South Hobart have landed a major blow in the MyState Women's Super League title race, holding the defending champion Olympia Warriors to a 0-0 draw in round six.
After suffering a 3-0 loss at home to the same opponent in last week's Statewide Cup fixtures, South brought a refined gameplan to Warrior Park and executed it well enough to earn a share of the points. Their backline was led superbly by captain Eleni Moutsatsos and goalkeeper Georgia McMullen, and they stifled the normally potent Warriors attack to keep them goalless for the first time in 2021.
There were some early signs of the difficulties that were to come for Olympia as they struggled to string together passes and found themselves pinned back in defence. They did settle somewhat after the opening minutes and had the bulk of the possession, but South's gameplan became clear as they sat deeper across every line. They seemed to recognise that Olympia's biggest threat was their pace, and by sitting back they negated the quick turns and long balls that so often see the Warriors score.
That saw the Warriors forced into wider areas when they did attack, where they did still made some progress towards goal. Both Madi Chambers and Innocent Michael made it deep into attack, but their efforts from tight angles were well saved by McMullen as she cut out everything in her area. South struggled to move the ball forwards themselves but they forced enough turnovers to keep themselves busy on the counter-attack, with a curling shot from Lucy Booth their best early chance but easily saved.
When Olympia were able to generate some more clear-cut chances they found themselves unable to trouble McMullen in goal. Chambers finally found some space in the box in the dying minutes of the half but blasted her first-time shot well over the top, and a header from Michael was hit straight at the goalkeeper. With South largely restricted to speculative long shots, the game looked certain to remain goalless as half-time rapidly approached.
Any such thoughts went out the window as the first half entered stoppage time, when it looked like South had stolen an unlikely lead. A long free kick from Misty Olsen curled over the wall but should have been easy pickings for Warriors goalkeeper Kacee Ponting. The ball landed straight in her arms but bounced out just as quickly, and South Hobart's Sophie Westwood pounced on the rebound and slammed it home. She and her teammates celebrated from the Warrior Park turf, but those celebrations were cut short when the goal was disallowed for offside. With that close escape fresh in their memories, the Warriors may have been glad to escape the half on level footing.
They came out firing in the second half, with Michael firing a low shot through traffic early after the restart that McMullen did well to palm behind to safety. The resulting corner was headed on target by Katherine Ollerhead but scrambled clear off the line by the South defence. Chambers continued to be the biggest threat for Olympia, winding her way down the left and crossing dangerously, but she was removed from the action after taking a heavy fall and hitting her head on the rock-solid Warrior Park surface. After receiving some attention on the field she was able to get to her feet and walk off to the bench, but she was unable to return to the game.
South were restricted mostly to long-range shots that were easily saved, but their defence continued to excel to keep them in the contest. Fullbacks Bridie Cooling and and Ruby Batchelor worked tirelessly to funnel the Warriors into the wider areas, with Moutsatsos and Poppy Wood waiting in the middle to snuff out any crosses and clear the danger.
It wasn't until the final 15 minutes that cracks started to appear in South's armour, with a pair of close calls leaving them sweating late in the game. The first came from Michael once again, as this time she skipped past her marker at the edge of the area and fired on goal. Her effort rocketed across the face and looked destined for the top corner, before thumping off the crossbar and out. Two minutes later, a low cross from Mia Cane somehow evaded a pair of defenders and bounced to the back of the area. Hannah Johnson's first-time shot was on target but blocked across goal by Batchelor and scrambled clear by Moutsatsos.
Desperation set in for the hosts in the dying minutes, with a pair of very long-range shots their only chances late. They were easily saved by McMullen as she preserved a well-deserved clean sheet, and with the game still goalless at the final whistle South celebrated a much-needed point.