With the endless WA summer continuing, the only thing raining this weekend was goals, with 30 being scored across the four games. Seven goals or more were scored in three games, with hat tricks in two of them. By the end of the round, Perth RedStar stand alone in having a 100% record, while MUM FC are the only side without a point.
BALCATTA ETNA FC 4 – 2 HYUNDAI NTC
The round started on Friday evening with a game under lights at the newly named home ground of Balcatta Etna, Home Group Stadium, for the first time in the NPLW era. Any game between 2nd and 3rd is always a tightly contested affair and this one was no different with Etna bouncing back after last week’s loss to win 4-2. Goals by Lucy Jerram, Abbey Meakins, Faye Phillips and Monique Prinsloo were countered by strikes from Mia Britton and Theodora Mouithys from the Hyundai NTC.
Balcatta created the first major chance in the 5th minute when a cross from Jamie-Lee Gale hit the bar, and they had another close chance in the 16th minute when Gale’s shot rippled the side netting.
A minute later Balcatta scored the goal they had been threatening when Lucy Jerram struck a sweet left-foot shot into the far corner. This was the winger’s 6th goal of the campaign and maintains her lead for the Golden Boot.
The lead was doubled in the 25th minute when Jerram found Monique Godding in space on the right of the penalty area. Godding’s shot appeared to be going out, but Meakins showed great anticipation to steal in behind her marker and divert the ball into the net from close range to score her 4th goal in as many games.
Balcatta were firmly in control at this point and the Hyundai NTC were spending a lot of time in their half, but they reminded the home team of their ability in the final third when Louise Tana forced a smart save from Becky Bennett in the 37th minute.
Balcatta were soon back on the front foot and having a lot of joy down the left wing with Jerram’s pace causing the NTC defence problems. They nearly fashioned a 3rd goal in the 42nd minute through that avenue when Jerram pounced on a poor pass out from the NTC goalkeeper Megan Phillips. She rounded the full-back before pulling the ball back to an unmarked Meakins in the penalty box. She produced a clever back heel to set up Godding, who seemed to slip at the vital moment and her shot went straight to the keeper.
The second half started with Balcatta still firmly in control, and they nearly added a third in the 50th minute when Gale pulled the ball back to the top of the box where Meakins was lurking, but she fired her shot over.
Gale then went close again in the 51st minute and NTC were desperately hanging on at this point, but substitutions made by the two coaches changed the game’s complexion.
NTC coach Ben Anderton brought Theodora Mouithys on in the 60th minute to bring more aggression to his front line and in the 66th minute, Balcatta’s Pete Rakic made a triple substitution when he brought off Jerram (who appeared to be suffering a cramp in the humid conditions), Jukic and Godding.
Within a minute of the change, NTC scored through Mia Britton. Andrea Bulgaru and Liana Cook got in a tangle when they tried to clear the ball and it fell to Angelique Clayton. She quickly found Britton who fired the ball over Bennett’s head into the far corner to make it 2-1.
The game had a much more even feel to it now, with NTC enjoying more possession in the Balcatta half, but the pendulum swung back in favour of the home team in the 75th minute. Abbey Meakins played a lovely pass into the path of Monique Prinsloo whose shot was parried by Megan Phillips. Faye Phillips reacted first to the loose ball and sidefooted the ball into the roof of the net to make it 3-1.
NTC refused to give up and they struck again in the 84th minute when Britton rode the challenges of Meakins and Bulgaru before sliding a pass to Mouithys. The striker held off the challenge of Monique D’Opera before guiding the ball past Bennett to make it 3-2 and set up a tense finish to the game.
With the game moving deep into injury time, Balcatta finally put the result beyond doubt. Gale beat the offside trap to get to the byeline before pulling the ball back to an unmarked Prinsloo in the six-yard box and she made no mistake with her left foot finish.
Balcatta’s win lifted them to second and was a perfect response to last weeks defeat. They have a week off from league action as they take on Sorrento FC in the State Cup next week, before playing Subiaco in Round 5. NTC have a bye in the cup before facing another tough challenge when they take on Perth SC in Round 5.
UWA NEDLANDS 1 – 7 PERTH SC
A convincing win by the Azzurri underscored their title credentials with a hat trick from the impressive Ella Lincoln, a brace from Epril Nossent and goals from Daisy McAllister and Sam Mathers sealing the points. Emily Dinsdale scored a consolation goal for the home team.
Perth opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Lincoln displayed some fine hold-up play before slipping the ball back to McAllister who was about 25 yards out. She took a couple of touches before firing a shot into the top corner to make it 1-0.
The lead was doubled two minutes later when Mathers fed Lincoln the ball, who beat her marker before heading into the box and producing a fine low finish past Morgan Springer in the UWA Nedlands goal.
