Davies Show Sinks Lions
A four-goal haul from Bonnie Davies sent South Hobart on their way to a comfortable win over the Kingborough Lions in a goal-filled clash at Darcy Street. Davies proved too much to handle as she helped fire her side to a 7-1 lead before the Lions struck back with some late consolation goals to bring some respectability to the final score in a game that ended 7-4.
South had the result well within their keeping from early on, scoring three times in a five-minute burst between the 20thand 25th minute mark of the first half. Pichon Choi opened the scoring with a fine long-range finessed effort that dipped under the post before Davies opened her account from the penalty spot shortly after. The Lions defence was rattled by the quick goals and it led to a third in quick succession when Eve Swain was given too much space in the box and fired home truly to make it 3-0.
Danielle Kannegiesser was one of her side’s best on the day and she produced the response the Lions needed with a well-timed run and classy finish on 36 minutes to send the game into half time at 3-1 and give the visitors some hope.
But a relentless South came firing out of the blocks in the second half and snuffed out that hope quickly to have the game wrapped up early on in proceedings.
Nikki Moutsatsos scored just a minute into the half before the speedster Bonnie Davies took over the match. Three times in the space of 18 minutes she simply outpaced the defence, racing in behind the defence to take her personal tally to 4 and extend South’s lead to a massive 7-1. Davies’ blistering pace was simply too much for a Lions defensive unit that couldn’t stick with her.
To their credit, the Lions fought on gallantly and managed to find some consolation markers in the final 20 minutes to make the final score look less emphatic.
Meghan Goscombe showed some nice composure to pull it back to 7-2 and Cara Lashmar’s long range bomb from wide on the right that chipped the keeper was a particularly spectacular effort.
She then bagged a second in stoppage time when she pounced on a keeper error in the final minute of the game to see it ending at 7-4.
So some positive signs for the Lions to build on for sure, but this result was well beyond doubt earlier in the half and the defence continues to be an issue that plagues them against strong attacking side.
South meanwhile will be glad to get back on track and will hope to carry the goalscoring prowess they showed here with a tricky road trip to Valley Road awaiting them next weekend.
United Move Top with Narrow Win
In the game of the Round, Launceston United moved to the top of the table with a 2-1 win over the Devonport Strikers.
Star striker Ellie La Monte scored twice, striking either side of Jazmin White’s equalizer to secure a massive win for United that maintains their unbeaten start to the season. Given the calibre of opposition they have faced in Zebras, South and Devonport at Valley Road, it’s a very impressive start and the type of beginning that silverware is won from. It’s a long season and a lot of twists and turns are still to come, but you can’t not be impressed with how United are going about it at present.
Whilst they might have lost out on the day, the narrow margin shows that Devonport are certainly around the mark and should be able to contend for silverware this year, especially with some major reinforcement on its way. The signing of former New Zealand youth international Nicole Mettam is the latest addition in the growing WSL arms race, and it should certainly bolster the Strikers’ chances moving forwards.
Unfortunately due to a combination of issues with NPL.TV and technical issues with the recording of the match, I have been unable to watch either the game or goals, so if you want a more thorough match report I suggest checking out Molly Appleton’s report for The Advocate.
Zebras Obliterate Taroona
If the title race ultimately comes down to goal difference, then the Clarence Zebras will be well situated as they took advantage of a second cakewalk in as many fixtures and buried 15 past a hapless Taroona side at Wentworth Park. Marmion, Stalker and Berry all filled their boots with hat-tricks and much like the 11-1 win over Olympia a fortnight earlier, this was simply a complete mismatch. They cut through the Pirates defence like a hot knife through butter time and time again, scoring goals with consummate ease. Now there are excuses to an extent for Taroona, player availability and impacts of Covid can explain away some of it, but it just doesn’t really account for a 15-0 final score. At the end of the day, there is simply a massive disparity between the top and the bottom of the league as it stands right now.
These types of results are a major issue for the competition. Right now we have two teams that appear an absolute mile off the pace, and hopefully, things can pick up or serious questions are going to need to be asked around the structure of the competition. A team should simply not be scoring 26 goals in two matches in the top division in the state. It’s not a good advertisement for the league and its not fair on the players for both the sides winning heavily who aren’t being challenged or the players on the other end who are being asked to play up at a level they simply aren’t ready for yet. Let’s hope things pick up and the Pirates can be more competitive when they get back to full strength because these types of results are no good for anyone.