Match of the Round:
New Lambton FC 4-1 Warners Bay FC
Alder Park, Saturday 4pm
New Lambton FC coach Aaron Stedman was pleased for his side to get some points in the bank after a 4-1 win over Warners Bay on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles returned to Alder Park and the winner’s circle to break a three-match losing streak and move three points clear of the bottom two sides with three matches in hand.
Tara Andrews opened the scoring for the home side in the 25th minute, with a strong header off a free kick.
Under-17s debutant Bella Cook doubled New Lambton’s lead in the final minutes before halftime. The ball fell to Cook's feet after a scrappy clearance from goalkeeper Mia Wallace. The attacker made no mistake and smashed the ball into the back of the empty net.
Nyah Bradley tripled the Golden Eagles advantage in the 75th minute after she used her speed to outrun her defenders and go one-on-one with Wallace. The striker chipped the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the goal.
The Panthers clawed one back in the 83rd minute through their top goal-scorer Emily Diaz. The away side was awarded a penalty afterone of the Warner's Bay players was heavily brought down inside the penalty area.
Diaz calmly converted from the spot and netted her 10th goal of the season to take the score to 3-1.
But Andrews put the game to bed for New Lambton in the 92nd minute, with a strong low and hard strike into the back of the net.
Stedman was happy to return to winning ways and said that it is a big confidence boost for his side.
“It’s nice to get another win and get some point in the bank which was good,” Stedman said.
“I thought we improved a lot actually we wanted to play good football instead of the three points.
“We moved the ball around well and a couple of players are really understanding our roles. On the ball, we started to move it and keep it instead of forcing things.
“I think everyone after the game was a lot happier.
“We still have lots of improving to still do but we were really good on the day.
New Lambton’s coach was impressed with his side's mentality to bounce back after a few tough weeks of results.
“The good thing was the positivity from the girls,” Stedman said.
“I think that we were able to adjust, do a lot of things right, make good decisions and hold our defensive unit well.”
New Lambton will hope to continue their form when they host Broadmeadow Magic on Wednesday night in their round eight catch-up match before they host Warners Bay on Saturday.
The Panthers will be desperate to turn things around after their eighth consecutive loss and sit seventh on the table with three points. But they will have a tough challenge ahead of them when they travel to Cooks Square Park to face league leaders Maitland FC on Sunday.
Maitland FC v Broadmeadow Magic
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 4pm
Maitland FC soared their way to the top of the table after they stunned Broadmeadow Magic with a 5-1 victory.
The Magpies entered Sunday’s fixture at Cooks Square Park below their opponents on the table by one point and finished the match at the top of the table.
Sophie Jones opened Maitland’s account for the afternoon in the eighth minute. The attacker ran only a perfectly placed through ball from Amy Parkinson to go one-on-one with goalkeeper Imogene Tommasone and hit the ball into the back of the net.
Maitland struck again in the 19th minute after Bronte Peel knocked the ball past Tomasone from a corner kick taken by co-captain Sophie Stapleford.
Georgia Amess extended the Magpies’ lead three minutes later when she used her speed to win the ball off a free kick and slice it into the back of the net.
Amess switched from scorer to provider to allow Jones to net her second of the afternoon in the 37th minute. Amess used her pace once again to sprint down the line and crossed the ball into the path of Jones who smashed the ball past Tomasone to extend Maitland’s lead to 4-0 before half-time.
Maitland pushed the score out to 5-0 in the 54th minute when Amess secured her second goal of the match after she got in behind Magic’s defence and sliced the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
But the Magpies were forced to play with 10 players after Paige Kingston-Hogg received a second yellow card for a tackle on Chelsea Lucas in the 64th minute.
Magic clawed one back in the 80th minute after she turned on her defender with the ball and struck it into the back of the net.
Maitland’s fifth consecutive win saw them move to the top of the table two points clear of Magic.
Keelan Hamilton will hope his side can make it six from six when they host Warners Bay next Sunday.
Broadmeadow will be desperate to respond and return to the winners’ circle when they travel to Lisle Carr Oval next week to face in-form Charlestown Azzurri.
Adamstown Rosebud JFC 3-4 Charlestown Azzurri
Charlestown Azzurri made it four on the trot after they defeated Adamstown Rosebud JFC 3-4 on Saturday night.
The Blues fired out of the blocks from the first whistle and scored two goals in the first ten minutes.
Ella Joyce slotted in the opening goal in the fifth minute after a quick transition play from the Blues.
Azzurri struck three minutes later when a save from Olivia Sneddon fell to the feet of Chloe Cattley, who smashed the ball into the back of the empty net.
Tanya Jones equalised Rosebud in the 39th minute after she nudged the ball past goalkeeper Taylah Gray off a corner kick.
But Azzurri extended their lead once again just before halftime when Joyce was brought down inside the penalty area. Joyce converted from the penalty spot with a low and hard ball into the back of the net.
Adamstown pulled another one back after they were awarded a penalty kick in the 57th minute when Jones was taken down inside the penalty area. Jenna Doyle stepped up and converted from the spot kick to take the score to 3-2.
Cattley secured her second of the night for the Blues in the 82nd minute after her shot on target saw Sneddon fumble the ball through her legs and into the back of the net.
Mia Cook was able to claw another goal back for Adamstown in the 87th minute with a header off a corner kick, but they were unable to find the equaliser and handed all three points to the visitors.
The win sees Azzurri remain in third on the table but move to equal points with second-place Broadmeadow Magic.
The Blues will hope to make it five from five when they return home to Lisle Carr Oval to host Broadmeadow Magic next weekend.
Rosebud will look to bounce back when they travel to Taree Zone Field to face Mid Coast FC.
Mid Coast FC 0-4 Newcastle Olympic
Newcastle Olympic secured back-to-back victories after a 4-0 win over Mid Coast FC at Taree Zone Field on Sunday afternoon.
Middies was unable to continue their momentum against a strong Olympic side after their first win last weekend.
Elodie Dagg opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a perfectly placed free kick from outside the penalty area that looped into the back of the net.
Jemma House doubled the score for Olympic in the 29th minute after she hit the ball on the half volley over the head of goalkeeper Grace Davies and into the goal.
House struck again in the 64th minute to put her side 3-0 up before she secured her third hat-trick this season in the 80th minute to put the game to bed.
Olympic will hope to keep the good times rolling when they return home to Darling Street next Saturday to face New Lambton FC.
Mid Coast will look to respond from their sixth defeat of the season when they host Adamstown Rosebud JFC next Sunday.