Round six produced one of the most sensational results in NPLW WA history when UWA beat Fremantle City on their home ground to earn their first-ever win in the NPLW. Subiaco AFC also produced a stunning result by defeating Hyundai NTC, Perth SC recorded their fourth consecutive victory, whilst Perth RedStar continued with their 100% start to the season.
PERTH REDSTAR 4 – 2 BALCATTA ETNA
The game of the round between first and third was a treat for spectators who saw some high-quality football from both teams. Goals from Reina Kagami, Momoko Sakairi, Renee Leota and Jayna Ridley were enough for the home team to secure the victory and move their team six points clear of Balcatta, who scored through Abbey Meakins and Monique Godding.
Before the kick-off, there was a presentation to Perth RedStar’s Emily Dunn who was playing her 300th first-team game for the club. She was given a framed photo and plaque by club captain Sarah Carroll.
The home team pressured Balcatta Etna from the start and took the lead in the 6th minute through their 2023 player of the year, Kagami who sent a right-foot shot into the net after the Balcatta defence failed to deal with a corner. This was her eighth goal of the campaign and she’s now in the lead in the race for the Golden Boot.
The lead was nearly doubled in the 18th minute when a clever lob from Leota was too high and the ball bounced back off the bar and, at this point, it looked to be just a matter of time before the home team scored their second goal but the visitors then struck back in the 24th minute when the referee pointed to the spot after Bronwyn Studman was adjudged to have pushed Meakins in the back. The Balcatta skipper picked herself up and cooly slotted the ball past Gabby Dal Busco in the Redstar goal for her fifth of the season to make it 1-1.
Balcatta goalkeeper Becky Bennett was then called into action to make a couple of smart saves from Olivia Woods and Leota, but was helpless in the 43rd minute when Sakiri restored the home side’s lead with a fierce right-footed shot from the edge of the box to make it 2-1.
RedStar then extended their lead in the 50th minute when a Caitlin Doeglas cross found a completely unmarked Leota in the penalty area who cooly slotted home with her right foot for her third goal in two games to make it 3-1.
With the bit between their teeth the league leaders looked for a killer fourth goal and put the Balcatta defence under enormous pressure. Kagami nearly added a fourth in the 62nd minute, but her shot came back off the inside of the post with Bennett beaten.
The game’s momentum then shifted in the 67th minute after Jamie-Lee Gale went one-on-one with Dal Busco, but the RedStar keeper pulled off a good save. Three minutes later Balcatta pulled one back. A cross from Lucy Jerram was fumbled by Dal Busco and Godding gleefully snapped up the loose ball to score her first league goal for Balcatta since moving from Perth to make it 3-2, and set up a nail-biting final 20 minutes.
After being in control for much of the second half RedStar were now forced to show the defensive side of their game as Balcatta went in search of an equaliser. Meakins had the best opportunity in the 81st minute when she broke free of Dunn, but she could only direct her shot straight at Dal Busco.
Dal Busco was again called into action in the 87th minute when she came out to smother from Monique Prinsloo and then jumped up to send a long clearance to Doeglas who had raced clear of the Balcatta defence. Bennett denied the RedStar attacker, but Doeglas had the presence of mind to chase the loose ball. Her cross found Jayna Ridley on the edge of the box, and the second-half substitute produced a clinical finish from outside the box to make it 4-2 and secure the points for her team.
The win pulls RedStar six points clear of Balcatta and maintains their 100% start to the season. The defending champions next face the Hyundai NTC and travel to the Mid West town of Geraldton to do so, as part of Football West’s Regional Festival of Football.
Balcatta must regroup after this defeat and travel to play UWA Nedlands in the next round, knowing that they can ill afford any more dropped points if they are to maintain pressure on the leaders.
FREMANTLE CITY 2 – 3 UWA NEDLANDS
One of the most astonishing results of the NPLW era occurred at Hilton Park on Sunday when UWA Nedlands defeated a Fremantle City side containing two Perth Glory players to register their first-ever NPLW win. A brace from Alexandra Lyons and a goal from Erin Armstrong were enough to beat the port side who scored through Anna Powell and an Annabelle Leek spot kick.
With Tanika Lala leading the attack and Abbey Green returning from Perth Glory duties to sit on the bench, Fremantle had some formidable attacking options in their lineup. However, they were without Dayle Schroeder in goal, Clara Hoarau in midfield and coach Faye Chambers who was away on international duties with the Junior Matildas in Bali.
