Blacktown City 1 SD Raiders 0
For the second time this season, Blacktown City edged SD Raiders by a single goal in a thrilling encounter at Landen Stadium in the Football NSW Leagues Women’s League One Under 20s. A superb strike from Hayley Reynolds midway through the first half had the hosts in the hot seat at the break, but they knew it should have been more. A fantastic save by Emma Kociper kept the lead intact as the contest heated up in the second half, but the game will be remembered for the host of goalscoring opportunities that were spurned by the home team as they kept the visitors in the game until the very last kick. Nerves were shredded, but the win was achieved, a landmark tenth clean sheet for the season at least something to cheer about for this blossoming team.
A warmer day than what we’ve had recently, with dark clouds hanging in the air and the threat of rain, the scene was set for a classic mid-table six-pointer. SD Raiders in seventh visiting Blacktown City in eighth, both teams still within distance of reeling in the top four, this was an important game for both clubs. The visitors were threatening in the opening exchanges as City kicked off, Sophia Furia looking dangerous up the right and Nicola Ciocca was forced into conceding an early corner with a miskicked clearance. The corner by Furia was cleared to Sofija Cubrilo who smashed her shot high and wide, but it was the first shot at goal and signalled the SD Raiders’ intentions.
The main threat for the hosts was to come as usual down the wings, with both Reynolds and Issy Saunders keen to make their presence felt. Reynolds raced away down the right but took a heavy touch to send the ball out with a frustrated scream, and minutes later she was cleverly set up by Brianna Tinney to race through on goal, touching the ball around the advancing Caitlin Britton in the Raiders’ goal, but again the final touch was frustratingly heavy and the ball ran dead with the goal wide open.
Tiana Anderson’s presence up front for City was refreshing, and when Valentina Riquelme gifted the ball to Anderson, she shot on sight, the effort smartly saved. A moment later Reynolds was freed on the left to cross and Anderson was caught in two minds, electing to try and control the ball instead of unleashing on the volley, and Britton was able to make the save.
SD Raiders had a player who oozed confidence in midfield, Lacey Wynne showing delicate touches and using her body well to create space and she found Aaliyah Arnaout on the left, whose ball in was quickly dealt with by central defensive enforcer Annabelle Gerard.
Good vision and an intricate ball inside from Niamh Nolan saw Tinney then turn sharply and fire in a shot that Britton did well to save, before the Raiders fashioned their best chance yet. Ruby Fanoosh played in Furia from the left, but when the ball fell beautifuly at her feet, she scuffed the shot and a glorious opportunity disappeared.
The visitors played the ball out from the back, teasing the home team into being drawn out, but the plan almost backfired when the clearance from Britton was intercepted by Lily Thompson and her shot from distance was on target but comfortable for the goalkeeper.
This see-sawing contest was pulsating, Angelique Chowrimootoo combining with Delta Garifilakis for the visitors, but the shot was well wide in the end. Anderson then broke free on the left for Blacktown and fired in a dangerous cross that Tinney smashed over with the aid of a deflection. Britton showed excellent command of her penalty area, rising above the pack to claim the resulting corner from Emily Jackson.
The game opened up for another raid down the right from Reynolds, but this time Tinney turned instead and fired in a shot from distance, the ball bouncing well wide. Anderson then turned sweetly and fed Reynolds, but the offside flag was up immediately. Saunders then raced up the left to cross dangerously, but there were no takers, before Gerard arrowed a ball to Reynolds, but the cross was well dealt with by Britton.
There was always a threat at the other end, and when Gerard played a suicidal pass straight to an attacker from a goal kick routine, she was relieved that the shot came back with no power. That shook City into life, and they took the lead with a move that we’ve seen many times this season, Jackson pulling the strings in midfield and playing a superb ball to Reynolds. When Britton committed to narrowing the angle, the speedy winger lifted the ball past her outstretched arm and the ball bounced theatrically towards goal, landing just inside the post for a quite exquisite finish for 1-0.
Blacktown continued to trouble the Raiders on the flanks, this time Saunders racing through, only to touch the ball too far and Britton came out to challenge, a heavy collision leaving Saunders on the floor, but no question of a foul. With the physio called into action, the remaining players regrouped on the touchline with their coaches. When play resumed, a free kick was awarded out on the left; Saunders fired in a long cross and Gerard was up to meet with a header, but it was a long way out and Britton was untroubled.
The combination of Wynne and Furia almost paid dividends, Ciocca across well to clear, but it was still the home team that did the pressing. Saunders won a corner right by the corner flag that had the visiting players fuming. The corner was well cleared, but Gerard helped the ball back in and Anderson tried to get the ball under control, but Britton made a brave stop at her feet as City threatened to bundle the ball into the net.
The battle between Saunders and Mia Dixon was absorbing, Saunders clattering into her foe from behind that had the arms going up from the bench. Lara Green won a free kick on the left soon after and Saunders fired in a hopeful shot from distance, Britton having to scramble across her goal to palm the ball wide for another corner. Jackson showed patience to win another corner as she tried to find room for the cross, and Britton’s handling in the Raiders’ goal was excellent when dealing with the threat. Reynolds almost put Tinney through just as half time loomed, the ball just too far, and when Saunders forced a corner with seconds remaining of the half, she showed too much haste, the corner flying into the side netting just as the half-time whistle sounded.
