Round 29 Review – League One Women’s
Round 29 in the Football NSW League One Womens competition was truncated to six games due to the wet weather but it wasn’t lacking for drama.
The top four all won alongside Sutherland Shire FA in a good week for the top half of the table.
Let’s get onto the review!
Match of the Round: Sutherland Shire FA 2 defeated St George FC 1
It was bragging rights to Sutherland Shire FA in their 2-1 derby delight against St George FC at Kareela Oval #3 on Sunday night.
Sutherland Shire FA made it ten wins on the trot as they knocked off their local rivals for the first time in a while on a wet evening. Youngster Violet Keelan bundled home first before Jasmine Stretton doubled their delight in the second half.
For St George FC, it is a disappointing performance after their win last week. They pegged a goal back in the second half through an own goal but were unable to find a second goal. The Saints have one eye on next season as they try to get back into the finals.
It was wet and wild weather in the shire for a derby game under the lights at Kareela Oval as both teams looked to take home three points and bragging rights.
Sutherland Shire FA started the brighter of the two sides. They created the first chance of the night when Jasmine Stretton shot straight after a slick combination move from the hosts.
Building on their work, Sutherland Shire FA had a few more shots from range which can create chaos in the wet conditions. Those efforts included Alina Stojcevski who fired her shotwide of the mark as the game waited for the opener.
Jordan Baker built her way into the contest and had a hat-trick of shots to try and open the scoring for St George FC. Her best one was parried out for a corner by Sutherland Shire FA keeper Jasmin Lawler as the game remained 0-0.
Heading close to half-time, both sides had one final chance to register the first goal. Sarah Nachar found space and her effort went wide. Lacie Bowling whipped an effort over for Sutherland Shire FA as the game went into the break deadlocked.
The action opened up quickly in the second half. Sutherland Shire FA found the back of the net when Bowling’s cross was fizzed through the box and Violet Keelan got the final touch to make it 1-0.
Quickly it was double delight for the hosts. Another good ball from the right found the feet of Stretton who thrashed the ball home to make it 2-0 to Sutherland Shire FA.
Baker continued to pepper Lawler with shots from range but St George FC did pull a goal back when a Sutherland Shire FA defender turned the ball into her own net for 2-1.
This set up the goal for a grandstand finish. St George FC surged forward to find the equaliser while Sutherland Shire FA were content to hit them on the counter.
Substitute Ariane Brown almost had the perfect introduction when she took over on the right wing for Bowling. She strode confidently forward but arrowed her effort over the crossbar.
Sutherland Shire FA also hit the crossbar in their attempt to kill off the contest but St George FC went close in stoppage time when Stevie Donougher’s shot was blocked away by the Sutherland Shire FA defence.
The young side were able to hold on and enjoyed a win on derby night. Sutherland Shire FA are finishing the season in style with a long win streak which now stands at ten games.
Post-match Sutherland Shire FA coach Jon Long was delighted with the effort from the side in a game which had some feeling in it:
“It was a good, tough game. We were pumped for it and it is another step for the young girls building on last week’s result. It is another step on their journey. There was plenty of feeling in the game and it was good to win tonight.” said Long.
For St George FC’s coach, he was happier with their second half performance but also had an eye on building the team for the next campaign:
“We were good in patches but struggled in others. We improved in the second half but we need to regroup and work on some other things. The season is coming to an end after a long campaign so we have one eye on the future and the other on next week.” he said.
Match Stats
Sunday 4th September 2022
Kareela Oval #3, Gymea
Sutherland Shire FA 2 (Keelan ‘55, Stretton ‘58)
St George FC 1 (Own goal ‘67)
Sutherland Shire FA: 1. LAWLER Jasmin, 2. NISBET Genevieve, 7. KEELAN Violet, 8. RAAD Isabella, 12. CODMANI Janan, 17. STRETTON Jasmine, 22. DENDRINOS Christina, 32. HART Zoe, 37. STOJCEVSKI Alina, 51. GAIR Ella, 65. BOWLING Lacie (24. BROWN ‘67)
Unused subs: 4. WASER Sarah, 21. MADDOX Eva, 36. MEDAGLIA Corinna, 42. BOES Ella
Yellow cards: nil
Red cards: nil
St George FC: 1. AVGOUSTOU Chloe, 2. BESZ Nicole, 4. NACHAR Sarah, 5. MAXWELL Morgan, 9. BAKER Jordan, 11. DONOUGHER Stevie, 14. MAGUIRE Jasmine, 17. YEATS Zoe, 21. NICHOLLS Lara, 23. FARMER Maddison, 28. HUTTON Bek
Unused subs: 3. MINAS Joanna, 7. LEE Alicia, 19. NELSON Melody, 20. ORPHANIDES Amalia, 22. COUSINS Rebecca, 31. CRYER Abbey-Rose
Yellow cards: nil
Red cards: nil
South Coast Flame FC 2 drew with SD Raiders FC 2
South Coast Flame FC and SD Raiders FC shared the points in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Sir Ian McLennan Park on Saturday night.
