Match of the Round
Maitland FC 6-0 Charlestown Azzurri
Maitland FC head coach Ben Horgan admitted it was not his side’s most clinical performance, but there were still plenty of positives to take from their 6-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri at Cooks Square Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Magpies were eager to return to winning ways in the Cardiff Motor Group NPL Women’s NNSW competition and made the perfect start, taking the lead inside two minutes.
Josie Morley opened the scoring when she found the end of an Elodie Dagg corner and headed the ball into the back of the net.
Maitland quickly doubled their advantage in the fifth minute after a failed clearance from goalkeeper Abbey Maletto fell to Ceanna Frost, who played the ball to Renee Pountney at the top of the penalty area.
Pountney made no mistake, firing into the bottom-left corner.
The Magpies continued to push for more throughout the opening half, but a strong defensive effort from Charlestown and Maletto growing into the contest kept them at bay.
But Maitland’s persistence paid off in the 36th minute when Georgia Amess delivered a cross from the byline to an unmarked Sophie Nenadovic at the top of the box, who found the top-right corner.
The attacking efforts saw Maitland head into the break with a 3-0 lead, but the work was far from finished.
The Magpies searched for a fourth early in the second half, with Amess denied by Maletto, who sent the effort away for a corner.
Natalia O’Driscoll looked destined to add another in the 55th minute after finding the scraps of a deflected shot, but her effort sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
As the match progressed, Azzurri continued to show intensity and maintain possession as they searched for a goal of their own.
Sienna Denholm came closest for the Blues in the 77th minute, unleashing a powerful strike from outside the box, but goalkeeper Annabella Thornton tipped the effort over the crossbar.
The Blues pushed numbers forward in search of a breakthrough, but Maitland’s disciplined backline made it difficult to find a way through.
A late surge from the Magpies saw Amess play a through ball to Dagg, who launched an effort from the side of the box that flew into the back of the net in the 81st minute.
Amess added a goal of her own in the 89th minute after Marion Dunbabin found her directly in front of goal. Her effort struck the crossbar before bouncing over the line to make it 5-0.
A sixth goal arrived a minute into stoppage time when Dunbabin launched a strike from the side of the box into the left corner to seal a comprehensive victory.
“It wasn't our best performance in terms of being clinical, but it was probably more difficult than I think we anticipated just to get going again after last week,” Horgan said.
“People played a lot of minutes last weekend, so even though mentally we felt ready there was still a bit of fatigue and tightness in the legs.
“We were just a bit sloppy with the ball and not at our usual level in front of goal. But at the end of the day you can't complain, we scored six and we kept a clean sheet.
“It was a big effort just mentally to get up and get the result in the end.”
Horgan knew Azzurri would come out strong in the second half and was proud of the way his backline responded.
“At half-time we reminded ourselves that the big threat was going to be on the counter and they've got pace and some quality in that part of the pitch,” Horgan said.
“We wanted to stay alert and make sure that we didn’t let them catch us off guard because that's what obviously hurt us against New Lambton a few weeks ago.
“To their credit, they [his defenders] were switched on. We were organised, we didn't get caught and when we did get in a situation where we were outnumbered, we were good enough to slow down the play and recover, get back goal side and defend.”
Charlestown Azzurri head coach Alicia Ferguson was pleased with her side’s defensive effort despite the scoreline.
“You have to respect them [Maitland]. We kind of sat back, tried to suffocate their space and I think we did that,” Ferguson said.
“We made it difficult for them and then it's just that transition moment to try and break forward.
“I don't think we kind of turned them around or really broke their back line enough, so that's something we'll have a look at.”
Despite the 6-0 defeat, Ferguson admitted that while she would have felt better if her side had avoided conceding three late goals, there were still plenty of positives to take away.
“I thought it was a good performance. It's just really hard when you concede three quick goals at the end of the game,” Ferguson said.
“We had a 15-year-old goalkeeper and I think she was excellent. She was really positive, she was talking a lot.
“I would have maybe felt a little bit better if we hadn't conceded those last goals, but there were so many positives to take out of the game.
“The progress of the team has been epic and we're getting some good passages of play.
“The final piece of the puzzle is not conceding as many, particularly in those fatiguing moments, and then we’ve got to start putting the ball in the back of the net.
“There's a lot to work on, but there were lots of positives.”
Azzurri will look to build on those positives when they welcome Adamstown Rosebud JFC to Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Maitland will be eager to rebuild their winning streak when they take on Lake Macquarie City FC at Macquarie Field on Sunday afternoon.
Broadmeadow Magic 0-0 Lake Macquarie City FC
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jason Konjarski felt his side’s opening performance was below their usual standard in their 0-0 draw with Lake Macquarie City FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
Lake Macquarie came out determined to claim all three points, and a free kick in the ninth minute saw the ball delivered into the penalty area, finding Keziah White, who looked to tap home, but goalkeeper Malli Blanch smothered the effort.
Momentum shifted throughout the opening half as both sides battled for possession and searched for the opening goal.
Magic’s Wimberley Wright looked to break the deadlock in the 25th minute when she delivered a cross into the box. Two teammates followed up with attempts in quick succession, but goalkeeper Morgan Ross denied both efforts.
With neither side able to find a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes, the teams entered the half-time break locked at 0-0 and ready for a tense second half.
Magic’s Jessica Wallace appeared to have opened the scoring in the 50th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside as they continued searching for a breakthrough.
Lakes substitute Larissa Ryan looked to have made an immediate impact in the 62nd and 63rd minutes, but a save from Blanch and the woodwork denied her efforts.
A late free kick in stoppage time gave Magic one final chance to find a winner, with Adriana Konjarski’s direct strike looking dangerous before being collected by Ross.
Despite the sides’ best efforts, neither team was able to find a way through as they shared the points in a 0-0 draw.
“I thought it was a great performance against a team that's above us. I wouldn't say overall we were unhappy, but we were unhappy with the fact that we weren't performing to the levels we know we could,” Konjarski said.
“We were five to 10 per cent off where we should have been in the first half. They definitely had the better of us in the first half, but in the second half we changed that.
“That was the best thing that we could come out with and change it, and the clean sheet is what we really wanted.”
Konjarski was pleased to see his side bounce back from previous performances against Lakes and emphasised the importance of keeping a clean sheet.
“Before this game, we had conceded eight goals in two games against them. To be able to lock them out was good,” Konjarski said.
“It’s good because if we do finish in that fourth spot, we’re most likely going to be coming up against them in finals, so to know we can shut them out is really pleasing.”
Magic will look to build on their strong second half performance when they take on Newcastle Olympic in the red and blue derby on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Lakes will aim to go one better when they welcome Maitland FC to Macquarie Field on Sunday.
New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
This match was postponed due to wet weather conditions.
Bye - Newcastle Olympic