SELECT Futsal Premier League – Round 11 Open Women’s Review
SELECT Futsal Premier League round 11 was tough, tight and testy and maybe outlined who’ll line up in this season’s final dance.
Sunday matches saw top-two Inner West Magic and Mountain Majik draw 2-2, Campbelltown Quake edge UTS Northside 3-2, Enfield Allstars and Eastern Subs Hakoah stalemate 0-0, while Mascot Vipers also drew 2-2 with Dural Warriors.
It’s Magic (29) and Majik (24) still at the top and pretty much assured of a top-two finish as UTS (18) and Quake (17) fight out the minor places ahead of fading Hakoah (13) and Vipers (12). Allstars (7) and Warriors (5) have next year to look forward to.
The competition’s top-six scorers are: Mountain’s Ashlie Crofts (23), Hakoah’s Tamires Souza (13), Magic duo Rhianna Pollicina (10) and Ceyda Cambaz (9), Vipers ace Natasha Aitken (8) and Quake’s Linda Dudek (7).
Inner West Magic 2 (Amy Dahdah, Ailish Mcdonagh) Mountain Majik 2 (Nadia Nisbet, Lauren Pruscino
UTS Northside 2 (Daisy Arrowsmith, Ariella Cabezas) Campbelltown Quake 3 (Linda Dudek 2, Bethany Gordon)
Enfield Allstars 0 Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 0
Mascot Vipers 2 (Natasha Aitken, Jess Frampton) Dural Warriors 2 (Emily Kos, Abbey Lemon)
Magic, Majik even-steven
Oh boy what a game as top-two Inner West Magic versus Mountain Majik finished all-square in dramatic circumstances at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday afternoon!
There was action at both ends and the visitors signaled their intent as comp leading scorer Ashlie Crofts forced Magic keeper Sophie Magus into an incredible close-range double-save, and moments later Majik’s Tanya Borazio dispossessed Olivia Hardaker and squared up Nadia Nisbet to strike into an empty net and put the Mountaineers up 1-0 after six cagey minutes.
The lead was very shortlived courtesy of a magical restart when Amy Dahdah toed the ball up for herself and sent a delicious lob straight over Majik keeper Regan Hill’s outstretched arms to level the scores immediately.
Hill made amends straight away with a sharp block of a Lara Bosnich breakaway, Magus too showing her worth with a string of solid saves at the other end, and it proved decisive as a terrific Inner West counter-attack nearing halftime saw Bosnich slip a nice ball through for Ailish Mcdonagh to bury under Hill and take a tough 2-1 lead midway through a great contest.
Majik started the second term brightly and they equalised via a perfect Monique Holder corner pass to Laura Pruscino who found the Magic defence asleep as she toed in from close range to draw the sides level once again.
Inner West went back on the surge in the final quarter-hour and only some solid Mountain defence kept them out, Majik put further under pressure when Holder hit the deck in agony and after six minutes of attention had to be stretchered off with five left on the clock.
It was mind games to end the match as both sides looked to make the other crack under pressure, and both defences showed incredible devotion to deny clear-cut chances at either end in the final minute of play as the curtain closed on a second successive 2-2 draw.
Throw in a 2-1 Futsal Cup quarter-final win to Magic and the last four meetings are locked at a win apiece plus two draws – clearly the most riveting rivalry in women’s premier league.
Majik coach Adam Barbera is thrilled with the progress of his developing side.
“It’s the third time we’ve played Inner West this season, and much like the others it was tight game where both teams had periods they controlled,” he said.
“Naturally we walked off the court disappointed not to get all three points, but there were many pleasing aspects to our performance that leave us in a good position going forward.
“A very unfortunate injury to one of our young guns Monique Holder meant the last five or so minutes lost all intensity. We all wish her the speediest recovery and hope she can return for the business end of the season.”
Magic club manager Matteo Maiorana was just as pleased with his troops.
“Top-of-the-table clash and missing three of the competition’s best players and still earned a point – I’m so proud of the girls!” he remarked.
“We had two girls over the age of 18; the other eight were 14-18. It really is a credit to the quality of these young kids who are carrying our squad every week.
“And Amy Dahdah, pardon the pun, is a Magician.
“Every week she leaves everyone speechless. That goal tonight, only Amy Dahdah could pull off something so unbelievable and spectacular as that. Incredible!
“Three games to go until we can hopefully secure back-to-back premierships”.
Quake break Northside
Campbelltown Quake immediately got back on track with a solid 3-2 Sunday-evening win against UTS at PCYC Dee Why drawing them within a point of third-placed Northside on the ladder.
Still smarting from their Saturday loss to Mascot, Campbelltown were clever in attack and a brick wall in defence as they grew a 3-1 halftime break, their first goal coming after just two minutes when Linda Dudek stole the ball from UTS’ Genevieve Tucker and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
It was 2-0 with barely another minute gone as Bethany Gordon spiraled a shot from out wide that nutmegged the UTS keeper, but Northside galvanised themselves and stormed back into the contest with a return strike just before the break.
The home side pressed hard in the second half and only some Erin Brennan heroics in goal for Quake – including an amazing double-save – kept Campbelltown ahead, and they extended their advantage to 3-1 soon after following a superb Dudek freekick.
Northside piled on the pressure and with two minutes remaining cut the deficit in half, but the visitors held on for a one-goal victory that maintained their top-four position.
Quake coach Mel Keith said her side had a lot of ball and controlled the game, but also had to stand tool in defence as UTS put everything on the line.
“Today was our best performance of the season against a team that always seems to get the better of us,” she said.
“If we play like that for the remainder of the season we are grand final contenders, but we need to keep the consistency each and every game leading into the Christmas break.”
It was a fourth successive defeat for Northside, however, two of their remaining three fixtures are against bottom-sides Dural and Enfield.
Enfield, Easts stalemate
A stubborn 0-0 draw between Enfield Allstars and Eastern Suburbs Hakoah was never short of drama at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday night.
There was plenty of huffing and puffing at both ends of the court, but no-one could blow the house down, Easts probably kicking themselves the most after blowing a player-advantage following Enfield’s Jo-Anne Saliba’s red-card dismissal.
While Allstars continue to be a thorn in everyone’s side despite falling completely out of the playoff picture, the scoreless draw hampers Hakoah’s playoff push as they trail fourth-placed Campbelltown by four points heading into this weekend’s pivotal match against Quake at Minto.
Mascot, Dural draw
Mascot Vipers versus Dural Warriors ended with the same 2-2 halftime scoreline at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday night.
The teams traded first-half barbs as Dural equaled their highest score of the season in the opening 25 minutes, but neither side could add to their tally after the break to remain deadlocked and share the points.
The draw put the brakes on Mascot’s post-season hopes as Vipers inched to within five points of the top-four but with match-ups with top-two Magic and Majik to come.
Next week’s games
SELECT Futsal Premier League round-12 Saturday matches pits Campbelltown Quake against Eastern Suburbs Hakoah at Minto Indoor Sports Centre (3.50pm), Dural Warriors meet UTS Northside at The Centre (5.50pm), Enfield Allstars face Inner West Magic at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre (7.05pm), and Mascot Vipers play Mountain Majik at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre (7.50pm).
– By Dan de Nardi
