Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC 2-3 Newcastle Olympic
Adamstown Rosebud JFC coach Martin Slade says his side didn’t deserve to win but was disappointed not to walk away with a point in their 3-2 loss to Newcastle Olympic at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.
Two significant figures from each team were noticeably absent from the match of the round clash, with Olympic’s captain Jemma House sidelined with a hamstring complaint and Adamstown’s goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon away at a wedding.
This saw shot-stopper Khaliah Rodgers get her first grade debut between the sticks.
It was a goal fest in the opening minutes of the game, with four goals scored in 15 minutes.
Olympic came firing out of the gates and wasted no time before they took the lead in the first minute of play.
A cross in from Kealah Boldery sprayed out from the penalty area and onto the run of Kiera Bainsfair who smashed the ball from outside the box straight into the back of the net in the 37th second.
Olympic doubles their lead seven minutes later after Rahli Dobson received the ball inside the penalty area unmarked and took a touch forward before she struck the ball with power past the reach of Rodgers.
But despite a 2-0 deficit after eight minutes, Adamstown refused to drop their heads and flipped the script as they responded three minutes later.
A corner kick flew through a sea of players, got a touch from Marion Dunbabin that sent the ball into the back of the net to take the scoreline to 2-1.
The Buds equalised in the 15th minute after Tanya Jones threaded a perfect ball through onto the run of Eva Donnelly, who sliced the ball into the goal.
It looked like it was game on with the score locked at 2-2 but Olympic was able to regain the lead in the 31st minute through Sophie McDonald.
A miskick from Rodgers gifted the ball straight to McDonald, who slotted the ball into the back of an empty net.
Olympic took the 3-2 lead into the half-time break and all the way to the full-time whistle despite attempts from each side in the second half.
Rodgers made up for her woes with two spectacular saves in the second stanza to help keep her side in the game but they could not make the most of their chances and narrowly missed out on crucial points for another week.
In what has mostly been their story of the season, Adamstown put in a strong performance but came away with no points to show for it. They sit sixth on the seven-team table with four points from seven matches.
Slade had mixed emotions about the match but was disappointed that his side couldn’t get something from the game to help their table position.
“I thought we were competitive and did well to come back from 2-0 down but you can’t concede two goals in the first few minutes against a side like Olympic,” Slade said.
“It was another example of how we have gone behind, managed to claw ourselves back into the game and believing that we can get something out of it.
“On balance I thought we could have snuck a draw.
“We didn’t deserve to win but it wouldn’t have been a surprise if we had gotten a draw.
“Once again the performance was just not enough to take the win.
“Fair play to Olympic, they did enough overall to get themselves the three points.”
But Slade said that his side will take all the positives from the match and continue to build as the season hits the half-way mark.
“We take a lot from knowing that we are not far away from the top teams and the players can see that they close. It is the hardest thing to do to get across the finish,” Slade said.
“We are not far away from where we want to be.
“I think we have more fans than points. A lot of people are looking at what we are doing and it isn’t reflective of the scorelines.”
Olympic’s coach Craig Atkins was happy with his side’s composure to see out the game and a crucial three points for their campaign.
“Our start was fantastic. We came out flying and the girls were buzzing with the two early goals but full credit to Adamstown to step up and get themselves back in the game,” Atkins said.
“Our girls showed some real resilience. After the two goals from Adamstown, we got back to playing good football.
“At half-time we spoke about composure, being patient and being really strong.
“We hit the crossbar a couple of times in the second half but were able to walk away with the three points.
“Credit to our girls for sticking to the gameplan. I thought we were quite dominant in the second half and were unfortunate not to score again.
“I am really pleased with the performance from my girls.
“Those points are vital. We need to keep putting pressure on the top teams. We have turned a bit of a corner.”
Olympic continue to sit third on the table with 11 points, six behind Charlestown Azzurri in second.
They will have a chance to narrow the gap when they face Lake Macquarie City FC in their rescheduled round nine match at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Wednesday night before a week off from the competition for the Women’s League Cup Final and a bye in round 11.
Adamstown will also have a break next weekend before they return to take on the league leaders Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park in round 11.
Lake Macquarie City FC 2-4 Charlestown Azzurri
Charlestown Azzurri bounced back in the competition after a hard-fought 4-2 win over Lake Macquarie City FC at Lake Macquarie City FC on Friday night.
The Roosters broke the deadlock in the 20th minute after set piece specialist Ani Jensen’s corner kick curled over the sea of players and into the back of the net.
But it only took the Blues eight minutes to respond when Melina Ayres received the ball inside the penalty area unmarked and struck it past goalkeeper Elyse Vella.
The two sides went into the half-time break locked up at 1-1 before Azzurri took the lead for the first in the match in the 52nd minute.
Jayna Fraser smashed the ball from well outside the penalty area over Lakes’ defense and Vella’s reach and into the back of the net to go 2-1 up.
The Roosters quickly responded two minutes later when Indianna Auddino beat goalkeeper Danielle Bartels and tapped the ball into the goal.
The score was not locked up at 2-2 for long before Charlestown put their nose in front again in the 63rd minute when Fraser netted her second of the evening.
Momentum stayed with Azzurri as they extended their lead with an own goal from Vella in the 68th minute from a corner kick.
The Roosters continued to push to chase the game down but were unable to which left the scoreline at 4-2 on the final whistle.
The three points has kept Azzurri in second on the table with 19 points with a three-point lead ahead of Newcastle Olympic but remain six points behind the league leaders Maitland FC.
The Blues will challenge for their second piece of silverware this season when take on the Magpies in the Women’s League Cup final at LMRFF next Sunday. They will return to the competition the week later to face Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park in round 11.
Lakes continue to sit fifth on the table with four points and are six points outside the top four. They will have the weekend off before they return for round 11 at Alder Park against New Lambton FC.
Maitland FC 4-0 Broadmeadow Magic
Maitland FC continues to prove to be unstoppable after a 4-0 win over Broadmeadow Magic at Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon.
Renee Pountney opened the scoring in the second minute after she received the ball with space at the edge of the penalty area, turned and rocketed the ball into the back of the net.
The Magpies doubled the score in the 22nd minute when Georgia Amess curled the ball past goalkeeper Stella Morgan and into the top left-hand corner.
Things went from bad to worse for Magic after Amess was brought down from behind inside the penalty area.
Co-captain Sophie Stapleford stepped up and converted from the spot, with a strong, low strike into the bottom corner of the goal.
Amess put the icing on the cake for Maitland right before half time after she beat her defenders and ran past Morgan before she slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Maitland remained on top for the duration of the game but were unable to put anymore past Magic in the second half and the score remained 4-0 at the full-time whistle.
The win keeps the Magpies flying high at the top of the table, six points clear of the next team. They will look to continue their unbeaten run in 2025 when they face Charlestown Azzurri in the Women’s League Cup final next Sunday at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
They will then welcome Adamstown Rosebud JFC to town in round 11 the weekend after.
Magic remain at the bottom of the table with three points and will have the weekend off before they remain home to Magic Park to host Charlestown Azzurri in round 11.
New Lambton FC – Bye
