Following a week’s break for the Hyundai State Cup, the league returned with the opening game of the round on Friday evening and three games on Sunday afternoon. By the end of the round, Perth RedStar had maintained their 100% start to the season, MUM FC had recorded their first win, and a couple of Perth Glory players had made debuts for their new clubs.
PERTH SC 6 – 1 HYUNDAI NTC
Perth SC cruised to a comfortable win against 4th placed Hyundai NTC on Friday evening to jump to 2nd on the ladder. The game was effectively over at halftime as Perth raced out to a 4-0 lead with in-form striker Ella Lincoln tormenting the NTC defence.
With Perth Glory and Young Matilda midfielder Georgia Cassidy making her debut for the home team, the Azzurri pressured NTC from the start and it was no surprise when Jess Flannery opened the scoring in the 13th minute from a spot kick that was awarded when she was brought down in the penalty area.
Lincoln then doubled the lead in the 25th minute when she capitalised on some poor defending from the visitors to slot a shot into the far corner. A third for the home team followed six minutes later when Daisy McAllister intercepted a kick out from NTC keeper Megan Phillips and returned it with interest from 30 yards out. Lincoln then capped off an excellent first-half display by her team when she scored the goal of the game in the 44th minute. Picking up the ball from 30 yards out, she was forced wide by the NTC defence but was still able to produce a fine finish into the far corner.
NTC acting coach Stacey Learmont had her hands full with her halftime talk to try and lift her team. However, it seemed to work as they came out with much more intent for the second half and forced a brave save from Lily Bailey in the Perth goal in the 48th minute, and in the 64th minute they scored to make it 4-1. A long-range effort from Maja Archibald gave them a slight glimmer of hope, but that was snuffed out when Anika Stajcic registered her first goals with the club, scoring a brace in the 67th and 70th minute.
That is three wins in the last three games for Perth, and they will be very confident of making it four from four when they face MUM FC in the next round. The NTC have lost their last two games and conceded 10 goals in the process, so they will be looking to steady the ship when they face Subiaco next week.
UWA NEDLANDS 1 – 2 MUM FC
The game between the two bottom teams kicked off the action on Sunday, with both sides desperate for a win. It ended with the visitors taking home the three points from a tightly contested encounter, earning their first win of the season and moving off the bottom of the table
Both teams strolled onto UWA Sports Park in bright May sunshine and the home team could not have wished for a better start when American Michaela Thawley scored the opening goal in the fourth minute. She spotted MUM FC goalkeeper Manon Gebauer off her line and expertly chipped her from long range. This was her second goal of the season and eased the nerves of her teammates. They should have gone two up in the 17th minute, but captain Emily Dinsdale hit the bar from six yards out.
The rest of the half settled into a midfield battle with multiple turnovers. Neither side created much in the way of any meaningful chances and it ended 1-0 at the break.
MUM FC then had a slice of luck for their equaliser in the 48th minute. A free kick on the right touchline was floated in by Luana Ascenzo-Cabello and it was turned into her own net by Franca Dobbin to make it 1-1.
As was the case in the first half, chances were at a premium for both sides, but one of the best fell to UWA Nedlands in the 64th minute. A corner from the left was met by Mackenzie Rastatter, but she couldn’t keep her header down and the ball went over the bar.
As the minutes ticked by, the home team ramped up the pressure as they searched for the winning goal, only to find the MUM defence in no mood to concede any more. The visitors were happy to absorb the pressure and hit on the counter. In the 87th minute, they did that to devastating effect.
As she had done for much of the game, MUM FC captain Tiahna Botha refused to give up on lost causes and this time she was rewarded. Showing strength and good close control, she fought off two UWA Nedlands defenders before hitting a fine left-footed shot past Morgan Springer to make it 2-1.
The result will be a mighty relief for coach Steve Atkins and he will be justifiably proud of the fighting spirit his team showed to come from a goal down and clinch the points. They next face a difficult game against Perth SC but will be buoyed by this result.
For UWA this will be a very disappointing result as it now leaves them bottom of the table and the only team in the league to have not recorded a victory. A game against a rapidly improving Fremantle City next week will be another tough assignment for the league’s newcomers.
