Match of the Round
New Lambton FC 3-1 Adamstown Rosebud JFC
New Lambton FC coach Craig Atkins said it was a tale of two halves in his side’s 3-1 victory over Adamstown Rosebud JFC at Alder Park on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Adamstown came out firing as Tanya Jones hunted for the first goal of the afternoon, but New Lambton goalkeeper Janali Haynes denied her. Buds’ Ash Vetter ran onto the deflected shot but back-to-back saves by Haynes kept the scores even.
Golden Eagles Tara Andrews broke the deadlock in the 15th minute after Caitlin Pickett headed the ball down the field and Andrews used her pace to beat Buds defender Jorjia Hogg and found the back of the net.
Andrews went searching for her second in the 16th minute, but Adamstown goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon saved her initial attempt. The rebound fell back to Andrews, who struck again, but Hogg cleared the ball.
New Lambton doubled their lead in the 20th minute when Andrews cut it back to Sienna Fraser-Kelly who wasted no time to tap it in.
The third for the Golden Eagles and second for Andrews came two minutes into stoppage time after Jenna Doyle fouled Andrews in the box.
Andrews calmly converted it from the penalty spot and sent her side into the sheds leading 3-0.
Adamstown entered the second stanza determined to find a goal and that moment came 10 minutes into the half.
Marry Ntsweng got on the end of a misplaced deflection by New Lambton’s Jemma Lawson and launched a long-range strike into the net in the 55th minute.
Buds’ Tanya Jones came close to a second for her side in the 74th minute when she rounded Haynes to find an empty net but slipped due to the wet conditions.
Adamstown pushed for another as their intensity lifted in the second half, while New Lambton managed only a number of lacklustre attempts, leaving the score at 3-1 at full-time.
“I thought it was a bit of a game of two halves. I thought we came out of the blocks really well and scored goals early, that always helps put you on the front foot,” Atkins said.
“Three nil in the first half was quite good, we probably could have got a couple more, but it wasn't to be.
“In the second half, the weather turned but we had three or four pretty good chances to bury the game a little bit more, but we didn't.
“Adamstown got back into the game and scored a goal, but in this competition as we saw with results this weekend, you've got to fight and full credit to the girls, they fought in tough conditions.
“It would have been nice to get a couple more goals, but we defended really well and we'll take the three points.
“We knew they would come out firing. The game's never over at half-time. We probably got caught in the sheds a little bit, so that’s something to go back, analyse and look at improving in two weeks' time.”
Adamstown coach Martin Slade was disappointed with the loss but believed his side was competitive and said he wanted them to stick to their philosophy in their upcoming matches.
“I'm a little bit disappointed, obviously losing 3-1 is not ideal. We just gave Tara [Andrews] a little bit too much space in the first half, which they capitalised on that one opportunity,” Slade said.
“But I thought we did well with the ball and I thought we were very competitive. We could have got something out of the first half, but a late sloppy penalty and then in the second half we came out ready.
“We just want to be known as a team that never gives up and wants to keep doing what we perceive to be the right thing.
“I just want to see us keep improving week by week. Keep believing, keep sticking to our philosophy about how we're going to play, how we move the ball and just keep working on what we want to take out of the season.”
Adamstown will look to build towards their first victory when they welcome Charlestown Azzurri to Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night. Meanwhile, New Lambton have the bye.
Lake Macquarie City FC 3-3 Broadmeadow Magic
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jason Konjarski believed his side demonstrated everything they are about this season when they locked in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Lake Macquarie City FC at Macquarie Field on Friday night.
Lake Macquarie City continued to display their strong attacking form when they opened the scoring just two minutes into the match.
Roosters’ Brooke Summers cut the ball into the goal area where Olivia Bekeleski was ready to tap the ball over Magic goalkeeper Malli Blanch.
But Lakes did not hold onto the lead for long as Magic immediately responded.
New recruit Jessica Wallace used her pace to charge down from halfway, crossed the ball into the 18-yard box where Wimberly Wright headed the ball into the back of the net in the eighth minute.
