Womens State League Round 11 Review
Round 11 of the Womens State League saw a double from Madeleine Bollard helped APIA Leichhardt Tigers secure their first points of the season against a lacklustre Southern Districts Emeralds. As the top-of-the-table clash saw a resilient Mt Druitt side defeat St George at Popondetta Park.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers 3 – 2 Southern Districts Emeralds – Match of the Round
In what was dubbed as perhaps a routine win for the Emeralds due to APIA’s place on the ladder, they faced a Tigers outfit that showed great belief and dedication throughout the 90 minutes. Their steel in the middle of the park along with the commitment they showed to each other was simply magnificent to witness.
Twice they came back from deficit to record their first win of the season much to the joy of their fans and of course their management staff. They were revitalised and inspired and this display showed no evidence of the team that has stepped onto the field luring the first half of the season.
There was a quiet confidence around Lambert Park as they saw Southern Districts as the perfect opponent for their first scalp. The Tigers have hit form over the past month as cohesion has finally set in whereas the Emeralds have suffered some disappointing results.
Although, it started in disaster for the home side as the Emeralds showed great skill in possession with two great chances to striker Vanessa Ciabatti. Two quick fire shots in succession showed she was up for a big ninety minutes.
Then 2nd minute in Ciabatti made no mistake and scored the opener from a great square pass from winger Caroline Nguyen. The winger made a mazy run down the wing beating two APIA defenders and showed great vision seeing an oncoming Ciabatti at the top of the box. The pass was magnificent and was put-away first-time by Ciabatti on the bottom corner.
The goal certainly did not deter the Tigers; in fact it inspired them as they took more control of the possession. Tiger midfielder Koo Barbi showed amazing composure in the middle of the park often picking out players as she constantly looked to open the play. It was her vision that led to some great opportunities to Bollard which were saved by the equally brilliant Margaret Isaac in the Emerald goal.
Ten minutes in and APIA recorded their equalizer through a great goal from winger Dione King. King who had the ball on the left side of the pitch saw the Southern Districts goalkeeper off her line and put in a magnificent lob to equalize. The goal was met with much joy from the players which made it clear that a win here would be significant to the Tigers.
As the half wore on, the action on the pitch started to test their fitness and guile as both teams showed equal opportunities on goal. The 21st minute saw a goal kick from the Emerald keeper lead to a defensive blunder from APIA’s back-four.
This blunder opened up an oncoming Nguyen who intercepted the ball and headed straight for goal. With absolute composure Nguyen dribbled the ball attracting two defenders and when the time was right put in a through ball to Ciabatti who put it away for a Southern Districts lead. The goal showed amazing understanding from the girls and of course great composure from Ciabatti.
The half ended at 2-1 as both teams showed signs of fatigue. The second half began in a much slower pace as both teams began to fight for territory. APIA who chased the game relied much on the vision of their midfielder Koo Barbi.
Barbi was in simply magnificent form, showing some “Zidane-esque” dribbling. She constantly picked out players to pass to which opened the game. Her vision was the key to success and her teammates gave her every opportunity to showcase her skills with the correct support.
After 15 minutes of end to end action to start the second-half, APIA scored the equaliser through what could be contender for goal of the season. Having received a pass from Barbi, Bollard who was at the top of the box saw an opportunity for glory and glory is what she got. An amazing shot full of venom meant they were back in the hunt for their first win of the season.
The goal saw Southern Districts crack, their confidence was down and frustrations started to surface. Their midfield started to give away cheap possession which led to APIA’s winner. The 65th minute saw a defining moment in their season as Dione King took advantage of an interception and dribbled her way down the left flank. Madeleine Bollard then saw the perfect opportunity to run in the box and was picked out by King with the perfect ball. Bollard then made no mistake burying the ball into the back of the net.
The winning goal meant celebrations for everyone around Lambert Park. Though what was just as impressive was their composure to keep their lead for the last twenty-five minutes to finally kick-start their 2014 season.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 4 – 2 St George FC
Great response from the Town Rangers after last week’s loss with this victory. The win will be a disappointing result for the Saints as they look to consolidate their top three credentials.
Nepean FC 4 – 0 Gladesville Ravens
More to follow….
Bankstown City FC 14 – 0 Parramatta Lady Hawks
More to follow…
– Chris Doroudgar
