Women's NSL - Season 2003/2004

Women's National Soccer League

Supplied by AWSA and transcribed by Thomas Esamie

Home Team v Away Team

Round Eight (played November 30)

Venue : Belconnen Soccer Centre, Canberra

NSW Sapphires
Kell, Todd (Ristevski 60), Gilbert, Brogan, Shipard, Blayney, Rockall, Ledbrook, Carney, Burgess, Cannuli (Holcombe 80) 0 - 0 Queensland Sting
Kitching, Garven, Reuter, Grant, Garriock, Ferguson, McShea, Duus (Beaumont 82), Harch, Mann (Mitchell 74), Dawney (Reed 74)

Queensland Sting and NSW Sapphires played out their second draw for the season, proving there is little to separate the two favourites with the grandfinal looming. Queensland failed to take the lead early in the second half from the penalty spot in what was a fairly evenly fought tussle where neither side was able to take control of the play. Queensland however created the more dangerous chances on goal but lacked the finishing touch.
Both sides tried to play their usual passing game but lacked the precision, movement and sharpness, as possession switched back and forth. Amongst numerous half chances at both ends, Catherine Cannuli came closest for Sapphires, whilst it was Belinda Dawney and Alicia Ferguson with the best chances for Sting. Dawney's thumping drive from 18 metres on the left almost gave Sting the lead two minutes before the break, but keeper Cassandra Kell made a great save at full stretch.
Queensland had the early run at goal in the second half with Dawney beating one opponent before Kell again met the challenge, coming out off her line to block the low shot. Sting were awarded a penalty in the 52^nd minute after Lana Harch, dribbling in on goal, was taken down on the edge of the box by a defender. April Mann's spot kick was not sweetly struck and was well saved by Kell, diving to her left. Kell was called into action again two minutes later, winning the one-on-one with Dawney.
NSW midfielder Kylie Ledbrook saw her strike from 16 metres on the left stopped with a solid save by keeper Belinda Kitching midway through the second stanza, before Queensland's Jessica Mitchell next was denied in a one-on-one with Kell.
Sally Shipard was unlucky to snatch the winner in stoppage time, her fantastic piledriver from 25 metres on the left sailed over the keeper, hit the far post and was cleared by the defence.

Venue : Belconnen Soccer Centre, Canberra

Adelaide Sensation
Gubbins (Wirkus 44), May, Alagich, Vogt, Shigrov, Slater (Day 68), Spagnoletti (Walsh 63), Burgess, Wilson (Papageorgiou 90), Stocco (Balomenos 15), De Vanna
Goals : Lisa De Vanna 19, 45, Vicki Balomenos 39, Dianne Alagich 81 4 - 3 Victoria Vision
Barbieri, McEvoy, Lamb, Smith, Jackson, Digiammarco, Bisby, Groenewald (Thornton 85), Totsidis, Terek, Pannella (Pfeiffer 67)
Goals : Amy Jackson 1, Leigh Terek 8, Louisa Bisby 35

Adelaide Sensation fought back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Victoria Vision 4-3, taking revenge for their loss to Vision earlier in the season. An exciting six-goal first half saw Victoria put Adelaide under instant pressure with a two-goal lead inside 7 minutes. Then 3-1 down ten minutes before the break, Sensation hit back to equalise before halftime, and claimed the coveted three points with a late winner.
On the very first play from the opening kickoff, Victoria celebrated the lead inside the first minute, Amy Jackson sending in the ball from wide out on the left, deceiving the goalkeeper whose attempt to get a hand to the ball was insufficient to stop it going in. Six minutes later, Katrina Smith set up Leigh Terek whose shot hit the post and went in to double the Vision lead.
Vicki Balomenos, an early Sensation substitute replacing the injured Stacey Stocco, was allowed a free run on goal and dribbled close in before sidefooting her shot as the goalkeeper challenged. Her attempt hit the post and Lisa De Vanna won the race ahead of her marker to stick the ball away and reduce the deficit to one.
In the 35^th minute, Victoria reclaimed the two-goal advantage with a sumptuous direct freekick from Louisa Bisby just outside the 18-yard box. The curling strike left the goalkeeper stranded, finding goal just inside the right post. But Adelaide weren't about to let Victoria get the better of them, and three minutes later, Balomenos saw the keeper off her line and perfectly executed a sensational chip from 25 metres on the right.
Adelaide's goalkeeper Leanne Gubbins received a heavy blow to the cheek and was stretchered off but her teammates didn't let the incident distract them from the job at hand, as De Vanna produced the equaliser three minutes into stoppage time with a cracking strike from 15 metres.
Victoria had a good run of three chances within a seven minute period before the halfway point of the second half. Belinda Pannella's drive was saved at full stretch by substitute keeper Emma Wirkus, with Terek not far over soon after, and a Bisby long range effort took a large deflection and flew inches over.
Adelaide then lifted in their search for a winner with 15 minutes remaining. After opportunities to De Vanna, Balomenos, and Stacey Day, they were rewarded with the winner. De Vanna ran at pace at goal and her shot beat the outcoming keeper but hit the post, defender Dianne Alagich winning the race to pounce on the rebound and score from close range.

