South Hobart have claimed their first win of the Women's Super League season, flexing their muscles in an impressive 4-1 victory against University.
In blustery conditions atop Mount Nelson, it was the visitors that adjusted best with a clinical display of passing across every inch of the ground. South thoroughly dominated the first half and took a 2-0 lead into the break, and while University fought gamely and pulled back a goal after the restart, a quickfire brace from substitute Phoebe Djakic put the result beyond doubt. After struggling last season amidst a never-ending injury crisis, South Hobart's depth was on display as they sent a warning to the rest of the league.
The contest started innocuously enough, as both teams struggled to move the ball into the final third. South attacked down the wings without much early success, but their defence, led superbly by Eleni Moutsatsos, was able to consistently win back possession with minimal fuss. Despite this, it was University that created the first real threat of the game. A rare turnover from South led to a one-on-one chance for Zoe Lovell, and her shot drew a sharp save from Georgia McMullen. That left the South 'keeper out of position, forcing Eleni Moutsatsos to make a scrambling clearance on the goal line to keep out Sophie Young's follow-up effort.
That would be the last real chance for the Bees in the first half, as that near-miss seemed to kick South into gear. They continued to push down the wings, with Charlotte Ingram and Niki Moutsatsos regularly beating their markers and crossing dangerously. It was from that wide play that their first goal came, as a Misty Olsen cross from the right was bunted into the path of Pishon Choi, who finished easily from close range.
That goal seemed to spur them on even more, and they peppered the goal right up until the half-time whistle. The University backline fought hard, but the sheer weight of chances meant that it was only a matter of time before they conceded again. They almost held out until the interval, but when Niki Moutsatsos was played in on goal in stoppage time she made no mistake and gave South a little more security heading into the break.
With a 14-2 shot count, their 2-0 lead could have easily been greater if not for some solid goalkeeping from Rhiannon Steele and some wayward finishing.
The outfield players for the Bees came out with some steel of their own in the second half, as they started to wrest back some of the momentum in the midfield battle. They still struggled to penetrate the South Hobart defence, but they took their chance when it came just past the hour mark, albeit in bizarre circumstances.
A foul outside the area gave Olivia Young a chance to line up a set piece, and she struck a shot that dipped and beat the goalkeeper but crashed into the crossbar. The ball rebounded high, and as it came down it caught a gust of wind and drifted back towards the goal line. Seemingly with no further touch on the ball, it made its way into the net to keep Uni's hopes alive.
After substituting both Choi and Ingram shortly before, it seemed that South might have to simply hold on rather than extend their lead. That notion was dispelled very quickly, as the newly introduced Djakic blew the Bees away with a stunning burst of attacking football. Bridie Cooling ran relentlessly from fullback all afternoon, and she found Djakic at the edge of the area just six minutes after University's goal. With three defenders looking to tackle, she somehow managed to skip through into space and curl a shot into the far corner.
Another six minutes in, she had her brace. After another cross from Cooling caused a mad scramble in the area, Djakic managed to squeeze a shot through the traffic and past the unsuspecting Steele. From that point on, the only real action came as Djakic chased her hat-trick; she created a handful of chances, but the game petered out as both sides seemed to accept their fate. University now face a tough trip to Warrior Park next weekend, while South Hobart will look to stamp their papers as a title smokey with a strong performance against Kingborough.