Round 7 of the Women’s Premier League sees a defiant Box Hill hosting Preston on Friday night, while Casey take on unbeaten South Melbourne on Sunday. The Corner Flag reviews every single fixture ahead of this exciting weekend’s action.
Box Hill (5) vs Preston (11)
8:30pm, Friday 24th May 2013 Wembley Park, Box Hill South
Form:
Box Hill – DWWDW
Preston – LLLLD
Head to Head:
13 May 2012 – Preston 1 Box Hill 4 (BT Connor Reserve)
27 Jul 2012 – Box Hill 8 Preston 1 (Wembley Park)
The signs have been there for awhile, but the 5-1 loss to South Melbourne in the Knockout Cup would have rankled within the Box Hill ranks. The defending champions are missing the spine that brought them so much success last season, from Goalkeeper of the Year Cassandra Dimovski to no-nonsense defender Yvette Muscat to premier midfielder Louisa Bisby. The return of Amanda Lawless will go some way to helping them on the goal front but a team that had not lost for more than a year before midweek will have to look inwards for answers on how to get back to the top again. Meanwhile, Preston’s first points last week against Bulleen were hard-won, but came at the cost of an injury to goal scorer Suzan Tanrikulu. Struggling for depth even before that, the Lions face an uphill task against a wounded Box Hill at Wembley Park. The result might not be too pretty.
Key Players:
Grace Vincent (Box Hill) – Ever present in the Box Hill midfield, the hardworking Vincent will have to pick up even more of the slack following Emily Hulbert’s unfortunate ankle injury sustained during cup duty. The defensive midfielder will probably admit she’s not been in top form this season, but the simply fact is when she plays well, Box Hill play well. If Vincent can win the midfield contest tonight, the Box Hill engine room will be purring along just fine.
Jessica Cvetkovska (Preston) – The tall Preston defender has one job tonight, keeping out the likes of Ellvana Curo, Seyma Erenli, Stacey Papadopoulos, Ruby Foottit and Elaina Vatcky. It’s a tough ask at the best of times for most teams, let alone a leaky Preston defence but Cvetkovska and co. will have to manage just that if they are to come away with anything from the game.
Heidelberg (9) vs Sandringham (3)
4:00pm, Saturday 25th May 2013 Olympic Village, Heidelberg West
Form:
Heidelberg – WLLLL
Sandringham – WWDDW
Head to Head:
21 May 2012 – Sandringham 0 Heidelberg 1 (Kingston Heath Reserve)
20 Aug 2012 – Heidelberg 0 Sandringham 5 (Olympic Village)
Sandringham still have their unbeaten record and will have been boosted by their midweek cup win over a strong Casey outfit, but things are not as rosy at Heidelberg. A young team have been struggling to match up to stronger and more well-versed opponents lately, though coach John Kyrgios believes that it will all come together sooner or later. The arrival of several American imports will have given the team a bit of a lift though, with Erin Brennan, Leigh Gray and the returning Michelle Verzi looking to improve the team’s fortunes. Sandringham will not just roll over though, especially with forwards Emma Runnalls and Sienna Fogarty on form. The latter had a hand in three goals against Altona on Monday, while Runnalls perhaps went one better by scoring a hattrick against Casey on Wednesday.
Key Players:
Michelle Verzi (Heidelberg) – The American defender was a popular figure at Olympic Village last season and her return will have added much steel to the backline. A vocal presence in defence, Verzi’s composure and ability on the ball will be vital if they are to keep the swarming Sandringham defenders out. Come on Yellow!
Sienna Fogarty (Sandringham) – Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee – Fogarty provides a unique blend on this team. One moment, she’ll be teasing her marker while keeping the ball glued to her feet, before unleashing a cannonball shot from 25 yards while at other times, she can bulldoze through a clump of defenders before… yes you guessed it, unleashing a cannonball shot from 25 yards. Her passing range is not too bad either so how do you defend against someone like that? Heidelberg will have to find an answer on Saturday.
Casey (4) vs South Melbourne (1)
3:00pm, Sunday 26th May 2013 Comets Stadium, Cranbourne
Form:
Casey – WLWWW
South Melbourne – WWWWW
Head to Head:
29 Apr 2012 – Casey 4 South Melbourne 1 (Comets Stadium)
14 Jul 2012 – South Melbourne 1 Casey 5 (Lakeside Stadium)
Casey’s season suffered another blip as they bowed out of the cup in the semi finals. It was not so much the loss but rather the way that Sandringham managed to beat them, with the Comets chasing shadows for most of the evening. Casey allowed Sandringham to dictate play for most of the game instead of playing their own brand of exciting football that we’ve seen recently in the league. This match against South Melbourne would have come at an unfortunate time then, with the unbeaten league leaders still yet to concede a league goal all season. Helina Vunderl-Messis has been ruled out for awhile with a serious knee injury, but there should be enough depth to cover for her in the team. South Melbourne will be looking to make it seven wins on the trot, but will have to watch out for Casey’s ‘bouncebackability’.
