Round 15 threw up the biggest surprise result of the season so far as 3rd-placed Balcatta were beaten by bottom-placed MUM FC 3-1 in a stunning upset. The remaining three games went according to the form book with the NTC snapping a four-game losing streak, and the top two both winning to set up a huge clash next week that may determine the outcome of the league title.
Hyundai NTC 3 – 1 UWA Nedlands FC
The opening game of the round on Saturday pitched the Hyundai NTC against UWA Nedlands. Both sides had suffered heavy defeats in the previous round and a win in this game would be welcome for both of them, albeit for different reasons, with NTC seeking to keep in touch with Fremantle for a spot in the four and UWA wanting to increase the gap between themselves and bottom placed MUM FC.
The first half showed that UWA coach, Lawrence Lewis, had been working hard during the week on his side’s defensive efforts and they were able to frustrate and nullify the NTC in the first 45 minutes, whilst also creating chances of their own.
The second half started in the same vein, with UWA content to play a counter-attacking game and this worked a treat in the 55th minute when they scored through Andrea Preiato. She made a run between two defenders to convert a cross from Emily Dinsdale and make it 1-0 to the visitors.
NTC thought they had scored an equalising goal just two minutes later but it was disallowed by the referee who indicated that Louise Tana had fouled Alyssa Kinkaid in the build-up.
The home team continued to press for the equalising goal, but the visitors maintained their defensive discipline, making life difficult for their younger opponents by denying them time and space. They were also creating chances and NTC keeper Megan Phillips was forced into a smart save from Dinsdale in the 61st minute.
In the 67th minute, NTC finally broke their opponents down to score the equaliser. A neat through ball from Angelique Clayton put Theodore Mouithys into the clear and her shot along the ground beat the dive of Morgan Springer before hitting the post and rolling into the net to make it 1-1.
The youngsters upped their intensity as they went in search of a second goal, and Springer was forced into making saves from Mia Britton and Mouithys to keep her side in the game but was powerless to stop Klaudia Houlis in the 76th minute who turned in a cross from Britton.
NTC made sure of the points in injury time when substitute Sakura Leong produced a delightful through ball to release Mouithys and the young striker made no mistake with her finish to make it 3-1 and score her 7th goal of the campaign.
The win will be a mighty relief for Anderton, and he will be proud of the grit and determination his young side showed to come back from a goal down and claim the points. They play Subiaco in midweek, and a win in that game will lift them back into the top four above Fremantle.
UWA were disciplined and showed a lot of spirit but were missing that vital cutting edge to take advantage of the chances created. Their next game is against Subiaco at home and they will be keen to try and improve on the draw they earned the last time the two teams met at the UWA Sports Park.
MUM FC 3 – 1 Balcatta Etna FC
Going into this game, Balcatta were third in the league with 28 points whilst MUM were bottom with just four points. In their previous game, Balcatta had won 6-1 and MUM had lost 9-0 so few people thought this would be anything other than a routine victory for the visitors but, as has often been said, football is a funny old game. It’s also true that football games are never won on paper and this match proved this most emphatically.
Balcatta were without a raft of first-choice players including Tia Stonehill, Lucy Jerram, Kat Jukic, Faye Phillips, Jamie-Lee Gale and new signing Zoee Spadano, but still had Becky Bennett, Alyssa van Heurck, Abbey Meakins, Liana Cook and Monique Prinsloo as well as Monique D’opera, Rachel Jarvis and Carys Davis in their starting XI.
The opening exchanges gave no hint of the drama about to unfold, with Balcatta controlling the games tempo and enjoying the bulk of possession but a free kick in the 13th minute signalled something out of the ordinary was about to happen. Ella Mastrantonio floated the dead ball towards the Balcatta penalty area where Eliis Glanfield had been left totally unmarked and she produced a perfectly weighted chip over the head of Becky Bennett in the Balcatta goal to make it 1-0.
Glanfied scored a second goal 12 minutes later when a through ball from Isabella Baldin allowed her to beat the offside trap. Holding off challenges from Balcatta defenders she finished with composure to make it 2-0, allowing her teammates to believe an upset result was possible. They still had to remain wary of Balcatta though and Abbey Meakins gave a reminder of the threat they posed in the 34th minute when her free kick crashed against a post.
