Semi Finals Review – Women’s State League

In this weekend’s Minor Semi Final, St. George FC overcame the Gladesville Ravens in extra-time whilst in the Major Semi Final, Bankstown City FC cruised past a Western NSW Mariners FC reduced to ten players.
Minor Semi Final – St. George FC vs. Gladesville Ravens: 2-1
On Saturday afternoon, the third and fourth placed sides competed, with only the winners progressing.
The Gladesville Ravens were dominant for most of the first half, but unable to capitalise on their control of play.
In the fifteenth minute, Ravens midfielder Celeste Loyzaga blasted a powerful shot from well outside of the box towards goal. Her effort was palmed wide by St. George goalkeeper Selen Santoro.
Five minutes later, the Ravens’ top scorer, Noelle Loyzaga found the ball at her feet inside the box, with time to look up and shoot. Perhaps affected by nerves, the usually precise striker shanked her shot wide.
In the thirty fourth minute, Belinda Kayser played Noelle Loyzaga through for a second bite of the cherry. Selen Santoro was quick off her line, and able to smother the Ravens striker’s effort on goal.
Two minutes later, Georgia Koinis demonstrated why St. George have missed her in the past few weeks, knocking the Saints ahead against the run of play. The nimble striker was played through magnificently by captain Lauren Gardner, and confidently slot the ball home.
Gladesville showed no signs of frustration, and continued to work for an equaliser. It eventually came on the cusp of half-time, thanks to an incredible effort from Eleanor Jones. The Ravens winger latched on to a diagonal switch and left two defenders on the floor before curling a shot into the top left corner.
The Ravens went into halftime with a deserved equaliser, though perhaps believing that they should be in the lead.
The second half painted a rather different picture to the first, with St. George seeing the majority of play.
Rachelle Wang proved a constant menace for the Ravens defence, and forged numerous early opportunities through sheer will.
In the fifty fifth minute, Wang danced into the Ravens goalbox with pace and was able to place the ball past the keeper. The Gladesville defence were able to clear before the ball rolled over the line.
The Ravens had two significant opportunities to find a winner in the sixtieth minute. A corner found Celeste Loyzaga unmarked, but her header flew agonizingly wide. Winning another corner only moments later, Noelle Loyzaga was found free in the box, but also sent her effort off target.
The Gladesville defence were forced to work hard, and again cleared a ball off the line in the sixty sixth minute after Georgia Koinis chipped outcoming goalkeeper Lauren Scaramuzza.
In the eighty fourth minute, Noelle Loyzaga was found in the Saints goalbox with time to line up a shot on target. She struck the ball straight into the arms of Selen Santoro.
Susanne Gallagher for St. George particularly stood out in defence, and led the team from behind. Meanwhile, Ashleigh Smith and the Gladesville back four ensured the game would go to extra time.
Noelle Loyzaga had the first opportunity of extra time, but her shooting boots were clearly missing on Saturday. Dribbling into the box, she fired directly at the goalkeeper.
The wasteful Ravens attack were eventually made to pay, with Kate Emanuel scoring the winner for St. George in the 100th minute. The energetic winger burst down the left flank and into the box, scoring underneath the goalkeeper.
The goal understandably deflated Gladesville, and they appeared out of steam for most of extra time. St. George, on the other hand, lifted and were able to see out the match.

Major Semi Final – Western NSW Mariners FC vs. Bankstown City FC: 0-2
Sunday afternoon saw Valentine Sports Park host the Western NSW Mariners FC and Bankstown City FC, with the winner progressing immediately to the Grand Final.
The first half-an-hour saw the Western NSW Mariners comfortably control possession, but they were unable to do anything with their share of the ball.
Conversely, Bankstown City FC looked very dangerous on the counter attack and created many more goal scoring opportunities.
Bankstown came close to securing an early lead in the tenth minute, after a dangerous Melissah Parlato corner found Liana Babic free in the box. The central midfielder headed wide, to the relief of the Mariners defence.
The standout player was Bankstown City’s Lyndsay Kohlet, who proved nearly unstoppable along the left flank due to her combination of pace and strength.
Western NSW’s biggest opportunity of the first half came in the twentieth minute, when Tayla Lloyd was played into the box. Her initial shot was saved smartly by Bankstown goalkeeper Lana Ferreira, and the rebound scrambled out of play by the defence.
In the twenty seventh minute, Melissah Parlato weaved through four defenders with magnificent skill and found her way into the goalbox, but was denied well by Mariners goalkeeper Jessica Daymond.
Five minutes later, Lyndsay Kohlet went on a powerful run down the left wing, leaving fullback Erin Boxsell for dead. Her shot on goal stung the hands of Daymond, but the experienced keeper was able to hold on to the ball.
A minute later, Liana Babic played through Kohlet out wide, who cut the ball back towards Muscat at the edge of the box. Muscat held off her defender strongly, before turning and finding space to curl a shot towards the top corner. Jessica Daymond dived athletically to her right and pushed the ball behind.
In a similar move moments later, Kohlet hit the base line before cutting back towards Muscat. The league’s top scorer only needed to get a touch on the ball, but was unable to stretch far enough.
Tania Baban looked certain to give Bankstown a lead in the last play of the first half, bursting into the goalbox after a quick one-two with Kohlet. She was denied by an incredibly executed tackle from behind by the Mariners’ Annabel Meadley.
Having dominated the first half in terms of opportunities, but yet to score a goal, Bankstown came out for the second period determined to find the back of the net.
Achieving their objective would be made somewhat easier in the fifty second minute, after Megan Mcfarland received a straight red for tugging on the shirt of Samantha Muscat on the edge of the goalbox; ruled to have denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
With one less player on the field, the Mariners would do well to hold back the Bankstown City flood gates. That being said, it took more than fifteen minutes for Bankstown to capitalise on their advantage.
In the sixty ninth minute, Maniso Micheal played a magnificently weighted through ball to Lyndsay Kohlet. The winger hit the baseline before cutting back towards the penalty spot where Muscat made no mistake in giving Bankstown the lead. A move they had executed many times throughout the game finally came to fruition.
The weakened Mariners defence struggled to resist the explosion of Kohlet, Baban, Parlato and Muscat. Meanwhile, Jessica Salomoni and Tayla Lloyd were isolated up front, doing their best to claw back an equaliser out of nothing.
Salamoni was the Mariners’ most significant threat in the second half, and used her pace to leverage a handful of chances. There was simply too much for the attacking player to do.
Bankstown, perhaps a little complacent for periods, blew numerous opportunities to double their lead. It took until the ninetieth minute for Lyndsay Kohlet to cap a hugely impressive outing with City’s second goal of the game. Played into the box, her first effort was saved well by Jessica Daymond, but she buried the rebound.
Bankstown City FC progress to the Grand Final, where they will now play the winner of St. George FC and the Western NSW Mariners FC next weekend.
-by Daniel Palmer, Women’s State League Reporter