Round 2 of the NPLW WA was played over five days, starting on Saturday and finishing on Wednesday evening.
By the end of the round, there were three teams on maximum points, two teams with zero points and an early contender for Goal of the Season.
UWA NEDLANDS 2 – 2 SUBIACO AFC
The round started with UWA Nedlands hosting Subiaco AFC in hot and humid conditions as the long, dry Perth summer continues. The visitors almost scored immediately from the kick-off with Tanya Campos shooting just over the bar from outside the box. Subiaco enjoyed most of the early possession and had another opportunity to score when Dakota Van-Vugt forced a good save from UWA Nedlands’ American goalkeeper, Morgan Springer.
UWA slowly worked their way into the game and caused a scare in the Subiaco defence when Serena Lin forced a hurried clearance from Subiaco goalkeeper Ashleigh Riddle, which bounced off the UWA Nedlands attacker to go out for a goal kick.
The home team opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Lin picked up the ball inside the Subiaco half and spotted her captain, Emily Dinsdale, free on the left. She took the ball in her stride and drove into the box before slotting her shot past Riddle into the far right-hand corner to make it 1-0.
Subiaco pulled themselves back into the game with two goals in two minutes, both from Cassandra Harvey. The first arrived in the 34th minute when she reacted quickest to the ball spilling from Springer’s grasp after a Savannah Oolsthorn shot. Harvey scored a second in the 36th minute to put her side 2-1 up. Receiving the ball from Campos, she burst through two defenders and tucked her left foot shot past the onrushing Springer.
To their credit, the home team refused to give up and they drew level in the 69th minute when substitute Samara Riches spotted Riddle off her line and floated a lovely chip over her head.
Both sides had chances to win after that, with Subiaco substitute Sara Kifayatullah being foiled by Springer when put through by Stella Zampogna, and Dinsdale shooting just wide, but the score remained at 2-2 to give both sides their first points of the season.
Subiaco coach Greg Farrell reflected on the game afterwards:
“The game was very physical and we had a couple of knocks which affected our momentum. UWA capitalised on our mistakes to equalise, (but) we need to be better both offensively and defensively if we are to finish higher than we have before as a club in the NPLW.”
PERTH SC 1 – 2 PERTH REDSTAR
The game of the round was undoubtedly the match between Perth SC and Perth RedStar at Dorrien Gardens. With both teams rated as strong contenders for the league title, neither wanted to drop points to championship rivals, even at this early stage of the season.
Perth SC welcomed Sam Mathers back into their team after her match-winning exploits for the U19 Australian School Girls at the Dallas Cup in America, and they also included Perth Glory’s third-choice goalkeeper Lily Bailey in the line-up. The Azzurri were playing in a special pink kit as part of the club’s fundraising efforts for breast cancer awareness and research.
Perth RedStar were unchanged from the opening game of the NPLW but had their new signing, Perth Glory squad player Mischa Anderson, sitting on the bench.
The game kicked off in hot and humid conditions, but Perth SC made light work of those and raced out to a lead inside the first minute. Jess Flannery’s cross eventually found Ella Lincoln in the box and she fired a low, hard shot past the dive of Gabby Dal Busco to make it 1-0.
Perth were the dominant team in the early exchanges, but RedStar fired a warning shot in the 20th minute when Sarah Carroll was put through on goal by Renee Leota, only for Bailey to stand tall in the Perth goal and deny Carroll the equaliser.
RedStar’s Carroll and Caitlin Doeglas both went close shortly after that, but the Azzurri continued their bright start, only to find Dal Busco in no mood to concede any more goals, as she pulled off crucial saves to deny Flannery and Lincoln.
RedStar continued to probe and they got their equaliser just after the half-hour mark through Doeglas. A pinpoint cross-field pass by ex-Canberra United and Perth Glory player, Brownyn Studman, picked Doeglas out after she had broken clear of the Perth defence. Doeglas spotted Bailey off her line and her first-time lob sailed into the net to make it 1-1.
