Welcome to the Weekend Wash-Up from Round 10 of the MyState Bank Women's Super League. It was a weekend that saw Devonport Strikers back to their best, obliterating Launceston United, the Lions scraping home by the skin of their teeth over Taroona and South Hobart hammering the Zebras to open up a potentially decisive gap atop the table as we reach the halfway mark of the season.
Scintillating Strikers Smash United
The Devonport Strikers dealt a major blow to Launceston United’s title defence, as they hammered them 5-0 at Floorworld Park. The Strikers exploded out of the blocks, with star Striker Jazmin White netting a hat-trick inside of the opening 16 minutes, to set up the huge victory.
This was expected to be a closely fought game; it proved anything but. The Strikers took the lead in the second minute after Venn gifted White the opener, passing her goal kick straight to the Strikers goal machine and leaving an empty net for her to deposit the ball into.
A minute later and the lead was doubled, as Georgia King launched a long-range free-kick into the area with plenty of pace on it, which White did brilliantly to get a glancing header on and direct into the back of the net.
In the 16th minute, it was remarkably 3-0 as White got the better of Hill in the penalty area before rifling home her hat-trick. United were left stunned, as the Strikers celebrated their perfect start to the match. They were certainly aided by a strong wind at their backs, the game was played in truly atrocious conditions, but that couldn’t account for 3 goals in such quick succession.
Things turned from bad to worse for the defending champions, with Adilat Otto and Lucy Smith both subbed out of the game with injuries. The Strikers continued to dominate the rest of the half, with only a pair of quality saves from Venn, first to deny Nikita Boyd and then another to prevent White from bagging a fourth keeping the game at 3-0 at the half-time break.
United would’ve hoped with the winds at their back in the second half that they could turn things around, but they barely fired a shot. The Strikers maintained their control of the game despite attacking the tougher end, as the high winds were now added to by pelting rain and at one stage a hail storm! It was truly diabolical weather, but nothing was going to rain on the Strikers parade, as they extended their lead late on and sailed further off into the distance.
Another Georgia King free-kick into the box produced the next as it was well met by the head of Renske Rombouts, who was a standout performer on the day and well deserving of a goal. Abbite White finished things off by cutting through the heart of the United defence and firing home the Strikers fifth.
It saw the game end 5-0 and United’s title hopes taking a major beating. They now sit seven points adrift of South Hobart and have some injury concerns to go with the departure of Courtney Marten. Devonport meanwhile close within 2 points of United and it's hard to reconcile this type of performance, and the 3-0 win over United at Valley Road for that matter, with the efforts they put in either side of those results. Their ceiling, as shown here remains as good as anyone's, but with a 9-point gap to top spot, they have left themselves an awful lot of work to do in the second half of the season if they are to catch South.
South Extend Their Lead
Taking full advantage of United’s slip-up, South Hobart moved seven points clear on top with a thumping 6-0 victory over the Clarence Zebras. In a game they were rarely troubled in, the recently crowned Statewide Cup Champions took a step towards a league crown to boot, with a commanding display at Wentworth Park.
South Hobart took the lead 22 minutes into the match via Caitlin Stalker, who once more returned to haunt her former side. She headed home from close range, sneaking in ahead of the keeper to steer it home.
The second arrived just a minute later as Pishon Choi’s fairly innocuous-looking header somehow slipped through Pinkiewicz and into the back of the net.
South further extended the lead just prior to half-time as Amy Ollington took advantage of a fortuitous deflection that landed perfectly into her path and she swept it home with the first-time finish to make it 3-0.
Things continued along that trajectory in the second half as South added another just after the hour mark, as Stalker stormed down the left before cutting back to Lucy Booth, who worked it to Chambers for a simple finish.
Josie Mamic then came off the bench and bagged herself a brace, turning in a Madi Chambers cross at the near post before finishing off a nice flowing move between Chambers and Bathcelor from close range a minute later.
It saw the game ending 6-0 and South moving further clear on top. At the halfway point of the season it appears their title to lose from here and it would take a major downtick in form for them not to be hoisting the trophy at season's end.
Last Gasp Lashmar Sees Lions Scrape Home
On Saturday, the Kingborough Lions snuck past Taroona 2-1 at Kingston Twin Ovals thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Cara Lashmar.
In a match that was played in severely blustery conditions, perhaps the most surprising element of the match was that all 3 goals were scored into the wind. Despite both teams largely dominating the 45 minutes of which they had the wind at their backs, all the goals came from the rare chances back the other way.
The first goal arrived in just the fifth minute when Bridget O’Brien caught out Erika Mackintosh with a lobbed effort from range that she got a hand to, but couldn’t keep out.
The Lions had the better of the play for the rest of the half though, peppering all around the Pirates goal with shots, though not too many of them caused many issues for Izzy Ottavi, with a diving save to deny De Smit just after the half-hour mark and a header over the crossbar from Davis as close as the Lions would come to restoring parity.
They got back on terms in the opening moments of the second half however when Christabelle Moore was clipped in the box and Kannegiesser made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Taroona threatened to reclaim their lead early in the second half though, with the wind now aiding them and the shots starting to flow, Mei Booker came close on multiple occasions as did Parsell. They were knocking on the door, but couldn't find the go-ahead goal.
The game appeared destined to end locked at 1-1, before a flurry of late chances. First Ottavi was called into action to deny Kannegiesser sneaking one in at the near post with a fine leg save in the 88th minute. Then Taroona came close at the other end, with substitute keeper Josie Rose making a risky, but ultimately successful sliding challenge to block a big chance for Sumali Buamee.
Then in the 92 minute, Kannegiesser floated a ball over the defence which Lashmar ran onto, dinked expertly over Ottavi’s head and into the back of the net to secure a last-gasp victory. It was a classy finish and ensured the Lions moved back into fourth place as we reach the halfway point of the year.
Round 10
Kingborough Lions 2 (D.Kannegiesser 49" C.Lashmar 90+2')
Taroona FC 1 (B.O'Brien 5')
Launceston United 0
Devonport Strikers 5 (J.White 2" 4" 16" R.Rombouts 78" A.White 81")
South Hobart 6 (C.Stalker 23" P.Choi 26" A.Ollington 43" M.Chambers 61" J.Mamic 79" 80")
Clarence Zebras 0