NTC have recorded their third victory of the WPL season, running out 2-0 victors over South Yarra in chilly conditions at Fawkner Park on Sunday afternoon.
In a hard fought, end-to end contest, the visitors were able to create the chances required to record a deserved victory.
Yarra started the stronger of the two sides, however, and went desperately close from a free kick after just two minutes.
Sara Alberici hit the ball from 25 yards, but it flew just high and wide of the top left corner past Teresa Morrissey in goal.
NTC’s first real chance came after 13 minutes.
Having earned a free kick from 35 yards out, Melissa Taranto whipped in a very dangerous cross onto the head of Ashleigh Lefevre, who headed just wide, having done well to beat her marker.
Four minutes later, the visitors were in the lead.
Following a cleverly taken short corner, pacey winger Akeusha Sandhu found her way into the box before cutting back intelligently for Hayley Richmond, who finished calmly into the bottom left corner by beating both Ashleigh Bellman and a defender on the post to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
After 20 minutes, NTC looked to have made it two through the aforementioned Sandhu, but her goal was ruled offside.
Bellman then did well to deny Melissa Taranto, who, after turning and shooting, saw her shot tipped wide of the post.
On 28 minutes, South Yarra had the left post to thank for not falling two goals behind.
Captain Annabel Martin saw her delivery float across goal with Bellman stranded, before striking the post and being cleared to safety by the Yarra defence.
Despite the NTC’s ascendency by this stage, the second goal eluded them.
Edith Fordyce-Croker played Sandhu through with a superb through ball, but Bellman stood strong to keep the defecit at one with ten minutes remaining in the half.
The sides entered the sheds with NTC leading by the solitary goal.
South Yarra looked to counter often in the second half, with Alberici and Gretel Templeton the main outlets, however clear cut chances were hard to come by.
NTC doubled the lead in the 68th minute through Whitney Knight, who found space in the box before finishing calmly past Bellman.
Knight then saw a shot go wide, and Emily Harbis struck the crossbar, as NTC continued to press to extend the lead.
The game then petered out a little bit, with Yarra remaining resolute in defence, but simply unable to truly threaten Morrissey’s goal when in attack.
The contest ended 2-0 to NTC, who rise to ninth on the WPL Victoria ladder with two wins on the trot.
South Yarra 0 defeated by Senior NTC 2 (Richmond 17’, Knight 68’) at Fawkner Park
South Yarra: 1: Ashleigh BELLMAN (GK) 2: Hayley WALKINSHAW, 3: Sarah DASH, 4: Samantha TIGHE, 5: Hannah CHARMAN, 6: Aoife MURPHY, 7: Eliza MEALIN, 8: Madeline JONA, 9: Ashley LEDOUX, 10: Katherine FOSTER, 11: Sara ALBERICI 32: Sharon WALSH, 14: Madison Sarah WHEATLEY-HARRIS, 15: Gretel TEMPLETON, 16: Megan LORKIN, 12: Jennifer WESTHAGEN (GK)
Yellow Cards: None.
Red Cards: None.
Senior NTC: 16: Teresa MORRISSEY (GK), 2: Jaimee WILLIAMS, 13: Annabel MARTIN (C), 31: Coby MCINERNEY, 17: Hayley RICHMOND, 6: Adriana TARANTO, 8: Melissa TARANTO, 14: Edith FORDYCE-CROKER, 11: Whitney KNIGHT, 33: Ashley LEFEVRE, 25: Melindaj BARBIERI, 3: Nadasha DAKIC, 15: Akeisha SANDHU, 19: Sarah CAIN, 7: Emily HARBIS, 30: Celia KELSALL (GK)
Yellow Cards: None.
Red Cards: None.