Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC 5-3 Broadmeadow Magic
Broadmeadow Magic assistant coach Dean Cook described the football as ‘spiteful’ in his side’s 5-3 loss to Adamstown Rosebud JFC on Saturday afternoon.
Magic opened the scoring early when Wimberley Wright charged down the park alongside Adamstown defence and launched the ball into the back of the net in the first minute.
But the scoring for the first half was far from over as Adamstown equalised in the 12th minute after Evie Horgan whipped a corner into the box and Tanya Jones volleyed the ball into the goal.
The Buds quickly gained the lead in the 19th minute when Marry Ntsweng chipped goalkeeper Malli Blanch off a free kick.
A third was on the cards for Adamstown in the 34th minute after Jonnie-Bree Gore tapped the ball into the back of the net, after confusion if it went over the line, it was deemed a goal.
But Magic quickly reduced the deficit in the 36th minute after Tori Johnson shot from outside the box and Adamstown goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon deflected the ball into her own net.
Adamstown doubled their lead again in the 38th minute when Sophie Cook sent a through ball onto the run of Jones, chipping Blanch and into the goal.
The Buds searched for a fifth but went into the sheds with the 4-2 lead.
The second half saw Magic tighten their back third as the Buds struggled to make their way through.
But as both sides searched to add to their tally, tensions began to grow and the number of players on the ground increased
Magic was determined for a third in the 77th minute when Cate Spranger aimed for the goal but a fantastic save by Sneddon denied them.
Broadmeadow reduced the deficit to 4-3 in the 85th minute when Sneddon fouled Wright in the box. Wright converted from the spot.
Ntsweng regained the two-goal lead for her side seconds into stoppage time after she weaved her way around Broadmeadow defenders and sent the ball into the top left corner.
The two sides continued to battle but when the full-time whistle blew Adamstown locked in their first win of the season.
“We knew it was going to be a battle, so we came here prepared for that. I was a little bit disappointed in the way that the game probably was played. I felt at times it was a little bit spiteful,” Cook said.
“Sure, aggression and physicality, that's part of the game, but sometimes, you know, sometimes those challenges probably need to be pulled up.
“So, I’m disappointed with the result. We'll go back and watch the game, see where we need to improve and go again next week.
“There were a couple of things we needed to do better and there's probably a number of things that we need to improve on going forward.
“But as I said, the way that the game was played was a little bit disappointing. I felt like that's not the spirit of the way football should be played.”
The match saw Adamstown secure their first win of the season and head coach Martin Slade described the win as a relief.
“I’m proud of the girls but ultimately, it's a relief. The performances for a while now have sort of been there, but I think today we matched that with a little bit of energy and a bit of grit, and we earned the right to win the game today,” Slade said.
“The confidence in winning becomes a habit. Winning is so good for players to actually have a reference point of what you're doing.
“You can stand here and you can say, ‘oh, we do this, we do this, we do this’. After a while, the players will just go, ‘well, that's good, but we haven't won’.
“Now all of a sudden, it becomes a little bit validated that we’ve won a game based on what we're trying to do, and hopefully we can just start progressing now and have a bit of confidence we go into the Lakes game next weekend and build that momentum.
“But every game's tough. Every game's hard. Everybody's trying to scrap and win points off each other. We turned up today, we've got our three points and a bit of vindication for the hard work that we've been putting in, and it's just a massive, massive relief.”
Adamstown will look to build a run of wins when they take on Lake Macquarie City FC at Macquarie Field next Sunday, while Broadmeadow serve the bye.
Newcastle Olympic 1-1 Lake Macquarie City FC
Newcastle Olympic coach Neil Owens said he saw a clear improvement in his side's 1-1 draw with Lake Macquarie City FC at Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Lake Macquarie came out ready with early shots on target, but Olympic goalkeeper Isabella Aquilina and a strong backline continued to deny them.
The two sides spent the first half trading shots, but neither were able to find that valuable goal and went into the sheds locked 0-0.
The moment Olympic had been searching for came in the 52nd minute. Izzy Threlfo whipped a free kick into the box, where Sophie McDonald’s initial effort was blocked by Lakes’ Keziah White, but Rosie Copus reacted quickest to tap home the rebound.
The Roosters pushed hard in search of an equaliser, with Chelsea Lucas producing a strong effort in the 60th minute, only to be denied by Aquilina.
Olympic continued to press for a second goal, but just moments before the end of regular time, Lakes struck to level the contest and force a share of the spoils.
Lily Brooks played a well-timed ball into the path of Kiera Bainsfair, who calmly slotted it into the bottom right corner.
Neither side could find a winner in the closing stages, as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
“Defensively we were really good and pretty solid. It would have been good to get the points, but the sun's going to come up tomorrow,” Owens said.
“We played well with a solid effort but to die right at the death there, well that's the way it rolls.
“Compared to the past you can't concede five goals and expect to win 6-5. To cop one right at the end was defensively worse for the game but was a great effort compared to the rest of the season with the number of goals that we have been leaking.
“It's just the girls who have gotten around each other and now coming into the second round it's a new team, new players, younger squad. I thought it was just much better overall, it was a team effort and just looking much better.
“I wasn't stressed at all; it was what you'd expect the first grade squad to be.”
Olympic will be eager to go one better when they welcome Charlestown Azzurri to Darling Street Oval on Friday night.
Lakes will return to Macquarie Field to take on Adamstown Rosebud JFC on Sunday afternoon.
New Lambton FC 2-2 Charlestown Azzurri
Charlestown Azzurri bounced back from their second large defeat of the season with a 2-2 draw with New Lambton FC at Alder Park on Friday night.
New Lambton entered the clash looking to replicate their round one thrashing and looked hopeful when they scored just five minutes in.
A scrap for the ball in front of goal saw Danah Chapman slice the ball to Tara Andrews who wasted no time to find the top left corner.
Azzurri equalised in the 14th minute after a miscalculated touch by New Lambton goalkeeper Janali Haynes sent the ball to Riley Gardner who launched the ball from outside the box into the back of an empty goal.
Gardner doubled Azzurri’s lead in the 25th minute after she unleashed a powerful ball from well outside the box and chipped Haynes.
New Lambton searched for a second but went into half-time trailing 2-1.
The two sides continued to battle as the Blues hunted for their second win of the season and New Lambton aimed to go equal points at the top of the table.
Despite New Lambton’s best efforts, they were continuously denied a second as Azzurri defence refused to back down.
But the Golden Eagles eventually equalised in the 75th minute after a foul on Andrews awarded them a free kick outside the box.
Andrews sailed the ball into the bottom right corner, as it narrowly avoided goalkeeper Paige Hollier.
Both sides battled for the final 15 minutes for a match winner but remained tied up 2-2 at full time.
Azzurri will look to continue their momentum when they take on Newcastle Olympic at Darling Street Oval on Friday night.
Meanwhile, New Lambton will take on league leaders Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park on Sunday afternoon.
Bye - Maitland FC