The hosts finish off their debut League One Womens campaign with three home games with Saturday night being the first of them. Flame led 2-0 and will be disappointed to drop points after their thrilling start.
A double from Alexis Malizis in the opening ten minutes gave South Coast Flame FC the perfect start on a cold evening down on the south coast. They were unable to hold on but it is another point for the debutants in a solid year.
SD Raiders FC showed off the grit and determination which has made them a tough team to beat across the League One Womens season. Milica Aleksic pulled one back just before half-time then Sarah Mandile fired home late to wrestle back a point.
Camden Tigers 0 defeated by Gladesville Ravens 4
Gladesville Ravens wrapped up the Premiership with their 4-0 win against Camden Tigers at Ron Dine Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Ravens sealed their success in style with a 3-0 lead before they piloted home another goal to complete their work. Jess Wootton built on her hat-trick from last week, scoring a brace to make season tally 19 goals.
Her strike partner Gemma Woolley was the other Raven to fire home in the first half then Anja Seeto rounded off the powerful performance with a goal. It has been a 2022 to remember for Gladesville Ravens already but they have their sights on the Championship next.
For Camden Tigers, they were better in their possession after being wasteful last week but weren’t able to stand up to the experienced Ravens squad. Coach Troy Witton did highlight Indiana Hernandez for a fabulous second half performance.
Marconi Stallions 0 defeated by Northbridge Bulls FC 1
The Northbridge Bulls FC edged past Marconi Stallions in a 1-0 win at historic Marconi Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls weren’t at their usual prolific selves in front of goal but did enough to secure the three points on their visit to the south-west. Their only goal came from Jessica Seaman finding the back of the net for her sixth of the season.
Northbridge Bulls FC will feature in the 2022 League One Womens finals after a wonderful second half of the season where they have looked like the side which won the double in recent seasons. Now they have two games to tune up before the gauntlet begins.
Marconi Stallions put up a good effort after they were successful in mid-week against Nepean FC in their own 1-0 win. Coach Dino Severin has done a good job with his squad as they look towards their last game of the year next weekend.
Inter Lions 0 defeated by Hills United FC 5
Hills United FC bounced back in style with a commanding 5-0 win against Inter Lions at Majors Bay Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
The vistiors have almost locked in second spot with their 22nd win of the League One Womens season in a season where they wanted to make history with their performances. Ellen Berios led the way for Hills United FC with a hat-trick.
Imogen Lane scored as she continues her return to the first grade squad with her 12th goal of the season alongside Aisling Davidson. It was a winning debut for Hills United FC’s 15-year-old custodian Jasmin Selva keeping a clean sheet.
Inter Lions can see the finishing line in what has been a long and demanding season for the club which has only yielded six wins. Coach Adrian Contarino will enjoy a full off-season to mould his team for the 2023 campaign.
UNSW FC 2 defeated Nepean FC 0
The students continue their recent form in a 2-0 win against Nepean FC at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday afternoon.
UNSW FC remained in third spot after their 20th win of the season which was a comfortable exercise for them as they gear up for the finals. Eve Hess scored both goals for UNSW FC in the first half in another solid performance from the attacker.
Coach Guillermo Rubio was happy with the consistency UNSW FC has shown in the second half of the League One Womens season. It was another clean sheet for them as Rubio has one eye on the upcoming finals series.
Nepean FC are another side keen to get to the last week of the season intact. It has been a torrid campaign for the western sydney side and coach Ben Gough has a midweek game against Northbridge Bulls FC followed by a visit of Hills United FC to see out the year.
Central Coast Mariners vs Blacktown City FC & South East Phoenix FC vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers were washed out
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