Lincoln then scored her second, and her side’s third, in the 27th minute to effectively end the game as a contest. Mathers won the ball just inside the UWA Nedlands half and released Jessica Flannery on the left wing. She had a clear field ahead of her and raced into the penalty area where Springer bravely challenged her. The ball popped out from that challenge and Lincoln, as all good strikers do, arrived at the rebound first for a simple tap-in to make it 3-0.
It was 4-0 10 minutes later when Nossent scored her first goal for her new club and she then produced a neat near post header from a Kim McCartney corner for her brace and her sides 5th in the 43rd minute.
Mathers added a sixth in the 51st minute when her low free kick from outside the box beat the wall and the keeper and Lincoln scored her hattrick in the 57th minute when she despatched a spot-kick past Springer.
The home side kept plugging away and scored a consolation goal in the 59th minute when Dinsdale capitalised on a mix-up between Matilda Boehm and goalkeeper Lily Bailey to knock the ball into an empty net and make it 7-1.
UWA Nedlands coach, Lawrence Lewis, spoke after the game about how his team are coping with the NPLW after facing two title contenders in their last two games:
“Both RedStar and Perth SC are well-established strong NPLW clubs, so we were under no illusions that both games would be tough. This being our first season in the NPLW (we) sometimes will have to take harsh learnings from other teams in this league and that is exactly what we plan to do, learn from it.”
Both teams have a bye in the cup next weekend and then face tough games in Round 5 when UWA face MUM FC, whilst Perth SC hosts the Hyundai NTC.
MUM FC 0 – 7 PERTH REDSTAR FC
For the second week in a row, the reigning champions scored seven unanswered goals and extended their 100% record to four games. A hatrick from Reina Kagami, a brace from Jayna Ridley plus a goal from Momoko Sakairi and another long-range special from Sarah Carroll secured the win.
The visitors were out of the blocks quickly and scored their first goal in the 3rd minute. Caitlin Doeglas skipped past her marker and crossed into the box where Arai Manami was lurking. She cushioned a pass to her countrywoman, Kagami, who tucked the ball away with comfort past Manon Gebauer in the MUM FC goal.
Four minutes later it was 2-0. Doeglas was again involved as her free kick hit the far post and was not cleared by the MUM defence. The ball fell to Momoko Sakairi and she made no mistake from close range to open her account with her new club.
MUM were able to make some forays towards their opponents goal and Gabby Dal Busco was forced to come out of her goal shortly after the goal to ensure a rapid counterattack didn’t end up with a MUM goal.
RedStar made it three in the 21st minute when a goal kick from Gebauer was picked off by Sakairi. She fed Renee Leota on the edge of the box who played the ball back to allow Sakairi to loft a perfectly weighted through ball to Kagami who had stolen in behind the defence. She managed to get her shot away despite the bravery of Gebauer to score her second of the game. Gebauer took a knock to the head in trying to save but was deemed fit enough to carry on.
The fourth goal in the 42nd minute was the result of some rapid-fire one-touch passing that would have delighted coach Carlos Vega Mena. Sakairi fed Andreia Teixeira on the halfway line. Her pass to Manami was played first time around the corner to Leota who, in turn, played a one-touch pass back to Manami. The Japanese winger rolled the ball into the penalty area with her first touch and it was met by Kagami whose first-time finish gave RedStar their fourth of the game and her sixth of the campaign.
If the fourth goal was a result of neat interchange football, then the fifth in the 44th minute was an example of a more direct approach. A corner was partially cleared to just outside the edge of the box where Carroll was lurking. Her first touch set the ball up nicely and with her second she struck a sweet right-footed shot that gave Gebauer little chance.
Goal number six came in the 57th minute and was another one with a heavy Japanese flavour. Teixeira rolled the ball into Sakairi who created space for herself with a neat turn to pass to Kagami. She let the ball run across her body before picking out the run of substitute Jayna Ridley who took one touch and then found the back of the net with a neat finish.
Ridley scored her second and her side’s seventh in the 81st minute. Doeglas went for a run down the left wing which took her to the byeline. She cut the ball back to the onrushing Ridley who made no mistake from the 6-yard box to wrap up the scoring.
Ridley spoke after the game:
“I thought we played well and took our chances, and from the start of the game we gave it our all, and it was nice to get the two goals. The vibe with the girls is great, and we’re just focused on getting the best from each other.”
Both MUM and RedStar have byes in the Cup next week. They return to league action in May, with MUM travelling to UWA Nedlands for a crucial game and RedStar entertaining Fremantle.
SUBIACO AFC 2 – 7 FREMANTLE CITY FC
The last game of the round was also the one with the most goals, with the previously goal-shy Fremantle going on a rampage. Their new signing from Perth Glory, Clara Hoarau, hit a brace, as did Janice Kiama and Olivia Trueman, with Anna Powell rounding out the scoring. For the home team, this was a defensive performance to forget, but they did score through Cassandra Harvey and Marianna Tabain.