The second half saw both sides having chances to take the lead, with Lincoln again thwarted by Dal Busco when through one-on-one and Jayna Ridley failing to put the finishing touch to a sweeping RedStar move that saw her miss from inside the six-yard box.
With the heat affecting both teams, despite drinks breaks, it looked as though something special was going to be required to break the deadlock and it duly arrived in the 84th minute.
Doeglas collected the ball just inside the Perth SC half and backheeled it to Japanese midfielder Momoko Sakairi. Sakairi carried the ball forward before playing the ball back to Doeglas, who cut in from the left. Her run attracted the attention of three defenders but she broke free, then curled a right-footed shot into the far corner of the net from just outside the box to score a potential Goal of the Season.
The win was vital for RedStar who were pushed hard by Perth SC, but their better finishing was the crucial difference between the two teams, as RedStar coach Carlos Vega Mena admitted after the game:
“Both sides managed to create good goal-scoring opportunities, but we were more clinical in front of goals and came away with the three points.”
Based on this performance and with more new arrivals due at Perth in the form of Tijan McKenna (Melbourne City), plus Georgia Cassidy and Anika Stajcic (Perth Glory), the Azzurri are bound to be serious title contenders, whilst RedStar continue to show why they are among the favourites for the title.
BALCATTA ETNA 3 – 1 FREMANTLE CITY FC
Whilst that action was taking place at Dorrien Gardens, another high-quality match was underway at Grindleford Reserve when Balcatta Etna played hosts to Fremantle City. The port side arrived without Laura Waltman, Nina Boorman, Nel Clayton and Andrea Preiato, whilst the home team welcomed back veteran Kat Jukic. They were again without goalkeeper Rebecca Bennett, so Isabella Comito deputised in goal for the second game. Judy Connolly was also absent after departing to play in the Swedish second division. Their coach Peter Rakic was not on the bench and his assistant Jack Walsh took the team for the day.
Balcatta pressed their opponents from the opening moments and were the dominant team. Lucy Jerram hit the bar and captain Abbey Meakins flashed a shot just past the post inside 10 minutes. With Kat Jukic pulling the strings in midfield, Balcatta threatened to overwhelm their opponents, but Fremantle weathered the early storm and slowly worked their way back into the game.
On the half-hour mark, Comito was forced to tip a long-range free kick from Annabelle Leek over the bar as the visitors started to show a little more attacking intent. Comito was called into action again two minutes later when she denied a Janice Kiama header from close range. Sophie Meaden fired the rebound toward the goal, but Liana Cook was on hand to clear the ball from near the goal line.
Balcatta then struck the opening goal in the 40th minute, and it was no real surprise that Jerram was the scorer. A long ball out of the Balcatta defence was headed clear by Fremantle but the ball only fell to Jerram. She headed it down in front of her and then accelerated past two Fremantle defenders, before firing a fine, low and hard left footed shot to the right of Dayle Schroeder to make it 1-0.
The home side doubled their lead five minutes later. A Jamie-Lee Gale corner on the left eventually found its way to the right-hand touchline where Alyssa Van Heurck was lurking. Her ball back into the box created panic and confusion, with Jukic eventually applying a finishing touch to make it 2-0, scoring against her old club in the process.
The task for Fremantle now seemed very difficult and became next to impossible in the 59th minute when Meakins converted a twice-taken penalty to make it 3-0.
With the game now firmly in their control, Walsh made a raft of changes to give players a rest from the hot and humid conditions. Fremantle scored a late consolation goal deep into injury time when Tiana Boots bundled the ball over from close range following a corner.
With Sadie Lawrence and Tia Stonehill to return to the squad after their Glory campaign, plus the likely return of ex-Glory player Jaymee Gibbons from long-term injury, Balcatta will soon have a squad to match any in the league. Their next game promises to be a belter as they take on Perth SC.
Fremantle are now winless after two games and the absence of Waltman was noticeable. Hopefully, she can return to the side as they missed her drive from midfield. Coach Faye Chambers will be keen to avoid a third successive defeat when they meet the Hyundai NTC in Round 3.
