It was so, so close for Sandringham on the weekend as they became the first team to take points off runaway league leaders South Melbourne, while Altona somehow managed to limit Box Hill to three goals in a close loss at Kim Reserve.
Casey and EAP both smashed eight goals against hapless opponents and Heidelberg continued their promising winning run of late with a 3-1 win over Bulleen. There was one less game this week though, as the Bundoora-Ashburton game fell victim to a rescheduling blunder and was postponed till September.
Here we give you the best performers from the weekend that was.
Goalkeepers
Sandringham were threatening to run away with the game in the first 45 minutes on Saturday, with league leaders South Melbourne a goal down and on the ropes. South had lost captain Lauren Farrugia to an early injury and their ironclad defence was looking shaky for once after Stephanie Tanti gave the visitors a deserved lead. Cassandra Dimovski was having none of it though, the reigning WPL Goalkeeper of the Year standing firm to deny further efforts from Tanti, Hannah Stuart and Emma Runnalls as the hosts made it to the halftime break only a little bloodied. A defiant over the head grab from a fierce Tanti volley was a particular highlight as Dimovski’s heroics allowed South to fight their way back in the second half.
Having Christine Fonua back has given bottom team Altona some backbone in defence, as the goalkeeper limited Box Hill to three goals on Sunday. The back four becomes so much more composed with a trusted presence between the sticks, and try as they might Box Hill just couldn’t manage the rout many had been expecting before the game at Kim Reserve. Fonua was kept busy all afternoon, her top quality saves denying the defending champions on more than one occasion.
It was also a fairly easy weekend for Melissa Barbieri and Kelly Soles of Box Hill and Casey respectively, as they were the two goalkeepers to register shut outs. But despite their clean sheets both No. 1s were relatively untroubled.
Verdict – Dimovski
Defenders
One thing you can be certain of when reviewing Jessica Humble‘s efforts every weekend is her consistency. The Box Hill defensive leader gives it her all whenever she starts for the defending champions and Sunday’s match against Altona was no exception as she put in a tigerish performance at centre back. While some of her team mates seemed strangely unable to get out of second gear, Humble stood out with her composure and reading of play, keeping things tight at the back while constantly distributing the balls into all the right places.
While some of the credit for Altona’s improved defensive showing went to goalkeeper Fonua, two players in defence shone too. Full back Sky Jensen and central defender Jamie Te Pania dug in all afternoon in defence, foiling most of the Box Hill attacks that came their way. Jensen had probably her best performance all season, denying attackers down her left flank and even embarking on the occasional forward run or two. Debutant Te Pania also had a performance to bely her relative inexperience in the sport, after having represented New Zealand in touch rugby.
Youth was the order of the day at Lakeside Stadium as Sandringham fielded the pair of Emma Gunn and Stephanie Parton in the full back positions. The young defenders were magnificent handling South Melbourne’s pacey wingers for most of the game, shackling the likes of Tiffany Elaidis, Jessica Au, Aliesha Newman and Daniela Gudelj as they almost secured what would have been South Melbourne’s first league loss this season. Gunn in particular impressed at left back, scrambling well to foil wave after wave of South Melbourne attacks as they grew more frantic in search of an equaliser in the second half. Eliadis finally broke through to nab a vital goal, but the damage had been done through the middle before that.
Verdict – Jensen, Te Pania, Gunn
Midfielders
It was a rout at Comets stadium as a shell shocked Preston were hit by eight goals from a rampaging Casey Comets. Alexandra Gummer was the one player to get two goals, as a scintillating outing in midfield was well rewarded. The Casey midfielder has been in fine form through the first half of this season and has shown little sign of letting up, but there was also a standout performance from midfield partner Jaymee Dudley as the youngster finished with a goal and an amazing four assists. One of them was from open play as she laid on a pass for Elsie Hibbert but it was from corner kicks that she was at her most devastating, as the set piece specialist delivered gift-wrapped balls on to the heads of teammates Brittany Dudley-Smith, Laura Croft and Rachel Binning.
