As we approach the middle of the season, the overall picture is starting to firm up. Which teams are likely to make Finals, which teams will be down the other end fighting the brave fight against relegation – it’s all becoming clearer now.
Round 9 saw league leaders bounce back from their Cup disappointment with a 3-2 top-of-the-table win over Bundoora, while Casey backed up their Finals credentials with a fine 3-0 victory over Cup champions Sandringham. Box Hill did just enough to hold off winless Bulleen, as Heidelberg showed their recent revival was no flash in the pan with a 6-0 romp over Preston.
Here we give you the best performers from the weekend that was.
Goalkeepers
We’ve seen plenty of surprise results before in the history of the league, so Cairnlea were taking nothing for granted as they travelled to Altona on the weekend. Three points were on offer and the visitors made sure of it with a clean sheet for Candice Sallama. The goalkeeper showed off her agility and shot stopping skills, saving well from Michelle Duffy and Altona captain Aneta Komijat on numerous occasions.
Another goalkeeper with a clean sheet was Casey’s Kelly Soles as they gained another home win, 3-0 against fancied Sandringham. The previously undefeated Sandringham saw their streak abruptly snapped at Comets Stadium, with Soles tidy between the posts for Casey. While she was not really unduly troubled on the day, the Casey goalkeeper still had to be on her toes for 90 minutes in an unblemished performance.
Life was a bit hairier up at Hillsview Reserve, as Diarna Cartwright saw South Melbourne twice take the lead before dropping a clanger for the winner. There was much heated dispute over whether there was a foul in the buildup or if it was even an own-goal, but the goal stood and South Melbourne came away with a 3-2 win. It could have been much worse though, if Cartwright hadn’t stepped up to the plate and made amends with a glorious one handed penalty save from Tiffany Eliadis. It could do her confidence a world of good.
Verdict – Sallama
Defenders
The South Melbourne defence finally leaked two goals this weekend, as Bundoora found a way through thanks to Julia Sardo and Gulcan Koca. However, there was nothing Sarah Sumner could do about the first – a stunning effort just inside the box from Sardo while the second came via a goalmouth scramble late in the game. The South Melbourne centre back was a rock in defence throughout, yelling and cajoling her team mates to hold firm in turns, and also launching attacks out the back with some precision long balls.
On the opposite side of the field, Bundoora’s central defensive pairing of Gulcan Koca and Melissa Missailidis were working double shifts too to contain the blue tide. While Koca was her usual calm and collected self, popping up to score a late consolation, it was Missailidis who impressed in a standout performance at the back. The central defender fought for every ball that came her way, shunting Laura Spiranovic, Selin Kuralay and Daniela Gudelj out wide whenever she could.
EAP haven’t had it easy these past few weeks, but showed plenty of fighting spirit as they played out a 3-3 draw with Ashburton. Alex Natoli put in one of her best performances this season at centre back, defending grimly as both teams played out a thrilling draw. The NTC defender hardly put a foot wrong all afternoon and was strong in possession. Having made her W-League debut with Adelaide last season, Natoli will be hoping many more such performances will make local selectors sit up and take notice.
Cairnlea full back Georgia Evgeniadis also earns a nomination this week with a commendable performance out of defence. The young full back has been improving every week since returning from injury and caught the eye with some fine attacking runs down the flank. While they might not have led directly to any goals, her coach will be pleased with how much heart she showed on the day.
Heidelberg too kept it tight at the back despite missing the services of regular central defender Sacha Philippou. Penny Bakopoulos was tasked with deputising in her absence alongside Renee Zairis, and the midfielder put in a stellar performance that would have warmed her coach’s heart. Besides helping her team keep a clean sheet, Bakopoulos showed her attacking instincts with regular bursts out of defence and also proved a menace at set pieces. Her brilliant volleyed goal off a Preston clearance was the icing on the cake.
