This week’s set of fixtures saw the league champions return to the top of the table, a shock result for the league leaders and the first goal of the campaign for the cellar dwellers.
Each game produced some top-quality goals, although only those who were in attendance at RedStar Arena were able to witness the ones from that game as the streaming service was not available for the action-packed first half.
MUM FC 2 – 1 Subiaco AFC
The round kicked off on Friday evening with MUM FC hosting Subiaco. The home team hoped to record their third straight win, whilst the visitors were searching for their first points since round 2.
The home side struck first just after 30 minutes when a free kick from the right wasn’t dealt with by the Subiaco defence. The ball found its way to Vanessa Miller at the back post and she stabbed it home.
With both sides closing space down quickly, chances were at a premium so it was no real surprise that the next goal also came from a set piece.
A 52nd-minute corner for the visitors fell to Stephanie Waycott who was unmarked in the box. Her shot was only partially saved by Stacey Cavill in the Murdoch goal, with the ball ballooning up into the air to allow Phoenix Brownlie to apply the finishing touch and make the score 1-1.
MUM were keen to get the three points and their winning goal arrived in the 63rd minute through the impressive Clara Hoarau. Picking the ball up on the left-hand edge of the box she performed a neat little turn before curling a lovely right-footed shot into the top right of the Subiaco goal to make it 2-1.
The win lifts the 2021 champions into the top four and coach David Biancuzzo was obviously pleased with the result when he spoke after the game.
“It was a tough win against a very well-organised opponent. I thought we played well in the first half without seeing the result on the scoreboard,” Biancuzzo said.
Perth SC 1 – 2 Balcatta Etna FC
The head-to-head record for this fixture didn’t make for pretty reading for the visitors as they hadn’t beaten the Azzurri in any of their previous NPLW encounters, nor had they scored at Dorrien Gardens. However, football is not played on paper and Etna’s hopes of creating a major upset were bolstered when the Perth SC team sheet revealed that Ellie La Monte and Gemma Craine were both out with injuries for the game on Saturday evening.
Searching for only their second win of the campaign, Etna set their stall to be as compact as possible and utilise the pace of Monique Prinsloo and Tia Stonehill to try and score against the team with the joint-best defensive record in the league.
The game plan worked to perfection in the 32nd minute when Sadie Lawrence capitalised on some loose control by Perth SC and moved the ball quickly towards Stonehill. Perth partially cut the pass out but the clearance fell straight to Prinsloo. She headed the ball forward for Stonehill to scamper clear of the Perth defence and she made no mistake with a low shot under keeper Becky Bennett in the Perth goal to open the scoring.
Perth were missing the pace and guile of La Monte and Craine to break open a resolute Balcatta defence, but they managed to get an equaliser in the 63rd minute when a long ball by Sophia Papalia picked out Jamie Duncanson just inside the Balcatta half on the left wing. The winger drove towards the penalty area before cutting inside her full back and hitting a sweet right-foot shot into the far corner of the net to score her fifth goal in two games.
This was not the last, nor the best, of the goals though as Balcatta earned the three points their hardworking display deserved in the 83rd minute with a spectacular effort from Stonehill. Emily Roach fed a ball up the right wing towards Epril Nossent who, in turn, fed Prinsloo. She rolled the ball towards the unmarked Stonehill at the top of the box and her first-time curling shot arched up and over Bennett to nestle in the back of the net and spark wild goal celebrations by the goal scorer and her teammates
Balcatta coach Tim Cash, was understandably happy with the result and his team’s performance.
“(It was) a great performance where we created chances and defended well for large parts of the game. The team cohesion and passion were outstanding. Progress is clear and the on-field relationships are improving,” Cash said.
“We were blessed by two high-quality goals by Tia Stonehill, but it was the running, contest wins, and commitment from every player that I admired.”
His opposite number, Pete Rakić, lamented the loss of key players to injury and felt his team didn’t perform to their usual high standards.
“It was a brutally frustrating game for us. I thought we had our moments where we moved the ball quite well but we struggled to break any lines and create anything significant, and it’s these types of football matches where you get punished the most for it,” said Rakić.
“It’s a credit to Balcatta, they obviously had a game plan to sit compact and counter and it worked. We were missing the pace of Ellie La Monte and Gemma Craine to really stretch their defence and unfortunately, we’re now also sweating on the fitness of Faye Phillips who was carried off late in the game.”
For Balcatta, this win doesn’t improve their league position but it will no doubt be a confidence booster for their next game when they face off against the Hyundai NTC. A win in that game will be a signal that they can be considered serious contenders for a top-four finish.
Perth are in a mini-slump at the moment with 2 losses from their last three league games and are sweating on the fitness of some key players. Next up for them is another tough game when they host a Fremantle side who are running into some rich form.
Perth RedStar 3 – 2 Fremantle City
The game of the round lived up to its billing with some high-quality football from both sides and two goals of the highest order.
Perth RedStar were unbeaten in their previous five games but knew that they were going to have to be at their best to overcome a Fremantle City outfit brimming with confidence after they had beaten the Hyundai NTC in the previous round.