For once it was the home team that was kept waiting, SD Raiders choosing to take the maximum time permitted to appear for the second half. With Dixon off and Chowrimootoo reverting to defence, Saunders was free of her shadow, and the kick off was delayed as the referees recorded the substitution and worked out who was who on the teamsheet.
The visitors were looking shaky at the back, the confident crisp passing replaced with doubtful looks and timid possession. Reynolds teed up Jackson on the right, who raced to the byline, but Britton did well with the cross. Wynne seemed to be shadowed by Jackson in the opening stages, presumably to nullify the midfield threat from the Raiders, but she broke free of those chains and played in Fanoosh on the left. The sprightly winger took a touch inside and curled a shot goalwards, but Kociper leapt to push the ball around the post with a fantastic save to keep the score at 1-0. City were scrambling to get the ball away, Tinney’s aerial presence able to clear the danger and Ciocca using her heading prowess to clear the lines well.
Furia was brought down by Reynolds, Fanoosh firing in the free-kick from the left but Kociper watched it wide. When Gerard fired a long free kick towards the Raiders’ penalty area, the ball found Reynolds and she looped a shot goalwards, but Britton was equal to it. Reynolds then battled well to win the ball from a challenge high up the park, and the ball dropped for Tinney but she was closed down well. City looked threatening, and Reynolds raced clear on the right to smash in a cross; Britton palmed the ball out to Tinney, whose shot was deflected over the bar and SD Raiders survived.
From the resulting corner, Tinney rose highest and the ball fell for Reynolds right in front of Britton, and with the visitors’ defence screaming for a non-existent offside, Reynolds couldn’t squeeze the ball in and the Raiders’ goalkeeper made the save at her feet. City continued the onslaught. Gerard’s long free kick found Reynolds who blazed in another dangerous cross, which took a deflection and fell for Anderson, but her shot was diverted wide by a touch from a defender. The corner count was rising fast, Britton still supremely confident with her handling, and when Sam Wickremeratne mugged her defender, City had another corner. Gerard rose highest this time but the header was just over the bar.
A fantastic move then set Saunders away, Green’s throw-in flicked on by Tinney to give her a clear run on goal, but the poked shot went just past the post with Britton making it uncomfortable. The danger of Wynne wasn’t far away, and her ball sent Alyssa Taouil racing on goal, but Kociper was out smartly, taking a healthy nudge from the striker on the way past as the niggle started to intensify. Wynne again twisted and turned her way through two City midfielders before releasing Arnaout, this time Nolan across brillantly to make a last-ditch challenge and clear the ball out for a corner. Wynne was lurking on the egde of the area as the corner was cleared, and her shot was deflected over for another corner as the Raiders pressed for the equaliser.
The pressure was taken off when Reynolds found room on the right and was taken out by Arnaout. The free kick by Jackson found Gerard, but she could only get a hip on the cross, and the ball bounced just past the post. The game could still go either way, and Furia raced away on the right, into the area, but Kociper was out again to smother at her feet. An incredibly harsh yellow card was shown to Nolan, Fanoosh having fallen into the tackle, and when Cubrilo played in Taouil, Gerard was quick to slide the ball out for another corner. The corner half-cleared, Fanoosh then found Olivia Riquelme unmarked in the area for a header, but she couldn’t connect and the ball sailed wide of the goal.
The game was heading for a nervy and exciting finish. Mel Napoli intercepted a clearance from Britton but couldn’t lift the shot over the goalkeeper, and Wickremeratne dispossessed her midfield opponent to set off on goal, but didn’t have the legs to beat the advancing defence and she was closed down. Green raced up the left, her low cross towards Napoli was half-cleared and Jackson’s shot was easily saved by Britton.
City’s confidence in attack was starting to wane, and when Napoli off-loaded in a good position to Reynolds, who then passed it to Wickremeratne, the resulting shot had no power. The game was crying out for a player to grab the initiative and just run at the defence. Reynolds raced onto a loose ball and fired over the bar, Napoli almost intercepted a back pass but was crowded out, and Napoli was then flattened on the right, a dangerous free-kick the result, and a chance to eat up some time. Kath Spooner-Smith was on now, playing in an unorthodox centre-forward role to try and shake up the Raiders’ defence.
Green found space on the left, her dangerous low cross was cleared away from Napoli, and Jackson fired in another shot that Britton was equal to. Every time SD Raiders won possession, City looked flustered, and it took some elegant game management from Gerard to eat up some vital seconds and steady the ship. The full-time whistle sounded to cheers from a relieved home crowd in the main stand.
This had been an extraordinary game. SD Raiders looked dangerous every time they went forward, but stout defending from the home side and a wonderful save by Kociper kept their lead intact. Coach Jake Gomez congratulated his team for another win and a clean sheet, but their frustrating inability to convert goalscoring opportunities had come back to haunt the team today. Rumours of a witch-doctor being flown in from Mozambique to lift the curse in time for the visit of Sutherland Strikers are swirling, and the use of hypnotists, psychologists and religious gurus has not been ruled out as a way of clearing the minds of the players as they are put through on goal.
SD Raiders welcome high-scoring Mt Druitt Town Rangers to Ernie Smith Reserve next weekend hoping to cause an upset, as the Strikers come to Landen Stadium on an upward trajectory following their difficult start to the season. The race for the top four is underway, and the excitement and drama continues in the Football NSW Leagues Women’s League One Under 20s. Read it here first!
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