An interesting Women’s Premier League round saw the week open with a massive upset as Casey Comets put a dint in Bulleen’s title aspirations with a 1-0 home victory on Friday night. The other Friday night game saw the NTC girls overcome cellar dwellers Monbulk Rangers to the tune of 3-1.
There were 4-0 wins for both South Melbourne – who were victorious over Sandringham – and Boroondara Eagles, who accounted for Ashburton. Box Hill United also notched up a win, with the three points being secured over Cairnlea two goals to one.
The final game of the round was billed as a Monday night classic, with Heidelberg hosting Bundoora United. Sadly the game never reached the heights expected as the two sides cancelled each other out to finish as they started, at a 0-0 stalemate.
Casey Comets 1 defeated FC Bulleen Lions 0 at Comets Stadium
One of the bigger upsets of the season took place on Friday night as Casey triumphed over then ladder leaders FC Bulleen Lions 1-0 to send their home support into raptures.
The deadlock was deservedly broken in the 80th minute through returning striker Brittany Dudley-Smith who in recent weeks has shown her teammates what they’ve been missing.
The game unfortunately wasn’t one for the ages but it’ll live long in the memory of the Comets’ supporters.
Monbulk Rangers 1 defeated by FFV U17 Girls 3 at Monbulk Recreational Reserve
The NTC girls are finding points easier to come by in the latter stages of the season as they came away with a 3-1 win against Monbulk on Friday.
There was plenty of action for the crowd early as Beattie Goad struck two within the first 20 minutes, with a Rebecca Saber goal for the hosts sandwiched in between.
Edith Fordyce-Croke made it three – and three points – after connecting onto a tasty cross early in the second half.
The win puts the FFV U17’s in ninth at rounds conclusion while Monbulk remain bottom of the pile.
South Melbourne 4 defeated Sandringham SC 0 at Lakeside Stadium
Tiffany Eliadis was the star as South Melbourne completed a 4-0 rout of Sandringham on Saturday afternoon. While it was a fairly low key first half, South always looked the more dangerous side and the signs were ominous as Eliadis – alongside Laura Spiranovic – were linking up well.
The breakthrough however came through the industrious Natalie Martineau as she pushed up the field to chip home from inside the box on the 52nd minute.
Spiranovic then set up Eliadis for two tap ins, with Jess Au also assisting for the hat-trick.
The win sees South Melbourne return to the summit with a game in hand after Bulleen’s loss.
Photo Gallery > South Melbourne Women’s v Sandringham SC
Ashburton Womens 0 defeated by Boroondara Eagles 4 at Ashburton Park
There was another 4-0 drubbing in the WPL as Boroondara more than accounted for second bottom Ashburton on Sunday afternoon. Four different players impacted the scoreboard for the Eagles, with a fast start going a long way towards the result.
Midfielder Aliesha Newman was well set up by Ash Callaghan for the games opener inside the first 12 minutes. Only moments later, and they had doubled their lead in fortuitous fashion. Ellen Turner’s presence was enough to earn her a goal as Ashburton’s keeper Alex Pocklington slammed her in the back on its way into the net.
Alex Gummer continued on with her good season by striking her side’s third before the ever impressive Irishwoman Callaghan struck in the dying moments to complete the scoring.
Cairnlea FC 1 defeated by Box Hill United 2 at Cairnlea Park
A strong opening term for Box Hill set the away side up for a strong 2-1 win over 10th place Cairnlea. United had the better of the first half, both in the play and on the scoreboard as W-League player Ellie Brush rose highest to header home in the 18th minute.
The impressive Cristina Cardaci linked up well with fellow wide player Natalie Exon to make it two just beyond the half-hour mark.
There was a marked improvement in the play of Cairnlea after the break and they struck through Emily Thomas but in the end weren’t able to nab an equaliser.
Heidelberg United 0 drew with Bundoora United 0 at Olympic Village
A game that promised plenty petered out into a 0-0 draw between two heavyweights of the competition. It could’ve been a different game however as Kendra Jones – who looked the most likely to create something all game – was forced off with an ankle injury midway through the second term.
Other than that, predictable attacking marred the contest as both teams stood firm to take a point and a clean sheet from the clash, whilst effectively ending any premiership aspirations.
Ashburton Womens 2 drew with Casey Comets 2 at Knox Regional Football Centre
Ashburton earned their first point in the league in over a month after earning a hard fought 2-2 draw against Casey who have found some form in recent weeks. The scoring was completed within the first 45 minutes in a frantic first half, which saw Comets player Tayla Vlaeminck net a brace.
Her two strikes bookended two Ashburton goals, as Jesse Kotsikas and Melina Ayres both hit home to put the hosts in front for a short amount of time.
The split points didn’t do too much to affect the ladder as both sides remain in their respective positions, 11th and eighth respectively.
Read More > Cohadzic: Pfeiffer best in league
***
Unfortunately due to time constraints we were not able to wrap up the NPL Victoria this week but click below to see the updated ladder and top scorers list.