SELECT Futsal Premier League 2 – Round 7 Open Women’s Preview

We’ve hit the halfway marker for the SELECT Futsal Premier League 2 season.

The top two have started to stretch away from the pack, so it leaves the final two positions in the top four up for grabs with round 7 providing four key fixtures to help shake it out.

Sydney City Eagles vs Raiders Futsal Club, Saturday 10 November, 4:20pm, Michael Clarke Recreation Centre

Rampant Raiders Futsal Club make the short trip across town to take on Sydney City Eagles to kick-off Round 7 Saturday afternoon at Michael Clarke Recreation Centre.

The competition leaders flexed their muscles in an 11-nil thrashing of Sydney Futsal Club, where they led eight-nil going into the break. For the Eagles, they couldn’t string together back-to-back victories, downed 5-3 against Crusaders.

Raiders Futsal are a well-oiled machine. They are a side that has been together for a couple of seasons now, and it shows in their play. Some of their movement and passing which cut open Sydney and unselfish play, Voloder may have netted four but assisted several so Eagles have a big task on their hands.

Making that task harder, is the prospect of not having sharpshooter Jess Beale, after her red card against Crusaders. Tameeka Thomson will take on a larger role, and she showed in her four-goal effort against Phoenix that she can strike from anywhere.

Boomerangs FS vs West City Crusaders, Saturday 10 November, 5:20pm, AIS Training Halls

Boomerangs FS are firing on all cylinders, head back home to Canberra and face West City Crusaders, coming into the fixture full of form, at AIS Training Halls.

Coming off another thrilling performance, where they piled ten past Phoenix Futsal, their fourth straight victory that puts them on fifteen points. Their coach has underlined their success saying they are a “rich vein” of form taking on a Crusaders side hitting their straps as well.

The Crusaders defeated a strong Sydney City Eagles side, 5-3 in a feisty encounter, their third game unbeaten, which has them within arms-reach of the top four. They sit with the Taipans on eight points, chasing Phoenix Futsal.

The home side has threats across the park, with six different scorers in their last victory as Kristian Collins hopes they can shut out opponents, including a tough Crusaders side which has found their shooting boots which makes for an exciting encounter.

Sydney Futsal Club vs South Coast Taipans, Saturday 10 November, 6:30pm, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence

Downbeat Sydney Futsal Club look to move themselves off the foot of the table, taking on South Coast Taipans, a side aiming to move back into the top four, Saturday night at Redfern.

Taipans showed their strength in salvaging a 2-2 draw against a game SD Raiders side, which kept them on the edge of the top four. For Sydney Futsal, they suffered a heavy defeat, 11-nil against the powerhouse Raiders Futsal.

Although the result showed 11 goals against. Sydney did have bright spots, in the first half, they troubled the Raiders Futsal keeper as Hannah-Rose Davey, Amelia Rader and Rochelle Johnson showed there is talent to possibly pick up scalps in the second half of the season.

South Coast can use that point as a springboard, to recreate their early season form which had them near the top of the table. In Wise and Danika Matos, they have enough firepower to beat the lower sides and head back into the finals fight.

Phoenix Futsal Club vs SD Raiders, Saturday 10 November, 6:40pm, PCYC Hornsby

Clinging onto their top four spot, Phoenix Futsal Club look to bounce back as they host seventh placed SD Raiders, in the final game of Round 7, at PCYC Hornsby.

The ‘nix come into the week off back-to-back losses, conceding 16 goals in both. They get some welcome relief in facing SD Raiders, the team from the south-west wrestled a point away from their fixture against South Coast to remain off the bottom.

The home side has shown they can grind out results, which included a big scalp against Raiders Futsal back in Round 2. Hannah Mcnulty still sits high on the goalscoring charts, alongside Isobel Gomez, the only other multiple scorer might find more joy against the lowly SD Raiders.

For SD Raiders, they want to get back in the winner’s circle and put further space between themselves and Sydney at the bottom. The draw showed they can match it with the bigger sides, and if Catherine Cannuli and Vesna Milivojevic fire it makes for an intriguing encounter.

-By Justin Davies