In a round which saw huge ramifications at both ends of the table, South Melbourne and FC Bulleen continued to battle it out for Women’s Premier League supremacy whilst Monbulk Rangers missed out on a golden opportunity to leave Ashburton stranded on the bottom of the ladder, losing 1-0 to now sit at the foot of the table.
For South, it was a 4-2 victory over Casey that kept them at the top, whilst the Lions kept touch with a 2-1 win over Heidelberg United in their quarter-final State Knockout Cup replay.
Bundoora United fought hard for a 3-0 win against Cairnlea who by all accounts provided stern resistance against their high-flying opponent.
17 goals fell in the remaining two games as the NTC girls got a hard earned three points with a 6-3 win over Box Hill United, who are now all but out of premiership contention. Boroondara’s 6-2 win against Sandringham rounded off an action packed week in the league.
Note: Unfortunately due to a lack of information, players that featured in the 4-2 result between South Melbourne and Casey will not be included in this edition of the Team of the Week.
Formation: 3-4-3
GK: Ingrid Philippe (Ashburton Women’s)
Ashburton’s Ingrid Philippe gets the nod in goals this week after a safe display between the sticks for Ashburton. In a round in which goals were easy to come by, Philippe’s clean sheet aided by a sturdy back four laid the solid foundation for the sides first win of the season.
LB: Liv Ellis (Bulleen Lions)
Like an elevator on the left was Ellis, just working her way up and down the flank all afternoon. On the defensive side of things, she prevented any danger breaking out on her side, often cutting off the cross or winning the ball before a chance was created. In the front half, she provided plenty of drive for Bulleen, getting forward as often as possible.
CB: Alex Natoli (Bulleen Lions)
Despite missing against Heidelberg in Bulleen’s cup match last week, Alex Natoli didn’t miss a beat this time around as she showed plenty of composure to keep the Heidelberg forwards quiet on Saturday afternoon. She distributed well from centre-back, and intercepted the majority of deliveries that came her way.
RB: Demi Kallianis (Heidelberg United)
A much needed spark for Heidelberg, starting at right back before venturing forward on the left wing in the second half. Having missed a lot of the season through injury, John Kyrgios gave her a start and she duly delivered, scoring a goal on the half volley that would’ve boosted her confidence immensely.
CM: Alex Gummer (Boroondara Eagles)
Player of the match in Boroondara’s massive 6-2 win over Sandringham. Gummer didn’t stop running all night, and her two goals were just reward for the huge effort she gave all night. She started on the left side of a midfield three, which saw teammate and (spoilers) fellow TOTW recipient Racheal Quigley sit as the number ten.
Read More > Gummer: Focus on ‘our’ game
CM: Christine Pfeiffer (Ashburton Women’s)
Best on in Ashburton’s first win of the season, Pfeiffer contributed well in the middle of the park. She was both combative and precise with her tackling and passing respectfully and bossed the midfield throughout the contest.
CM: Aisling Callaghan (Boroondara Eagles)
A massive performance from a tiny player as Ash Callaghan played out of her skin to help Boroondara to the three points. Plucked from obscurity in State League 2, Callaghan shone, providing a pair of assists as well as proving to everyone that she belongs on the big stage.
CAM: Racheal Quigley (Boroondara Eagles)
Boroondara’s technical director Manny Koutroulis said it best when he mentioned that Quigley’s shooting was “double your league standard of finishing in the WPL,” following her brace for the Eagles on Monday night.
Two quite simply brilliant goals, the first of which was a volley from outside the box to put her side in the lead, still in truth sold her short on the night. She had plenty of other chances to impact the scoreboard but fell short on a number of occasions.
LW: Emily Harbis (FFV U/17 Girl’s)
A brilliant hat-trick from the NTC’s young forward put Box Hill to the sword. It’s a fair combination of scary and amazing how prodigiously talented this young side is and Harbis lead the charge this week with a match winning contribution from the wing.
She opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a delicate chip before adding a further two in the second half.
ST: Emma Hubbard (Boroondara Eagles)
A resounding four Boroondara Eagles players in this rounds TOTW, and all of them were equally deserving of their spot. Hubbard was amongst the best’s and in particular her link up play from the top allowed those around her into the game. Players like Quigley fed off her delivery, with the coaching staff heavily praising her impact. A goal and an assist capped of a wonderful night for the forward.
RW: Lia Privitelli (Bulleen Lions)
It’s probably starting to sound like a bit of a broken record but this girl is just on fire! Not her best performance of the season but she was still incredibly effective, providing width and quality whipping deliveries from the right wing. She also got her name on the scoresheet for her troubles, taking her tally to 10 for the season.
Subs:
Beattie Goad (FFV U/17 Girl’s)
A huge effort from the young lady who has stepped up to lift to a performance that belies her tender age. One of the best players on the pitch in her sides ‘coming of age’ victory against Box Hill, she was at the centre of everything good that her side created, nabbing an assist to go with her commanding display.
Ellie Brush (Box Hill United)
The playmaker has had a wonderful season to date and her good form continued this week as she scored two late goals in her sides three-goal loss to the NTC girls. Unfortunately for Box Hill, her impact was a case of ‘too little to late’.
Padiki Dade (Bundoora United)
A standout game for the Bundoora winger who nabbed a goal in Bundoora’s 3-0 win over Cairnlea. She was a threat all afternoon, getting herself into advanced positions, whilst taking her goal well at the far post. Teammate Adelyn Ayton should consider herself unlucky to miss out on selection after a good performance, which saw her link up sublimely with Dade, whilst also nabbing a goal for herself.
Elaina Vatcky (Sandringham SC)
Just about the best of a poor bunch for Sandy who would’ve been incredibly disappointed with the performance and subsequent result. Vatcky nabbed a goal for her side and was lively down the left flank. Surprisingly it was her defensive duties that stood out throughout the contest as she often tracked back to help out her under fire teammates.
Alexi Garcia (FFV U/17 Girl’s)
Garcia rounds off the youthful trio from the FFV U/17’s in what was the surprise result of the round. The versatile midfielder showcased her talents against a good Box Hill side, nabbing a goal from a Beattie Goad cross as well as an assist for her troubles.
Thank you to Bill Molloy (@Bill_Molloy94), Andrew Bishara (@_andrewbishara) and Bryce Clayton for their assistance around the grounds this week.