wasn’t until she grabbed another just before fulltime that the game was put to rest, Heart winning 3-1.
Round 4
Brisbane rock Dural
South Brisbane turned a halftime deficit into a 4-1 second-half riot over Dural Warriors at the AIS Arena on Sunday morning.
A tense first half deadlock was finally broken with a Tess Olsen goal for Dural a minute before the break but the Brisbane oranges must’ve been zesty as Georgina Bridges and Charlotte Boyes moved the northerners 2-1 in front midway through the term before a second Boyes strike and late Lisa Wilkinson goal sealed the deal to give South their first F-League victory.
Scorpions poison Vipers
Sydney Scorpions enjoyed a 3-0 shutout of Vic Vipers at the AIS Arena on Sunday morning.
Filiz Urkanci put the Sydneysiders in front on the quarter-hour and second-half goals to Ceyda Cambaz and Sarah Roger completed the comprehensive Scorpions win.
Blues break Heart
Parramatta Blues came from behind to beat Melbourne Heart at the AIS Arena on Sunday morning.
Daniela Gudelj gave Melbourne a dream start with a fifth-minute opener and Heart held their buffer until Stephanie Asconals bobbed up for Parramatta to level the scores on the half-hour mark.
The electric atmosphere added to the tension as Fabiana Perfilio moved the Blues in front, and that’s the way it stayed as Parramatta racked up a second successive win, 2-1.
Boomerangs conquer Sutherland
F-League leaders Boomerangs gave Sutherland Shire a Futsal lesson in a 9-0 demolition on their home turf at the AIS Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Shire were stubborn in the first half and only Erin Clout and Ashleigh Palombi goals gave Boomerangs a 2-0 halftime comfort. They made sure of the job in the second half as Kim Smith, Michelle Aurousseau, Hayley Buckingham and Palombi added goals to make it 6-0, Nikola Orgill scoring a last-minute brace and Palombi rounding out the rout with her third on the stroke of fulltime.
A fourth straight Boomerangs put them clear of the pack on top of the F-League table, while Sutherland search for their first taste of success as the only win-less side.
Round 5
Brisbane expel Vipers
South Brisbane made it two wins in a row with a titanic struggle against Vic Vipers at the AIS Arena on Sunday afternoon, the Queenslanders only stealing a 2-1 victory in the dying minutes of a great game.
An even first half was punctuated by a Charlotte Boyes goal for Brisbane and Letizia Sammut strike for Vipers to keep the scoreline level at the interval. As the game ebbed and flowed, Brooke Skelly stepped up with five minutes left to push South in front a final time.
Heart capture Warriors
Melbourne Heart grabbed a confident come-from-behind 3-1 win over Dural Warriors at the AIS Arena on Sunday afternoon.
A scoreless first half underlined its closeness and not even a Dominique Caridad strike straight after the break for Dural could offer any real definition of a victor as Elaina Vatcky pounced right away for a Heart equaliser.
Enter Enza Barilla, who grabbed the limelight with a double in the dying minutes that edged Melbourne 3-1 in front and land them third spot following the first five rounds of action.
Blues bash Shire
Parramatta Blues ran out comfortable 8-0 winners against Sutherland Shire at the AIS Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Only early goals to Jodie Bain and Brooke Cowie separated the two sides until a thin Sutherland bench succumbed yet again to a second-half onslaught, Lauren Diduszko and Renee Tomkins netting Parramatta doubles before Bain added her second and Stephanie Asconals scored at the death to move the Blues into second place on the ladder.
Boomerangs, Scorpions stalemate
Sydney Scorpions and Boomerangs fought out an enthralling scoreless draw at the AIS Arena on Saturday evening – one of the rare times 0-0 has ever appeared on a Futsal scoreboard.
Both sides created plenty of chances in a tight, tense affair, but both defences scrambled hard as near misses, deflections and the woodwork ensured fans were kept on the edge of their seats throughout.
The goal-less encounter added plenty of drama to the points table as well, as Boomerangs remained unbeaten one point ahead of Parramatta.
What the coaches said
Boomerangs
Boomerangs lead the inaugural F-League Women’s tournament with the best offensive and defensive records (21 goals scored, two conceded), have held three clean sheets in five games, claim three of the competition’s top-six goalscorers (Nikola Orgill, Ashleigh and Brittany Palombi), and have 10 players who have already booted an F-League goal – no wonder coach Kristian Collins is a happy camper.
Well, except the scoreless culmination of a free-scoring weekend. “We went agonisingly close so many times in that game [0-0 against Scorpions], it must be one of the only games in Futsal history not to produce a goal,” he said. “Both teams had chances and it seemed it would come down to who’d take their chance first, but then there was the desperation on the defensive end not to lose it, so it was a pretty tense game to be involved in.”
“The girls are pumped and can’t wait for Melbourne, and so am I. There’s a lot of different styles in the league, so coaches have to be aware of what strategies to use; and that’s really good challenge for us to manage players, really know them and the roles they can play at any particular stage in the game.”
Dural Warriors
Dural Warriors started the weekend with a double victory, including a tight 3-2 gain on Parramatta, but three straight losses made them leave Canberra a little disappointed. Their defense was stoic but perhaps let down by a lack of finishing at the other end (seven goals in five games). Stand-in coach Toby Seeto believes a bit of work at training will have Dural back on track for the next series.
