There were just the two games in the MyState Bank Women’s Super League this weekend, but it was still a significant Sunday in season 2022 all the same. The winner of the Clarence Zebras v South Hobart game was undoubtedly Launceston United, as South and Zebras had to settle for a point in a 2-2 draw and combined with United’s thumping 7-0 win over the Lions, they now sit five points clear on top with a game in hand. With 4 of their final 7 games against the bottom 3 sides, even if South Hobart were to go on a tear and win their final 7 games, which would be a tough ask, United may now potentially only need a single point from their other 3 games against the top 3 to win the title. It’s not over officially, or mathematically, but to my mind Sunday may well have been the day the title was sealed for this brilliant Launceston United team.
A Thrilling Draw That Helped Neither Side
Once again we were served up a thoroughly entertaining clash between two top four sides as the Clarence Zebras and South Hobart played out a compelling 2-2 draw at Wentworth Park on Sunday. It was a game both sides had their chances in and a draw may well have been the fairest result. It is however one that did very little for either sides title hopes, as they both fell further behind Launceston United.
The Zebras thought they had taken the lead on 21 minutes when Taylor Rand lofted in a long free kick which Zoe Nichols got on the end of and acrobatically volleyed home. They certainly all ran back to their own half in celebration and set up for a kickoff, only to then discover that a foul had been called against Nichols, presumably for a high boot on the keeper Butler. After several minutes of receiving treatment, she got back up and a goal kick was taken, surprising the Zebras players.
Instead, it was South who would go ahead as Eve Swain played a tidy 1-2 with Bonnie Davies before curling home a perfect shot from the top of the box that lobbed in on 28 minutes. It was a stunning goal and a massive blow for the Zebras who were now chasing the game rather than leading.
But the Zebras responded via their promising young striker early in the second half. Zoe Nichols won the ball wide on the right then played through a defence splitting pass for Eliana Diafokeris to run onto. The young #9 made no mistake with a clinical finish into the bottom corner to level the game up and leave it all to play for.
Both sides upped the urgency but also knew they couldn’t afford to completely throw caution to the wind and overcommit bodies forward. There was perhaps a sense of a game of chicken developing, who was going to be the side to start taking the risks earlier?
It would be South who got the go ahead goal on 73 minutes as Mia Cane struck from a blistering counter attack. Eve Swain won the ball back in defence before working it Bonnie Davies who played a sharp one-two with Moutatsos before charging off and delivering an inch perfect cross for Cane who arrived to apply the finish. It was a stunning move and felt like it could be the match winning one.
South probably should’ve extended the lead and killed the game off as Cane fired one wide and then Ponting came up with a huge save to deny Davies and that inability to find the third goal would come back to haunt them.
Again it was the talented young Diafokeris who showed brilliant composure, sandwiched between Cooling and Choi to keep her feet as the two defenders collided and she fired home truly to level things at 2-2 with 3 minutes in regulation time left to play.
There was no late hero for either side in the stoppage time period, though South’s day got even worse with Talia White shown a second yellow card and given her marching orders for a foul right on the edge of the area. It ended 2-2, a brilliant match but a frustrating result for both sides.
The margins in this game truly are thin. Last week South had a chance to win the game at the death but couldn’t convert and this week they needed only to hold out and not concede for five minutes. The difference between that and what actually transpired is worth 4 points, and for a side now 5 points and a game behind the leaders, that’s significant and it surely leaves them with too much to do. They will need to be perfect from here on out and hope United implode.
The Zebras meanwhile have made strides as the year has worn on and have played much better football of late, but they just haven’t quite looked the same beast as 2021 when they utterly dominated the competition. They are a quality side, but its now official that they won’t be defending their crown.
La Monte Leads United to Big Win Over Lions
Playing just a stone’s throw away at Empire Couriers Park, Launceston United were not about to pass up the opportunity to extend their lead on top and they duly hammered the Kingborough Lions 7-0.
This was another game where the result was settled relatively early as United jumped the Lions and had a 2-0 lead before 10 minutes were up.
The first came in a familiar fashion, a turnover at the back brought about by the pressing of United’s attack. Gilpin forced the error and La Monte raced in and drove home the opener.
The second was an Olimpico! As La Monte bent in a corner that was not dealt with at all by the keeper or defence and crossed the line to make it 2-0. The third was also via a misjudgment in net as the keeper was caught off her line by a Dani Gunton header that lobbed in just after the half hour mark.
Alexis Mitchell got United off and running just moments after the restart when she snuck a drive from distance home before Ellie La Monte completed her hat-trick just after the hour mark with another fine solo goal to make it 5-0.
Gunton grabbed her second and the side’s sixth from all of a yard out as she nodded home a cross but the goal of the day was definitely the final one scored, as La Monte made it 4 in sublime style. A rehearsed set piece routine led to a La Monte shot from outside the box that she absolutely rocketed in to give her 4 goals on the day, and United a thumping 7-0 win.
It was a comfortable result but one that was hardly surprising. United have not looked like slipping up against the bottom few sides this year and this was never in doubt. The brilliance of La Monte was on full display here on a day where her side took a complete stranglehold of the 2022 title race.