Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC 6-1 Maitland FC
Maitland FC coach Keelan Hamilton said he felt a mix of excitement and relief as his side secured the NPL Women’s NNSW premiership after a 6-1 defeat to Adamstown Rosebud JFC.
The Magpies needed to win their final regular-season game at Adamstown Oval on Sunday and hope that Newcastle Olympic didn’t catch them on goal difference to finish top of the table which they achieved in style with a dominant performance.
The Magpies opened the scoring in the fourth minute after Georgie Williams drew in the attention of goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon before she cut the ball across the face of goal onto the run of Georgia Amess who buried the ball in the back of the net.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 20th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Bronte Peel was taken down inside the penalty area.
Peel stepped up to take the penalty from the spot, but her attempt was saved by Sneddon. But the ball spilled to Sophie Jones who made no mistake and smashed the ball into the goal.
Paige Kingston-Hogg took the score to 3-0 two minutes later with a powerful strike on the half-volley.
Things went from bad to worse for Adamstown after they conceded an own goal in the 33rd minute.
Maitland continued to turn up the heat before half-time, as Sophie Nevadovic hit the back of the net with a textbox power strike from outside the penalty area.
Peel finally got her name on the scoresheet in the 56th minute to seal the win and the premiership for the Magpies.
Amess screamed down the field with the ball before she cut it back to Peel who was inside the penalty area. Peel turned on the ball and smashed it past Adamstown’s defence and into the back of the net.
Rosebuds clawed one back in the 64th minute when substitute Ashleigh Vetter went one-on-one with Annabella Thornton before she slotted it between the legs of the goalkeeper.
Neither team could further add to their tallies and the scoreline remained 6-2 at the final whistle.
Hamilton said that the premiership
“For me it is feelings of mixed emotions of excitement and relief,” Hamilton said.
“I am really happy happy with the results.
“We definitely did it harder than we needed to.
“The girls are really happy, I am so proud of them. They have done a fantastic job and I believe that they deserved it.
“It is the first premiership for the club in the women’s first grade space which is such a big achievement.
Maitland’s coach said that he was pleased to see his side bounce back and hold themselves against a strong Adamstown unit.
“I thought we started the game really well and positively,” Hamilton said.
“The last couple of games we have played with a little bit of anxiety.
“We took our chances and could have taken a couple more.
“The football was to a really good standard in the first half.
“In the second half, Adamstown really pushed and made it a contest right until the end. But I thought we dealt with it well and really applied ourselves.
“I was pleased with our performance. It was nice to get back to the winner’s circle and perform well.”
Hamilton applauded the sportsmanship from Adamstown after the match to celebrate his side’s premiership achievement.
“Thank you to Adamstown for conducting a guard of honour yesterday.
“It showed a touch of class and I thought it was very gracious of the club.”
Adamstown coach Martin Slade believed the right team won on the day and the premiership race but was proud of his side’s efforts in their last hit out.
“I thought the game went exactly how I expected it to go. We knew that we were not going to be at full strength and that Maitland had something to prove.
“They [Maitland] were desperate to win the game.
“We made some tactical changes at half-time and spoke about having some more energy. We did well to get ourselves back in the game.
“The second half far more reflected the back end of our season.
“Overall, the team that won the competition with the biggest and best squad who play some good football.
“Congratulations to Maitland and Keelan.”
Slade was pleased with how far his side had come from the start of the season and looked forward to 2025.
“I would say that from where we started to where we finished the season was a big difference,” Slade said.
“The players trusted the process and I wanted us to be spoken about as a team that are always competitive.
“We are on the right track to make finals next year.”
Newcastle Olympic 14-1 Warners Bay FC
Newcastle Olympic fell short of the premiership on goal difference despite a 14-1 win over Warners Bay FC at Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Olympic needed more than 15 goals plus the amount that Maitland FC scored against Adamstown Rosebud JFC to secure the premiership.
Emily Frost stepped up into goals for the third time this season as the first and reserve goalkeepers Tallon Convery (broken leg) and Isabella Whitton (finger) with injuries.
The Panthers shocked the home side as they opened the scoring in the second minute of the match.
A corner kick soared over the sea of players and to an unmarked Sienna Stebbins inside the penalty area, who had time to touch and shoot. The ball sailed into the back of the net to put Warners Bay in front.
