Image: Graeme Furlong
A thrilling weekend of NPLW action was headlined by Bulleen Lions clinging on to the top of the ladder by the skin of their teeth, with a Liv Ellis stunner in the stoppage time of stoppage time salvaging a 1-1 draw against second placed Calder United in their top-of-the-table clash.
Elsewhere, both Galaxy United and Bayside United enjoyed come-from-behind wins, while Alamein FC stormed back into form – and the top four in the process.
At David Barro Stadium, for long periods of the game it felt like Calder were the hosts, with heavy pressure leading to unusually errant passages of play from Bulleen, who once again had their depth tested with Liana Iaconis another name on the casualty list.
Calder did also have a few nervous moments early, but settled the better and fired the first warning shot when Gulcan Koca’s throw in bounced favourably to Marie Rampal, who was through on goal but her shot was straight at Lauren Farrugia.
Enza Barilla was persistent up front as Calder pressed, taking a long shot that ricocheted off the crossbar.
Calder’s efforts paid off when it was two of game’s standouts – Koca and Stacey Papadopoulos – combining to create space on the right wing, allowing the former to whip in a cross that Rampal headed in at the back post.
Bulleen’s struggles up front were exemplified in the second half when substitute Keely Lockhart tried a bicycle kick from Dani Gudelj’s cross to no avail.
Farrugia prevented a second when Barilla’s perfectly weighted ball into the box found Alonso, who was denied at the near post.
The custodian could do nothing about Tyla-Jay Vlajnic’s sweetly struck free kick, but again the woodwork was rattled and the hosts escaped.
Lia Privitelli came on and provided some spark going forward, creating a passage of play which ended in the ball being bundled around in the area for Jamie Pollock to blast wide.
Calder’s bad luck with the woodwork at one end was compounded at the other end at 94.30 when Liv Ellis turned onto her right foot and delivered a long, curling shot that dipped into the far corner of the net and sent the hosts into raptures.
Over in Mornington for the unofficial distance derby of the league, it was again Southern United looking like a rejuvenated outfit when it raced out of the blocks in the 24th minute, and again it were the usual suspects combining for the lead when Brittany Dudley Smith crossed in for Tiffany Eliadis to finish.
The hosts held firm for the remainder of the half, but Galaxy in the second period looked to have a new lease on life and came storming home with the greater share of possession.
Yet with time running out, the scoreline remained 1-0 until a couple of masterstroke substitutions made the difference.
The equaliser came from Caitlin Pickett, who netted for the second time this season to level the scores.
With the contest approaching stoppage time and Galaxy pinning their opponents back with a corner kick, it was Olivia Ortiz who also popped up to find the winner, sending the visitors home with all three points in the bag.
Bayside United trumped both Bulleen and Galaxy in the comeback stakes, overturning a two goal deficit to storm home as winners.
They did get off to a less than ideal start, when Emily Heijden forced the ball over to get the hosts underway with an own goal.
The away side’s woes were compounded when Maggie Eudes then popped up from a corner to volley her team into a 2-0 lead after less than half an hour.
It was the Jamie Brown show in the second half, as two long-distance efforts drove the visitors back onto level terms, leaving Box Hill stunned.
And then it was the pocket rocket Bronte James with a spring in her step late in the game, beating Emily Shields in goal to secure the 2-3 win amidst jubilant scenes from Graham Dudley’s side.
With no midweek game now, Bayside’s fixture against the NTC previously scheduled for this week has been pushed back to July.
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It was a much simpler affair for Alamein, who had their front third all firing to secure a confidence boosting 5-1 win over Heidelberg, once against jumping ahead of the Bergers into that top-four spot in the process with their first victory since Round 9.
Annabelle Gibney was in barnstorming form early, lobbing Christine Fonua in goals in the eighth minute, before beating the keeper with a headed goal just moments later to hand her side all the momentum.
Matters got worse for Heidelberg when Demi Mihaloudis was forced off in the 28th minute due to a serious injury.
Emma Runnalls sealed a rampant first half for the hosts with a tap in for a 3-0 lead by the break.
The visitors had a glimmer of hope via a Hannah Ryan goal.
But it mattered little as Melina Ayres equalled her teammate Gibney’s efforts by bagging a double of her own to seal the 5-1 result, a massive turnaround from when both sides played last time, with Heidelberg winning at home by a similar margin.
The news got better for Alamein as the club confirmed the signing of American Kelsey Hodges, who replaces the injured Megan Fish.
Hodges comes to Australia after a stint in Sweden, with the former North Texas Mean Green player penning a four-month contract to boost Alamein’s stocks.
“This league is new in Australia and can open up more doors to other opportunities at the highest level in Australia and around the world,” she said.
“Also, after speaking with Sinisa (Cohadzic), the head coach, and Anthony, the CEO of Alamein FC, I felt very comfortable saying yes to the contract. They are very nice and have already provided me with everything I will need while I am in Australia.”
Images: Adrian Shaw