By Zee Ko, Olympic Village – 20 April 2013
As far as crowd atmospheres in the Women’s Premier League go, this one was pretty raucous. The crowd was spread all around the ground, high up on an embankment on the bench side and dotted among the dusty stands on the other end.
Heidelberg’s Penny Bakopoulos and Tammy Hendriks were among those hanging around the fence that surrounded the ground, having incurred suspensions following red cards in their previous game. It was an interesting plot point in this contest, ensuring that the hosts would being this match up with one hand tied behind their backs.
Goalkeeper Alice Ryan was also missing, victim to a finger broken in three places in an encouraging opening day draw with defending champions Box Hill United. That credible 2-2 result, followed by a 3-1 win against a fast-finishing Altona meant hopes were high that they could perhaps get something out of this match.
Opponents South Melbourne had been impressive so far, with 13 goals scored and none conceded after two games. Altona and Ashburton had been easily swept aside, no match for the blue juggernaut that had rolled into town. The visitors’ recruitment efforts had not gone unnoticed, with their large squad overhaul dominating preseason talk in previous months. They hadn’t disappointed so far, with international recruits and young local talent impressing in the first two games.
Throw in the fact that both these Greek teams (yes we’re going there, despite the Football Federation’s insistence on calling all clubs ‘community clubs’) had met in the Hellenic Cup final, though reserves on both side had played a major part on that day. Heidelberg had lifted the trophy as repeat champions, and were hoping for an equally uplifting result this time round.
The midfield battle looked to be key, with Heidelberg’s elite pairing of club captain Belinda Pannella and Julia Nicolaci locking horns with South’s international pairing of Morany Chek and Natalie Martineau. It came as a bit of a surprise then, when the visitors proceeded to start the game by bypassing the middle of the park with rapid direct balls over the top. Forwards Laura Spiranovic and Lucrece Laverdure were not having much luck latching on to these, but the intent was clear as Pannella and company fought to play the ball back the other way.
There looked to be something off though, as the minutes ticked away and with a quarter of an hour on the clock, the sides remained deadlocked. There had been some rapier quick sorties from both teams, countered swiftly by pumped up defenders and occasional ripostes on the fast break, but much-fancied South looked strangely off colour this day.
Alex Cheal had a new partner in central defence in the form of Alison Baker, after Sarah Sumner had dropped out of the team following an attack of gastroenteritis, but looked uncharacteristically unsure of her place for the first time this year. The normally reliable defender shanked a clearance straight to Pannella, necessitating a winning tackle from Baker, but the defence was holding for now.
Heidelberg’s wingers were seeing plenty of service as the hosts tried to find an opener, with Demi Kallianis and Tahlia Tisocco scurrying up and down the touchline repeatedly. Heidelberg coach John Kyrgios seemed particularly animated on the touchline, his loud exhortations driving his players on to greater heights.
His opposite number Bill Mihaloudis seemed content to just watch silently from his standing brief in front of the visitor’s bench, as the usually quick-starting South Melbourne outfit started to find their feet. It appeared a matter of time before the dam broke and it was to be an unfortunate error from the Heidelberg defence that opened the floodgates.
Renee Zairis made an ill-fated decision to play the ball out of defence but her last touch was a little too heavy, allowing Chek to steal the ball off her and play in Laverdure. The striker needed no second invitation, running on to the pass and sweeping the ball across Zaira Douglas and into the far corner of the net.
There are some days when nothing seems to go right, and so it was for the hapless Heidelberg defender as yet another shot struck her arm in the box four minutes from the break. Up stepped Laura Spiranovic with a firm shot down the middle that saw Douglas move the wrong way. South were 2-0 up and looking good at the break.
If Kyrgios was hoping that his half-time team talk would have the hoped-for effect, that illusion would have been swiftly shattered as Spiranovic returned with a vengeance after the break. As the Bergers defence disputed a throw in near the box, Natalie Martineau sped past to latch on to Tiffany Eliaidis’ throw before cutting the ball back to Spiranovic. The striker took two touches to bamboozle two defenders before cutting on to her left foot and smashing past Douglas for her second of the game.
Any hope for a result from was quickly vanishing for the home team, despite Pannella and Tisocco’s valiant efforts at threading balls through to lone striker Sarah Domzalski. Chek and Martineau were seeing much more the ball now, as Eliadis finally sparked to life on the left wing too.
The fourth goal would come via another throw in, as Helina Vunderl-Messis delivered the ball to fellow substitute Ellvana Curo, before the latter player squared it to Eliadis. The former NTC player took one touch before opening her body and sending in a stupendous chip that curled around Douglas and beat her all ends up.
Heidelberg’s coach had grown strangely silent now as Bill Mihaloudis decided to tighten things up by sending on hulking central defender Natalie Brajonovski for two-goal hero Spiranovic. An unorthodox central midfield position reaped instant rewards as a sterling through-ball saw Selin Kuralay sprint past the defence and clear on goal. As the South Melbourne bench rose in delighted anticipation, Kuralay made no mistake, picking her spot and smashing a 25-yarder to consign Heidelberg to their first loss of the season.
For Heidelberg, it was very much back to the drawing board as their young team absorbs the lessons learnt from this sobering defeat. For South Melbourne though, it was yet another hurdle passed without too much trouble, as further obstacles loom in the distance. The season is young, but the early contenders are shaping up. The ladies in blue from Lakeside are very much in the frame.