The home team enjoyed most of the chances in the opening 25 minutes, but UWA Nedlands struck first in the 29th minute. The home defence failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Alexandra Lyon. Her shot took a slight deflection which wrong-footed Indiana Antunes in the Fremantle goal and the ball crept into the corner of the net to make it 0-1.
The goal seemed to stun the hosts for a while, and UWA Nedlands now started to dominate possession. Their corner kick routines continued to cause problems and they nearly doubled their lead from one in the 34th minute when Franca Dobbin lost her marker and sent a header towards goal that was eventually cleared.
The introduction of Green in the second half gave Fremantle a greater forward threat, but they were stunned in the 60th minute when UWA Nedlands doubled their lead out of nowhere. Lyons looked like she was playing a long ball into the box when she connected from about 40 yards out. It appeared to be going past the post but somehow drifted goalwards and ended up in the back of the net to make the score 0-2.
A huge shock result was now definitely on the cards and Fremantle had to produce something special to turn things around in the last 30 minutes. They halved the deficit in the 69th minute when Green and Lala combined to set the latter free in the box. She rolled the ball across the six-yard box to the waiting Anna Powell who applied a neat finish to make it 1-2 and it was game on.
In the 76th minute, UWA grabbed a vital third goal to restore their two-goal advantage. Amy Hartley advanced down the right wing and sent over a wicked cross that threatened to go in. Antunes managed to claw the ball out but it rebounded back in off the lurking Erin Armstrong to make it 1-3.
The goal stung Fremantle and they threw themselves at the UWA Nedlands defence to try and prevent a defeat, but no matter what Fremantle tried the visitors defence stood solid.
They were finally breached deep into injury time when a penalty was awarded for a trip on Kate Nolan. Annabelle Leek despatched the kick but it was to be the last meaningful action of the game, and the visitors suitably celebrated their victory.
Speaking to Footballwa.Net after the game, coach Lawrence Lewis was understandably proud of his team.
“It is great to get our first NPL victory, the squad worked super hard in preparation for the game and the result showed. Freo have some quality players and making sure they weren’t in the game as much as possible was key”.
UWA Nedlands have been working hard over the years to build their female football program, and this result is a huge endorsement of these efforts and sets a great example for other clubs in WA to follow. The team next face another major challenge when they host Balcatta, but after this win, they will truly believe they belong at this level.
This loss will be a bitter blow for Fremantle, and they must now pick themselves up for next week when they travel to Besteam Stadium to take on MUM FC. They are still only six points behind fourth-placed Hyundai NTC but with just one win in the opening six rounds they need to get a winning streak going soon if they are to play finals football this season.
MUM FC 1 – 4 PERTH SC
Perth SC recorded their fourth consecutive win to beat MUM FC and moved three points clear of Balcatta Etna to claim the outright second spot and stay close on the heels of leaders Perth RedStar.
For MUM FC this was always going to be a difficult fixture and the loss moves them back to the foot of the table.
The Azzurri controlled the game from start to finish and they went ahead in the 25th minute after Anika Stajcic recorded her third goal in two games when she headed home an Epril Nossent cross.
Ella Lincoln then scored her 7th goal of an already impressive season when she capitalised on the MUM defence coughing up possession as they attempted to play out from the back to score from close range in the 34th minute
In last weeks win against UWA Nedlands, MUM FC displayed spirit and fighting qualities to earn the three points and in the 50th minute they again showed they will not give up in games. Taylor Reid showed great determination and tenacity as she forced the Perth SC defence into losing the ball. She pounced on the mistake and fired a shot under the dive of Stacey Cavill in the Perth goal to make it 1-2.
Perth then restored their two-goal advantage in the 52nd minute through Jessica Flannery who benefitted from a great through ball by Lincoln to register her fourth of the campaign.
Perth then applied the icing on the cake of a thoroughly deserved win with the goal of the game in the 59th minute. Lincoln had an effort on goal parried by Manon Gebauer in the MUM FC goal but the ball fell to Daisy McAlister on the edge of the box. Showing great technique she hit a first-time cushioned side-footed volley back over Gebauer’s head and into the net to make it 1-4 and secure the points.
Perth SC have scored 17 goals in their last three games and only conceded three, so they will be brimming with confidence when they take on Subiaco AFC in the next round as they hope to extend their winning sequence to five straight.