In the 36th minute, Glanfield completed her hattrick to make it 3-0 when she beat the offside trap again to cooly slot the ball past Bennett. It is probably safe to say that neither MUM FC’s coach, Steve Atkins, nor his counterpart, Pete Rakic, would have believed a 3-0 halftime score in favour of MUM FC was possible.
The visitors came out for the second half with renewed intensity as they fought to find a way back into the game and gave themselves a glimmer of hope in the 54th minute when Meakins struck a superb free kick for her 14th of the season to make it 3-1, but that was as good as it got for Balcatta, as the home team defended in a manner that would have pleased Atkins. Whenever a Balcatta attack looked dangerous a MUM FC defender would be there to snuff it out, and when the final whistle blew there was understandable jubilation from the home team.
This was a remarkable turnaround after last week’s heavy loss and speaks volumes of the spirit within the squad. They are now on equal points with UWA Nedlands in the battle to avoid the relegation spot and play Hyundai NTC in the next round, and who is to say they couldn’t pull off another major upset in that game as well?
Balcatta will be bitterly disappointed to have lost the game in the manner they did, with basic defensive errors to blame for the goals. They are now 11 eleven points from the leaders and whilst they are still mathematically capable of claiming the title, their realistic chances are very slim. The game against Fremantle in the next round looms as a must-win for them.
Perth RedStar FC 6 – 1 Subiaco AFC
This game followed a similar script for encounters between these two teams with the home side putting on a dominant display to win the three points, and condemning Subiaco to their second successive heavy defeat.
The league leaders dominated the game from start to finish and had already gone close on several occasions before opening the scoring in the 14th minute. Abbey Wooley won the ball in her half and then released Reina Kagami who beat a defender before slotting the ball past Isobel Robinson to make it 1-0.
The Japanese midfielder doubled the score in the 34th minute when she picked up a miscued clearance from the Subiaco defence just outside the box. She shifted the ball onto her right foot and curled a perfectly weighted chip over Robinson’s head to make it 2-0.
Just two minutes later RedStar effectively put the game to bed when Sarah Carroll made it 3-0 with her fifth goal of the season. Olivia Wood picked out Carroll’s run on the far side of the box and the RedStar Captain’s shot across the goal found the far corner of the net.
RedStar were cruising at this point, but Subiaco struck five minutes before halftime to leave themselves with a glimmer of hope of getting something from the game. Poor marking from a corner allowed Greta Bailey to clip the ball in to make it 3-1.
RedStar’s three-goal cushion was restored almost immediately after the second half started when Wood produced a superb first-time strike from the edge of the box to make it 4-1 in the 46th minute.
Any lingering hopes of a comeback for Subiaco were well and truly extinguished in the 61st minute when Carla Bennett played in Jayna Ridley on the edge of the box. She produced a nice turn before finishing in the far corner to make it 5-1.
Kagami then added the icing on the cake when she scored her hattrick in the 84th minute to make it 6-1. An inch-perfect through ball from countrywoman Momoko Sakairi allowed her to take the ball without breaking stride before despatching it into the net. This was her 16th of the season and she is now just one behind Ella Lincoln in the race for the Golden Boot.
This was another dominant performance by the league leaders and they have now scored 13 goals in their last two games. Their next game is a potential title decider against Perth, and with the likes of Kagami and Wood in such good form it promises to be one of the games of the season.
Subiaco were not at the same level as RedStar, but showed they can play good possession-based football. Their next game is against the Hyundai NTC in midweek before taking on UWA Nedlands on the weekend, and they need maximum points from those two games if they are to entertain any hopes of finals football.
Perth SC 3 – 2 Fremantle City FC
Perth’s squad for this game had four Young Matildas and an ALW player, whilst Fremantle had three ALW players in their ranks. The two teams also boasted two of the best young WA strikers in Ella Lincoln and Tanika Lala so there was no shortage of star power in this game, and with both sides needing the three points the scene was set for an epic match.
Perth had the best of the opening quarter of an hour of the game and came closest to opening the scoring when Kim McCartney crashed a free kick against the bar. Fremantle then settled into the game and it became more of a midfield battle with neither side able to maintain possession for long periods.