Subiaco opened the game full of confidence after going two games unbeaten and took an early lead through Tabain in the 6th minute, with a neat finish after some clever link-up play with Stella Zampogna.
The visitors then equalised through Hoarau in the 16th minute. Using her strength she won the ball off Greta Bailey and then held her off before despatching her shot into the left-hand corner.
Hoarau was a dominant figure for much of the game and with Laura Waltman appearing to have left the club, she will be an important player for the port team in the weeks to come.
Fremantle took the lead in the 27th minute and Subiaco were again punished for not being decisive enough in their defensive third. Olivia Trueman created some panic between Poppy Thorpe and goalkeeper Isobel Robinson as they tried to deal with a loose ball, and Robinson’s attempted clearance fell straight to Janice Kiama. With the keeper well out of position and having injured herself in clearing the ball, Kiama side-footed the ball into an empty net.
Fremantle doubled their lead in the 44th minute with a classic counterattack, breaking quickly from a Subiaco corner. Hoarau picked the ball up just outside her penalty area and carried it over the halfway line before finding Trueman, who laid a first-time ball off to Alex Poad on the right wing. Poad took one touch before returning the ball to Trueman and she slotted the ball past Robinson. The young keeper was injured again when she dived for the ball as she collided with teammate Thorpe, and such was the impact that both players were replaced at halftime.
Subiaco coach Greg Farrell must wonder if his goalkeepers are cursed, as he used five last season and has now used two in this campaign.
The game was then put out of reach for Subiaco in the 54th minute when Kiama scored from a corner to make it 4-1, although Subiaco regained a glimmer of hope in the 58th minute when Frankie Murrray-Hocking capitalised on a misplaced pass to send Cassandra Harvey clear and she produced a clinical finish to make it 4-2.
That hope was snuffed out in the 70th minute when Mikayla Lyons picked out Trueman in the box. She held off the challenge of Carla Biegun to beat Ashleigh Riddle and make it 5-2.
Hoarau added her second of the game to cap off a fine debut performance in the 72nd minute. Sophie Meaden fed her the ball and she broke Jaalah Rudd’s challenge before firing the ball past Riddle to make it 6-2.
The final goal of the game was scored in injury time. Lyons broke free on the left before squaring the ball to Mia Yeo in the 6-yard box. A combination of post, goalkeeper and defender stepped Yeo from scoring but the ball eventually fell to Anna Powell who had the simplest of tap-ins to make it 7-2.
Both teams enjoy a bye in the Hyundal State Cup next weekend and then face tough opposition in Round 5, with Subiaco travelling to Balcatta and Fremantle going to RedStar Arena to play the league leaders. With strong rumours that another Perth Glory player will be joining Fremantle soon, there’s every likelihood of them providing stiff opposition to RedStar, whilst Subiaco will want to steady the ship after such a heavy loss.
Performance of the Round
Ella Lincoln again gets a mention for her hat trick against UWA Nedlands, whilst Perth RedStar’s Reina Kagami hat trick against MUM FC signals to the rest of the league she is back to her 2023 form. Fremantle also produced a strong performance and look to have put their poor form of the first three rounds behind them.
There is a break for the State Cup competition next week and the league resumes the following week. Perth SC vs Hyundai NTC is the game of the round, but the clash between UWA Nedlands and MUM FC also promises to be close and fiercely contested.
Click here for the Round 4 goal highlights!
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 4
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | +19 | 12 | WWWW |
| 2 | Balcatta Etna FC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 9 | WLWW |
| 3 | Perth SC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 9 | WWLW |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 | LWWW |
| 5 | Subiaco AFC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 4 | LWDL |
| 6 | Fremantle City FC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 3 | WLLL |
| 7 | UWA Nedlands FC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 | -14 | 1 | LLDL |
| 8 | MUM FC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 20 | -17 | 0 | LLLL |
Round 5 Fixtures
Friday 3rd May
PERTH SC vs HYUNDAI NTC – Dorrien Gardens 7:00 pm
Sunday 5th May
UWA NEDLANDS FC vs MUM FC – UWA Sports Park 1:00 pm
BALCATTA ETNA FC vs SUBIACO AFC – Home Group Stadium 3:00 pm
PERTH REDSTAR FC vs FREMANTLE CITY – RedStar Arena 3:00 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
6 – Lucy Jerram (Balcatta Etna FC)
6 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
5 – Caitlin Doeglas (Perth RedStar FC)
4 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
4 – Ella Lincoln (Perth SC)
4 – Sarah Carroll (Perth RedStar FC)
