Match of the Round
Newcastle Olympic 1-6 New Lambton FC
Newcastle Olympic coach Jacob Jones said individual mistakes and a vulnerability from set pieces played a large part in his side's 6-1 loss to New Lambton FC at Darling Street Oval on Saturday afternoon.
New Lambton continued their positive form from Wednesday night when Caitlin Pickett opened the scoring in the fourth minute.
Pickett received the ball at the top of the box and launched a powerful shot into the bottom-right corner, catching Olympic goalkeeper Akir Baird off guard.
Olympic quickly found an equaliser in the 13th minute when Jemma House charged downfield from halfway, rounded New Lambton’s Amy Gosling and slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner.
The two sides traded shots as the half went on, but it was New Lambton that regained the lead when Tara Andrews tapped the ball into the back of the net after a scramble in front of goal.
Back-to-back goals from Pickett in the 30th minute and Sienna Fraser-Kelly in the 32nd sent New Lambton into the sheds at half-time with a commanding 4-1 lead.
The Golden Eagles showed no signs of slowing down after the break, with Lauren Allan forcing an early save almost immediately.
The moment Allan had been waiting for came in the 58th minute when she latched onto a through ball from Pickett and sliced the ball into the bottom-left corner to extend her side’s lead to 5-1.
In a reversal of roles, a perfectly placed ball from Allan saw Pickett slot home her hat-trick in the 68th minute.
New Lambton continued to search for a seventh goal but were unable to add to their tally, with the score remaining 6-1 at the final whistle.
“I’m not overly happy with it [the performance],” Jones said.
“I think there were little passages where we did well, but it definitely wasn't as consistent as the last couple of weeks where I feel like our performances have been quite good and the scoreline doesn't reflect the performance.
“I still don't think it quite reflects the result, but we definitely weren’t the better team today.
“I thought the first half hour we were actually in control. They scored a really good goal, just a good finish and there’s not much we can do about it. When Jemma scored it was really good, it was great having her back today.
“Just from there, individual mistakes and set pieces being a weakness just killed us in the end.”
Along with individual mistakes and set pieces, Jones also felt his side simply did not compete well enough but is hopeful they can bounce back next weekend.
“We spoke at half-time about winning individual battles, trying to minimise individual errors, being first to the ball and just competing,” Jones said.
“We felt maybe we didn't compete as well as they did, and they were a lot more physical than us, we got bullied a little bit.
“It just wasn't our best performance, and I think the girls will reflect on that and work on it at training to come out next week and be even stronger.”
New Lambton coach Craig Atkins was thrilled with his side’s dominant result, particularly after a tough 3-2 victory over Broadmeadow Magic on Wednesday night.
“It was a great performance especially with a tough game against [Broadmeadow] Magic on Wednesday night,” Atkins said.
“So for the girls to back it up today and deliver another solid performance, which could have been a lot more as well. Full credit to them. Big week for them and they should be proud of themselves.
“I think it shows that resilience and we know going forward we've got lots of attacking options. Against Magic the other night we went 1-0 down and then came back and got ourselves back in front.
“I thought Caitlin Pickett was outstanding today, but we kept peppering them and it was a good result going into half-time 4-1 up.”
Atkins acknowledged his side had opportunities to further extend their lead but believed the effects of playing two games in four days began to show as the match wore on.
“It was nice to score six but there was a lot more on offer. There was a bit of fatigue, especially in that second half it kicked in for the girls after a game on Wednesday night,” Atkins said.
“So, we're not looking for any excuses, we'll get back to the training ground, and we'll work on a few things.
“I think it's a bit of time now just to freshen the girls up and be ready to go again next Saturday.”
New Lambton will look to keep the good times rolling when they travel to Lisle Carr Oval to take on Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday.
Olympic will aim to turn their season around when they go head-to-head with Lake Macquarie City FC at Macquarie Field on Sunday.
Charlestown Azzurri 0-0 Broadmeadow Magic
Broadmeadow Magic assistant coach Dean Cook believed his side did enough to secure all three points in their 0-0 draw with Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
With Azzurri searching for a top-four spot and Magic looking to cement their position on the table, both teams came out on the front foot.
Magic looked likely to open the scoring in the 11th minute when Wimberley Wright sent a well-placed ball into the area, but goalkeeper Danielle Bartels was able to punch it clear.
Wright continued to threaten in the 23rd minute as she charged downfield alongside Taren King, but the pressure saw her effort sent straight into the hands of Bartels.
Azzurri came close to netting the opening goal moments before half-time when a corner narrowly sailed over the crossbar, sending the two sides into the sheds locked at 0-0.
The end-to-end battle continued throughout the second half, with both sides trading chances but unable to find a breakthrough.
Magic's Ava Bjorkman-Tracy was narrowly denied by Bartels after finding the end of a King deflection directly in front of goal.
Erica Di Sciascio surged forward in search of an Azzurri opener in the 77th minute and delivered a cross into the box, but Riley Gardner's headed effort drifted over the crossbar.
Charlestown and Magic traded corner after corner as they searched for the decisive goal but were ultimately unable to be separated, with the score remaining 0-0 at full-time.
“We had enough possession and field position to win tonight but we couldn’t find the back of the net,” Cook said.
“We needed the final pass or shot to have a little more quality and composure.
“But defensively I thought we were very solid, so that is pleasing.
“I think our overall form is good. We still have plenty of improvement to come and our next win is not too far away.”
Broadmeadow will look to return to winning ways when they take on Adamstown Rosebud at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Azzurri will be eager to continue their recent positive run when they welcome New Lambton FC to Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Maitland FC 4-0 Adamstown Rosebud
Maitland FC continued their reign at the top of the table with a 4-0 victory over Adamstown Rosebud at Cooks Square Park on Sunday morning.
Georgia Amess came out firing for Maitland as she searched for the opening goal and appeared to have found it early, only for the effort to be ruled offside.
The Magpies had a second goal disallowed for offside in the 14th minute but made sure their next opportunity counted.
Amess charged downfield to latch onto a through ball from Renee Pountney before squaring it to Sophie Stapleford, who tapped home in the 26th minute.
Elodie Dagg looked to extend the lead soon after, but a fantastic save from Olivia Sneddon saw the ball tipped over the crossbar.
Adamstown attempted to build momentum as the first half progressed, but strong defending and the efforts of Annabella Thornton ensured they were continually denied.
Maitland doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Dagg unleashed a strike from the top of the box into the bottom-right corner, narrowly beyond the reach of Sneddon, to send her side into the break with a 2-0 advantage.
The Magpies showed no signs of slowing down in the second half as Stapleford cut the ball back to an unmarked Pountney, who calmly slotted it into the bottom-left corner in the 54th minute.
Amess capped off the scoring and secured her second goal of the day in the 83rd minute. After her initial effort was saved by Sneddon, the ball spilled towards goal and Amess reacted quickest to tap home Maitland’s fourth.
The result saw Maitland remain undefeated through 12 matches before serving the bye in round 15.
Meanwhile, the loss saw Adamstown fall to the bottom of the table, making their clash with Broadmeadow Magic on Friday night an important opportunity to respond.
Bye - Lake Macquarie City FC