But it didn’t take long for Olympic to settle the score after Isobel Givens knocked the ball into the back of her own goal in the 11th minute.
Jemma House edged the home side ahead in the 17th minute before Sophie Walmsley took the score to 3-1 in the 30 minute.
Olympic netted two more goals before half-time as Marion Dunbabin and House each hit the back of the net to give themselves a 5-1 lead at the break.
The Panthers were unable to hold Olympic off in the second half, as Dunbabin and Walmsley struck in the 48th and 50th minutes.
House secured a hat-trick in the 54th minute with a strike on the half-volley while falling to the ground.
The scoreline became 10-1 in the 60th minute after Walmsley secured her own hat-trick before she netted another four minutes later.
Georgia Cook put her name on the scoresheet in the 76th minute before Allanah Russell put two more past Warners Bay in the 79th and 81st minutes.
Jess Evans converted a penalty in the 90th minute to take the final scoreline to 14-1.
But the win was not enough to secure the premiership as they finished six goals behind Maitland on goal difference.
They finish the season second on the table and will take on the Magpies in the Major Semi-Final for a spot in the grand final next weekend.
Warners Bay’s tenure in the competition has ended as Lake Macquarie City FC has taken on the club’s license from 2025.
The Panthers finish another disappointing season seventh on the table with six points.
Charlestown Azzurri FC 3-5 New Lambton FC
New Lambton FC's finals hopes are gone despite finishing their five-match unbeaten run with a 5-3 victory over Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday afternoon.
New Lambton got off to a strong start as Lauren Allan broke the deadlock in the seventh minute.
Allan combined with Cass Davis with a one-two pass over the top to allow her to get in behind Azzurri’s defence and strike the ball with power into the back of the net.
Tara Andrews doubled the Golden Eagles lead in the 24th minute when Allan switched from scorer to provider and crossed a high ball into the penalty area. The ball fell onto the head of Andrews who made no mistake and nodded it into the goal off the post.
The Blues struck back through Gema Simon one minute later. A strike from Melina Ayres was blocked by a powerful save from goalkeeper Ally Boertje.
But the ball spilled straight onto the run of Simon who was unmarked and struck the ball into the back of the net.
New Lambton extended their lead back out just before half-time after Davis curled the ball to the feet of Allan who netted her second of the day.
Azzurri clawed two goals back to level the score at 3-3 with a double from Ella Joyce in the 61st and 64th minutes.
But New Lambton soared away from the Blues, as Allan secured a hat-trick in the 76th minute before she netted her fourth and the final goal of the match in the 79th minute.
The Golden Eagles finished their season one point outside of the top four in fifth position, as Broadmeadow Magic won their final match against Mid Coast FC.
Despite the loss, Azzurri finished third on the table after 21 rounds. They will advance to the Minor Semi-Final where they face fourth-placed Broadmeadow Magic at home for a chance to progress for a chance at the grand final.
Broadmeadow Magic 8-0 Mid Coast FC
Broadmeadow Magic cemented their place in the finals after an 8-0 win over Mid Coast FC at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon.
Magic’s women needed to win their final game of the regular season to ensure they could snap up fourth position on the table.
The home side opened the scoring with two goals in the 25th minute from Chelsea Lucas and Lilly-Jane Babic.
Babic secured a hat-trick with two more back-to-back goals in the 30th and 35th minutes before Lucas netted her second in the 44th minute to take the scoreline to 5-0 at the break.
Magic continued to put their foot down in the second half as half-time substitute Ash Brodigan put her name on the scoresheet in the 58th minute.
Babic took the scoreline to 7-0 as she netted her fourth goal of the day in the 72nd minute.
Kiarra Lewis had a chance to extend Magic’s lead out once again with a spectacular free kick, but her strike hit the crossbar.
Magic put the cherry on top when Babic hit the back of the net in the 90th minute to take the final scoreline to 8-0.
The win for Jason Konjarski and his side locked them into fourth position and finals football in 2024.
They will take on Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr oval next weekend in the Minor Semi-Final which will be a do-or-die match for both sides.
Mid Coast bow out of the competition after they finished the season at the bottom of the table on three points.
They will now look to next year and hope to have a brighter 2025.