5 things from NPLW WA Round 19

At the completion of Round 19, the top 4 was still far from decided. MUM FC vs Fremantle was abandoned due to lightning, Hyundai NTC Women lost 4-2 to Subiaco after being hit by a Lisa De Vanna whirlwind, and Balcatta moved to within three points of third spot after beating Curtin University 4-1. There was no change in the top two positions as Perth RedStar and Perth SC played a 1-1 draw in wet conditions.

Lisa De Vanna doing Lisa De Vanna things

At halftime in the Subiaco vs Hyundai NTC game, NTC’s Ben Anderton was by far the happier of the two coaches. His team were firmly in control and holding a 2-0 lead over their hosts.

On the other bench though, Greg Farrell was about to unleash Lisa De Vanna. She proceeded to destroy NTC with a combination of pace and accuracy, claiming a second-half hat trick and having a significant hand in the other goal. Subiaco ran out 4-2 winners and ruined NTC’s hopes of finishing the round in 3rd spot.

Each of her goals resulted from perfectly timed runs onto defence-splitting passes from the Subiaco midfield, where Ella Mastrantonio and Marianna Tabain were excellent in their distribution and calmness on the ball. 

De Vanna’s display was a classic example of the saying that form is temporary but class is permanent.

Mother Nature plays her hand

It may seem hard to believe for anyone outside of WA, but Perth is actually wetter on average than Melbourne and Hobart, with an annual rainfall total of 731.6mm compared to 648.3mm and 612.2mm for the Victoria and Tasmanian State capitals respectively. Most of this rain falls in the winter months, and it seems as though nearly all of it has fallen in the last two weeks.

The inclement weather has led to many games being cancelled, and one such victim was the midweek catch-up game between Curtin University and Perth RedStar last Tuesday. There was little riding on this game but it does mean an unwelcome rescheduling for Perth RedStar as the finals series approaches.

There was a more significant weather impact on the weekend, however, as the game between 3rd placed Fremantle City and 4th placed MUM FC was abandoned in the 24th minute when yet another winter cold front brought lightning and torrential rain to the Besteam Stadium.

With these teams only separated by a point, the rescheduled game will be pivotal in deciding the make-up of the top 4.

Zoee Spadano plays her final game for Perth SC

The game between league champions Perth RedStar and second-placed Perth SC was, once again, a tight affair. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after RedStar had taken the lead through a first-half Olivia Wood goal, only to be pegged back by an equaliser from Jessica Byrne in the second period.

Perth SC had come into the game full of confidence, having scored 20 goals in their previous three games, and was determined to be the first team to beat RedStar this season. They were also looking to send their skipper, Zoee Spadano, off in style. Spadano was playing her last game for the Azzurri before leaving to play futsal in the Italian Serie A with Kick Off C5 Femminile.

The talented midfielder will be a big loss both for Perth SC and the league, but Serie A futsal will benefit from a significant talent as Spadano embarks on her professional career in Italy.

The Top 4 race is still too close to call

With the MUM FC vs Fremantle City game being abandoned on Saturday evening, all eyes turned to the Sunday games to see if they would provide a clue as to what the make-up of the Top 4 will be.

By the end of the evening though, there was still no clear indication as to who would be playing in the postseason and, if anything, the outcome is even less clear than it was on Friday evening.

The defeat of Hyundai NTC by Subiaco scuppered NTC’s chances of moving into third spot, whilst the win by Balcatta has once again propelled them into the reckoning as they are now just three points off 3rd spot, albeit having played one extra game.

The table from 3rd to 6th now looks like this:

The remaining fixtures look like this:

Rd 19
MUM FC vs Fremantle City

Rd 20
Curtin University vs Hyundai NTC Women
Fremantle City vs Balcatta Etna FC
Perth RedStar FC vs MUM FC

Rd 21
MUM FC vs Perth SC
Hyundai NTC Women vs Fremantle City
Balcatta Etna vs Perth RedStar

Trying to work out the combinations for all of the above is next to impossible, but suffice to say the final 2-3 games for the clubs involved are going to be nerve-wracking affairs. We’ll put our necks out and predict the following:

1st Perth RedStar 
2nd Perth SC
3rd Fremantle
4th Hyundai NTC
5th MUM FC
6th Balcatta
7th Subiaco
8th Curtin

Perth SC raising awareness for breast cancer

As well as being Zoee Spadano’s last game for Perth SC, their game against Perth RedStar was also marked as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and Breast Cancer Network Australia. The club donated via collection tins, raffles and a fundraising dinner. Perth SC also had their men’s teams playing in pink socks, whilst their NPLW team took to the field in an all-pink kit. This was a terrific initiative and it’s to be hoped that other clubs will follow the lead in seasons to come.

Click here for Round 19 goal highlights

Round 19 Results

Perth SC 1 – 1 Perth RedStar
MUM FC A – A Fremantle City FC
Balcatta Etna FC 4 – 1 Curtin University SC
Subiaco AFC 4 – 2 Hyundai NTC Women

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