What a weekend of football, starting on Friday night at Wembley Park and finishing with a flourish at the Veneto Club on Monday evening.
Bundoora were give an almighty fright this week by the plucky Lionesses from Bulleen, while Box Hill finally grabbed their first three points of the season. EAP continued their fine run, while Sandringham too made a statement with a big win.
Here we give you the best performers from the weekend that was.
Starting Eleven
It was a clash of two Melbourne Victory goalkeepers at David Barro Stadium as Brianna Davey made her first WPL appearance in Bundoora colours. Sporting a similar Number 00 kit at the other end was none other than Bulleen’s Melissa Maizels. On this occasion, it was the understudy who came out the victor despite the scoreline. the Bulleen custodian displayed smart instincts and a disregard for her own safety as she bravely threw herself at the feet of the opposition attackers.
Another former Victory alumni was busy keeping things tight at the back over at Kim Reserve as Katrina Smith got her team going with a sturdy performance at centre-back. The EAP player-coach led by example as her young team showed they’re certainly no pushovers this season. Two assists for the first two goals showed Smith’s influence, as her distribution to the wings led to goals for Daniela Gudelj and Kate Fotopoulos.
Partnering Smith in central defence this week is a familiar face as Alex Cheal makes another appearance in our Team of the Week. The South Melbourne defender was uncharacteristically shaky with a new partner in central defence following Sarah Sumner’s illness, but grew into her role as the game went on. A real defensive leader for South in these early stage of the season, there’s plenty of promise for the young defensive star and coach Bill Mihaloudis must be delighted.
As the rest of the Bundoora defence buckled under the early Bulleen onslaught, Claudia Fruscalzo seemed unperturbed at right back for last season’s Grand Finalists. The Bundoora full back was tidy in possession going forward and also made her presence known with a thundering challenge on a Bulleen encroacher which sent her opponent flying into the sideline fence. The tackle was all very legal, very clean and also inch-perfect. Fruscalzo was superb all evening as the visitors from Hillsview came good in the second half.
The left back slot is well contested this week, as Stephanie Catley made her eagerly anticipated return in Sandringham colours, putting in a good display as her team ran riot against Cairnlea. But surprisingly upstaging this seasoned Matilda is none other than Bulleen’s young star Olivia Ellis. Making her first start of the season for Bulleen, the 14-year-old prodigy began the game up front, before shifting down to left back. The little blonde tyro put in an outstanding performance that belied her tender age, leading head coach Adrian Drury to gush about her potential after the game.
In central midfield we have the majestic Morany Chek, who hails from Nantes, France. The former Saint-Herblain ball-magnet lopes through midfield with the ball seemingly stuck to her feet, gliding past any opposition midfielder who deigns to get in her way. Such was the case against Heidelberg at Olympic Village, as she robbed a dawdling Renee Zairis of the ball before squaring it to a lurking Lucrece Laverdure for the opening goal. On her day, Chek can be particularly devastating when left unchecked (sorry about the pun) but Heidelberg had other problems on the day…
In the form of none other than Natalie Martineau. The pint sized Canadian midfielder provides the perfect foil for Chek, enlivening the South Melbourne midfield with her darting runs and energetic performances. After a super performance against the hapless Bergers, it felt unfair to split the two up and here they are working in tandem again in this round’s Team of the Week. Martineau was a threat throughout the 90 minutes, speeding past static defenders in the second half to provide Laura Spiranovic with a tidy assist for her second goal.
Only one player scored a hattrick this weekend, and it was none other than Stephanie Tanti. The Sandringham playmaker was at her lethal best as she put Cairnlea to the sword with three consecutive goals before and after the halftime break. The treble makes it four goals in three weeks for the attacking midfielder, as she provides early opposition for South Melbourne sharpshooter Spiranovic in the Golden Boot race.
There will be many who argue that Rachel Alonso had a mixed game on Monday evening against Bulleen. The Bundoora striker had no luck in front of goal on the night but the fact remains that had it not been for her, the comeback might not even have happened. As Alonso’s shooting boots deserted her, she turned provider instead with a glorious cross that found an onrushing Gulcan Koca in space, before another sensational piece of ball carrying along the byline saw her left footed-cross turned home by Enza Barilla’s head. Alonso was in fine goalscoring form for her team last season, but her Melbourne Victory stint seems to have improved her as a player. Watch this space.
Joining Alonso up front is her captain and all-round superstar Enza Barilla. Barilla is always going to pose an attacking threat, but it is her sheer consistency and dedication to her team above all that will always be her main strength. There is a reason why her name is always on the tip of coach Mark Torcaso’s tongue when asked for his best players on the ground, and this was no exception. Barilla’s keen awareness of the game around her resulted in a fantastic dummy on Alonso’s cross for Koca’s opening goal, drawing defenders away from the action, before her point-blank header finally put Bundoora ahead.
Last but not least, Box Hill’s newest attacking weapon. Shorn of the services of Amanda Lawless and Louisa Bisby through injury, the defending champions recruited Ashburton forward Seyma Erenli and she has repaid their faith so far with a return of two goals in three games. The Turkish international striker seems to have fit well into her new team, linking up well with teammates and leading the line with aplomb. The goal on Friday night was just reward for a fine performance up front, and her and the club will no doubt be looking for many many more in the coming weeks.
Substitutes
Bethany Mason-Jones: The young EAP goalkeeper has shown no ill-effects making her WPL debut this season, after coming through the ranks at Box Hill. She was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet against Altona, coming out strong after a late mistake from a defender and just failing to prevent a goal.
Stephanie Catley: The W-League Young Player of the Year has matured into a force to be reckoned with over the past two years, and Sandringham will definitely benefit from her services whenever she turns out for them. Expect her to pop up with a few game-winning cameos just like good friend Ashley Brown last season.
Tiffany Eliadis: Eliadis is an enigma at times, there’s no doubt she’s got bags of skill and a potential to be one of the finest young talents in Victoria, but it’s in the application where she falters sometimes. Her languid style of play is not to everyone’s taste, and it can be frustrating to see her have little impact going forward occasionally, but we saw something different this weekend. Against Heidelberg, she came alive in the second half, bursting repeatedly into the attacking third and scoring a sublime chip over Zaira Douglas from the edge of the box.
Emily Dolzan: Exciting times for one of the more experienced heads in the young Bulleen side. Dolzan had to come on as a substitute goalkeeper in Round 1 after Maizels’ injury scare and did not disappoint. This weekend, she took on the captain’s armband too after Ashleigh Beagley’s shock departure and did very well in her former captain’s spot on the right flank despite the loss.
Nicola Prins: Sandringham’s capture of the former Casey forward seems to have been a magnificent one, as Prins seems to have fit into their attacking system without breaking a sweat. The striker can often be found among her team’s goals and assists columns and this weekend was no exception.
