Hills United 3 Blacktown City 1
League leaders Hills United were given a massive fright by a battling Blacktown City as they maintained their position at the top of the Football NSW League One Women’s Under 20s ladder. With the scores sitting at 1-1, Hayley Reynolds having cancelled out Grace Attard’s first half opener, City had the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot, but Bridget Brien’s save turned the game and Hills took full advantage. Goals from Portia Berios on the counter attack and a deflected finish from Sara Malinowski following a goalmouth scramble gave Hills breathing space in a game that could have finished so differently. High drama and maximum entertainment in Bella Vista, and a match to remember.
Following the wild winds of the previous day, Bella Vista Public School provided perfect shelter from the elements on a beaming sunny day in North West Sydney. Hills United were on the lookout for another handsome home victory to consolidate their top spot, but in their way stood Blacktown City, a team more than capable of causing trouble for the big teams. And it was City who started the fastest, Issy Saunders and Mel Napoli trading passes on the left to have the Hills defence on high alert. The visitors probed down both flanks, but when the home team were in possession, they looked dangerous every time they went on the attack. Ava Paolini tried to get in around the back but Aurelia Smith was there to clear up. Nicola Ciocca combined with Smith and Reynolds to prise open the defence, but a fortunate deflection saw the ball safe in the hands of Brien.
The first real chance for the home side came when an inoccuous throw-in on the right was nudged out for a corner, Jamison Quinlan firing in the set-piece and Berios connecting on the volley but sending the ball wide. Berios was proving a slippery customer, turning Abby Duggan to fire in a shot that Emma Kociper did well to field at the near post. Hills should have taken the lead soon after when Isabelle Pace played in Berios, who bundled through two tackles to strike on goal. Kociper made the save and smothered down low on the follow up, and City survived. A sweet turn and shot from Paolini was straight at Kociper soon after and the City keeper was quick to get the rebound under control.
Hills were turning the screw, but at the other end Emily Jackson played in Reynolds who won a corner on the right. Jackson’s corner was met by Napoli on the half volley, but the ball was well over the bar. A ridiculous dive by Attard then eked a soft free kick from the referee, Quinlan wasting the chance from a good position, firing well wide. A loose ball then presented Saunders with a shooting opportunity, but she screwed her shot well wide. The game was opening up, and when Berios beat Annabelle Gerard, Ciocca was quick to react and clear the danger.
The opening goal, when it came, was devlishly simple. Attard stepped away from Smith to race through onto a precision through ball and finished brilliantly inside Kociper’s right-hand post. It was no more than the hosts deserved, their lively attack force looking menacing every time they had the ball.
City immediately had a chance when Saunders danced down the left, but she ran out of room for the cross. The combative Sienna Bell was finding the Hills players a little easy to go to ground, and she was penalised for a foul on Molly Warren as she strode out of midfield. Attard and Berios then combined, but the ball just ran away from Berios. The game had descended into a midfield tussle, but when Bell intercepted in midfield, her pass was just too strong for Reynolds in a good position. Paolini then played in Berios in the corner, but again Ciocca was quick to sense the danger and clear her lines.
Reynolds was fouled on the right and Saunders took her time to get set for the free kick, but the low free kick was miskicked. Smith almost flicked the ball into the path of Napoli as City reacted first, but again the Hills defence stood firm. A poor clearance from the Hills defence saw Jackson pick up the ball on the right, and her firm cross was only a toe away from Saunders. The City left winger was full of verve, and the half ended with City on the attack, Jackson slipping a through ball into the path of Napoli, but the referee’s whistle brought the half to a close, Hills leading, but only by the single goal.
The faces of the Blacktown players as they strode purposefully from the changing rooms told the story of a fiery half-time break. They started on the offensive, and Jackson played in Napoli, but the ball was well cleared. Pace then looked to wriggle her way through on the right for Hills, but Duggan stuck to her task and got the right side of her player to thwart the chance.
