The only change in the league standings after Round 7 saw Fremantle City and UWA Nedlands swapping places after Fremantle City overcame MUM FC 2-1. RedStar and Balcatta Etna scored seven in their emphatic victories against Hyundai NTC and UWA, whilst Perth SC continued their pursuit of the leaders with a four-goal defeat of Subiaco AFC.
HYUNDAI NTC 1 – 7 PERTH REDSTAR
A dominant second-half display by Perth RedStar saw them score six unanswered goals to claim the three points against Hyundai NTC in Geraldton, thus maintaining their 100% start to the season and retaining the Regional Festival of Football Cup after winning it in Albany last season.
RedStar’s first half was one they would rather forget as they appeared sluggish and their passing game was well short of their normal high standards. NTC won the 50/50 battles and pressed the leaders at every opportunity to force turnovers. They were also defending with intensity and conviction and didn’t look like a team that had conceded 13 goals in their previous three games.
Their hard work was rewarded in the 13th minute when they opened the scoring through the impressive Klaudia Houlis. She cut in from the right wing and fired a shot that took a deflection off a RedStar defender and looped over Gabby Dal Busco in the RedStar goal to make it 1-0.
NTC looked the more likely of the two teams to score the next goal as they continued to work hard to shut down RedStar attacks and were a constant threat on the counter, but the game’s momentum then changed in favour of RedStar on the stroke of halftime when they were awarded a penalty after Houlis was adjudged to have fouled Olivia Wood in the box.
Caitlin Doeglas took the kick and made no mistake from the spot to make the score all square at the halftime break.
Whatever RedStar coach Carlos Vega Mena said at halftime galvanised his team and they came out firing for the second period. He also made a triple change at the break, and within 20 minutes the game was out of reach for the NTC.
In the 55th minute, Doeglas played a neat one-two with one of the substitutes, Jayna Ridley, before curling a clinical finish past Megan Phillips for her second of the game and seventh of the season to make it 2-1.
Seven minutes later it was 3-1 when another substitute, Quyen Doan, headed home a Doeglas corner and then in the 65th minute the game was well and truly put to bed when Ridley turned in a Doeglas cross to make it 4-1.
The champions were rampant now and the youngsters could hardly get out of their half as the RedStar pressure was relentless. A fifth goal arrived in the 71st minute when a fiercely struck shot from Momoko Sakiri hit the post and then rebounded back off the head of Phillips into the net. This signalled the end of the game for Phillips who was substituted with an injury and NTC U15 goalkeeper Macy Johnson was called on for her first-team debut.
There was still time for more goals and the champions scored their sixth in the 76th minute. Carla Bennett picked out Manami Arai and the Japanese winger finished neatly in the far corner to make it 6-1. Bennett had come on as a substitute just five minutes earlier and this was her first game back for the first team since rupturing her ACL 15 months ago.
Ridley then applied the finishing touch to the proceedings in injury time when she tapped in from close range following her team’s eighth corner of the game.
A shot count of 37 to 8 underlined just how dominant RedStar were in the game, and captain Sarah Carroll received the Regional Cup at the end of her 150th game for RedStar/Redbacks.
This was the third seven-goal haul of the campaign for the leaders and they remain top of the league with their 100% record. They travel to Subiaco for their next game brimming with confidence.
NTC looked shell-shocked by the end of the game. Coach Ben Anderton has a big task to rebuild confidence in his young players who have lost their last four games in a row and conceded 20 goals. They host UWA Nedlands next week and desperately need a win to get their season back on track.
PERTH SC 4 – 0 SUBIACO AFC
With RedStar beating NTC earlier in the day, Perth SC knew that they had to claim all three points against Subiaco if they were to stay on the coattails of the leaders.
They accomplished this with relative ease after hitting three unanswered goals in the first half, before wrapping the points up with a late goal in the second.
The home team only had to wait four minutes before opening their account when Ella Lincoln showed persistence in the box before eventually capitalising on a slip by Carla Biegun to rifle one into the roof of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
Enjoying the vast majority of the possession, it was no surprise when the home team doubled their lead 15 minutes later. Jess Flannery chased a free kick into the box and her left-foot shot was partially blocked by Monique Todd in the Subiaco goal. The rebound fell straight back to Flannery and she made no mistake with her right foot to make it 2-0.
A third goal was added in the 33rd minute and Flannery was again the scorer. Lincoln squeezed a pass out to her strike partner who rolled her defender before hitting a left-foot shot into the far corner.
At 3-0, the game was effectively over, and Perth SC coach Danielle Brogan used the half-time break to introduce Tijan McKenna, Anika Stajcic and Sophia Papalia. With McKenna and Stajcic joining Georgia Cassidy and Lily Bailey, Perth now had four ALW players on the field.
Perth continued to dominate possession but had to wait until the 89th minute before adding a fourth with the goal of the game. Stajcic took the ball to the left of the box before cutting back and hitting a sweet curling shot over the head of Todd and into the far corner for her fourth goal in three games.
The stats underlined just how dominant Perth were in this game with 25 shots to 4 and 14 of those shots being on target compared to 1 for the visitors.
The arrival of McKenna bolsters an already impressive squad and the Azzurri has enough talent to seriously challenge Perth RedStar. Their defensive record is the equal of the champions with just six goals conceded and they have some serious firepower in their ranks. They travel to Fremantle for next week’s game and will be favourites to get the three points.
Subiaco will be disappointed at not putting on a better show, but coach Greg Farrell will be realistic enough to recognise this was going to be one of the hardest games of the season. Next week throws up another even harder game when they host Perth RedStar.
