This week’s action was bereft of the shock results that we’ve come to expect in recent fixtures.
Boroondara though came close to a surprise loss, but eventually came away with an anxious 2-1 victory over Monbulk Rangers.
It was the usual for South Melbourne, as Tiffany Eliadis, Laura Spiranovic and Natalie Martineau all added to their real-estate in our Team of the Week.
Heidelberg too landed four girls in this week’s squad following their 5-0 rout of Box Hill as an additional four players made their way into the side following Monday night’s draw between Sandy and Bulleen.
Formation 3-5-2
GK: Kelsey Quinn (Heidelberg United)
Heidelberg’s custodian has been rewarded with a spot in our Team of the Week following a stellar month. Earning a third consecutive clean sheet after a strong performance against Box Hill on the weekend, Quinn wills surely come close to taking our prize as the WPL’s best keeper.
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CB: Alina Kapusta (Sandringham SC)
It was always going to be a tough ask for Sandringham to keep their structure, give they were missing a host of first team regulars, but with an experienced back line keeping the side intact, they looked all the more stronger. Kapusta – alongside her sister in center of defence – was key in tapering a Bulleen outfit who prodded and probed their way around the box on many an occassion. Made a few crucial blocks to keep the game tight.
CB: Alex Gummer (Boroondara Eagles)
Single handedly saved Boroondara from a huge upset at home to bottom placed Monbulk on the weekend. Her class shone when it counted, as she pushed up into a more advanced position to net a pair of second half goals to see her side over the line.
CB: Emily Dolzan (Bulleen Lions)
Bulleen’s centre-half always puts in an impressive performance more often than not, this time earning a spot after a decent display on Monday night. Exceptional at reading the play and quick to cut out attacks, Dolzan nullified many of Sandy’s advances in the final third. Made a tidy goal line clearance to deny Annabelle Gibney a brace.
RM: Enza Barilla (Bundoora United)
The highlight from her side’s 2-0 victory over Casey as Bundoora’s search to find their devastating best form finally gained some traction. Barilla was involved in majority of Bundy’s attacks from the get-go, bagging her side’s first goal after half an hour.
CM: Nikki Ceeney (Monbulk Rangers)
Her work in the middle was crucial to the resilience and fight Rangers provided against second placed Boroondara. She was instrumental across the pitch with her distribution, and her night was almost capped off by a 40-yard effort, which missed the woodwork by only centimetres.
CM: Annabelle Gibney (Sandringham SC)
Gibney was nominated once again as the best performer on Monday night. The midfielder wasn’t afraid to press forward, scoring a stunning 25-yard curling effort as well as providing an additional assist to her name.
LM: Belinda Pannella (Heidelberg United)
One of the stars of the show as Heidelberg dismantled Box Hill 5-0. The winger bought herself a brace with some fantastic link up play between midfield and attack, equipped with fantastic vision too.
CAM: Tiffany Eliadis (South Melbourne)
The usual suspect again for South grabbing a spot in our line up. Recently re-signing for Victory for the upcoming season, the attacker bagged another three votes and two well taken goals in a best on ground performance as South defeated Ashy 3-1.
ST: Kendra Jones (Heidelberg United)
Jones has gone back-to-back, earning consecutive selections in the starting line up. The forward was in the thick of the action, grabbing some special praise from her coach for her tireless work ethic and emphatic performances.
ST:Laura Spiranovic (South Melbourne)
Much like her counterpart in Eliadis, Spiranovic is no stranger to a spot in our Team of the Week. Coach Alan Davidson would always be assured of a quality performance out his attacker, as reflected in a technical and clinical display against Ashy.
Substitutes:
Rebecca Saber (Monbulk Rangers)
Her hard work and determination was extremely crucial in the way that the Rangers went forward and she could’ve bagged a couple goals herself if it weren’t for some good work by Anna Lanning between the posts.
Eleni Fakos (Bulleen Lions)
Tricky, pacey and showed an enormous amount of poise and balance off the right flank on Monday night. Fakos provided the assist for Dani Gudelj’s second half goal, changing directing on a dime and left the usually reliable Kristin Shensholt for dead on a number of occasions.
Natalie Martineau (South Melbourne)
Continues to impress us all this season, constantly picking up votes in each fixture. Again Martineau’s work rate in the middle was second to none, displaying her leadership and quality in the centre of the park.
Cindy Lay (Bulleen Lions)
Was the proverbial orchestrator in the Bulleen midfield. She delivered a number of dicing deliveries, and tried to play positive. Didn’t always pay off but praise her for trying. She was a composed dribbler when carrying the ball through the middle of the park and she always looked for the ball and continued to run and present.
Michelle Verzi (Heidelberg United)
Each week, one deserving player is unfortunate enough to miss out on a starting eleven berth and this week it goes to Michelle Verzi. She constantly found space and delivered balls with aplomb, Verzi fell inches short of landing a spot in the eleven this week.
Thanks to Andrew Bishara (@_andrewbishara), Bryce Clayton, Cheryl Downes (@ChicasFootball), Shaun Moran (@moranshaun) and Jordan Lim (@JordanLim24) for their nominations.