A Women’s Premier League affair of the highest order played out on Saturday afternoon as FC Bulleen Lions triumphed 6-4 over Casey Comets in a feverish clash at Comets Stadium.
10 goals were exchanged between the two sides in a contest where both enjoyed the lead and both came back from deficits throughout 90 minutes of sublime football.
Despite the loss, Saturday’s contest marked what was arguably Casey’s finest display of the season, enjoying large portions of possession, keeping the ball on the deck and showing plenty of purpose with their forays forward.
But the class of the wounded Lions – off the back of a Team App Cup Final loss to Boroondara Eagles – eventually shone through as they fought back from 3-2 down to run away with the three points.
The hosts started the brighter of the two sides, monopolising possession inside Bulleen’s defensive third.
Antonia Niteros – bright throughout – flashed an early shot towards Cass Dimovski’s near post, but the keeper was up to the task, tipping the strike over the bar.
Bulleen eventually settled and when Cindy Lay was bundled over on the edge of the area after 14 minutes, the visitors were presented with a great chance to open the scoring from 20-yards.
Caitlin Friend – standing over the free-kick – had other plans, and caught the Comets napping with a short ball to Lay inside the area, who flicked on a first time pass to Emily Coppock on the right.
The training ground set-piece worked to perfection, as the striker broke the lines with precision before smashing home the opener.
Another free-kick proved the catalyst for the afternoon’s second as Casey found a rapid response in the 22nd minute.
Laura Croft was the creator for Casey, floating in a perfect ball from 30 yards into the box for the run and jump of Harriet Cordner who rose highest to nod past Dimovski.
Having helped create the first, Friend was on hand to finish the second as a chipped pass from Lay found the midfielder in a pocket of space on the right.
With a defender bearing down on her, Friend showed her class by looping a volley past Casey custodian Alysse Brusamarello from just inside the area.
The keeper had a nervy moment just minutes later as Lay ran down a clearance, with the ball spilling to the bright Charlotte McGlip, who fired well wide.
With five minutes remaining in the half, American Mykaylin Rosenquist ensured the contest was well alive heading into the second term, putting home another equaliser for Casey with a finish across the face of goals, despite suspicions of offside.
Five minutes after the break and they secured the goal to put them in front in a high-intensity tussle.
Niteros won possession on the right wing and waltzed unopposed into the penalty area before clinically applying a low finish to put the hosts into a shock league.
A shell-shocked Lions needed to react quickly and in the 52nd minute, thought they had the perfect response as Emily Coppock poked home following a mini-scramble in the box.
But an offside call denied her a brace and Bulleen an equaliser, but they didn’t need to wait long.
A Friend corner in the 55th minute resulted in a blocked shot for Bulleen providing a Johnny on the spot Dani Gudelj the opportunity to pounce on the loose ball, emphatically converting for the games sixth lead change.
The match saw its seventh and final lead change just a minute later as Racheal Quigley added her name to a swelling goal scorer list.
Playing in midfield, Quigley found herself with time and space inside the attacking area, settling herself before calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner.
She became the first – and only – multiple goal scorer of the contest just nine minutes later, hammering home from the edge of the area after some great Bulleen build-up.
The ball found it’s way to the right wing, at the feet of young McGlip, who whipped a cross inboard, Lay executing a perfect dummy run to draw a player to create extra space for Quigley to pick out the back of the net.
Alex Natoli added a fortuitous sixth in the 75th minute, lofting a ball from Lay’s short corner over the top of the hapless Brusamarello, who was left desperately scrambling back to keep the ball out of the net.
Despite the efforts of both sides, a three goal buffer proved too much to conquer, despite a late flurry from Casey.
First Niteros embarked on a foray down the left wing, cutting back inside and forcing Dimovski to hold her drive from 20-yards.
Casey’s final late chance saw them add a fourth to cap off the scoring as Rachael Binning hit a skimming header under the crossbar from Raelynn Mikell’s free-kick.
***
Casey Comets 4 (Cordner 22’, Rosenquist 39’, Niteros 50’, Binning 89’) defeated by FC Bulleen Lions 6 (Coppock 14’, Friend 34’, Gudelj 55’, Quigley 56’ 64’, Natoli 75’) at Comets Stadium [HT: 2-2]
Casey Comets: 1. Alysse Brusamarello (GK), 16. Katrina Avilla, 6. Raelynn Mikell, 4. Rachel Binning, 14. Anouk Meereboer, 11. Sharnoah Hurley, 3. Laura Croft, 12. Harriet Cordner (9. Chelsie Selleck 62’), 8. Shaunna Murray (10. Amy Radford), 2. Antonia Niteros, 15. Mykaylin Rosenquist
Unused Substitute(s): 7. Sheridan Dudley, 13. Marina Markis
Yellow Card(s): Mikell 65’, Croft 73’, Avilla 83’
Red Card(s): Nil
FC Bulleen Lions: 1. Cass Dimovski (GK), 3. Bella Scott, 12. Liana Iaconis, 22. Emily Dolzan, 20. Alex Natoli, 8. Cindy Lay, 21. Racheal Quigley, 6. Caity Friend, 19. Dani Gudelj, 10. Emily Coppock, 14. Charlotte McGlip
Unused Substitute(s): 2. Tessa Sernio, 7. Ashleigh Beagley, 17. Alex Theodosi, 4. Nadia Nieuwhof
Yellow Card(s): Friend 73’
Red Card(s): Nil