BALCATTA ETNA 3 – 1 SUBIACO AFC
The second game on Sunday was vital for the home team. They couldn’t afford to drop any points after the emphatic win by Perth SC on Friday evening had seen them slip to third spot. They responded in a manner that would have pleased coach Peter Rakic, clinching the points with a solid victory over Subiaco at Home Group Stadium. A brace from Faye Phillips and another Lucy Jerram goal saw them over the line. The win would have been particularly pleasing for Rakic as he was without two of his most influential players, Abbey Meakins and Kat Jukic.
The home team started the brighter of the two sides and took the lead in the 12th minute through Faye Phillips, who applied the finishing touch to a fine team move that showcased the pace of Lucy Jerram and Monique Prinsloo.
Subiaco were by no means out of the contest though, going close on a couple of occasions, but went further behind in the 33rd minute, with Phillips again the goal scorer. Taking the ball from Jerram, she held off the Subiaco defenders to slot the ball into the far corner, scoring her second of the game and third of the season.
The home team struck again just a minute before halftime to make it 3-0. Centre-back Alyssa Van Heurck carried the ball from just outside her penalty area to deep inside the Subiaco half, before sending Jerram free. The pacy left winger arrowed her shot into the bottom corner for her seventh goal of the season, taking her to equal top of the Golden Boot race with Reina Kagami.
Subiaco knew they had to try and force the game in the second half, but also had to be careful not to leave themselves exposed to the counterattack, and they nearly came unstuck in the 58th minute when Jamie Lee Gale pushed a shot over.
Marianna Tabain was doing a lot of work for Subiaco at both ends of the field, and the ex-Young Matilda provided her side with a glimmer of hope in the 72nd minute. Balcatta’s keeper, Becky Bennett, was forced to head the ball clear when she was out of her box. Her header was intercepted by Tabain, who expertly controlled the ball before sending a high looping effort back over Bennett’s head, making it 3-1 and registering her second goal of the campaign.
That was the end of the scoring and Balcatta ran out the rest of the game relatively untroubled. They now turn their attention to next week’s clash, when they travel to face league leaders Perth RedStar, and will be keen to put an end to the league leaders’ 100% start to the season.
Subiaco battled hard in the second half but couldn’t seriously threaten Balcatta, who were happy to sit back and hit them on the counter. They next face Hyundai NTC and will be wary of a side that has been convincingly beaten in its last two games.
Head coach, Greg Farrell, spoke about his side’s performance after the game:
“(I thought) our intensity and work rate improved in the second half but we couldn’t match them for the conversion rate. We’ve improved in recent weeks but still need to do more work on our finishing.”
PERTH REDSTAR 4 – 2 FREMANTLE CITY FC
Carlos Vega Mena’s team went into the game with a perfect start to the season. However, RedStar knew they faced a stern test from a Fremantle side high on confidence after a thumping win in the previous round, and buoyed by having Perth Glory striker Tanika Lala in their line-up. She joined fellow Glory player, Clara Hoarau, who had debuted in the previous round.
The game started frenetically, with both keepers called into action inside the first ten minutes. Fremantle’s Dayle Schroeder denied Jayna Ridley in the 3rd minute and Gabby Dal Busco pulled off a fine save of her own in the 6th minute, preventing Annabelle Leek from opening the scoring for the visitors.
The game continued at a high tempo, with neither side giving an inch in the challenges and also showing plenty of attacking endeavour.
RedStar had a good chance to open the scoring in the 35th minute when full-back Quyen Doan played a neat one-two with Caitlin Doeglas, but her shot was pushed around the post by Schroeder for a corner.
The home team didn’t have to wait much longer for a goal as they took the lead just a minute later. Andi Teixeira’s free-kick was superbly controlled by veteran striker Renee Leota, who then swivelled to fire a low right-footed shot into the corner and make it 1-0.
Schroeder pulled off another terrific save in the 39th minute to prevent Olivia Wood from doubling the score, but in the dying stages of the first half, Fremantle grabbed an equaliser.
