The Weekend Wrap: Women's Super League Round 2

Devonport Strikers 2-3 Launceston United

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOrdbIpUP8Y It was a battle of the Women’s Super League’s newest teams, and it was Launceston United that continued their winning start to the season with a 3-2 win over the Devonport Strikers at Valley Road. Three first-half goals put United in the box seat, but they had to overcome a furious Devonport comeback to claim all three points. It took less than three minutes for the visitors to take the lead, with a high corner headed home at the near post by United's Madison Gilpin. The hosts looked shell-shocked after conceding so early, and things only got worse as they gave up a second goal inside the opening ten minutes. Danielle Gunton saw her first effort from the edge of the area blocked, but a swift recovery saw her re-take possession, skip past her marker and finish into the bottom corner. Finally settled after that frenetic start, the Strikers did begin to claw their way back and had the better of the play in the immediate aftermath. Jasmin White went close but was denied by the goalkeeper, and with plenty of attacking possession a comeback looked to be on the cards. Launceston quickly put any such thoughts on the backburner by scoring their third against the run of play, with a 30-yard rocket from Gunton screaming over the 'keeper's head and into the top corner. That made the score 3-0 at half-time, and United looked to have added a fourth just after the restart when Amy Littlechild shot into an open net. The play was brought back for a head knock to Strikers goalkeeper Georgia Anderson in the build-up, though, and the goal was disallowed as a result. Still, United looked set to run the clock out strongly as they maintained possession and controlled the pace of the game. As was proven in the first half, though, goals can always come against the grain. This time it was the Strikers pushing against the tide, with Annalee Bidwell crossing low to the back post for Tiela Weeda to finish. That left Devonport with 20 minutes to pull back two goals, and they found one in the 83rd minute to keep the game well and truly alive. A thumping kick from the backline by Anderson bounced in empty space and over the top of the Launceston defence, leaving Jazmin White to run on for a simple one-on-one finish. As the Strikers pushed for an equaliser the visitors sat deep and defended grimly, just trying to kill time until the final whistle. Weeda very nearly stole a point for Devonport with a long-range effort that flew just wide, but that proved to be the last kick of the game as Launceston held on for the win and moved clear on top of the table.  

South Hobart 3-1 Kingborough Lions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBhpkLYnpm0&t=3s They came in as underdogs against one of the pre-season title fancies, but South Hobart walked away winners after prevailing 3-1 over the Kingborough Lions at Darcy Street. Niki Moutsatsos was the star of the show with two goals to set up an early lead, before a stellar defensive effort led by goalkeeper Georgia McMullen saw them comfortably hold onto their advantage. South should have been ahead from the game's opening moments when they were awarded an early penalty, but Lions goalkeeper Erika Mackintosh made an acrobatic save to deny Lucy Roberts before also saving the follow-up effort. That hectic start set the tone for the end-to-end action that followed, with both sides firing on goal and testing the goalkeepers. The Lions may have had a bigger share of the chances, but it was South that opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Niki Moutsatsos lined up a free-kick from wide on the right, and she curled a shot that Mackintosh could only palm onto the crossbar. The rebound fell down onto the goal line and after a mad scramble it was bundled over the line, with the goal awarded to Pishon Choi. That setup was a sign of what was to come for Niki Moutsatsos, as she fired just wide shortly after before scoring her first in the following moments. A high, bouncing ball fell at the top of the area, and Choi fought hard to win the ball from between two opponents. Her shot was saved at close range, but the rebound fell to Niki Moutsatsos to finish into an open goal. Kingborough fought back hard and went close to pulling a goal back in the minutes after, with Bronte Gadon and Kate Bonertz-Benn firing just off target in quick succession, but the score remained at 2-0 at half-time. The Lions came even closer to scoring in the first minute after the restart, with a huge triple-chance going begging-- one shot off the crossbar, the follow-up saved by McMullen off the crossbar again, and the third forcing another close-range save. Somehow the Lions came away still goalless, and their pain was doubled when South added to their lead in the 55th minute. A loose pass from the Kingborough defence was picked off by Niki Moutsatsos just inside her attacking half, and after carrying the ball to the edge of the area she let rip with a shot that flew over Mackintosh's head and into the top corner. The Lions needed quick goals if they were to salvage a result, and they finally found their first in the 76th minute. A driving run down the right from Danielle Kannegiesser ended with a tidy cutback to the top of the area to Bronte Gadon. The Lions midfielder steadied and shot, and a huge deflection bunted the ball high over McMullen's head and in. The visitors continued to push hard, but with South's defence showing no signs of collapse it was an impossible task. It was the hosts that went closest to adding a late goal, with Niki Moutsatsos, Fiona Wise and Choi all missing by a matter of centimetres, but it mattered little as South celebrated a 3-1 win at the final whistle.

Taroona FC 0-7 Clarence Zebras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGEdOZxZS0c The Clarence Zebras have bounced back from a season-opening loss in emphatic fashion, claiming a 7-0 win over Taroona FC at Kelvedon Park. After finding themselves sitting in last place on the Women's Super League table after round one, the Zebras showed no mercy and put Taroona to the sword in a dominant display. It took the visitors just four minutes to open the scoring, with Zoe Nichols played through into an acre of space behind the defence. While Taroona goalkeeper Isolina Ottavi was able to get a foot to the first effort, she couldn't stop Nichols from tapping the rebound into the back of the net. Taroona were able to steady from that start and gain a decent share of the possession, but they struggled to break through the defence of the Zebras in the final third. At the other end Clarence had no such issues, pressing relentlessly and pouncing on a mistake to double their lead in the 26th minute. A mishit pass from Ottavi fell straight to an opponent on the wing, leaving an easy pass inboard for a finish into the open net. They had their third ten minutes later, with Nichols forcing a turnover in the middle with the goalkeeper off her line and setting up Madeline O'Brien for another shot into an empty goal. Nichols had another assist before the half was done, finding Jessica Downham on the right who lofted a perfect shot over the 'keeper's head and into the far side of the net. That made the score 4-0 heading into the half-time break, leaving Taroona with a mountain to climb if they wanted a share of the points. That mountain only grew taller as the Zebras added a fifth goal just after the hour mark, with Nichols bagging her second from close range. Downham's second goal after some slick footwork made it six for the visitors, before Rand scored number seven after getting onto the end of an O'Brien free kick into the area. That left Clarence with a commanding 7-0 win at the final whistle, a timely reminder to the rest of the competition that they remain a serious threat.