MUMFC face off against Fremantle City in a bottom-of-the-table clash and have shown plenty of evidence in their last three games that they are not easy to beat.
SUBIACO AFC 3 – 1 HYUNDAI NTC
In previous seasons, this fixture has usually ended in a victory for the NTC but the form book going into this game suggested there could be an upset, and this was the case with 5th placed Subiaco putting in a fine display to beat their young opponents and close the gap between the two teams to just two points.
The first 20 minutes were edged by the visitors who created some good chances but were a little awry with their radar, as most of their chances went over the bar although Angelique Clayton came close in the 17th minute when she forced a save from Subiaco goalkeeper, Isobel Robinson.
NTC’s goalkeeper, Megan Phillips, was relatively untroubled at this stage but she was nearly beaten in the 20th minute when Stella Zampogna beat the offside trap before rounding Phillips only to push her shot wide.
Seven minutes later Zampogna was well and truly on target as she opened the scoring. Tanya Campos spotted the striker’s run and slid in a lovely through ball allowing Zampogna to take the ball in her stride before finishing neatly in the far corner to make it 1-0.
Subiaco doubled their lead within a minute of the restart when Campos lifted the ball high over Phillips’ head from about 30 yards. This was a delightful goal from a player who has recently returned from an ACL injury and she was justifiably happy with her goal.
Subiaco were now content to allow NTC to have a lot of the ball but their improving defensive work under coach Greg Farrell’s guidance meant that the visitors couldn’t mount any meaningful threats on goal. They were still a threat on the counterattack, and Frankie Murray-Hocking and Zampogna went close within a minute of each other around the 42nd-minute mark.
The second period was played mainly between the two penalty areas with neither side creating too many clear chances but with 10 minutes to go Subiaco gifted their opponents a goal to let them back into the game.
Whilst trying to clear the ball from danger, the Subiaco defence passed the ball straight to Mia Britton who was lurking on the far side of the box. She jinked past her defender and then sent a ball back across the penalty area to an unmarked Theodora Mouithys who made no mistake from close range to make it 2-1 in the 80th minute.
In previous seasons it’s quite likely that Subiaco would have conceded again in the remaining minutes, but the 2024 team is proving to be far more resilient and the two-goal cushion was restored just one minute later to seal the three points.
A throw-in from deep on the right-hand side fell to Murray-Hocking and with her second touch, she hit a fine shot past Phillips to make it 3-1.
This was a great result for Subiaco and highlights how much they have improved over the last two seasons. They now sit in fifth spot just two points outside of the top four and whilst they face a massive challenge next week when they travel to Dorrien Gardens to take on Perth, they will be going into the game full of confidence.
For the NTC it doesn’t get any harder as they next meet Perth RedStar in unfamiliar territory in Geraldton. Coach Ben Anderton will be keen to restore some confidence to his young side who have lost their last three games and have conceded 13 goals in the process.
Performance of the Round
Without a doubt the award this week goes to UWA Nedlands for their fantastic victory over Fremantle City. They displayed determination and endeavour and, whilst they had a little good fortune with a couple of their goals, the victory was well deserved.
Subiaco AFC also deserves praise for their win against Hyundai NTC which has added some real excitement to the race for the top four.
Click here for the Round 6 goal highlights!
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 6
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | +23 | 18 | WWWWW |
| 2 | Perth SC | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 15 | WWWWL |
| 3 | Balcatta Etna FC | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 12 | LWWLW |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 9 | LLLWW |
| 5 | Subiaco AFC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 7 | WLLWD |
| 6 | UWA Nedlands FC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 22 | -14 | 4 | WLLLD |
| 7 | Fremantle City FC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 16 | -4 | 3 | LLWLL |
| 8 | MUM FC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 25 | -19 | 3 | LWLLL |
Round 7 Fixtures
Saturday 18th May
HYUNDAI NTC vs PERTH REDSTAR – Wonthella Oval, Geraldton 3:00 pm
PERTH SC vs SUBIACO AFC – Dorrien Gardens 5:00 pm
Sunday 19th May
UWA NEDLANDS vs BALCATTA ETNA FC – UWA Sports Ground 1:00 pm
MUM FC vs FREMANTLE CITY – Besteam Stadium 3:00 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
8 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
7 – Lucy Jerram (Balcatta Etna FC)
7 – Ella Lincoln (Perth SC)
5 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
5 – Caitlin Doeglas (Perth RedStar FC)