RedStar failed to clear a ball that had come in from the left wing and it eventually found its way to Hoarau, who was lurking on the edge of the penalty box. Her ferocious strike left Dal Busco with no chance and levelled the score at 1-1 with the last kick of the half. This was Hoarau’s third goal in two games.
Almost immediately from the restart, Schroeder was called into action when she pushed a header from Olivia Wood around the post, following a Doeglas free kick in the 46th minute. There was nothing she could do in the 49th minute though, when RedStar regained the lead. Some tight control by Japanese midfielder Momoko Sakairi saw her get to the byline, before sending an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Leota, who had the simplest of headers to make it 2-1.
Fremantle weren’t going down without a fight, and they nearly had an equaliser in the 57th minute. A rasping drive from Hoarau was heading for goal until it was headed over by Sakairi for a corner.
RedStar then thought they had wrapped the points up when Reina Kagami slotted the ball home with her left foot to make it 3-1 with just 14 minutes to play. This was the Japanese midfielder’s 7th goal of the campaign and puts her equal at the top of the Golden Boot standings with Balcatta’s Lucy Jerram.
Fremantle continued to believe in themselves and went close in the 81st minute when a shot went just over, and Lala was nearly through on goal a minute later, so it was perhaps no surprise when they scored their second in the 83rd minute. Alex Poad freed Lala who, for once, had escaped the close marking of Teixeira. She cut inside the covering challenge of Emily Dunn and then slid the ball under the body of the advancing Dal Busco, setting up a grandstand final 10 minutes and marking her debut with a goal.
Fremantle were pushing hard for an equaliser, but with RedStar still looking dangerous on the counter attack the game was on a knife edge. The home team thought they had restored a two goal cushion in the 89th minute, but Doeglas’s goal after some intricate passing was ruled out for offside.
They then had Dal Busco to thank when she made a fine save from Janice Kama in the 93rd minute. RedStar finally sealed the points in the 95th minute when Doeglas slipped Manami Arai into space in the box and she made no mistake, scoring her first goal of the season and becoming the 9th RedStar player to score this campaign.
The 4-2 victory maintains the 100% start to the season for the league leaders, but they face another tough challenge next weekend when they host Balcatta Etna in the game of the round.
Coach Carlos Vega Mena was proud of the way his team played when he spoke after the game:
“It was a great result and a strong performance. The team showed how they are maturing and their ability to stay composed under pressure and keep playing our style of football is impressive. I’m proud of their spirit and the depth of the team.”
Despite losing, Fremantle will take great encouragement from their performance and have now well and truly shaken off their slow start to the season. They host UWA Nedlands next week and will be looking for a win from that game to start lifting themselves back up the table.
Performance of the Round
MUM FC must take the honours this week with their come-from-behind win to earn their first points of the season. It wasn’t a pretty performance by any stretch of the imagination, but it showed they are a team of fighters.
Ella Lincoln’s brace was another big performance, but probably more important were the two goals scored by Faye Phillips in Balcatta’s 3-1 win.
Click here for the Round 5 goal highlights!
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 5
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | +21 | 15 | WWWWW |
| 2 | Perth SC | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 12 | WWWLW |
| 3 | Balcatta Etna FC | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 12 | WWLWW |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 9 | LLWWW |
| 5 | Subiaco AFC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 4 | LLWDL |
| 6 | Fremantle City FC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 3 | LWLLL |
| 7 | MUM FC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 21 | -16 | 3 | WLLLL |
| 8 | UWA Nedlands FC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 1 | LLLDL |
Round 6 Fixtures
Sunday 12th May
FREMANTLE CITY vs UWA NEDLANDS FC – Hilton Park 3:00 pm
MUM FC vs PERTH SC – Besteam Stadium 3:00 pm
PERTH REDSTAR FC vs BALCATTA ETNA FC – RedStar Arena 3:00 pm
SUBIACO AFC vs HYUNDAI NTC – Rosalie Park 3:45 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
7 – Lucy Jerram (Balcatta Etna FC)
7 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
6 – Ella Lincoln (Perth SC)
5 – Caitlin Doeglas (Perth RedStar FC)
4 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
4 – Sarah Carroll (Perth RedStar FC)