A corner kick in the 34th minute proved the route for the opening goal when Sam Mathers scored an olimpico to make it 1-0 for the home team. The visitors were unfazed by this setback and continued to make life difficult for their opponents with an intense press and using the pace of Abbey Green and Tanika Lala to unsettle the Perth defence.
Perth then gifted Fremantle an equaliser in the 41st minute when their attempt to play out from the back misfired badly. Baxter Thew was pressured into making a loose pass by Alex Poad that hit Tijan McKenna and Poad pounced on the loose ball to beat Lily Bailey and make it 1-1.
The goal gave a lift to Fremantle and they almost took the lead in the 44th minute when Bailey superbly saved a snapshot from Lala. Clara Hoarau sent the ball back across the box but the ball was headed over for a goal kick, from which Lala nearly scored again when she pressured Georgia Cassidy into losing possession only to see her attempt trickle just past the post.
With the momentum of the game now firmly with Fremantle, Perth struck right on the cusp of halftime to restore their lead when Daisy McAlister showed good feet to evade the Fremantle defence before planting her shot in the far corner to make it 2-1.
Perth then enjoyed a huge slice of good fortune to take a 3-1 lead in the 52nd minute. Mathers went on a driving run down the left wing before crossing the ball into the box. This was initially diverted up into the air by the defence before Catherine Adams attempted to head the ball, but she only succeeded in putting the ball into her own net.
From the re-start Grace Johnston attempted to control the ball and fell awkwardly, seemingly hurting herself in the process and was immediately substituted. She was in obvious distress when she left the field, and it’s hoped that the injury is not serious.
Fremantle pressed hard to get something from the game and in doing so left themselves open at the back for Perth counterattacks so there was a real ebb and flow to the game with chances for both teams.
With a two-goal lead, Perth were in the box seat as the clock ticked down towards full time but they had a scare in injury time when Lala grabbed one for the visitors to make it 3-2. Hoarau spotted the run of Lala and played her into space and she made no mistake with her finish. Fremantle almost grabbed a dramatic equaliser in the 93rd minute when Abbey Green delivered an inch-perfect cross, but substitute Mikayla Lyons couldn’t direct her shot on target and it drifted just the wrong side of the post.
The win for Perth means they remain two points behind the leaders who they meet next week. The result was more important than the performance today, and Perth weren’t at their fluid best but they are still in the title hunt and will be itching to beat RedStar again.
Fremantle can consider themselves extremely unlucky not to have earned at least a point today and they pushed Perth all the way. Green was outstanding on the left wing and must surely be in the running for a new Perth Glory contract if she continues to play like this for the rest of the season. Fremantle faces Balcatta next week in another top-of-the-table clash but will fear no one after today’s display.
Click here for the Round 15 goal highlights!
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 15
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 16 | +53 | 39 | WWWLW |
| 2 | Perth SC | 15 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 57 | 15 | +42 | 37 | WWWWL |
| 3 | Balcatta Etna FC | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 28 | LWLDW |
| 4 | Fremantle City FC | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 19 | LWWWW |
| 5 | Hyundai NTC | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 42 | -19 | 18 | WLLLL |
| 6 | Subiaco AFC | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 53 | -32 | 12 | LLDLD |
| 7 | UWA Nedlands FC | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 56 | -41 | 7 | LLWLL |
| 8 | MUM FC | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 61 | -43 | 7 | WLLLL |
Round 16 Fixtures
Saturday 27th Jul
HYUNDAI NTC vs MUM FC – Sam Kerr Football Centre 1:00 pm
Sunday 28th Jul
UWA NEDLANDS FC vs SUBIACO AFC – UWA Sports Park 1:00 pm
BALCATTA ETNA FC vs FREMANTLE CITY FC – Home Group Stadium 3:00 pm
PERTH REDSTAR FC vs PERTH SC – RedStar Arena 3:00 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
17 – Ella Lincoln (Perth SC)
16 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
14 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
13 – Caitlin Doeglas (Perth RedStar FC)
13 – Tanika Lala (Fremantle City FC)
