Semi Finals Preview – Futsal Premier League Open Women’s

Women’s Futsal Premier League Saturday semi-finals at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls pits Inner West Magic against Mascot Vipers and Campbelltown Quake versus Eastern Suburbs Hakoah (both matches kickoff at 3.30pm).

Inner West Magic                      Mascot Vipers                           Olympic Park Sports Halls         3.30pm Saturday 21 December

Campbelltown Quake                 Eastern Suburbs Hakoah           Olympic Park Sports Halls         3.30pm Saturday 21 December

Inner West Magic v Mascot Vipers

It’s a Sunday-afternoon sizzler when premiers Inner West Magic meet Mascot Vipers at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls.

Inner West’s premiership wasn’t guaranteed until the final whistle of their final round-match after three losses at home and four defeats in the first nine weekends left them dangling on the top-four edge – five successive victories to end the season seeing them finish with the lowest premiership points-haul (30) since Mascot (28) won it in 2012/13.

But win it they did to make it seven trophies on the hop – three straight premierships, two consecutive championships and back-to-back Futsal Cups – and there seems no stopping the women’s league juggernauts.

However, giants can fall and there’s a few reasons to suggest Vipers could find a chick in the Magic armour.

Firstly, despite their recent glory Inner West have only won half their 14 finals matches (and two of four deciders) over the past eight years – Mascot have won four of the five playoff games they’ve contested over the same time, including both grand finals they appeared in (2012/13 & 2016/17).

Secondly, Magic have only won half the 18 meetings between the sides since 2012 (although six of the last seven have gone their way) to show Vipers can more than match it with their foundation club rivals.

Thirdly, the arsenal.

Inner West are blessed to have great scorers on their roster – golden boot winner Rhianna Pollicina (23 goals), Ceyda Cambaz (12), Amy Dahdah (7), Tori Tumeth (5), Doris Osman (4) and Bianca Galic (4) – but apart from them, no-one else managed more than a goal the entire season, and they leaked a team-high 40 goals (only winless Enfield conceded more).

Mascot admitted a comp-low 28 goals and their offence was more evenly spread led by Mariel Hecher (9), Marcella Santos (9), Natasha Aitken (9) and Sienna Fraser (6) – and Hecher was instrumental in a Vipers championship dash three years ago scoring a joint league-high five finals goals.

Sit back and enjoy the show!

Campbelltown Quake v Eastern Suburbs Hakoah

Campbelltown Quake take on Eastern Suburbs Hakoah in a cracking match-up at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls on Sunday afternoon.

It’s Easts’ first finals crack in the big league and they come in on some red-hot form – their only loss in the last six rounds was a 2-3 final-weekend fling that handed Inner West the premiership.

Hakoah also had nine different players score more than a goal this summer, none more so than Tamires Souza who scored in every single game bar one – a league-high effort.

But this isn’t Campbelltown’s first rodeo and, over the past eight finals campaigns, they boast the best for-and-against ledger of any side with +7 in seven playoff matches.

Quake come into the semi-final armed with two straight cleansheets (over Mascot and Northside) and team leading-scorer Linda Dudek (11 goals) fronting a team that also features nine different players scoring more than a goal.

Campbelltown beat Easts the first three meetings before Hakoah caned Quake 7-2 three weeks ago – so this could swing either way!