NPLW First Grade
ANUWFC 1 - Gungahlin United 2
NPLW Reserve Grade
ANUWFC 2 - Gungahlin United 1
State League 1
ANUWFC 1 - University of Canberra 3
Oooft! Some times football isn’t fair. You can play amazing and super attractive football, moving the ball around bouncing off player looking like Barcelona in their tiki-taka days under Pep.
But then you can get hit by long balls over the defensive line and then it becomes a different game. It becomes more a battle of athleticism than technique and skill (and with a little help from the ref) you can fall short.
No matter how much possession in the offensive third and how much of a threat you look going forward. Sometimes you fall short, but that’s ok you take 5mins to growl and let the salt build up (much like this post).
Then you get up grab that salt sprinkle it on some hot chippies and take the lessons learned, and in a positive light remember with a wry smile they have to play us 2 more times this season and oh by the gods there will be hell to pay!
We are still here and revenge is a dish best served cold! Julia H with our goal.
State League 2
ANUWFC 4 - Bellamonaro 0
State League 3
ANUWFC 1 - University of Canberra 1
A 1-1 draw. There were several chances created early in the game and throughout that went unrewarded. On reflection our goals were not under any real pressure, however the only real opportunity in the second half by UC Stars was slotted home.
From a coach’s perspective I am proud of the way the ladies rallied after this setback to draw level and finish strongly with the upper hand and could have easily come away with a win. I cannot fault the efforts of all 16 players.
As the coach and if allowed I would give player of the match to the team.
State League 4 - Strollers
ANUWFC 7 - Belsouth 0
The tension was palpable as the Strollers prepped to play top of the table Belsouth. In their usual fashion, the Strollers used the first 20 mins of the first half to warm up, and things were hard, hot, and hectic.
Marking was the name of the game, with Zan marking out Belsouth’s danger player so well, the danger player moved positions to see if she could actually contribute to the game from there (spoiler alert: she couldn’t).
The backline might as well have been a brick wall, for all the luck Belsouth were having getting near the Strollers’ excellent substitute keeper (quelle surprise, Cecilia was otherwise unavailable).
At the 32nd minute, Sarah decided she’d had enough messing around and slipped a cracker past the keeper. A minute later, Clare took on the keeper well out of her box, and managed not to mess up an open goal opportunity. Five mins after that, Lauren D added to the tally with an absolute beauty.
Never a team to rest on their laurels, Sarah rounded out the half with another two goals.
Rumour has it Kate scored one of them and Sarah didn’t actually score a first half hat trick, but witness statements are shaky and the match card says otherwise. As we know, there are facts, alternative facts, and 97 year old referee who didn’t move from the centre circle facts.
Despite going into the second half 5-0 up, the Strollers didn’t take their foot off the pedal and Holly was rewarded for her numerous attempts in the 57th minute. Super-sub Isha competed the scoring in the 80th minute.
The score doesn’t reflect how tough the Strollers had it and what a challenge Belsouth actually were. They were fast, rough, and had massive kicks. The show ponies in the attack paled in comparison to the heroics of those in defence, who shut down run after run.
BY THE NUMBERS
Score: ANUWFC 7 - Belsouth 0
UV exposure: extreme
Speed at which everyone was moving after the game: glacial
Injuries: Carrie’s Achilles, all of Belsouth’s pride
State League 4 - Runaways
BYE
State League 5 - Scooters
ANUWFC 3 - O'Connor 5
The Scooters made their long-awaited home debut at ANU Willows Oval against fellow top 4 contenders O’Connor this past Sunday. As a team still integrating new players, the previous week’s 4-3 win showed that we had plenty of attacking threat but also still had to learn to defend more collectively as a team. However, the resilience and positivity displayed by the Scooters in both games bodes well and already shows that we can face any and all challenges and will be able to overcome them as a team.
Pre-match, Becca from Simon’s Div 4 was brought in to help our shortage in midfield, she provided her usual exquisite touches and vision playing the ball forward and often. There are few things in football that might be classified as an emergency, but our goalkeeper being AWOL might constitute one (she’s ok). On the best of days, goalkeeper is a high-pressure position which requires tremendous mental fortitude and it’s one thing if you train and consistently play in goals. However, it’s a completely different situation being asked to be the stand-in goalkeeper 10 minutes before kickoff and play the whole game in goals, it’s incredibly selfless, so hat’s off and a huge thumb’s up (I’m sorry, I had to) to Caity. The Scooters echoed my sentiments in their POTM voting (sorry for the spoiler) this week.