It was the home team who were the quickest out of the blocks when a spectacular strike from Reina Kagami opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. The Japanese import played a series of neat passes with Jayna Ridley before hitting a first-time shot 10 metres outside of the box. The ball dipped just under the bar to leave Dayle Schroeder with no chance of saving it in the Fremantle goal. Kagami is in a rich vein of form right now and this was her 6th goal in three games.
The home team then doubled their lead in the 7th minute with Ridley again playing a key role. She closed down the Fremantle defenders as they attempted to play out from the back and this forced a wayward pass which Sophia Neal was quick to exploit. She intercepted the pass 15 metres from the penalty area before driving into the box and then showed great composure to slide the ball past Schroeder for her first goal of the campaign.
To their credit, Fremantle fought back hard and pushed RedStar as they tried to establish a foothold in the game. Their persistence paid off in the 29th minute when a short corner routine saw the ball bundled over the line by Tash Rigby.
RedStar then re-established their two-goal cushion in the 39th minute with another goal for the video reel. Andi Teixeira cleared the ball from inside her own half and Ridley gave chase. Schroeder came racing out of her area but she and Catherine Adams only succeeded in getting in each other’s way. Schroeder’s clearance fell invitingly to Queyn Doan who was 10 metres inside the Fremantle half. The young winger took a touch to control the ball and then launched the ball back over the head of the despairing Fremantle keeper and into the net to make it 3-1.
Fremantle were not done yet though and they scored their second just four minutes later. Abbey Green sent a looping cross in from the left which Shivani Battaglia appeared to have covered, but she dropped the ball almost on the line for a grateful Rigby to score her second.
Whilst the second half may not have had goals it was not without action, and substitute Jamie-Lee Gale came close for the visitors with a shot that came back off the bar, whilst RedStar’s Kate Richie had an effort that saw Schroeder grateful that the shot went just past the post. Kagami nearly scored deep into stoppage time when her effort from a corner was well saved by Schroeder.
The win takes RedStar back to the summit of the table, and coach Carlos Vega-Mena was a happy man at the end of the game.
“We were expecting a tough game against strong opposition this week, and that was what we got,” Vega-Mena said.
“Fremantle are well organised with some high calibre players which made for a very intense game. We had to work hard for the three points but scored three fantastic goals and I’m very happy with the team’s performance.
The leaders are at home again next week when they host MUM FC and will be wary of a team that is full of confidence.
For Fremantle, there are plenty of positives to take from this game as they pushed RedStar all the way. Ex-Welsh international and Perth Glory player Carys Hawkins had an impressive game, and her experience and ability have given the Fremantle backline some real steel.
Next up for them is another tough game as they travel to Perth SC but they will be relishing the opportunity to try and ensure there is no repeat of the 6-0 loss they suffered the last time these two met.
Hyundai NTC 8 -1 Curtin University
The last game of the round was the Hyundai NTC against Curtin University. The result was no real surprise as it was another heavy loss for the team in last place, but they finally managed to score a goal, albeit in a manner that had more than its fair slice of luck.
NTC were looking to bounce back quickly after last weeks loss to Fremantle City and even though they were without Ischia Brooking, Ruby Cuthbert (junior Matildas duties) and goalkeeper Lily Bailey (injured) they were still able to open their account within six minutes through Louise Tana after good work by Mia Britton.
Curtin then equalised in the 17th minute with a goal that was a result of a clearance from Mischa Anderson hitting Curtin’s Tiana Botha. The ball then ricocheted past a stranded Megan Phillips who was well outside of her area to end up in the back of the net.
A slightly stunned NTC took nearly 15 minutes before netting their second through Tana in the 31st minute and Klaudia Houlis scored a third in the 37th minute to make it 3-1 at the break.
More goals followed in the second half with Houlis grabbing two more for her hattrick, and there were also goals for Britton, Anna Powell and Grace Johnston to make the final score 8-1.
The win moves NTC into second place just one point behind RedStar with a game in hand and they will next meet Balcatta in a game that they will be keen to win to maintain pressure on the top spot.
Curtin travel to Subiaco in an 8th vs 7th clash, but there would be very few who would expect them to get anything from the game.
Click here for the Round 7 goal highlights.
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 7
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 16 |
| 2 | Hyundai NTC | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 15 |
| 3 | Perth SC | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 5 | +24 | 13 |
| 4 | MUM FC | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 12 |
| 5 | Fremantle City | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 10 |
| 6 | Balcatta Etna FC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 7 |
| 7 | Subiaco AFC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 3 |
| 8 | Curtin University | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 65 | -64 | 0 |
Round 8 Fixtures
Sunday 21st May
SUBIACO AFC vs CURTIN UNIVERSITY FC – Rosalie Park 3:00 pm
PERTH REDSTAR vs MUM FC – RedStar Arena 3:00 pm
BALCATTA ETNA FC vs HYUNDAI NTC – Grindleford Reserve 3:00 pm
PERTH SC vs FREMANTLE CITY FC – Dorrien Gardens 4:00 pm