HYUNDAI NTC 2 – 1 MUM FC
The final game of the round was played on Wednesday evening at the Sam Kerr Centre and was a rematch of last season’s State Cup Final between the Hyundai NTC and MUM FC.
NTC had earned three points in their opening game with a 2-1 win against UWA Nedlands, whilst their opponents had suffered a mauling at the hands of Balcatta Etna in their first game, going down 7-1, so it was no surprise that MUM FC opted for a cautious approach, trying to keep things tight and hit the NTC on the break.
They did this to great effect, frustrating the NTC with their swarming defence and, when required, last-ditch tackles. NTC found this suffocating press difficult to break down and were guilty of losing possession too often, resulting in the first half being one of many turnovers by both sides, with little in the way of sustained and meaningful pressure.
The second half saw much of the same, but MUM were looking more threatening with their counter-attacks and they took the lead in the 54th minute through Tiahna Botha. A long ball out from the defence found Botha one-on-one with Hannah Collins. The ex-Curtin University striker beat her younger opponent to the ball and she squared it to the unmarked Taylor Reid at the top of the penalty area. Her first-time shot struck the crossbar, but Botha was following up and headed the rebound home to make it 1-0.
The goal lifted the visitors and they re-doubled their defensive intensity to frustrate their opponents. Time and again passes would go astray due to the pressure being applied and NTC were beginning to resort to longer balls up the wings to find a way around the MUM defence.
They eventually found an equaliser in the 64th minute through an own goal by the unfortunate Brooke Burdett. A cross from the left created panic in the MUM defence and when Georgia Giles attempted to hook the ball clear it only struck Burdett and ricocheted into the net to make it 1-1.
The NTC then pushed for the winning goal, but the MUM defence stood firm and with the clock ticking past the regulation 90 minutes it looked as though they would earn their first point of the season. However, NTC launched one final attack in the 93rd minute when they released Mia Britton down the right wing. The MUM defenders missed her cross and it fell to an unmarked Klaudia Houlis on the left. Her first-time strike hit the net to earn the NTC their second win of the campaign.
There is no doubt that MUM FC coach Steve Atkins would be frustrated by the result, but he will probably feel much happier about the resolute performance shown by his young side.
For the NTC coach Ben Anderton, the opposite is probably true. The three points earned will be welcome, but his side’s performance will not have impressed him as they were poor in their passing and movement off the ball.
Performance of the Round
The outstanding performance of the round must go to UWA, who earned their first-ever points in the NPLW by fighting back after going behind against Subiaco. MUM FC also deserve some credit for their gritty display against NTC.
The game of the round next week is Perth SC vs Balcatta Etna. With many players on both sides playing against their old teams, and Pete Rakic returning to Perth SC for the first time since departing last season, this promises to be a game with extra spice.
Click here for the Round 2 goal highlights!
Click here for goal highlights from NTC vs MUM FC
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 2
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Balcatta Etna FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 6 | WW |
| 2 | Perth RedStar FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 | WW |
| 3 | Hyundai NTC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | WW |
| 4 | Perth SC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | LW |
| 5 | UWA Nedlands FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 | DL |
| 6 | Subiaco AFC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 1 | DL |
| 7 | Fremantle City FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 | LL |
| 8 | MUM FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 | LL |
Round 3 Fixtures
Saturday 13th April
PERTH SC vs BALCATTA ETNA FC – Dorrien Gardens 5:00 pm
Sunday 14th April
MUM FC vs SUBIACO AFC – Besteam Stadium 3:00 pm
FREMANTLE CITY vs HYUNDAI NTC – Hilton Park 3:00 pm
PERTH REDSTAR FC vs UWA NEDLANDS FC – RedStar Arena 3:00 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
5 – Lucy Jerram (Balcatta Etna FC)
3 – Caitlin Doegals (Perth RedStar FC)
2 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
2 – Cassandra Harvey (Subiaco AFC)
2 – Jamie Lee Gale (Balcatta Etna FC)