Onto the game! The match kicked off immediately well for the Scooters as we were able to play Emily through on goal on the left flank twice inside 2 minutes and except for some great goalkeeping, the Scooters could have been up early. The early opportunities gave us confidence and in defence, Caity command of her box and shouts for the ball gave us security and calm early in the game. Our early pressure paid off in the 15th minute as a ball cleared out from our attacking corner found Penny on the edge of the box who let loose a left-footed volley which looped over the defenders and goalie and nestled into the top left corner, giving us the lead. However, O’Connor being a more veteran squad (speaking literally), there was a natural physical advantage which they started to employ as the game went on. They placed our defence under extreme pressure and while Liv, Kirsten and Manny held up well, even the largest mountains can be bored down by the constant pressure of even the smallest streams of water. Miscommunication in the back and some half-decent O’Connor finishing meant we ended the first half down 2-1.
The Scooters are never out of a fight though, even if one of our players gets studded in the shins, drawing blood. Immediately after the restart, Emily burst through with a vengeance down the right flank to lay on an assist to Connor who finished emphatically. Our threat continued as Claire, returning after more than a year out, showed plenty of pace and daring bombed down the left flank from her left back position in the 50th minute and seeing the keeper off her line, absolutely pelted one from about 40 yards out at an angle which looked destined for goal, only for the recovering keeper to make the save. However, O’Connor were able to retake the lead on the 58th minute but the Scooters weren’t out of it yet as we kept pushing for a result. Zoe continued to provide enticing deliveries from right back that is, when she wasn’t being taken out completely by the opposition. While Beth found opportunities in front of goal limited as she had to drop down from striker a bit more than usual to help out defensively, she still managed some good touches and combination play when the team tried to play it forward.
As a team that wants to play out from the back, O’Connor did a good job pressing us up high at our box on goal kicks. To the credit of the Scooters, when playing out from the back wasn’t working, Caity and the team showed initiative trying to go long but O’Connor’s high press meant that was also difficult. We then reverted to playing short out from the back and the players started to adjust to the press with some success. The pressure placed on our midfielders Penny, Becca, Tash and Sarah meant they had little time on the ball, but they did an exceptional job considering the state of their ankles by the end of the game.
Down 3-2, the Scooters were able to bite back once more as Emily was able to lay another assist this time for Gini to finish. However, by this time in the game, the heat and physical nature of the game had taken its toll on the Scooters, and we conceded almost right from their kickoff. Injuries and exhaustion started to take their toll as Caity had to come off with what we later learnt was a broken thumb, with fellow captain Gini standing up to fill her gloves. Even then, we still showed some fight as an excellent ball from midfield from Sophie out wide on the right, an excellent touch and she was through on goal, and she placed her shot just wide. O’Connor later found a 5th to settle the game.
A tough game and a tough result might lead to disappointed faces after the final whistle, but there was only fire, determination and cake as the Scooters look to bounce back together! Scoot scoot! Goals: Penny, Connor, Gini.
State League 5 - Suban
ANUWFC 0 - Belwest 3
State League 6 - Kartapillars
ANUWFC 1 - Bellamonaro 5
The scorecard and the referee’s sheet indicated our loss. The 90 minutes were over so we had to admit defeat. With so much fight left, it didn’t feel like a loss. Every kartapillar was still keen to go on the field and give it their very best.
Let's close our eyes for a second to broaden our perspective. We learned we have a brilliant keeper who is super composed. We learned our defenders can dribble past players for fun. We saw that our midfielders are fierce and ready to take on the most skilled players. Finally, we saw our strikers persistently fight to secure a goal.
With every player on the team fighting for each other and cheering for one another, I say we were more of a team than Bellamonaro will ever be. However, let's not take credit away from them because they did manage to momentarily subdue real fighters on the field.
State League 6 - Sharkies
ANUWFC 4 - Belnorth 0
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