Another familiar face in this week’s Team of the Week nominations is South Melbourne’s midfield general Morany Chek. It’s Chek’s sixth starting appearance in eleven TOTW selections and it was well deserved once again as she saved South Melbourne from a second consecutive loss to Sandringham in all competitions this season. With her team spluttering and struggling to cope with the loss of their captain, Chek started running the gauntlet in midfield, charging into tackles and coming away with the ball despite increased attention from her Sandringham markers. The equaliser was all down to the former U20 French international, as she spun away and then mowed through the opposition midfield before playing a killer ball to an overlapping Tiffany Eliadis.
Chek’s opposite number Stephanie Tanti also had a good day in the office as she peeled off to score the opening goal, while proving equally influential for Sandringham in her accustomed deep role just behind the forwards. The trequartista’s opener was a thing of beauty, executed to perfection as she burst clear and brought down a peach of a pass from teammate Sienna Fogarty before running on and slotting the ball low past Cassandra Dimovski. Her contributions off the ball were as significant as her goal too, as her running between the lines kept the South Melbourne defenders busy all afternoon.
There were also a clutch of satisfied players at DISC after EAP trounced an understrength Cairnlea on Sunday. Jessica Pitts and Cindy Lay stood out in midfield, with the former player getting on the score sheet while Lay was unlucky to miss out after combining well with the forwards. A cheeky early free kick might have given her some reward for her efforts, but Candice Sallama was on hand to tip it over the bar.
While Box Hill’s 3-0 scoreline against Altona was closer than many expected, one player could not be faulted after yet another classy showing in midfield. Seyma Erenli has shown her versatility despite being constantly shifted between attack and midfield, but looked a class apart at Kim Reserve, drawing praise from spectators and opponents alike as she put in a good shift.
Verdict – Dudley, Chek, Gummer, Tanti
Forwards
Ask anyone who their best player on the ground was on Sunday at DISC and there was only one resounding answer. While Beattie Goad might have stolen the headlines with a well-deserved hattrick to continue her smashing form of late, her Australian U17 team mate Eleni Fakos had probably one of her best performances this season that had the spectators marvelling after the game. The Heidelberg youth product started at centre forward and was too hot to handle as she scored two and set up another two goals. Goad was proving a menace on the left flank too, taking every opportunity to run at defenders as she plundered a treble of goals while supporting Fakos up front.
What can you say about Leigh Gray? The Heidelberg forward has been on a tear lately and it showed no sign of letting up as she once again got on the scoresheet for her team on Saturday. Gray was a constant thorn in Bulleen’s side all afternoon and despite being fouled in the build up to the second goal, finally got one of her own when she rammed home a low shot in the 58th minute. The Bergers will be hoping this purple patch keeps going, as they aim for a finals spot after overturning a poor start to the season.
While there was little joy for Bulleen after yet another loss, they could take comfort in yet another sparkling showing from the youngest player on the pitch. Olivia Ellis has been a revelation for them this season, quickly becoming a vital part of the team despite her tender age. She played the full 90 minutes yet again on Saturday, refusing to give an inch despite the three goal deficit and goalkeeper Melissa Maizels’ sending off, finally grabbing a consolation goal in the dying minutes of the game.
Verdict – Fakos, Gray, Goad
Team of the Week XI: Dimovski (South Melbourne); Jensen (Altona), Humble (Box Hill), Gunn (Sandringham); Dudley (Casey), Chek (South Melbourne), Gummer (Casey), Tanti (Sandringham), Goad (EAP); Fakos (EAP), Gray (Heidelberg)
Substitutes: Fonua (Altona), Te Pania (Altona), Pitts (EAP), Erenli (Box Hill), Ellis (Bulleen)
Many thanks to all those who contributed to this week’s edition of the Team of the Week, including reporters Tomasz Ng, Xavier Player and Jason Turner as well as numerous match and club officials and players.