2021 SA NPLW Round 7 Wrap

A huge game between the bottom two kicked off the Round Seven action on Friday night as Fulham United took on Adelaide Comets at the VALO Football Centre.

Going into the game, Fulham’s record of five losses and just one point from their six matches emphasised their struggles this season, although they are into the Quarter Finals of the WNPL and WSL Cup after seeing off WSL side South Adelaide last week.

Comets’ last league game saw a comprehensive 5-0 loss to high flying West Adelaide, but like their opponents they picked up a win over lower league opposition in the Cup last week.

It was Fulham who started stronger with Mia Lundquist fashioning the first chance after four minutes when she was through on goal, only for Adelaide United W-League keeper Sian Fryer-McLaren to come out well and smother the shot.

Fulham had better luck seven minutes later when Zoe Turner-Davey broke through and confidently slotted home under Fryer-McLaren.

However, the Comets gained an equaliser on 20 minutes. The Fulham defence switched off after conceding a free-kick which allowed Yuka Sasaki to profit from the quickly taken set-piece.

Despite being on the back foot for much of the second half, Fulham created two good chances with Olivia Bramley having an effort rightly ruled out for offside and Turner-Davey’s fierce effort pushed away by Fryer-McLaren.

The bottom club were made to pay for missing these chances with 20 minutes left when Sasaki grabbed hers and Adelaide Comets’ second with a goal of real quality. The Japanese midfielder picked up the ball on the far left-hand side, looked up, and saw Hayman slightly off her line. From an acute angle, Sasaki clipped a glorious effort over the Fulham keeper and into the net.

This loss was a disaster for Fulham United who are now five points adrift at the bottom of the table.

This game was followed immediately at the same venue by Adelaide University’s clash with Football SA NTC.

Uni came into the game on the back of four losses from their last five matches, whereas NTC have enjoyed free-scoring football this season from both ends, ranking third for both goals scored and conceded.

The game, therefore, went as expected with the NTC side slamming four goals without reply past an Adelaide University side who slump to one off the bottom in the process.

The game was largely decided in a three-minute spell after the half-hour mark. First, Ella Tonkin towered over the Uni defence to head into the left of the net from a corner. Then Emilia Murray profited from a catastrophic back pass attempt that was well short of its intended target and slotted home with ease to double NTC’s advantage.

Murray added her second of the evening with 66 minutes played. She received the ball into her feet in far too much space from a Uni perspective and lifted a shot over the keeper for 3-0. Nicola Scalzi completed the rout in stoppage time at the end of the match, taking advantage of a poor clearance from Adelaide University, turning and curling a glorious effort into the net.

At VALO on Saturday afternoon, spectators were treated to what was undoubtedly the game of the season so far. The only two unbeaten teams in the SA NPLW went head to head as West Adelaide took on Salisbury Inter.

West have been playing some outstanding football this season and went into the game as league leaders, recording five wins and a draw from their six fixtures. Inter kicked off two points behind their opponents, having drawn their last league match against Adelaide City but with the confidence of beating West in the WNPL and WSL Cup last weekend.

It was largely a game of two halves. West were extremely strong in the first. Nicole Tilley, who is in sensational form this season, was strong on the ball throughout and Georgia Macri was impressive on the right.

Part of the reason for West’s success in the first half was the way they successfully marshaled Inter’s key player Cote Rojas. The Chilean international had two players snapping at her heels any time the ball came anywhere near her. As the half went on, Rojas was being forced deeper and wider in a bid to gain possession, which nullified her threat in front of goal.

West Adelaide’s technical skill on the ball was impressive; they were able to turn their opponents and play passes with a high degree of accuracy.

With half an hour gone, West went close when Macri played in Christie Hillyer, whose shot from outside the box bounced just centimeters wide of the left-hand post.

Three minutes later, West Adelaide went ahead with an absolute screamer. Awarded a free kick about 30 metres out in a central position, Tilley stepped up and smashed the set-piece into the top corner, a classy goal from a classy player.

Dragana Kljajic was responsible for Inter’s best chance of the half when she let fly outside the area, forcing Sarah Willacy in the West Adelaide goal to make a good save.

As the game approached the final 20 minutes, Inter finally began to gain more territory. Despite being well controlled up until now, Rojas showed that she only needs the smallest of invitations to create moments of magic.

The Chilean gained possession just outside the box on 69 minutes and her ball in wasn’t cleared properly by West, allowing Khal Adam Khan to dispatch it into the net. West Adelaide protested that there was a handball in the build-up to no avail.

Less than sixty seconds later, the game was turned on its head when Rojas gained possession on the right-hand side and found Emily Heazlewood, who got between two defenders and then was funneled out towards the by-line. Despite many of a West persuasion thinking the danger may have gone, Heazlewood had other ideas. She beat Lucy Adamopoulos and while still on the by-line, curled a glorious effort into the far corner of the net.

West had two half-chances to hit back in the closing stages. Georgia Nicola lifted an effort over the bar, and two minutes into stoppage time Laura Johns got free in the box but Inter scampered back to block her shot.

This was a big win for Inter as they leapfrog West Adelaide to lead the league by a point. They have now beaten their closest rivals twice in the fortnight in league and cup.

Across at Adelaide City Park, last year’s Grand Finalists, Adelaide City and Metro United, faced off in a battle of two teams who are not quite enjoying the season as they would have hoped.

City had only one win from five league matches going into the game and Metro’s recent NPLW form of three losses in their last four is disappointing to say the least. The game therefore took on added importance as it presented as a platform for one of these sides to get their season back on track.

Metro added to City’s woes by going ahead just before halftime through Millie Scott, who was never going to miss after her team broke clean through, drew the City keeper and the ball was played across for Scott to tap home.  Daniela Di Bartolo levelled eight minutes after the break when she headed home a pinpoint cross while unmarked at the back post.

Yet Metro United hit back with two goals in four minutes to decide matters. First, Scott scored her second when her run through the middle was found and she hit a first-time shot into the net, and then Victoria Mansueto made it 3-1 after 81 minutes, running onto a long ball, taking it past the keeper with her first touch and finishing with her second.

Chelsie Dawber gave City some hope again with three minutes left when she chased a long ball and used her physicality to outmuscle a Metro defender, slotting home to pull the score back to 3-2. City’s hopes were finally extinguished when Scott completed her hat-trick in stoppage time, hitting a fierce effort across the keeper to seal an important win for Metro.

The outcome sees City firmly in trouble at the bottom, eleven points behind the leaders and in desperate need of getting wins on the board soon as missing out on Finals would be almost inconceivable.

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