“It started off well for us in a high intensity game against Parramatta, but from there the results went a bit downhill. We were a bit flat against Scorpions and our intensity had dropped and we didn’t create as many chances after that,” he said.
“I still thought we played well and were unlucky at times. We just have to work hard at training and be ready for Melbourne. It’s a very competitive competition and I think on their day anyone can be a winner, which makes it exciting and interesting.”
Melbourne Heart
Heart coach Sam Mlynarz was delighted with what he saw from his team of young charges, who recovered from losses to the competition’s top-two sides with victories in their next game to steer Melbourne into outright third place.
“I’m very happy with how they performed. They showed a lot of good attitude and the results really didn’t show how well they played,” he said.
“The Women’s F-League is absolutely wide open. Anyone can beat anyone and I think it’ll be like this for the rest of the season.”
Parramatta Blues
Only a tight 2-3 loss to Dural stopped Parramatta Blues from enjoying a perfect weekend in the nation’s capital. As it stands they trail leaders Boomerangs by a solitary point.
The good tidings are misleading according to coach Roy Cowie, who’s guided scores of teams through scores of seasons to know that Futsal is a numbers game.
“We were down on numbers and played without a goalkeeper, Caitlyn Jarvie and Fabiana Perfilio doing a good job for us; but we only had two reserves, and that’s what it boils down to.”
Scorpions have 20 registered players and have the players there to run a whole game every game. We just don’t have enough players. I hope I’m wrong, but you have to play a numbers game. It doesn’t matter how good you are – my girls have done well for many years, there’s nothing they haven’t won, so they know how to get a result – but if you don’t have the depth and can’t train on a full-size court anywhere in Sydney to train on, then it’s always going to be tough.”
“Don’t get me wrong. An F-League is a step in the right direction for the women and we’ll definitely get better players from this, both for Futsal and outdoor, but it will come down to which team has the most players available at the end of it.”
South Brisbane
Brisbane coach Felipe Amorim applauded his team’s arrival on the national stage – two wins, two losses and a draw keeping them in touch with the leaders.
“It was alright for a newly-formed team on their first outing so I’m quite happy,” he said. “We haven’t had many training sessions under our belt so the players kept getting busy and stepped up another level with each game.”
“We have a few experienced players who are helping the younger ones develop and we now have four weeks to work on things from this weekend and go over these things at training. [The leaders] are very beatable and this competition has a long way to go.”
Sutherland Shire
Sutherland may have been undermanned in the Territory (fielding a team of four at one stage) but they were not totally outplayed and conceded plenty of late goals as the legs ran out of puff to indicate that they’ll be better prepared next time around.
Coach Glenn Woodhouse said admitted outdoor playing commitments culled his available squad but dipped his hat to the girls who gave it all.
“Even against Boomerangs and Parramatta we held them for a long time before the girls just got tired; most of the goals against them came from fatigue, so I can’t fault the girls at all; they really put in and tried, followed instructions, they just couldn’t compete with their fresh players,” he said.
“If we could’ve had a few more players we could’ve got better results. As it is, we have a young side playing in a national womens league; yes, I’m a bit disappointed with the situation, but the players on court showed a never-say-die attitude and still attacked until the end. Now we can rebuild for Melbourne and finish the competition stronger.”
Sydney Scorpions
They scored seven goals in five matches and were beaten just once – Sydney Scorpions certainly know how to etch out a result.
Draws against Boomerangs and South Brisbane and wins over Dural and Vipers consigned a heartbreaking opening round loss to Parramatta to oblivion as Scorpions squeezed their way into fourth place on the table, and coach Erkin Osman was more than pleased.
“In the last game [0-0 with Boomerangs] we had a lot of opportunities to finish but couldn’t get the goal, so it was the most disappointing result – you don’t hear about many 0-0 scorelines in Futsal, and we have let other teams back into games we were in control of… but a lot of our success has come down to how hard we’ve worked on our defence, making sure players up court come back to help out, using delaying tactics, and it has worked really well,” he said.
“There’s been no easy game, even against Vipers [a 3-0 win] we had to work very hard to get the result. The competition is hot and every team is holding their own. All teams are defending well and that has led to a tight competition.”
Osman said his players were thrilled to be part of a national women’s league. “The girls are really excited. The F-League is a great stepping stone to state and national representation, and is the ultimate competition for players in their sport.”
Vic Vipers
Vic Vipers don’t have a lot to show for an otherwise enterprising weekend, pushing top guns Boomerangs and Parramatta in tight battles (1-3 and 3-7 losses) and only gaining points from a win over Sutherland.
But the series shifts to Victoria and coach Garry Liakoureas is excited. “Without a lot of training I wasn’t sure what to expect but we improved with every game and we’re now looking forward to Melbourne… we can’t wait to play,” he said.
“We took a lot out of the games we played, especially the ones we lost, and sure there’s a lot of ‘what ifs’ but by the end of the weekend the girls started realising that no team is unbeatable. As a new squad coming together we have to be confident with each other. Once we give each other that acknowledgment, from there anything is possible.”
-By Dan De Nardi