Key Players:
Rachel Binning (Casey) – Laura Croft’s young understudy has done admirably alongside her captain this season, slotting in well in central defence. Good in the air and a mobile counterpart to Croft’s aerial dominance, Binning shows promise for the future. South Melbourne’s vaunted attack will be quite another kettle of fish though, especially with their ability to score goals in clumps once the first one goes in. Binning will have to be on her guard.
Jessica Au (South Melbourne) – The former Melbourne Victory trainee has a chance to strengthen her claim for a starting spot in the team with Jessica Calder’s continued absence. Au was a terror on the wing against Cairnlea last week, her forward runs stretching their defence to breaking point. Another such performance this weekend might make people sit up and take notice.
Altona (12) vs Ashburton (7)
3:00pm, Sunday 26th May 2013 Kim Reserve, Altona
Form:
Altona – LLLLL
Ashburton – LWWWL
Head to Head:
None (Altona were in State League 1 last season)
Ashburton will be licking their chops for the trip to Kim Reserve this Sunday. Altona look easy prey sitting right at the bottom of the table, the only team without any points so far after six rounds. It has been a case of one step forward, two steps back for the basement dwellers, as promising signs from the last game against Sandringham was followed up by coach Nathan Rogers leaving his post late on Wednesday. Where does the club go from here, especially with a team that badly needs some guidance? Ashburton will not be showing them any pity as they look to climb back up the table after a loss to Box Hill stopped them in their tracks last week. Altona will be hoping the senior figures in their team can stand up and be counted if they are to give a good account of themselves.
Key Players:
Christine Fonua (Altona) – Fonua might not stay long at the club given her work commitments, but her return last weekend had a positive effect on the team. One mistake aside, the goalkeeper put in a solid performance between the sticks and seemed to have a calming effect on the team. Many of the players will have been familiar with her from last season, and trusting your goalkeeper to have your back is vital.
Esther Yong (Ashburton) – Starting the season in the Reserves, the young Ashburton player has seen some game time off the bench of late. Yong’s impact off the bench is often apparent given her style of play, as she snaps at heels and chases the ball all over the pitch. If Ashburton find a foothold early on, this bulldog might get a chance to impress with added minutes on Sunday.
EAP (6) vs Bundoora (2)
3:00pm, Sunday 26th May 2013 DISC, Thornbury
Form:
EAP – DWWLL
Bundoora – WWLWW
Head to Head:
22 Apr 2012 – EAP 0 Bundoora 3 (DISC)
07 Jul 2012 – Bundoora 8 EAP 2 (Hillsview Reserve)
It’s all unravelling a bit at EAP after two straight losses. It wasn’t totally unexpected given the calibre of their last two opponents but it all went a little pear shaped at Comets Stadium as mutters of discontent from supporters became a bit louder than usual. Kat Smith and David Edmonson’s plan to implement a play out of the back system at all costs is noble, but the young EAP side have gone to pieces against opposition that know how to defend against such tactics. Bundoora will be keen to inflict even more pain on their opponents this week, despite their own striker problems up front. The team has had to rely on makeshift forwards after losing Rachel Alonso and Caitlin Friend to long term injuries, but have still managed to continue winning nevertheless.
Key Players:
Bella Scott (EAP) – To play out of the back properly, the defence has to step up and take responsibility. That was sadly lacking last week as Beth Mason-Jones was left horribly exposed in goals. Scott is the more experienced of the full backs and has bags of potential, she will be vital in carrying the ball out of defence if she heeded her coach’s advice last week.
Tyla Jay Vlajnic (Bundoora) – The dead ball specialist is a handy player to have around when things aren’t going exactly to plan, as was the case last week. Unable to penetrate the Heidelberg defence in open play, Vlajnic scored the first with an Olympic goal, and then served up two more for her team mates from set pieces.
Bulleen (10) vs Cairnlea (8)
8:30pm, Monday 27th May 2013 Veneto Club, Bulleen
Form:
Bulleen – LLDLD
Cairnlea – LLLWL
Head to Head:
None (Bulleen were in State League 1 last season)
Bulleen are still struggling to get their first 3 points of the season, as an opportunity was missed against Preston. The team found themselves behind to a freak goal and only managed to level the scores late in the game. Coach Adrian Drury will have been worried by his team’s wayward finishing and general impotence in front of goal lately. The news coming out of the sick bay hasn’t been a promising one either, with strikers Alesandra Varallo and Fede Frew both suffering setbacks in their recovery from injury. Cairnlea, on the other hand, played well for 75 minutes against South Melbourne, but were undone by the other 15 minutes as South Melbourne mercilessly put seven goals past them. Encouraging signs though, especially if coach Jamie Monteith can keep spirits up. The result of this game could have far reaching consequences.
Key Players:
Brittany Thomas (Bulleen) – Thomas looked dangerous against Preston last week, her strength and speed causing Preston no small amount of grief. The winger’s explosive pace and dribbling ability will test Cairnlea’s full backs, especially after her personal disappointment at not doing more to affect the final outcome at BT Connor Reserve last time out.
Genia Avram (Cairnlea) – Avram’s return to Cairnlea three weeks ago has given the team a real boost. Whether it be playing in defense or in attack, a heavily inked Avram can be expected to give her all. Her technical ability and desire to win make her a vital player to the team and many of the team will be looking at her to help push the team across the line on Monday night against Bulleen.
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