Match of the Round
Newcastle Olympic 1-2 Maitland FC
Maitland coach Keelan Hamilton believes his side was second best despite defeating Newcastle Olympic 2-1 on Saturday night.
A late own goal was the difference between the two sides, with the Magpies swooping into rain on Olympic’s celebrations of opening their grandstand and amenities.
Olympic kicked off the scoring for the afternoon in the fourth minute, as Jemma House turned on the ball inside the penalty area to smash it into the back of the net.
Craig Atkin’s side created chance after chance but were unable to put any away before Maitland struck back.
The Magpies captain Sophie Stapleford equalised just before half time, when she hit a wonder strike that looked to be a cross, curling the ball from 40 plus metres out and through the fingertips of Isabella Whitton and into the top of the goal.
Olympic continued to create goal-scoring opportunities but was denied by shot-stopper Annabella Thornton and the woodwork multiple times.
In a cruel twist of fate for Olympic, Maitland secured the win after an own goal from Jorjia Hogg in the 83rd minute. The defender stuck her foot out to block a ball that was whipped in, only to strike the ball straight into the back of her own net.
The Magpies coach was surprised to walk away from Darling Street Oval with three points and said the result came down to pure luck.
“Happy to win but I thought we were second best if we were honest,” Hamilton said.
“We rode our luck heavily all night and got a little bit of rhythm in the last part of the game.
“We got a bit of luck on both goals.
“In the first 50 to 60 minutes we were second best. It was nice for Sophie to score but I am not 1000 per cent sure that she was shooting.
“The second goal was good lead-up play. It was a good cross that made it hard for Jorja to defend.”
Hamilton expected more from his side and despite the result, was disappointed with how his side performed.
“If we play like that again in another nine occasions we would get beat nine times,” Hamilton said.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t say that I would want us to win like that, we need to perform better.
“I thought Olympic played really well.”
“It was positive for our girls who showed a lot of mental resilience when things we not going our way. We also scrambled really well.
“Our coaching staff and our players know that we have to be better.
“There was not enough motion and our work ethic with and without the ball was at times a little off the pace. Our technical execution was a bit below what we can be.
Olympic coach Craig Atkins was disappointed not to pick up a point after a stellar performance from his side.
“I thought the performance from our side was great,” Atkins said.
“We dominated for a large period of the game but couldn’t put the ball into the back of the net. If we were able to put the chances we had into the back of the net it could have been a different result.
“In terms of overall very happy with the football that we played.
“Obviously it’s disappointing of how we went down. Jorjia Hogg played a solid game, but that’s football, and it can be cruel. We are all disappointed by the result but we are back to training on Tuesday and we get started again.”
Olympic remains second on the table on equal points with the Magpies and will be eager to turn things around when they face Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday afternoon.
The win keeps Maitland in third position on the table on nine points which they will look to build on when they finally return home to Cooks Square Park on Sunday when they host Mid Coast FC.
Charlestown Azzurri 10-2 Warners Bay FC
Warners Bay’s attacking threats were not enough to compete with Charlestown Azzurri after being downed 10-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Azzurri’s young squad displayed a dominant performance at Lisle Carr Oval, running away with the game in the second half.
Ella Joyce secured her first hat-trick of the season within a four-minute span, with three strong strikes on goal from the eighth minute of play.
Warners Bay got themselves back in the game in the 16th minute when Callie Thomas hit the back of the net to take the score to 3-1.
But the Blues responded two minutes later as Joyce netted her fourth of the afternoon before Lori Depczynski slotted another one into the back of the net in the 25th minute.
Emily Diaz clawed one back for the Panthers in the 27th minute with a lethal strike past Azzurri goalkeeper Taylah Gray.
Azzurri put their foot on the gas in the second half as Jessie Gentle and Kirstyn Pearce extended their lead to 7-2 in the 61st and 63rd minute.
Things went from bad to worse in the 64th minute when Jada McBride was sent from the field when she was shown her second yellow card for the afternoon for a late challenge on Alyssa Togo.
Gentle then netted two more goals, securing her first hat-trick of the 2024 campaign before Sienna Fraser-Kelly put the icing on the cake in the 93rd minute to round out the game.
Azzurri coach Health Whyte was pleased with his side’s strong team performance.
“We handled the ball well, we dominated in possession and we did what we needed to do,” Whyte said.
“We were never not in control of the game and the two goals we conceded came from two defensive errors.
“We controlled the ball and were patient. It was great to see what we had been working on in training finding its way out onto the pitch.
Whyte praised the efforts of his attackers, especially Joyce who has come to life in the last two rounds.
“Ella had a cracker. She was quite composed in the first half and could have bagged even a few more in the second half,” Whyte said.
“The set plays and style of play are a function of what we have been working in throughout the week.”
The three points keep Azzurri in fourth on the table and in the race with the other top sides. Whyte’s side will be put to the test when they travel to Darling Street Oval on Saturday to face Newcastle Olympic.
Warners Bay remain sixth on the table and they will be eager to turn things around when they return home to John Street Oval to host Broadmeadow Magic.
Broadmeadow Magic 7-0 Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Broadmeadow Magic continues their undefeated streak after downing Adamstown Rosebud JFC 7-0 at Magic Park on Friday night.
Magic opened their account in the ninth minute when they were awarded a penalty kick after Adamstown’s goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon took out Emily Loader Weston in the penalty area. Mercedes McNabb calmly converted from the spot to give Broadmeadow the advantage.
Things went from bad to worse for Rosebud when Sneddon was forced from the field when she was left motionless after a heavy collision with Loader Weston.
Chelsea Lucas and Tahlor Thackray tripled Magic’s advantage before half-time.
Lucas added her name to the scoresheet again in the first minute of the second half, as she sliced the ball into the back of the net.
McNabb secured her hat-trick after she scored back-to-back goals in the 49th and 55th minute.
Loader Weston put the cherry on top for Magic with the final goal for the evening, with a smart spin on her defenders and hit the ball low and hard into the back of the net.
Rosebud thought they had clawed one back in the 69th minute when Tanya Jones hit the back of the net but the goal was struck out for offside.
Rosebud sits seventh on the table and will be desperate to bounce back when they return home to Adamstown Oval to host New Lambton Saturday night.
Magic remains at the top of the table on 10 points and will hope to keep their momentum going when they face Warners Bay next Sunday.
Mid Coast FC v New Lambton FC
The game was postponed due to unsuitable ground conditions.