Welcome to the Weekend Wash-up for Round 19 of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League season. It was one of the tighter weeks of the campaign, with South Hobart and Clarence Zebras scoring one goal victories over Launceston United and Kingborough respectively, whilst Taroona and Devonport couldn’t be split at Kelvedon Park.
Zebras Down Lions To Lock In Fourth Placed Finish
The Clarence Zebras downed the Kingborough Lions 3-2 on Friday night to secure a fourth-placed finish and the last spot in the WSL Finals series.
It was the home side who drew first blood as Nikki Moutsatsos seized on a misplaced Vanderniet pass out from the back and promptly blasted a shot straight back past her to hand the Lions a 1-0 lead inside the opening 15 minutes.
The lead lasted all of 2 minutes however as the Zebras mounted a near-instant response thanks to a moment of pure inspiration from Lou Marmion.
With her back to goal at the top of the box, Marmion controlled the ball with one touch to lift it to her right side, before then turning and then on the volley lobbing the keeper with a perfectly placed shot. It’s a bonafide goal of the season contender and certainly, the most creative goal I can recall this season.
Corners were proving a real problem for the Lion's defence and the Zebras took the lead through one in the 31st minute, as Graciella Baez bobbed up at close range and steered the inswinger into the back of the net with her header.
The Lions knew they needed a win to be any chance of a top-four finish and they pushed hard to get back into the match, with the skipper drawing them level on the hour mark. Danielle Kannegiesser got the better of Bolonja in the area before firing past Mackintosh to square the game at 2-2.
Again, it was short-lived joy for the Lions, as the Zebras mounted a quick response. A free kick on the edge of the box presented a chance for Georgia Burt and she stepped up and worked it over the wall into the back of the net and had her side back ahead 3-2 with 23 minutes remaining.
The Lions pushed to try and salvage something but were largely restricted to shots from range. Then, in the final minute of regular time they came extremely close, as the ball fell to Segger from a corner, but her shot was turned aside by Vanderniet, who made the big stop and preserved the victory.
Pirates Fight Back To Claim A Point
Taroona fought back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Devonport and claim another point as they continue their late season revival.
The first goal arrived in the 32nd minute from a sloppy turnover on halfway that Jazmin White pounced on. She stormed into the box and whilst her first shot was parried back right back at her by Ottavi, she didn’t miss from the second attempt.
Taroona got back on terms late in the half when Williams and Parsell combined nicely before a chance fell to Maeve Dunbabin at the back post, who managed to fire back across the face and pick out the far corner.
The Strikers still took a lead into the half time break though as White flung herself down in the area and drew a penalty, which she stepped up to convert just a minute after Taroona had drawn level.
White completed her hat-trick just after the restart in such typical fashion, winning a foot race to a through ball, rounding the keeper and passing into the empty net. It’s the type of goal she scores time and time again because defenders simply cannot stick stride for stride with her electric speed.
The Taroona of earlier in the season may have been overrun from here, but this side has found something in the last couple of months and they dug deep to stage a fightback.
A corner on the hour mark led to Daisy Parsell firing one home after it rebounded to her, albeit with a healthy deflection that left the keeper with no chance.
Two minutes later and they were back on terms as Jessie Williams turned her defender sharply outside the area before firing home a stunning goal from distance. What an immense impact Williams has had since returning to the league, if she played even half a season she may well have won all the awards. It’s been truly dominant stuff from the former youth matilda and has been a joy to watch.
Her goal left the game at 3-3 with 27 minutes to go and from there the Strikers started to turn the screws and apply some major pressure.
White came close to a fourth but dinked her effort wide before Ottavi twice rescued her side, keeping out efforts on target from both Payne and White.
Having absorbed an extended period of pressure it was the Pirates who then nearly snatched it away late as Blackwood Coyle headed wide after a fine Holly Ayton cross picked her out before a stoppage-time free kick from Jaylynn Barton drew a good save from Sam Hardy.
There would be no more scoring as the game reached its conclusion locked at 3-3, the second time Taroona has taken a point from Devonport this season.
South Shut Out United Again
South Hobart took a step closer to an undefeated season, as they downed Launceston United 1-0 at Floorworld Park. It was the fifth time in five encounters this season that South Hobart managed a clean sheet against the 2022 Champions.
South were firmly on the front foot in the first half, keeping United pinned back in defence and under frequent pressure, although clear-cut chances weren’t flowing.
The pressure eventually told and South took the lead in the 26th minute when Caitlin Stalker cut inside from the right wing before sending through a perfectly weighted through ball that split the defence. Pishon Choi charged onto it, reached it before Venn and got just enough on the shot to see it trickle over the line despite a lung-busting chase back from Katie Hill.
South almost doubled the lead in the 55th minute when Brigette Wright fired off a shot after a corner had been played in only for Venn to somehow get a strong palm across and lift it onto the crossbar. It was another piece of brilliant goalkeeping from a goalie in supreme form of late.
She did well again 10 minutes after that to charge down a chance for Choi after she found herself in behind the defence.
But whilst Venn kept her side in touch if they could find a moment of inspiration, it simply never arrived. Once again United simply had no answer to South Hobart and just couldn’t find a way through. With the exception of the opening half hour of the cup final, of which I still have no idea how they didn’t score, they’ve just not looked overly likely in these WSL encounters. Jenna Farrow didn’t have a tough save to make as the final whistle rung out with South 1-0 ahead. Another masterclass in control from the league champions.
The win leaves them just one draw or victory away from an undefeated season, which they can achieve next week in the final game of the season against Devonport.
MyState Bank Women’s Super League
Round 19
Kingborough Lions 2 (N.Moutsatsos 12” D.Kannegiesser 61”)
Clarence Zebras 3 (L.Marmion 15” G.Baez 29” G.Burt 78” )
Launceston United 0
South Hobart 1 (P.Choi 26”)
Taroona 3 (M.Dunbabin 45+2” D.Parsell 61” J.Williams 63”)
Devonport 3 (J.White 33” 45+3” 51”)