Round 5 of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League is in the books. It was an interesting long weekend of action, where South Hobart secured a huge victory in a thriller at the Portress, Launceston United maintained their unbeaten start to the year and the Lions roared down at the Den.
South Survive Strikers Fightback
South Hobart survived a furious second-half rally from the Devonport Strikers to claim a massive 5-4 win in the first of the weekend’s fixtures as they moved up into second place on the table.
With South leading 4-0 at the halftime break, the game seemed well and truly settled before an inspired second half showing from the Strikers threatened to see the hosts pull off a stunning come from behind result. Ultimately the visitors steadied to hang on and claim all 3 points, but it made for a thrilling clash in what had earlier looked like developing into a rout.
The first 45 minutes was all South Hobart, as they overwhelmed the Strikers defence and took their chances with aplomb. They took the lead on 10 minutes when Strikers’ keeper Brooke Bennet parried a Davies shot right to the feet of Nikki Moutsatsos who couldn’t miss from point-blank range. Her second somehow came from even closer range as she deflected a Davies volley in from a corner to double her side’s advantage to make it 2-0, and 2 goals for Moutsatsos from about a combined 5 yards.
The third was from much further out as Pichon Choi got on the end of a delightful Lucy Roberts through ball, helped along by Davies and from the top of the box she chipped a curling shot into the top corner of the net.
Eve Swain then crafted the fourth with a quality run from out on the right before cutting back for the waiting Davies to get her first of the afternoon and send her side into the sheds with what looked like an unassailable four-goal buffer.
But the Strikers have shown a capacity to lift in second halves already this season and again they exploded out of the blocks to quickly cut into the lead.
Maddie Payne scored a stunner to get her side going, showing a nice skill move to get past Choi before launching one from wide on the right. Whether Payne meant it as a shot or a cross, hardly matters as the end result was the ball lobbing the keeper and nestling in the back of the net to make it 4-1 in incredible fashion.
Then it was time for the prolific Jazmin White to have her say, as she scored twice in quick succession, the first with a superb first time hit from the edge of the box, and suddenly it was 4-3 with some 22 minutes still left on the clock. The Strikers were pumped up and South looked vulnerable.
Bonnie Davies appeared to have given South the breathing room they sought when she again finished off the outstanding work of Eve Swain from wide on the right to make it 5-3, but undeterred the Strikers responded in turn almost immediately.
Jazmin White bagged her third of the afternoon to take her season tally to 9 in 4 matches and once again cut the deficit to just a single goal.
There would be no further change to the score, however, as South held off the Strikers in the final 15 minutes and walked away with a massive victory.
There were plenty of positives for both sides from this one. South won’t be happy with the second half wobble, but they stabilized and got a crucial three points. The Strikers meanwhile need to address their slow starts to games and will be disappointed to have lost another close one to a title rival, but the fight they showed in the second half was seriously impressive stuff.
United Take Care of Business at Kelvedon Park
Launceston United maintained their unbeaten start to the season as they comfortably accounted for an improved Taroona outfit at Kelvedon Park, winning 5-1.
Needing a response after their last league outing against the Zebras, Taroona began the game positively and managed to ask some questions of the United defence, drawing keeper Sydney Carnie into action early on.
As the game progressed United began to work their way on top and soon took complete control of the match, dominating possession and eventually taking the lead through Madison Gilpin. Gilpin’s initial shot was saved by Izzy Ottavi but the Striker reacted quickest to get to the rebound and fired home.
Ottavi was certainly being kept busy and she saved a penalty to keep the margin at 1-0, a margin that looked like it would hold till half time thanks in no small part to the work of the Sweeper Keeper who was outstanding in the Pirates net all game.
But just before the break, Annie Reistma was able to take advantage of a mishit clearance falling at her feet and she poked home from close range to make it 2-0 at the break.
United had the match pretty well wrapped up early in the second half when Dani Gunton emphatically hammered home a rocket of a shot that left the two defenders between her and the goal absolutely no chance to make it 3-0.
Taroona then broke through for their first goal of the season, cutting it back to 3-1 when Mei Booker showed good goalscoring instincts in the box. Booker took a tidy touch to steady herself before quickly getting her shot away after it fell to her in the box from a corner, much to the delight of the home crowd.
United weren’t going to let that inspire a comeback however as star Striker Ellie La Monte quashed any hopes with a well-taken finish, before Dani Gunton bagged her second of the day with a perfectly placed header, running onto a cross from out wide.
The win leaves United alone atop the table with 4 wins from 4 and flying high, whilst despite the defeat, Taroona can at least hang their hats on what was a far more competitive display than their last outing.
Lions Feast at the Den
The Kingborough Lions attack ran rampant to help secure their first win of the season, as they downed the Olympia Warriors 9-3 in an ANZAC Day goal-fest at Clennett’s Lightwood Park.
Due to a combination of covid postponements and byes in both the Cup and League, the Lions had only played one game in the past 36 days heading into this one and they appeared to relish getting back out on the pitch, showing a hunger for goals from the outset.
They wasted absolutely no time in hitting the back of the net with regularity here and after just 15 minutes of play they had already raced out to a 4-0 lead with Amy Ollington absolutely tearing the Warriors defence apart.
Ollington scored the first two goals herself, the second with a superb solo effort that saw her picking out the top corner before turning provider and laying the assists on the next two goals. First she teed up Cara Lashmar, playing a sharp 1-2 to carry it into the box then laid it off for Lashmar to finish, before then splitting the defence with a superb through ball to spring Danielle Kannegieser for the Lions fourth. It was pure dominance from the Lions, and the brilliant Ollington had basically settled the contest off her own boot inside of 16 minutes of game time.
The Warriors managed to pull one back from the penalty spot as Jodi Ransley was brought down by an onrushing Gardner and she converted the spot-kick to make it 4-1.
Ransley was a real bright spot for Olympia in this one, also setting up their second goal of the half, when she teed up Josie Mamic to roll one home. Before that Warriors second however, Ollington had registered her third assist of the game to play through Danielle Kannegiesser for her second of the half and the score was 5-2 at the break.
Kannegiesser completed her hat-trick early in the second half, finishing off some nice play from Laura Davis who then got in on the act herself by scoring the 7th and 8th goals of the night for her side, using her speed to race in behind the Warriors defensive line on both occasions.
Cara Lashmar also became a multiple goal scorer when she fired in the Lions 9th late on in the game, before Ransley bagged her second for the Warriors in stoppage time to see the game end at 9-3.
It was a comprehensive win for the Lions as their attack once again showed the teeth they possess. The defence remains a bit of a concern for games against the bigger sides, but when the attack clicks like this, they will be a tough match for anyone they come up against.
Whilst the Warriors will be glad to have scored three times and the performance of Ransley will be pleasing, their struggles at the back continue and next week’s clash with fellow stragglers Taroona next weekend now shapes an enormous outing for their season.