Photo: Natasha Morello Photography
Box Hill United’s squad for the upcoming NPLW campaign has started to take shape, with four new faces joining a dozen re-signings at the club for 2017.
NTC duo Nikolina Bucalo and Olivia Cowan have signed on with the club, alongside former Bulleen Lions youngster Shelby Green and the returning Ebru Efe.
Amongst those to recommit to the club include forward Melanie Camilleri, who returns to the club after initially making the move to Heidelberg earlier this pre-season.
She joins international pair Kristina Hall and Maren Heller, as well as Georgia Koutrouvelis, Madelaine Richardson, Emma Littlewood, Emma Hubbard, Hayley Guerts, Kate Fotopoulos, Maggie Eudes, Jade Feakes and Charlotte McGilp as players to sign on for next year.
Nikolina Bucalo joins Box Hill after an injury-affected season, which saw the second-year Senior NTC player scored twice from appearances.
Having climbed all the way through the ranks of the State Development Program, Bucalo was handed a league debut by Stefan Busso in 2015.
She impressed in spades this year when fit, but was unfortunately hampered by an ankle injury in the early stages of the season.
Joining her out of the NTC program is young goalkeeper Olivia Cowan, who enjoyed her first taste of senior football in 2016.
Playing predominantly third fiddle to Teresa Morrissey and Jenna Ibrahim, Cowan had to bide her time, but made four appearances off the bench as rotation options for her compatriots.
She also notched up 21 appearances for the Junior NTC throughout 2016, playing a part in three clean sheets.
Shelby Green worked with coach McGuinness at Bulleen Lions, with the teenager also earning her senior stripes in 2016.
The youngster scored her first senior goal in the 8-1 Team App Cup Semi-Final rout of Boroondara Eagles and also made a handful of starts in the NPLW.
Ebru Efe returns to Box Hill after a year’s absence and will add strength in depth to the squad.
Efe played six seasons with Box Hill United, totalling 32 first team appearances in that period, before making the switch to State League One side Melbourne Uni.
Returning to the club is striker Melanie Camilleri after briefly featuring for Melissa Barbieri’s new-look Heidelberg United outfit.
Camilleri had initially made the move to Olympic Village in November last year, but the experienced forward opted to return for a third season with Pythagoras.
A veteran of 14 seasons in the Victorian top flight, Camilleri has over 200 goals to her name – 14 of which have been for Box Hill – and was also the recipient of the 2009 FFV Gold Medal.
American midfielder Kristina Hall and German utility Maren Heller will continue on as Box Hill’s international contingent for another season.
The pair experienced vastly differing 2016 campaigns, with Hall was one of the standouts of the NPLW, winning admirers for her no-nonsense work in the middle of the park.
The 28-year-old even managed to finish equal top in the FFV Gold Medal count alongside Senior NTC’s MelindaJ Barbieri, only to be ruled out due to suspension.
Former Bundesliga-capped defender Heller on the other hand battled a series of injuries throughout last campaign, but looked an assured figure both in defence and in midfield when given the opportunity to play.
The club will be hoping to get the most out of their talented 28-year-old this campaign.
Perennial figures Georgia Koutrouvelis and Madelaine Richardson have both committed to the club for another season.
Koutrouvelis is a veteran of over a decade at the club, with the 31-year-old former Melbourne Victory midfielder still churning out consistent performances for her club side.
A distinguished career has seen her win an astonishing six WPL titles with Box Hill – claiming best on ground honours in two of those wins – as well as the 2005 FFV Gold Medal.
She has featured over 200 times for the club, notching up over 30 goals along the way.
The versatile Richardson has been with Box Hill since 2011, where she has since established herself as one of the best defenders in the league.
Her prowess over set-pieces has seen Richardson contribute heavily in both a defensive and attacking sense in her six seasons at Wembley Park.
Capable of playing across the backline as well as in midfield, Richardson was voted into TCF’s Team of the Season for 2016 after a stellar year at centre-back.
Another player who enjoyed a standout campaign was Emma Littlewood, with the former Boroondara Eagles captain one of Box Hill’s most reliable defenders.
The left back – also capable of playing in the heart of defence – rose up the league’s with Boroondara before finally making a WPL debut in 2014 for Fil Simao’s Eagles.
She completed a move to Box Hill at the start of last season, having spent time studying in the US in 2015.
Kiwi forward Emma Hubbard likewise has recommitted to the club after returning from the States at the back end of last year.
A former teammate of Littlewood’s at the Eagles, Hubbard was a key figure as the Eagles claimed the WPL Minor Premiership in 2015, scoring 16 goals in her two top flight seasons with the club.
She featured three times for Box Hill at the back end of last season.
Former Melbourne Victory midfielder Kate Fotopoulos extends her stay at Wembley Park for a second season, after a return of 14 appearances in 2016.
The 21-year-old spent four season going between Heidelberg United and the Emerging Athletes Program – the precursor to the Senior NTC – between 2011-2014, the latter of which she made her debut with under the guidance of McGuinness.
She made 62 league appearances over four years, with her good form yielding W-League selection with the Victory.
Versatile right-sided player Maggie Eudes commits to a second season at Box Hill, and a fourth season in the Victorian top-flight.
The 28-year-old Frenchwoman’s journey in Australia began with Heidelberg United, where she made an immediate impression for John Kyrgios’ side as a booming right winger.
Equally capable of playing a right fullback role, the 28-year-old has five goals to her name in her three seasons in Victoria.
Young trio Jade Feakes, Hayley Geurts and Charlotte McGilp are the other two players to sign on for season 2016.
Former South Melbourne and Senior NTC utility Feakes joined Box Hill early into last campaign, having made just a solitary appearance for Galaxy United.
The Geelong-based defender won a Premiership with South Melbourne in 2015, where she featured across the backline as well as in central midfield.
For Box Hill, she made 21 appearances in the heart of defence, while even being deployed as an emergency striker due to her aerial prowess.
Geurts moves into her third consecutive season with the club, having signed from State League Two outfit Skye United after a 20-goal season in 2014.
After making seven appearances in 2015, Geurts featured more prominently last year, even scoring her first top flight goals with a brace against Senior NTC.
She was a part of 2015 WPL Select squad that triumphed over Tasmania in the Bass Strait Cup.
Former Box Hill junior McGilp made a name for herself within the NTC set-up, where she was handed a senior debut in 2014 under Joe Montemuro.
She completed a move to Bulleen Lions, where she first worked alongside McGuinness, before making the switch to Wembley Park at the commencement of the 2016 NPLW season.
An Australian Schoolgirls U19 representative, her brother Cameron currently features within the Victory Youth set-up.
The list of 16 players join Senior NTC graduate Hayley Richmond at the club for the upcoming season, with Jaimee Williams (Alamein FC) the only confirmed departure to date.