NPLW WA Round 3 was a shortened affair, with two games postponed as the impact of scheduling matches on Easter Sunday took its toll on player availabilities.
Of the two games that were played, one was a rematch of the Night Series Final between Perth SC and Perth RedStar. The other was between teams occupying the bottom two places on the ladder, Fremantle City and Curtin University FC.
Perth SC 0 – 0 Perth RedStar
Even though this was only the third game of the season, it represented a significant opportunity for Perth SC. A win would have established a six point gap over last season’s Champions and gained them a psychological advantage over one of their biggest challengers for the title. If Perth SC had won it would also have been their first ever league victory in the NPLW era against RedStar.
They went into this NPLW WA Round 3 game missing Jaymee Gibbons and Abbey Meakins from their midfield, while Poppie Hooks was playing for the Australian Schoolgirls in the Dallas Cup.
Perth RedStar were without young striker Olivia Wood who was also in the USA with the Australian Schoolgirls, but fielded an unchanged side from their Round 2 game against MUM FC.
The first half was not one that Perth SC coach Peter Rakic would have enjoyed, as he saw his side’s efforts at playing out from the back continually thwarted by RedStar’s high press.
Perth SC were unable to get much clean possession higher up the field, and even though the ever-dangerous Gemma Craine tried to initiate attacking moves, the RedStar midfield and defence held firm, restricted the home team to nothing more than a few scraps.
RedStar enjoyed the lion’s share of possession as they continually pinned their opponents back by winning the ball quickly. As a result they were on the front foot for most of the half.
The second half followed more of the same pattern and, if anything, RedStar was even more dominant in terms of possession and chances. However, they were unable to capitalise and the game ended scoreless.
Perth SC Coach Rakic was relieved to have come away with a point as he explained afterwards:
“I thought RedStar had their better share of half chances and capitalised on our poor positioning in transition, but they were just unable to carve out any real shots on goal.
“We were lacklustre in every department though and, as a team, we failed to rise to the occasion.
“If we are to overcome RedStar it’s going to take a complete performance and we, unfortunately, didn’t show any cohesion or real threat tonight, especially when going forward. I’ll admit it’s almost a relief that we walked away with a point.”
RedStar’s coach Carlos Vega Mena was philosophical about the game but pleased with his team’s performance:
“We knew it was going to be a tough game but were determined to be strong from the first minute.
“We played our football and created a lot of opportunities but we didn’t manage to convert and unfortunately, soccer is like that sometimes.
“Perth has some very talented players, especially up front, but the girls did a superb job in keeping a clean sheet.”
Both sides have injury concerns from the game. Perth SC’s Craine left the field in the second half with a hamstring injury, whilst Japanese import Chiori Ikeda was substituted in the first half with a calf injury.
Perth RedStar will be pleased with the effort and endeavour they put into the performance and will feel that their passing and pressing are getting back to last season’s standards, but there will be a few concerns about their lack of goals. This may be alleviated when Olivia Wood returns from Australian Schoolgirls duty. Redstar’s next game is on Friday when they take on cellar dwellers Curtin University.
Perth SC was not allowed to be at their free-flowing best and were guilty of giving the ball away on too many occasions, but they are still unbeaten and yet to concede a goal after three games. They will be concerned about Craine’s injury as she has been a hugely influential player for them.
Perth host MUM FC next and will be wary of a team that has shown in its first two games that it can be difficult to play against.
Fremantle City FC 7 – 0 Curtin University
Fremantle City went into NPLW WA Round 3 searching for their first win of the season and smarting from a heavy 6-0 defeat to Perth SC in Round 2.
Curtin was buoyed by the signing of a new goalkeeper, Latoya Crotty, but knew they still had a difficult task in front of them – Fremantle City have never finished outside of the top four in the NPLW era.
Fremantle’s first goal came after 12 minutes when good work from Laura Waltman down the left wing saw her get to the byline before cutting the ball back into the box, where it was deflected into the net by Curtin defender Selene Jimenez Lobato.
Another own goal added to Curtin’s woes in the 18th minute before Fremantle added a third in the 21st when Janice Kiama rounded the keeper. There would be no more scoring until late in the first half when two rapid-fire goals opened a five goal lead before halftime.
Curtin then held on until the 70th minute before the sixth goal was scored by Olivia Trueman. Mikayla Lyons rounded off the scoring in the 81st minute with a neat volleyed finish from close range.
Fremantle City will be relieved to win in NPLW WA Round 3, kickstarting their campaign – by scoring seven goals they have managed to get their goal difference back to an even keel. They will face Balcatta Etna next and a win would be a significant boost to their top four aspirations.
Curtin will be pleased that they were able to play for extended periods of time without conceding, but there is still much work to be done if they are to staunch the flow of goals. If they can do that, there is a chance they may start to become more competitive. They face Perth RedStar in their next game.
Click here for the Round 3 goal highlights.
League Standings
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | ||
| 1 | Perth SC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 7 |
| 2 | Hyundai NTC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 6 |
| 3 | Perth RedStar | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Subiaco AFC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 3 |
| 5 | Balcatta Etna | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 3 |
| 6 | Fremantle City | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | MUM FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 8 | Curtin University | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | -29 | 0 |
Round 4 Fixtures
Fri 14th April
CURTIN UNIVERSITY vs PERTH REDSTAR – Edinburgh Oval 7:30 pm
Saturday 15th April
PERTH SC vs MUM FC – Dorrien Gardens 5:00 pm
Sunday 16th April
SUBIACO AFC vs HYUNDAI NTC – Rosalie Park 3:00 pm
BALCATTA ETNA vs FREMANTLE CITY FC – Grindleford Reserve 3:00 pm