UWA NEDLANDS 1 – 7 BALCATTA ETNA
Going into the game Balcatta found themselves nine points behind the leaders and six points behind second place so a win was essential for them. They faced a UWA team who had a spring in their step after earning their first-ever NPLW win in the previous game.
Balcatta enjoyed the majority of possession for the first 30 minutes without creating any clear-cut chances. They then nearly found themselves a goal down in the 32nd minute when Emily Dinsdale found herself one-on-one with Becky Bennett in the Balcatta goal, but she dragged her shot just wide.
The game changed dramatically in the 33rd minute when UWA’s Mackenzie Rastatter was shown a red card after getting involved with Lucy Jerram in a challenge for the ball. Jerram pushed Rastatter to the ground and the UWA player kicked out at Jerram as they were both on the floor. The referee quickly issued the red card, with Jerram also receiving a yellow.
With just 10 players, and over half a game to play, UWA Nedlands were now facing a mountain to climb and Balcatta soon made the extra player count when they took the lead in the 41st minute. A short corner routine allowed Jamie-Lee Gale to get a dangerous cross in and Monique Prinsloo bundled the ball over to make it 1-0.
Balcatta doubled their advantage in injury time when Jerram stood a cross up and Prinsloo was again on hand to nod home from almost on the goal line to make it 2-0.
The second half then became the Abbey Meakins show as the Balcatta skipper grabbed a hat trick, with her first goal coming just a minute after the restart. The hard-working Gale beat her full back on the right wing and then sent an excellent ball into the six-yard box where the unmarked Meakins had an easy tap-in to make 3-0.
The fourth goal arrived in the 54th minute when Jerram produced a trademark left-footed shot into the corner to make it 4-0. Gale was again the provider in the 60th minute with a near carbon copy of the third goal as she once again provided an inch-perfect cross into the 6-yard box where Meakins was lurking, and she made no mistake from close range.
Meakins then completed her hat trick when she scored her side’s sixth goal in the 79th minute. Receiving the ball from second-half substitute Kat Jukic, she neatly turned her defender before rolling the ball into the net.
UWA Nedlands scored a consolation goal in the 80th minute when Michaela Thawley looped a shot towards the Balcatta goal. Bennett could only palm it away and Dinsdale was on hand to send the rebound over the line to make it 6-1.
The final goal came in the 86th minute when Jerram burst clear of the defence and raced towards goal. UWA’s keeper, Morgan Springer, blocked the initial shot but Jerram prodded the rebound home to make it 7-1.
Balcatta take on MUM FC in the next round and will be looking for another big win to maintain pressure on the top two, whilst UWA Nedlands travel to the Sam Kerr Centre for a meeting with NTC. They will take heart from their performance when they had 11 on the field but will need to be at their very best to get points next week.
MUM FC 1 – 2 FREMANTLE CITY
The final game of the round was a bottom-of-the-table clash, and there would have been few, if any, pundits who would have predicted Fremantle City would be one of the teams involved.
Visitors Fremantle came out of the blocks seemingly determined to get the game done and dusted as soon as possible and they scored the opening goal inside the first 30 seconds.
Abbey Green was sent free by a clever backheel from Tanika Lala and her cross was expertly volleyed home by Matilda Boyle for her first goal of the season.
Lala doubled the lead in the 8th minute and Green was again at the heart of it. Her cross wasn’t cleared properly and it fell to Lala who was unmarked in the box and she lashed her shot high into the net to make it 2-0.
Things were looking bleak for MUM FC at this point, but Steve Atkins has instilled a strong sense of togetherness within the squad and they have shown in games this season that they aren’t prepared to give up without a fight, and they proved it again this time.
They gradually worked their back into the game and got a foothold in the 29th minute. Taylor Reid capitalised on a misplaced pass in midfield and quickly fed the ball to her captain, Tiana Botha. She burst clear of the covering defenders before finishing neatly to beat Dayle Schroeder in the Fremantle goal to make it 2-1.
Despite their best efforts, MUM FC couldn’t force an equaliser and Fremantle were very happy to take the points home, moving up to 6th on the ladder.
Fremantle face Perth SC in the next round, and nothing short of their absolute best will be enough to earn any points, whilst MUM FC also have a tough task when they travel to Home Group Stadium for a clash with Balcatta Etna.
Performance of the Round
The second-half display by Perth RedStar against Hyundai NTC during their match in Geraldton was one of the most dominant of the season. The reigning champions completely overpowered their young opponents and, on this evidence, won’t be relinquishing their title easily.
Click here for the Round 7 goal highlights!
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 7
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 | +29 | 21 | WWWWW |
| 2 | Perth SC | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 6 | +20 | 18 | WWWWW |
| 3 | Balcatta Etna FC | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 12 | +15 | 15 | WLWWL |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 9 | LLLWW |
| 5 | Subiaco AFC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 7 | WLLWD |
| 6 | Fremantle City FC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 16 | -2 | 6 | WLLWL |
| 7 | UWA Nedlands FC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 29 | -20 | 4 | LWLLL |
| 8 | MUM FC | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 27 | -21 | 3 | LLWLL |
Round 8 Fixtures
Saturday 25th May
HYUNDAI NTC vs UWA NEDLANDS – Sam Kerr Centre, 1:00 pm
Sunday 26th May
FREMANTLE CITY vs PERTH SC – Hilton Park 3:00 pm
BALCATTA ETNA vs MUM FC – Home Group Stadium 3:00 pm
SUBIACO AFC vs PERTH REDSTAR FC – Rosalie Park 3:45 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
9 – Lucy Jerram (Balcatta Etna FC)
8 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
8 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
8 – Ella Lincoln (Perth SC)
7 – Caitlin Doeglas (Perth RedStar FC)
