With 20 minutes gone and Heidelberg United deep in their own half at 1-1 against Alamein FC, a long ball releases Joey Cartwright on the left wing. She takes a few touches before confidently dispatching a shot past Melissa Maizels in goals.
It was an important flashpoint in the contest, completing Heidelberg’s comeback after a powerful Emma Runnalls effort had given the visitors a 12th minute lead. Moments earlier, Leigh Gray netted the equaliser after a clinical solo run that sliced open the defence.
Gray scored twice more to seal the 4-2 win, with Melina Ayres’ 90th minute effort acting as mere consolation for the visitors.
From the outside, it may have just looked like a home win to take the hosts to sixth place on the NPLW ladder. However, after seeming as though Heidelberg’s stuttering start to the season was going to continue following the early deficit, it was the recovery and subsequent performance that would have pleased coach Bill Mihaloudis the most.
For one of the first times this season, all the cogs in the Bergers machine looked to be functional, from the back four to the attacking third, with the chances that would have gone begging in recent weeks put away emphatically.
A triumphant Cartright said the result provided a massive confidence boost for her side.
“Our first half was actually the first half we came out firing, so it was good for that to happen and it was something we hadn’t done, so it’s a good feeling now,” she said.
“I feel like we’d fallen apart in the midfield [previously], but this week we sort of got it back together.
“We’ve sort of not had structure or work ethic I suppose, but we brought it all together and we worked hard for each other, and that’s what I reckon got us the result.
“For the team it was going to take a bit to pick up, but the win should take us forward a bit.”
The contest marked the youngster’s first goal of 2016 at her new club, as she looks to better the six scored in 2015 while at the NTC, topping the scorers charts alongside Emily Harbis.
Also important was her partnership with Gray, assisting the sharpshooter and linking well with the forward and other teammates up front.
“It felt good to [score and] get the girls all around me,” Cartwright said.
“I suppose Leigh coming in late was hard as well for us to get used to each other and playing with each other, but now we are used to it’s awesome.
“I just read her runs and she reads mine, so it’s easy to find her.”
Cartwright’s pre-season move to Heidelberg was one of Mihaloudis’ first signings of the NPLW era.
It marked not only another geographical switch for the Border product, who has previously featured in the Albury-Wodonga Football Association and the NSW Country side that that won the Girls FFA National Youth Champions in 2014, but also the first time outside of the NTC environment in the senior women’s top flight.
The former Australian youth international praised the culture and atmosphere at Olympic Village, saying the experience so far had been overwhelmingly positive despite some tough early results.
“It’s always hard to get used to a new club but so far I’m loving it, I love the coach, the team, the atmosphere, and I feel really comfortable here,” she said.
“At NTC it was different because were all younger girls, so you’re playing a different game.
“Playing with women has upped my game as well, and the club environment is so much better, you know everyone around you and you feel more comfortable at the club and it does feel like home.”
Image: Heidelberg United