Welcome to the Weekend-Wash Up following Round 6 of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League. With games spread across the weekend, the action began on Friday night when Laura Davis ran riot to fire the Kingborough Lions to a 6-2 win over Taroona. On Saturday, it was the Devonport Strikers who proved too much for Launceston United, leaping them up into second place with a 3-0 win, where they sit on the heels of our ladder leaders, South Hobart, who scored a 3-0 win of their own on Sunday, downing the Clarence Zebras.
Davis Stars As Lions Cut Down Taroona
The Kingborough Lions did the damage early as they stormed to a 6-2 win over Taroona at Kelvedon Park on Friday night.
It didn’t take long for the Kingborough Lions to take the lead, hitting the back of the net after just 27 seconds as Davis made a darting run to the near post to finish off some nice play out wide from Sam Watkins.
The in form Davis/Kannegiesser combination then struck for the second, as Kannegiesser continued her run of scoring from distance by slotting it bottom corner from outside the box after Davis squared it to her.
Davis then bagged her second as the Pirates high defensive line was caught out not paying her close enough attention and she stormed in behind to bury the chance and make it 3-0.
Davis almost had her hat-trick five minutes later but her powerful shot was saved by Ottavi, unfortunately for the Taroona keeper, the rebound sat on the doorstep for Cara Lashmar to poke home.
Davis wouldn’t have to wait long to complete her treble though, spying a gap at Ottavi’s near post and springing an audacious shot that caught keeper and defender off guard and snuck in to make it 5-0.
When Lashmar cooly rounded the keeper and deposited their second it was 6-0 after 40 minutes and it was game over.
Whilst the Lions pulled the foot off the accelerator from that point on, Taroona showed some heart and pulled on back before the break as Mia Fujiura squared it to Daisy Parsell who chipped Mackintosh from the top of the box.
Taroona made 4 changes at the halftime break and they seemed to have a positive impact. One of them was Holly Ayton being introduced and she duly picked out the top corner with a quality finish on 65 minutes following a corner. It was the first time they’ve scored multiple goals in a game this season, so that’s something they can build from.
That would be how the game ended at 6-2, a comfortable win for the Lions who are building nicely, whilst Taroona’s wait for their first points goes on.
Strikers Establish Title Credentials
The Devonport Strikers bounced back in style, as they defeated Launceston United 3-0 to move into outright second and firmly establish themselves as title contenders.
In a week that saw the departure of their star Kiwi goalkeeper Hayley Julian, this was a welcome result to steady the ship after a potentially destabilising period. Looking to rebound from a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Clarence Zebras and now without their gun #1 goalkeeper, this appeared a difficult test heading into the game.
But the Strikers rose to the occasion magnificently and they produced one of their better performances of the season by comfortably claiming a 3-0 win over the reigning champions that could well have been even more had the woodwork not denied them on multiple occasions.
The irrepressible Jazmin White continued her push for yet another Golden Boot award by opening the scoring inside the opening 15 minutes which would be the first of two she would score for the day to take her season tally to a league-leading 9 goals.
The lead was almost doubled immediately when Georgia King rattled the upright with a thumping free kick from long distance before Charlotte Vernham did bag their second with a wonderful strike. Taking the ball outside the penalty area on the left-hand side of the box, Vernham cut inside, and got the better of her marker before rifling a shot that flew top corner. It was pure quality and United simply had no answers, outgunned in the midfield where the absence of Gilpin seemed to sting them.
Any hopes of a second-half fightback were made all the harder when White scored her second in the run into halftime in typical Jazmin White fashion. For about the 300th time in her WSL career, she sprinted in behind a defensive line that simply couldn’t keep pace with her and then showed composure to place the shot past Venn.
The second half would be devoid of goals as the home side came close to extending the lead, but had little reason to be expansive, quiet content in their comfortable lead. The 3-0 victory leaves the Strikers in second place, three points behind South Hobart who they will meet next weekend at Valley Road in a top-of-the-table showdown.
South Turn It On in Second Half to Down Zebras
South Hobart sprang to life in the second half to down the Clarence Zebras 3-0 and keep the pace atop the league table. A dreary first 45 minutes of football saw the ladder leaders well below their best in a game that was lacking spark before things sprang to life in the second half, as the action picked up and South Hobart stormed away with the game.
The first half saw few clear-cut scoring opportunities, with the best falling to Josie Mamic after a double deflection fell her way in the box but Kacee Ponting got out and charged the shot down to keep the game at 0-0.
It had been sluggish from South Hobart in the first 45 but they were much sharper coming out of the sheds for the second 45 minutes and quickly took the lead via Amy Ollington. The young South attacker turned her marker at the top of the box before finessing a fine shot top window that caught out Ponting to make it 1-0.
The second was a far simpler finish, requiring a simple tap-in after a storming run from Caitlin Stalker, who has seemingly transferred from the Zebras to South Hobart. She immediately came back to haunt her former side here. She breezed past her full back with a surging run, drew the next defender out to her before sliding it across to Ollington to finish. A handy goal and a very handy signing for South Hobart, who continue to strengthen the playing group in season, as they push all in for the title.
Aaliyah Browning then got in on the act, following up to score a poachers goal in the 76th minute after Ponting had made a nice leg save to deny Choi, only to see the rebound buried by the South youngster.
It sees South Hobart maintain their lead atop the table ahead of a crunch game next week against Devonport.
Round 6
Taroona 2 (D.Parsell 41’, H.Ayton 65’)
Kingborough 6 (L.Davis 1’ 22’ 30’ D.Kanegiesser 10’, C.Lashmar 26’ 39’)
Devonport Strikers 3 (J.White 8’ 41’, C.Vernham 14’)
Launceston United 0
South Hobart 3 (A.Ollington 53’ 60’ A.Browning 76’)
Clarence Zebras 0