Venue : Belconnen Soccer Centre, Canberra

Canberra Eclipse
Beattie, Taylor, C Maciejewski, Davies, Somi (Staniforth 60), Brush (David 76), Karp, Hepperlin, J Maciejewski (Wilson 28), Munoz, Chapman
Goals : Amy Wilson 58, Rhian Davies 67 2 - 2 Northern NSW Pride
Logue, Shepherd, Cotts (Oxtoby 67), Howes, O'Toole, Neilson, Colthorpe (Giuffre 87), Klessattel (Townsend 51), Small, Gill, Crawford (Khamis 63)
Goals : Lauren Colthorpe 79, Danielle Small 81

Canberra Eclipse and Northern NSW Pride opened the day's action with a 2-2 draw, Northern fighting back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a point. All four goals were scored in the second half.
In an evenly fought first term, Northern held possession well against favourites Canberra. Their best chance came in the 13^th minute, a pinpoint cross from Neisha Klessattel picking out the unmarked Hayley Crawford but the striker skewed the chance well wide from 8 metres. Caitlin Munoz had Canberra's two closest opportunites late in the half, her 38^th minute shot from 20 metres just over and shortly after miscuing an Amy Wilson ball.
Canberra took the lead in the 58^th minute, a corner kick headed down by Tal Karp, the ball finding its way to Wilson at the far post for an easy finish. Nine minutes later, the lead was doubled by captain Rhian Davies venturing forward from defence, chesting the ball down, beating a defender and finishing with a left foot strike from 15 metres on the left.
But Northern made plans to spoil the home team party and pushed forward in attack with 15 minutes to go. A well-struck corner kick from the left was met with a solid header by Lauren Colthorpe at the far post to pull the score back to 2-1. Just two minutes later came the leveller, Danielle Small's shot cleared off the line and with the ball not cleared from the ensuing scramble, Small eventually found the ball back in her path and drove it safely home.
Pride weren't satisfied and continued to go in search for their first win for the season, but Canberra held out to the final whistle.

