Match of the Round
Maitland FC 5-0 Newcastle Olympic
Maitland FC coach Ben Horgan admitted his side was below its usual standards in possession despite recording a convincing 5-0 victory over Newcastle Olympic at Cooks Square Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Magpies started strong as they chased their 14th win of the season, with their early pressure paying off in the 11th minute. Marion Dunbabin struck the crossbar from outside the penalty area, with the ball bouncing down over the line to give Maitland the lead.
The visitors doubled their advantage six minutes later when Sophie Stapleford's long ball from the touchline found Renee Pountney, who raced clear alongside Isahbella Threlfo before placing her finish into the bottom-right corner.
Olympic looked to respond in the 39th minute when Jemma House unleashed a long-range effort from around 30 yards, but Annabella Thornton produced a diving save to preserve Maitland's 2-0 lead heading into half-time.
The Magpies began the second half with the same intensity and extended their lead in the 52nd minute. Tahlia Gossner threaded a through ball into the path of Pountney, who broke clear before calmly finishing into the back of the net.
Just a minute later, Pountney completed her hat-trick, meeting a Ceanna Frost pass before slipping the ball past advancing goalkeeper Akir Baird and into the bottom-left corner.
Maitland rounded out the scoring in the 65th minute when a Sophie Nenadovic delivery ricocheted off several Olympic defenders into the path of Pountney, who calmly netted her fourth goal of the afternoon to make it 5-0.
The Magpies continued to control possession for the remainder of the match but were unable to add a sixth goal as Baird and a determined Olympic defence held firm.
"It wasn't the best performance in terms of keeping the ball. We turned it over a lot more than I would have liked," Horgan said.
"In the second half, I think we improved, and we did some good work in front of goal, so we took our chances, which was nice.
"We were fairly comfortable in that respect, but there's still a little bit to improve on before Friday next week.
"We're always trying to get better, and we'll keep working towards hopefully hitting our peak as we head into finals."
Despite his side's dominance, Horgan said he was pleased with the way the Magpies adapted to the challenges Olympic presented.
"Every game throws up different challenges, so we're always looking to improve. At the same time, teams come at us with different systems and different ways of playing," Horgan said.
"You can go into a game with a plan and things you want to work on, but you've also got to respond to and respect what your opponent is doing.
"I think Olympic changed their plan today, and we had to adapt to that. We managed to do that pretty well, which was good."
Newcastle Olympic coach Jacob Jones admitted his side altered its shape in an attempt to limit Maitland's attacking threats.
"We went with a different shape to try and nullify some of Maitland's attack. They're really strong at putting diagonals in behind, so we sat a little bit deeper, absorbed a bit of pressure, and tried to make it hard for them," Jones said.
"I thought we did quite well with that in the first half, and anything that came into those pockets, we did really well at stopping and preventing them from progressing.
"We gave them the goals by giving possession away in silly areas."
Jones said individual errors ultimately proved costly for his young side.
"We did okay in moments. I think we were very patient today, which is good," Jones said.
"It's a very young team, and I think with a young team, we just make those individual mistakes, and they can cost you.
"We conceded both goals in the first half from those moments, so we've got to take the good and the bad.
"Unfortunately, when we give away clear chances, they're likely to punish us."
Olympic will look to bounce back and secure their first points since the end of April when they host Adamstown Rosebud JFC at Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Maitland will continue their pursuit of the premiership when they travel to Magic Park to face Broadmeadow Magic on Friday night.
Broadmeadow Magic 1-3 New Lambton FC
New Lambton FC coach Craig Atkins said his side's performance in their 3-1 win over Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Friday night highlighted their determination to continue their strong run of form before the month-long league break.
With Magic looking to strengthen their hold on fourth place and New Lambton eager to return from the unexpected hiatus with a win, the opening 20 minutes saw both sides trade wayward chances in an end-to-end contest.
The Golden Eagles began to build momentum as the first half wore on and were rewarded in the 31st minute.
Tara Andrews received the ball just outside the penalty area and fired a strike towards goal that clipped the post before bouncing over the line to give New Lambton a 1-0 lead.
Magic responded before the break, with Jessica Wallace ensuring the home side would head into half-time on level terms.
Wallace drove forward from midfield, beat New Lambton defender Molly Salvador and slid her shot underneath a diving Janali Haynes to make it 1-1.
Broadmeadow nearly took the lead for the first time three minutes into the second half when Wimberley Wright's perfectly weighted pass found Ava Bjorkman-Tracy, but her effort struck the woodwork.
New Lambton restored their advantage in the 53rd minute after a scramble inside the penalty area saw Brianna Trappett find Andrews, who calmly tapped home her second goal of the night.
The visitors extended their lead to 3-1 in the 60th minute when Sienna Fraser-Kelly picked out Zahna Franklin, who drove to the edge of the penalty area before lifting her finish over goalkeeper Malli Blanch.
Andrews came close to completing her hat-trick in the 72nd minute, but Blanch produced a superb double save to keep the deficit at two goals.
Despite New Lambton continuing to create chances, their strong start to the second half proved enough as they claimed a 3-1 victory.
"I was really happy with the way the girls started the match. They were very focused and put a lot of pressure on Magic early," Atkins said.
"We were very solid across the park. The players carried out their individual responsibilities very well and also connected well as a team throughout the entire game.
"After a long time off the pitch it can be difficult, but the players were very committed and wanted to continue the momentum that we had built before the break.
"Their performance definitely showed that."
New Lambton will look to continue their winning form when they host Lake Macquarie City FC at Alder Park in round 21.
Meanwhile, Broadmeadow Magic will aim to cement their finals place when they face league leaders Maitland FC at Magic Park.
Charlestown Azzurri 0-1 Lake Macquarie City FC
Lake Macquarie City FC capitalised on a defensive mistake at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday afternoon to secure a 1-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri.
Lakes threatened to open the scoring in the 10th minute when Larissa Ryan found herself one-on-one with Danielle Bartels, but her effort was hit straight at the Charlestown goalkeeper.
Charlestown responded in the 19th minute through Ellie Jones, whose long-range strike was tipped away by a diving Morgan Ross.
The Roosters continued to press in the 40th minute when Keziah White delivered a dangerous free kick towards goal, but Bartels was again equal to the task.
The Blues thought they had broken the deadlock moments before half-time after finding the back of the net from a corner, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Ross, sending the sides into the break level at 0-0.
The two sides continued to battle throughout the second half, but it was Lakes who finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.
A failed clearance from Bartels just outside the 18-yard box allowed Ryan to pounce on the loose ball before calmly finishing into an empty net.
Charlestown pushed for an equaliser while Lakes searched for a second goal, but neither side was able to find another breakthrough as the Roosters held on for a 1-0 victory.
Lakes will look to finish their regular season on a high when they face New Lambton FC in round 20 before having the bye in the final round.
Meanwhile, Charlestown will have the bye in round 20.
Bye - Adamstown Rosebud JFC