The home side upped the tempo. A huge cross from the right was taken down on the thigh by Smith for Kociper to diffuse the situation, and Ciocca did well to block a cross at the expense of a corner. Sydney Miller fired in the corner, a mad scramble saw the ball hoofed clear and City sprung an attack. Bell was adjudged to have been fouled in the middle of the Hills half, Saunders lining up the free kick, but the delivery was poor and the chance went begging.
Hills almost took the lead when Attard took on all-comers and beat three defenders, but Kociper was out quickly, but the game was wide open now, and Hills were playing a dangerous game at the back. Jackson and Saunders combined on the left, Jackson firing in a cross that hit the side netting. A brilliant move then had City level – Bell intercepted in midfield, and used the space to fire a great ball to Reynolds on the right. The pacy winger’s control was impeccable and she strode into the penalty area and slammed a shot in off the far post for a scintillating equaliser.
Reynolds grabbed possession in the middle of the park and fed Napoli on the right, but her cross was straight at Brien when a low cross might have been the better option. The game was now on a knife-edge. A cheap corner was conceded down the City right, Miller sending in another dangerous cross, and City broke upfield, Jackson and Saunders combining on the left but Hills cleared well.
A throw-in on the right by Niamh Nolan found Saunders on the edge of the area, she stepped around her defender and was unceremoniously dumped to the floor, a stonewall penalty right in front of the referee and a glorious chance for the visitors to take a shock lead. With Saunders taking time to recover, Gerard stepped up and kept us waiting by tying her laces. The penalty though was too close to Brien, who made the save. The rebound pinballed around the area, Duggan close to getting her head to the ball and an outrageous round-house kick kept the ball alive, but the ball was slammed over the bar and Hills had survived.
The intensity of the game had peaked. The noise on the field had reached a crescendo. This was do-or-die for both teams. Attard weaved through two challenges but Ciocca stood firm as the last defender for City. Lily Thompson then played in Saunders, who fed Lara Green, but Brien was quickly out to intercept for Hills. A swift break up the Hills right then saw a ball cleared to Keira Culnane in space, but her shot was blasted wide. Reynolds then played Green through on the left, but Malinowsky was quick to diffuse the situation. Javiera Mondaca looked to have unlocked the City defence on the right, but Duggan was there to clear again. The game was at boiling point as the sun crept lower and lower into Brien’s eyes.
Saunders won a cheap free-kick on the left, Reynolds and Nolan combined on the right to win a corner. Jackson lifted in the corner, but it was long. Gerard had her pocket picked instead of firing in a shot, and suddenly the break was on. A flowing move saw Hills scythe through the City defence, Nolan was left totally exposed facing three attackers, and Berios was freed on the right to finish at the near post and give Hills a vital lead.
A foul by Ciocca then gave Hills a free kick; Aaliyah Wawi fired in the cross that Green smashed clear, and when the ball came back in, Nolan did well to block the cross for a corner. Rayyah Abdallah’s superb corner was right into the danger zone and when Malinowsky fired in the loose ball, Ciocca could only deflect the ball into the net to give Hills an insurmountable lead. The hosts were getting the rub of the green now, Saunders racing against Warren who did well to clear. Sienna Portelli then raced up the right and fired in a cross that Kociper did well to save. The final action saw Reynolds and Nolan combine to release Lucia Franulovic, but the ball was just too strong. Brien took enough time to take the goal kick that the whistle sounded and the arms went up from the home team, rejoicing a battling victory against a valiant Blacktown City.
With the game poised at 1-1, and the ball on the penalty spot, Hills were worried. They showed the form of a team on top of the table though and got themselves out of a bind to take the three points. Coach Jake Gomez consoled his battling team who had been so unlucky, and City knew that they had passed up a glorious opportunity to put one over on the pace-setters.
City now have a tricky trip to Marconi Stadium next Sunday, and they have to keep winning to maintain their top-half position with the teams around them picking up points. Hills have a dream run to the end of the season and a trip to Nepean should pose no problems next weekend. If today is anything to go by, we should see Hills crowned premiers before the season has finished. Stay tuned for more Football NSW League One Women’s Under 20s action as the final five rounds decide who will play finals football in September while the rest of us are on holiday.
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