SELECT Futsal Premier League 2 – Round 3 Open Women’s Preview
As we head into week three of the SELECT Futsal Premier League 2 Open Women’s competition, Phoenix Futsal Club remain the only side with a 100% win record, whilst the rest of the ladder is compacted as the teams start to find their feet this season. Let’s get onto the review!
Fixture of the Week: Sydney Futsal Club vs Boomerangs FS, Saturday 13 October, 6:30pm, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence
Buoyed by their late heroics last weekend, Sydney Futsal Club host a disjointed Boomerangs FS in the fixture of the week, Saturday evening at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.
Meanwhile for the Boomerangs, they were disappointed in their pressure in the 3-1 loss to South Coast Taipans. Starting slow allowed the Taipans to dominate, and with the ‘rangs missing some of their roster to outdoor commitments, they haven’t hit the heights this season. Grace Basser Silk has been a bright spot with her goal last week.
Across the benches, Sydney Futsal Club are running on a high. A last-minute goal helped them to overcome the Eagles, led by a hat-trick from Rochelle Johnson. They will look to add to the Boomerangs woes with another performance in the fixture of the week!
SD Raiders Futsal vs Sydney City Eagles, Saturday 13 October, 4:10pm, Fairfield Youth & Leisure Centre
Second takes on fourth in an exciting contest to play out at Fairfield Youth & Leisure Centre between a frustrated SD Raiders Futsal and Sydney City Eagles on the weekend.
SD Raiders Futsal probably did enough to win a handful of games, but a 50th minute penalty save saw them share the spoils with West City Crusaders, 3-3. The Eagles found themselves on the wrong end of a heartbreaker themselves, conceding with the last kick of the game to lose 4-3 to Sydney Futsal Club.
The Raiders showed enough in their attack, despite an off afternoon from the usually clinical Catherine Cannuli, they have a talented attacking unit led by Cannuli and Vesna Milivojevic that will trouble most defenses across the season.
Regarding the Eagles, they have played out a pair of 4-3 games in the opening fortnight. So there should be goals in the contest on Saturday afternoon! The talent of Tameeka Thomson and Jess Beale will match up with the Raiders which makes for a wonderful exhibition of futsal.
South Coast Taipans vs Phoenix Futsal Club, Saturday 13 October, 4:40pm, UOW Sports Hub
Phoenix Futsal Club take their 100% record on the road, head down to the south coast to face third place South Coast Taipans on Saturday afternoon.
The Taipans were comfortable in their 3-1 success against a downbeat Boomerangs FS whilst for the visitors, they played out a nine-goal thriller, as they triumphed 5-4 against Raiders Futsal in a weekend filled with goals.
South Coast Taipans responded well to their opening day loss, with three different scorers last weekend. Danielle Wise leads the way for them with a trio of goals in her first two games alongside the experience of Leena Khamis make for a tough task for the undefeated Phoenix side.
For the visitors, much of their scoring has centered around Olivia Lambkin (five goals) and Hannah McNulty (four goals) as their impressive start to the season faces another tough test on the road.
With both sides keen to get forward it makes for a mouth-watering contest between the top of the table and third.
West City Crusaders vs Raiders Futsal, Saturday 13 October, 4:50pm, Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium
Fresh from their dramatic 3-3 draw last weekend, West City Crusaders are back on home turf as they face the only side yet to register a point in the SELECT Futsal Premier League 2 Open Women competition, Raiders Futsal.
Hollie Wilson played a star role, scored a hat-trick in the superb rearguard performance from the Crusaders which snatched a point to get the side off their duck egg. For Raiders Futsal, they were on the wrong side of a 5-4 goalfest to remain anchored to the bottom of the table.
Raiders Futsal might be without a point, but they have quality across their line-up including Cassidy Chidgey, Sophia Hamilton and Emma Voloder that will propel them to some more positive results, possibly starting with the team sat above them, in West City Crusaders.
Moving onto the Crusaders, once they found their feet against SD Raiders, they worked some incisive passages of play. Stefanie Trovato, whilst she didn’t find the scoresheet was a menace to the defense alongside Wilson as Crusaders look to put some space between themselves and the bottom.
-By Justin Davies
