Womens State League Round 16 Review
There were plenty of goals and some big wins in the Womens State League, with 32 goals scored in just five matches played on Sunday.
The defending champions upset the league leaders, while Saints and Gladesville Ravens held the crowd captive in a ten-goal thriller in St George.
Match of the Round
Sydney Olympic v UNSW Lions
It was the Gabrielle Marzano show this week at Peter Moore Field, as the speedy left winger scored all three goals to end Sydney Olympic’s unbeaten streak.
Perfect weather greeted Sydney Olympic and UNSW Lions in a crunch match, but the home side were left to rue missed opportunities and injuries in their first loss of the season. UNSW were simply too strong all over the park, and despite the absence of Ayse Adalis, never looked fazed in front of goal.
After a fiery encounter in the reserves match, first grade started with a bang, with play switching from end to end as both sides contested every ball. From the outset, Gabrielle Marzano looked the most likely, giving Olympic fullback Kylie Manias a torrid time down the left flank.
Within ten minutes, Uni’s classy midfielder Claire Stephan set up Marzano for the first chance of the match, but the winger blazed her shot just wide of the near post. Still, it was a warning to the home side, who responded in the best way possible.
Collecting a long ball from the goalkeeper, Danielle Calvi flicked the ball expertly into the path of a rampaging Lisa Mitchell. Mitchell, who had a few miles in the legs from a cameo in the reserves game, outpaced and out-muscled Jacqui Feros, before firing home from close range. It might have been route one football, but the set up and finish were clinical. Against the run of play, Olympic were one up.
Buoyed on by the early goal, Olympic began to hold the ball for longer, with Sophie Scott and Kalista Tsoupis working hard in the midfield. However, within ten minutes, Uni had regrouped, thanks largely to some superb play by holding midfielder Elle Rasmussen, whose composed passing and good positioning in defense relieved the pressure on the visitors.
On the twenty-five minute mark, Laura Clapperton played a delightful diagonal ball in behind Olympic’s back four, opening up space for Marzano. Taking the ball superbly in her stride, the winger had eyes only for goal, and slid the ball home superbly to bring the two sides level.
Marzano’s equalizer capped off a high quality first half of football, with both teams clearly desperate to get their noses in front.
Stung by Marzano’s goal, Olympic came out of the sheds with a bang, with Danielle Calvi looking particularly threatening up front. Five minutes in, her shot fizzed just wide of the target. Moments later, as Calvi picked up the ball on halfway, she was met with a crunching tackle from Deirdre Barham.
Alongside the diminutive but skillful Jacqui Feros, Barham had a superb game in the centre of defence, using her strength to win everything that came near her in the second half. Most impressive of all though was the willingness to pass quickly out from the back to Rasmussen or the overlapping fullbacks, rather than lumping it long. When Uni get going, they play some seriously nice football, switching play quickly with short, sharp passes.
As the match went on, the class of Uni’s midfield began to show, as Shani Lauf, Claire Stephan and Elle Rasmussen dominated possession, making life very difficult for the home side.
Sydney Olympic weren’t helped by injuries, however, as both Lisa Mitchell and Danielle Calvi limped off, leaving coach George Beltsos without two of his most potent attacking weapons with half an hour still on the clock. Nevertheless, central defenders Kate Mitrevski and Madeline Mirkovic did their best to repel attacks from UNSW.
But it wasn’t enough to stop Marzano, who was simply too quick and too skillful for Olympic. She notched up her second goal with a well placed header off a Claire Stephan cross, before rounding out her hat trick from close range after some good build up play from Monica Kavanagh.
Sydney Olympic remain at the top of the table, but their stranglehold on the competition has slipped a little. “No excuses, we were outplayed, and UNSW were much better than us on the day” said Sydney Olympic coach George Beltsos, who was disappointed his side’s performance. UNSW now have a great opportunity to take two huge scalps in two weeks as they travel to Bathurst to face Western NSW Mariners.
Elsewhere in the Competition
St George Saints 6-4 Gladesville Ravens. St George Stadium.
It’s rare that a side scores four goals and doesn’t even earn a point, but Gladesville found themselves in this unfortunate situation at St George. There were ten goals in a thrilling game, with the home side taking away all three points. Melissa Toumbelekis bagged a double, while Georgia Koinis, Taylor Moore, Lauren Gardner and Kristy Kunovski all pitched in with a goal each for Saints.
Western NSW Mariners 9-0 APIA Leichhardt Tigers. Waratah Sports Complex.
After the long trip out to Orange, APIA were the victims of a massive performance by the home side, who were unstoppable in front of goal. Megan Embleton scored a hattrick, while Gillian Rosconi and Teigan Cox bagged two goals each. Erin Holder and Megan McFarland also found the back of the net, completing a great day out for the Mariners.
Bankstown City Lions 3-1 Southern Districts Emeralds. Jensen Park.
It wasn’t easy for the home side, who finished with ten women against Southern Districts, but goals from Samantha Muscat, Amy Dahdah and Georgina Stylianou was enough for the home side to take away all three points. Southern Districts pushed Bankstown all the way, with Sheree Bryant scoring a brilliant goal from a near-impossible angle.
Nepean 0-5 Mt Druitt Town Rangers. Cook Park.
The local derby at Cook Park was not a happy one for the home side, who were no match for the dominant Mt Druitt Town Rangers. The ever-reliable Taryn Rockall was on the scoresheet for Rangers, while Steph Trovato and Brooke Conroy each scored two. While Nepean struggle, Mt Druitt continue to be the dark horse of the competition. If they can beat Bankstown next week, it will really put the other sides on notice.
Parramatta Ladyhawks v Southern Branch. MONDAY 10th, Melita Stadium, 3pm.
Yet to be played.
Reserves
There were wins in reserve grade for Western NSW Mariners, Bankstown, St George and Mt Druitt, while UNSW and Sydney Olympic played out a hard fought 1-1 draw.
-By Joe Gorman
