Match of the Round: ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY v SALISBURY INTER:
This was a huge game with ramifications at the top and bottom of the table. Adelaide University knew that they had to win to be certain of avoiding automatic relegation and Salisbury Inter were certain that victory would see them crowned as Premiers for 2021.
With so much to play for, it perhaps should have been no surprise that there were goals galore.
Just after the quarter-hour mark, Inter failed to clear an Adelaide University attack which allowed Velvet Class to lay a ball across the box from the right, with another Inter attempted clearance falling to Sasha Coorey who put Uni ahead.
Their lead lasted for just over five minutes, until Nicole Calder’s right wing cross was met on the volley inside the box by Emily Condon to level the score.
With 35 minutes on the clock, Cote Rojas charged through the midfield and laid off a pass to the outside. A shot then came in from the left which cannoned back off the far post into the path of the Chilean, who couldn’t miss and Inter were ahead.
Less than a minute later Emily Heazlewood escaped along the right and found Dragana Kljajic towards the far side of the box, with Kljajic side-footing home to make it 3-1.
Just after half-time, Salisbury Inter looked to have confirmed the top spot for the final table when Rojas drove through the middle of the pitch and squared to Condon, who popped up on the left to slot home her second and Inter’s fourth.
Two minutes later, Condon broke through the centre and had all the time in the world to hit a shot which was blocked by Uni keeper Aimee Benton, but the ball rolled into the path of Rojas for Inter’s fifth goal.
With 68 minutes on the clock, it was 6-1 as Erin Hood danced her way up the left and squared a ball in for Condon to grab her hat-trick after taking a touch and deftly flicking it over Benton into the net.
Less than a minute later, Uni grabbed a consolation when the ball dropped to Georgia Iannella on the edge of the box and she lifted an effort into the top right-hand side of the net.
An incredible spell of scoring continued with the third goal in five minutes when a long ball from midfield found Uni’s Ellie Sparrow on the left and she lofted her shot into the net. That made it 6-3 – surely an incredible comeback wasn’t on?
It wasn’t, and with four minutes left, Condon was brought down in the box by Tahlia Curnow. Up stepped Rojas to seal her hat-trick and an incredible 7-3 win.
This result meant that Salisbury Inter were crowned premiers. Adelaide University would be automatically relegated if Fulham United could gain victory over a Metro United side who still harboured finals hopes.
ADELAIDE COMETS v FOOTBALL SA NTC:
The NTC knew that a point would guarantee them finals football. Whilst Comets didn’t have anything to play for apart from pride, they have a habit of proving to be stubborn opposition.
Katie Bowler put the NTC ahead with 18 minutes played after a move that started with a throw-in on the right-hand side. The ball found her via an overhead kick and she hit a side-footed volley into the right-hand side of the net.
Their lead lasted eight minutes. Yuka Sasaki received the ball around 25 yards from goal and she lofted a shot that Elyshia Ogston could only help into the net. There was late drama in stoppage time when Comets took all three points as Kate Seaton ran down the right and her cross was helped into her own goal by Zoe Tolland.
This loss meant that NTC would be reliant on bottom side Fulham United defeating Metro United in order to put NTC into the finals.
WEST ADELAIDE v ADELAIDE CITY:
West went into the game knowing that they had a very small chance of taking the Premier’s crown, but all the same, victory was important.
With eight minutes on the clock, Adelaide United A-League Women star Isabel Hodgson put City ahead when she fired in a glorious shot into the far side of the net.
Seconds later, Nicole Tilley equalised with yet another sensational strike. Maddie DuRieu found her on the left-wing and Tilley unleashed an effort from over 20 yards which found the top right corner of the net. This was yet another addition to her catalogue of stunning goals. If someone puts together a portfolio of Nicole Tilley’s goals for this season, it would make outstanding viewing.
Ninety seconds later there was yet another goal – this time for Adelaide City with Alanna Fitzsimmons capitalising on a poor back pass to slot home into the far side of the net.
However, West secured a draw twenty minutes into the second half when Siena Covino laid a pass off to Tilley, with her 25 yard toe-poke trundling agonisingly under the grip of City keeper Kendall Jenner and into the net.
FULHAM UNITED v METRO UNITED:
This was a game that had a lot riding on it. Fulham United, who have been bottom for virtually the whole season, knew that a win would see them avoid the wooden spoon and avoid automatic relegation to the SA WSL. Metro United were equally desperate for a win that would give them finals football after the NTC failed to pick up anything against Adelaide Comets.
Fulham hit the front with only three minutes played and it was a sensational solo effort from Fiona Worts, beating two defenders as she cut into the box from the right-hand side and shot into the far corner.
It was 2-0 to Fulham with just 12 minutes played and, once more it came as a result of individual brilliance. Natasha Vella charged onto a long ball played down the right which found her in acres of space. She calmly rounded Melanie Comyns and shot into the far corner of the net from an acute angle. The great escape from automatic relegation was on for the black and whites.
Fulham took a three-goal lead after 23 minutes when Hannah Doyle had two efforts blocked in the box, the second rebound falling to Worts who fired home her second of the evening.
Only 90 seconds later it was 4-0 with Worts grabbing her hat-trick. Georgina Toome did well to win possession from Metro’s Millie Scott on the left and play in Worts, who drove past a defender and hit a fine low finish into the far corner from just outside the box.
Just before the break, Metro finally had something to feel positive about as Lauren Steer crashed home a superb 25 yard free-kick from a central position into the right-hand corner.
Another Steer free-kick led to the final goal of the game with just over 20 minutes left. She curled a ball into the box from around 15 yards inside the Fulham half. As the ball bounced, Ebony Kyriacou was felled by Fulham keeper Natalie Hayman and a penalty was awarded. Roxanne Dodd dispatched the spot-kick into the left-hand corner, but that was as close as Metro would get to a comeback.
With Fulham taking such a long time to gain any wins this season, avoiding the bottom spot and automatic relegation is a sensational achievement. They will now play-off with the runners-up of the SA WSL, West Torrens Birkalla, to try and keep their NPLW place for another year.
FINAL TABLE:
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD | |
| Salisbury Inter | 21 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 67 | 17 | 49 | + 50 |
| West Adelaide | 20 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 54 | 23 | 45 | + 31 |
| Adelaide City | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 46 | 27 | 33 | + 19 |
| Football SA NTC | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 37 | 26 | – 5 |
| Adelaide Comets | 21 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 27 | 52 | 25 | – 25 |
| Metro United | 21 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 33 | 42 | 24 | – 9 |
| Fulham United | 21 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 21 | 58 | 17 | – 37 |
| Adelaide University | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 46 | 14 | – 24 |
Top four play finals football, the bottom placed side is automatically relegated to SA WSL, and the second bottom side plays-off against the SA WSL runners-up for a place in the 2022 SA NPLW.