Lakes regained their lead in the 30th minute after Alyssa Togo-Paragalli launched the ball into the box, where Kiera Bainsfair rose alongside Blanch and headed it in.
But it was déjà vu two minutes later when Magic whipped a corner into the box, with Lakes goalkeeper Morgan Ross making the initial save before losing control of the ball.
Magic’s Emily Ferroussat had an awkward first attempt before Wright nailed the final goal in the 32nd minute to send the two sides into half-time locked up 2-2.
Lakes entered the second half determined to regain the lead and it looked likely to happen when Jorja Brown was one-on-one with Blanch in the 53rd minute. Instead, the ball hit the goal post and was cleared by determined Magic defenders.
But it would be Magic who took the lead for the first time in the 62nd minute after a misplaced pass from Togo-Paragalli fell to the Magicians, with an unmarked Wallace hitting the post before tapping in the rebound.
The Roosters continued their attacking form when they equalised in the 82nd minute after a scramble in the box off a long-range free kick saw Emily Loader Weston find the back of the net.
Despite both sides’ best efforts, neither team could find a fourth goal as the score remained 3-3 at full-time.
“I think we were better than they were in the first half and then I think it changed in the second half, they sort of pinned us back,” Konjarski said.
“Lakes [Macquarie City] used that experience they have, used their strengths in the players that they had on the field and I think they got over the top of us a little bit towards the end of the game and they got that equaliser.
“They [Broadmeadow Magic] showed exactly what we're going to be about this year, no matter what the scoreline is, whether we're up, whether we're down, we're just going to be relentless in attack. In defence I thought we were solid, I think we let in a couple cheap goals which doesn't help.
“But that fight is exactly what we're going to be about this year, working hard on and off the ball for 90 minutes and being proud of the performance you put in.
“You train all week to play a game, and you don't want to play the game and it is bad and say ‘oh, I could have done this, I could have done that’. I think we're doing everything we want to do in the game and it's showing but I think results will start to show for us in the next few weeks.
“We know exactly what it takes to match it with these teams' that are tipped to be one of the favourites to finish first and second, so to be able to be leading a game against them [Lake Macquarie City] was a major positive for us.”
Magic will hope to build on the momentum as they head to Darling Street Oval on Saturday to face Newcastle Olympic in the Red and Blue derby.
Meanwhile, Lakes will look to continue their undefeated streak when they welcome Maitland FC to Macquarie Field next Sunday.
Charlestown Azzurri 0-3 Maitland FC
Maitland FC continued their dominant form with a 3-0 victory over a much-improved Charlestown Azzurri side on Saturday night at Lisle Carr Oval.
The Magpies came out fired up ready for their second win of the season but Azzurri’s strong defence from round two continued into round three.
But a blow came for the Blues when goalkeeper Danielle Bartels was injured in a collision with Maitland’s Natalie O’Driscoll in the 17th minute. Paige Hollier replaced Bartels for just her second first grade match.
Both teams had attacking moments in the first half, but neither could break the deadlock until Maitland were awarded a penalty after a handball by the Blues’ Rachel Perrin in the 42nd minute.
But O’Driscoll sent her attempt wide as the sides went into the sheds locked at 0-0.
After relentless attacking pressure from Maitland, they finally broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute when a wayward attempt from Tahlia Gossner off a corner fell to Georgie Williams, who found an unmarked Sophie Nenadovic just outside the box to strike the ball into the bottom right corner.
Williams extended her side’s lead just three minutes later with a long-range strike from well outside the box into the back of the net.
Maitland’s Elodie Dagg sealed the 3-0 victory in the 87th minute, chipping Hollier with a well-taken half-volley.
On Friday night, Charlestown will continue their hunt for their first point of the season when they take on Adamstown Rosebud JFC in their first away game.
The Magpies will be eager to continue their winning way in round four when they take on table leaders Lake Macquarie City FC at Macquarie Field on Sunday.
Bye - Newcastle Olympic