Round 6 Review – Futsal Premier League Open Women
Women’s Futsal Premier League round-six saw Mountain Majik and Boomerangs FS play a scoreless stalemate, UTS Northside edge Inner West Magic 4-3, Eastern Suburbs Hakoah beat Enfield Allstars 4-0, and Mascot Vipers pip Campbelltown Quake 1-0.
The results send unbeaten Mascot six points clear of Inner West and Campbelltown, as Northside and Easts victories furthered their top-four credentials.
The dozen goals scored over the weekend is the third-lowest round return in the past eight years. Despite this, the goal average per game this summer is still the highest on record (5.9 per match, an average 24 goals per round).
Mountain Majik 0 Boomerangs FS 0
UTS Northside 4 (Grace Arnold 2, Alexia Guerinoni, Hannah McNulty) Inner West Magic 3 (Tori Tumeth, Rhianna Pollicina, ?)
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah 4 (Hannah Charak, Anna Hermes Da Silva, Zoe Halpin 2) Enfield Allstars 0
Mascot Vipers 1 (Natasha Aitken) Campbelltown Quake 0
Mountain, Boomerangs stalemate
A nail-biting 0-0 Saturday-afternoon deadlock at Blacktown Leisure Centre hasn’t helped either Mountain Majik or Boomerangs FS.
Both sides had their chances, and both defenses had the answers in just the second scoreless women’s match in the past eight years.
There’s been four draws this season and Mountain’s been involved in three of them (Boomerangs in two; Phoenix hold the season-record with five) to remain win-less and cast last summer’s breakthrough grand-final effort far behind them.
The Territorians aren’t faring much better, now five points adrift of fourth-placed Northside with only one win to their name – a far cry from last year’s Premier League 2 premiership title-run where they lost just once all season.
Northside overcome Inner West
UTS Northside were simply magnificent in a gripping 4-3 win over Inner West at PCYC Dee Why on Saturday afternoon – their first victory versus Magic in 15 tries.
Tori Tumeth scored early for Inner West and when they doubled their lead soon after it looked ominous for Northside.
But UTS had other ideas and Grace Arnold hit back with a double before the break to head to the changerooms locked at two-apiece.
Northside hit the second-half court with steam and Hannah McNulty nudged them ahead with a 37th-minute goal, only for comp high-scorer Rhianna Pollicina to respond within minutes for Inner West with her 12th goal in six rounds.
But it would finally be UTS’ day as Alexia Guerinoni stepped up for the eventual match-winner six minutes from time, the home side holding on for a brilliant victory that places them two points off second place.
The result ended Magic’s road-trip run of 11 unbeaten away matches – a competition high over the past eight years.
Easts down Enfield
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah were clinical in a 4-0 Saturday-evening defeat of Enfield Allstars at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre.
It was 2-0 at the break and double the margin at fulltime as Zoe Halpin led the way for Hakoah with a brace, and Hannah Charak and Anna Hermes Da Silva chimed in with a goal each.
The result was good timing for a frustrated Easts, with Inner West and Campbelltown both losing this weekend Hakoah are remarkably four points off second spot despite winning just twice this year.
Enfield’s seventh straight league loss is one short of their club-low mark set last summer.
Mascot edge Campbelltown
A second-half Natasha Aitken strike split Mascot Vipers from Campbelltown Quake 1-0 in a top-shelf match at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday night.
Both teams fired off early shots with Campbelltown’s Linda Dudek, Renee Rollason, Antonia Sharp and Darcey Malone slewing clear-cut chances, while Mascot threats Mariel Hecher, Natasha Aitken and Marcella Santos also went close – both keepers showing they were up for the challenge to keep the match scoreless at oranges.
Campbelltown started the second half with more momentum, Malone making a nuisance of herself on numerous occasions down the flank and they looked certain to score as she drew the Mascot keeper and slotted a pass for Rollason to tap into an empty net before a last-ditch Hecher tackle saw her toe-clear the danger.
Aitken then turned executor for Vipers with a shot destined for the woodwork was palmed by Quake custodian Brianna Clarke into the net behind her to gift the home side a plucky 1-0 lead with five minutes to play.
Mascot might’ve doubled their advantage not long after as another strike looked certain to hit the back of the net only to be kept out by a Rollason clearance that didn’t look physically possible.
Campbelltown went on the ascendancy and forced Mascot to defend deep, but the Vipers held on for a gritty win that pushed them further ahead on the ladder.
A sixth-straight win is also one shy of their club-best seven set during their triumphant 2016/17 premiership-championship season.
Quake coach Mel Keith must’ve been exhausted following the epic bout, but there’s no time to rest with fourth-placed Northside and even fifth-placed Easts breathing down their necks.
“Wow! What a game!” she remarked. “I am proud of the girls. The lesson we take from it though is finish your chances.”
“We were missing [leading scorer Walsh] Claire tonight due to injury but I thought Darcey [Malone] and Olivia [Sloan] were exceptional as the younger players of the squad, and [Renee] Rollason stood up in taking the leadership role.”
“The table is tight. UTS next week after their big win [against Inner West] will be a tough one.”
Next games
2019/20 Women’s Futsal Premier League round-seven Saturday action features Campbelltown Quake versus UTS Northside at Minto Sports Stadium (3.50pm), Boomerangs FS welcome Mascot Vipers to the AIS Training Halls (4.50pm), Inner West Magic host Eastern Suburbs Hakoah at Valentine Sports Park (5.20pm), and Enfield Allstars play Mountain Majik at Morris Iemma Indoor Sports Centre (6.50pm).