Home Team		v		Away Team
Round Eight (played November 30)
Venue : Belconnen Soccer Centre, Canberra
NSW Sapphires Kell, Todd (Ristevski 60), Gilbert, Brogan, Shipard, Blayney, Rockall, Ledbrook, Carney, Burgess, Cannuli (Holcombe 80)	0	-	0	Queensland Sting Kitching, Garven, Reuter, Grant, Garriock, Ferguson, McShea, Duus (Beaumont 82), Harch, Mann (Mitchell 74), Dawney (Reed 74)
Queensland Sting and NSW Sapphires played out their second draw for the season, proving there is little to separate the two favourites with the grandfinal looming. Queensland failed to take the lead early in the second half from the penalty spot in what was a fairly evenly fought tussle where neither side was able to take control of the play. Queensland however created the more dangerous chances on goal but lacked the finishing touch. Both sides tried to play their usual passing game but lacked the precision, movement and sharpness, as possession switched back and forth. Amongst numerous half chances at both ends, Catherine Cannuli came closest for Sapphires, whilst it was Belinda Dawney and Alicia Ferguson with the best chances for Sting. Dawney's thumping drive from 18 metres on the left almost gave Sting the lead two minutes before the break, but keeper Cassandra Kell made a great save at full stretch. Queensland had the early run at goal in the second half with Dawney beating one opponent before Kell again met the challenge, coming out off her line to block the low shot. Sting were awarded a penalty in the 52^nd minute after Lana Harch, dribbling in on goal, was taken down on the edge of the box by a defender. April Mann's spot kick was not sweetly struck and was well saved by Kell, diving to her left. Kell was called into action again two minutes later, winning the one-on-one with Dawney. NSW midfielder Kylie Ledbrook saw her strike from 16 metres on the left stopped with a solid save by keeper Belinda Kitching midway through the second stanza, before Queensland's Jessica Mitchell next was denied in a one-on-one with Kell. Sally Shipard was unlucky to snatch the winner in stoppage time, her fantastic piledriver from 25 metres on the left sailed over the keeper, hit the far post and was cleared by the defence.
Venue : Belconnen Soccer Centre, Canberra
Adelaide Sensation Gubbins (Wirkus 44), May, Alagich, Vogt, Shigrov, Slater (Day 68), Spagnoletti (Walsh 63), Burgess, Wilson (Papageorgiou 90), Stocco (Balomenos 15), De Vanna Goals : Lisa De Vanna 19, 45, Vicki Balomenos 39, Dianne Alagich 81	4	-	3	Victoria Vision Barbieri, McEvoy, Lamb, Smith, Jackson, Digiammarco, Bisby, Groenewald (Thornton 85), Totsidis, Terek, Pannella (Pfeiffer 67) Goals : Amy Jackson 1, Leigh Terek 8, Louisa Bisby 35
Adelaide Sensation fought back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Victoria Vision 4-3, taking revenge for their loss to Vision earlier in the season. An exciting six-goal first half saw Victoria put Adelaide under instant pressure with a two-goal lead inside 7 minutes. Then 3-1 down ten minutes before the break, Sensation hit back to equalise before halftime, and claimed the coveted three points with a late winner. On the very first play from the opening kickoff, Victoria celebrated the lead inside the first minute, Amy Jackson sending in the ball from wide out on the left, deceiving the goalkeeper whose attempt to get a hand to the ball was insufficient to stop it going in. Six minutes later, Katrina Smith set up Leigh Terek whose shot hit the post and went in to double the Vision lead. Vicki Balomenos, an early Sensation substitute replacing the injured Stacey Stocco, was allowed a free run on goal and dribbled close in before sidefooting her shot as the goalkeeper challenged. Her attempt hit the post and Lisa De Vanna won the race ahead of her marker to stick the ball away and reduce the deficit to one. In the 35^th minute, Victoria reclaimed the two-goal advantage with a sumptuous direct freekick from Louisa Bisby just outside the 18-yard box. The curling strike left the goalkeeper stranded, finding goal just inside the right post. But Adelaide weren't about to let Victoria get the better of them, and three minutes later, Balomenos saw the keeper off her line and perfectly executed a sensational chip from 25 metres on the right. Adelaide's goalkeeper Leanne Gubbins received a heavy blow to the cheek and was stretchered off but her teammates didn't let the incident distract them from the job at hand, as De Vanna produced the equaliser three minutes into stoppage time with a cracking strike from 15 metres. Victoria had a good run of three chances within a seven minute period before the halfway point of the second half. Belinda Pannella's drive was saved at full stretch by substitute keeper Emma Wirkus, with Terek not far over soon after, and a Bisby long range effort took a large deflection and flew inches over. Adelaide then lifted in their search for a winner with 15 minutes remaining. After opportunities to De Vanna, Balomenos, and Stacey Day, they were rewarded with the winner. De Vanna ran at pace at goal and her shot beat the outcoming keeper but hit the post, defender Dianne Alagich winning the race to pounce on the rebound and score from close range.
Venue : Belconnen Soccer Centre, Canberra
Canberra Eclipse Beattie, Taylor, C Maciejewski, Davies, Somi (Staniforth 60), Brush (David 76), Karp, Hepperlin, J Maciejewski (Wilson 28), Munoz, Chapman Goals : Amy Wilson 58, Rhian Davies 67	2	-	2	Northern NSW Pride Logue, Shepherd, Cotts (Oxtoby 67), Howes, O'Toole, Neilson, Colthorpe (Giuffre 87), Klessattel (Townsend 51), Small, Gill, Crawford (Khamis 63) Goals : Lauren Colthorpe 79, Danielle Small 81
Canberra Eclipse and Northern NSW Pride opened the day's action with a 2-2 draw, Northern fighting back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a point. All four goals were scored in the second half. In an evenly fought first term, Northern held possession well against favourites Canberra. Their best chance came in the 13^th minute, a pinpoint cross from Neisha Klessattel picking out the unmarked Hayley Crawford but the striker skewed the chance well wide from 8 metres. Caitlin Munoz had Canberra's two closest opportunites late in the half, her 38^th minute shot from 20 metres just over and shortly after miscuing an Amy Wilson ball. Canberra took the lead in the 58^th minute, a corner kick headed down by Tal Karp, the ball finding its way to Wilson at the far post for an easy finish. Nine minutes later, the lead was doubled by captain Rhian Davies venturing forward from defence, chesting the ball down, beating a defender and finishing with a left foot strike from 15 metres on the left. But Northern made plans to spoil the home team party and pushed forward in attack with 15 minutes to go. A well-struck corner kick from the left was met with a solid header by Lauren Colthorpe at the far post to pull the score back to 2-1. Just two minutes later came the leveller, Danielle Small's shot cleared off the line and with the ball not cleared from the ensuing scramble, Small eventually found the ball back in her path and drove it safely home. Pride weren't satisfied and continued to go in search for their first win for the season, but Canberra held out to the final whistle.