GK: Emily Shields (Box Hill United)
Played well particularly in the first half, when opponents Galaxy United were on top. Made some solid saves and earned a clean sheet and share of the points for her troubles.
RB: Stacey Papadopoulos (Calder United)
Best on ground in the mid-week victory over Senior NTC, Papadopoulos continued her stellar form this season with another commanding display from fullback. She provided plenty of drive down the right flank and completely owned that side of the park, contributing with an assist.
CB: Anouk Meereboer (Southern United)
Much like her Bulleen counterpart, Meereboer was a part of a defensive outfit that was in exceptional form. As a unit, they managed to keep Matilda Larissa Crummer quiet and Alamein fairly toothless bar one lapse.
CB: Antonia Niteros (Southern United)
It would have been incredibly harsh to include Meereboer but not Niteros, given their synergistic relationship in the heart of defence. Both fed off each other and performed admirably to keep Alamein at bay for the most part, culminating in a first professional win as a club.
LB: Annabel Martin (Galaxy United)
Another Galaxy United player who’s performances in 2016 have won many plaudits, the former NTC fullback was once again excellent, doing her defensive duties with minimal fuss while also linking defence to attack along the right flank. Squeezes into the team as a left back this week.
CM: Jessie Kotsikas (Alamein FC)
A rare standout in a dire day for Alamein FC, Kotsikas played her role linking the midfield to attack to perfection. It’s little surprise that Melina Ayres and Emma Runnalls faded when Kotsikas was brought off in the second half.
CM: Enza Barilla (Calder United)
Calder’s best consistent performer across the two games, Barilla was her usual busy self in the middle of the park, buzzing around the place and putting herself about to impact the contest. Scored the winner against the Senior NTC.
CM: Tessa Sernio (Bulleen Lions)
Picked as a standout by those watching on, the Lioness had an exceptional game in the middle of the park in her side’s 2-0 win over the Bergers, scoring her first goal of the season in the process. She was decisive and purposeful with her passing and did more than her fair share of defensive work to help alleviate the pressure on the Bulleen backline.
RW: Lia Privitelli (Bulleen Lions)
Another familiar name to the Team of the Week, Privitelli was once more amongst the goals – her sixth of the season – and again provided headaches for her opposition defence.
ST: Rachel Alonso (Calder United)
Grabbed a match-winning brace in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bayside United, and while she was kept a little more quiet against the NTC, her work across the weekend sees her earn yet another deserved spot in the first XI. Cindy Lay gets an honourable mention for her admirable performance in the mid-week fixture.
LW: Tiffany Eliadis (Southern United)
Grabbed both assists in the shock win over Alamein FC and was above and beyond anyone on the pitch on the day. Ran the show off the left wing, where she was allowed to also drift inside to impact the play more centrally.
Bench:
Kelsey Quinn (Galaxy United)
Picked as a culmination for a number of good performances in a row, the American was once again a reliable custodian for Galaxy United, earning another clean sheet in a good display. The one against Box Hill saw her notch up a third consecutive shut-out.
Maren Heller (Box Hill United)
It’s been a bit of a slow-burn for Maren Heller getting up to her full potential at this level, but the German was a strong performer for Box Hill United in their 0-0 draw with Galaxy United. In a game where both defences were on top, the imposing Heller marked her authority on the tie, despite struggling with an ankle complaint in the second half.
Charlee West (Bulleen Lions)
West was a called into action a number of times to keep Heidelberg United’s attackers in check. She kept things incredibly tight down the right flank and did a great job in helping Lia Privitelli into the game down her wing. Having said that, the entire backline of Bulleen performed with valour.
Hayley Richmond (Senior NTC)
Deployed at both left and right back against Calder United, Richmond was her side’s best attacking force in a game they went on to lose 2-1. She was often sought out by her teammates, such is their trust in the pacy flanker, and more often than not was able to create something on the ball.
Brittany Dudley-Smith (Southern United)
The Kiwi was bright coming off the bench against Alamein FC, and her impact saw her win the contest in the 67th minute. After a long injury lay-off, Southern will be hoping to see more of this form from their star forward.