Verdict – Missailidis, Sumner, Bakopoulos
Midfielders
Padiki Dade continues to make an impression in her new central role at Box Hill. Against Bulleen on Friday night at Wembley Park, the converted winger was once again at the heart of things, influencing proceedings with neat, tidy pass forwards and darting runs whenever the opportunity presented itself. She might not be a Louisa Bisby or someone in the mould of midfield partner Grace Vincent, but Dade’s performances of late have justified her position change. Box Hill seem to have found a solution to what looked like a lightweight central midfield at the start of the season.
Also impressing once again was Ashburton’s Christine Pfeiffer. The dependable Ashburton captain was at it once again as they almost made it a first win in three games, before managing to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat at the very end. While it won’t have been her best ever performance, Pfeiffer was in the middle of most of Ashburton’s attacking moves and you doubt the team could have done as well without her in their midst. Ashburton will be looking for much more of the same from their leader as the season goes on.
Michelle Verzi might still be missing for Heidelberg, but no worries as they still had Erin Brennan in midfield. The American import was a real live wire in the middle of the park for her team as Heidelberg launched a second half barrage to blow away Preston. Brennan got in on the act a minute before the end to, smashing home after a goal mouth scramble as the Bergers ran out 6-0 winners.
Casey’s snapping of Sandringham’s unbeaten streak was one of the talking points of the weekend, and it was down in no small part to Alexandra Gummer‘s efforts in midfield. The central midfielder has had a rip snorter of a season so far and though she did not get on the scoresheet this time, she was very much in the thick of things as Casey convincingly finished off Sandringham three goals to nothing.
Verdict – Dade, Brennan, Gummer
Forwards
There were plenty of options up front or on the wings for our Team of the Week this round, but we start off with the big game between Bundoora and South Melbourne. Laura Spiranovic conjured the opener out of thin air after half an hour of back-and-forth, spinning neatly on the edge of the area before beating Bundoora goalkeeper Diarna Cartwright with a delicate chip. Julia Sardo was having none of it though as she continued to make runs down the Bundoora right flank, finally awarded for her perseverance after captain Enza Barilla had drawn the defenders away with a blistering run through the middle. The pass sideways was as glorious as the amount of space it was played into, as Sardo galloped on to it and whalloped it beyond a diving Cassandra Dimovski.
Meanwhile, Leigh Gray was joining in the goalscoring fun at Olympic Village. The third of Heidelberg’s three American imports followed up a hattrick against Ashburton with a stunning effort against Preston this weekend. The second of Heidelberg’s goals was driven in with purpose and venom, as Gray made no mistake from the left of the penalty area in the 71st minute. The striker has finally settled in with her new team mates, and we can probably look forward to many barnstorming performances in the future.
EAP looked dead and buried at halftime against Ashburton, 2-0 down and seemingly headed for yet another defeat. That all changed in twenty second half minutes as Beattie Goad led an all out charge. The feisty left winger has been a revelation of late and once again caught the eye with her pace and trickery. The Australian U17 international set up teammate Eleni Fakos after a pretty one-two move with Jessica Pitts, before embarking on a 40-metre run to score EAP’s third goal. Amazing stuff from the young prospect.
Last but not least is a familiar name in these parts as Brittany Dudley-Smith put Sandringham to the sword. The Casey Comets striker has many a defender trembling in their boots when she steps on to the pitch and this was no different as she grabbed herself a brace of goals. If that wasn’t enough, she also set up Natasha Weragoda for the only other goal of the afternoon as Sandringham suffered some post-cup blues.
Verdict – Sardo, Gray, Dudley-Smith, Goad
Team of the Week XI: Sallama (Cairnlea); Missailidis (Bundoora), Sumner (South Melbourne), Bakopoulos (Heidelberg); Dade (Box Hill), Brennan (Heidelberg), Gummer (Casey); Sardo (Bundoora), Gray (Heidelberg), Dudley-Smith (Casey), Goad (EAP)
Substitutes: Soles (Casey), Natoli (EAP), Evgeniadis (Cairnlea), Pfeiffer (Ashburton), Spiranovic (South Melbourne)
Many thanks to all those who contributed to this week’s edition of the Team of the Week, including reporters Thomas Baldock, Tomasz Ng, Sean Ellicot, Xavier Player and Daniel Baricevic as well as numerous match and club officials and players.