Blacktown City 0 South Coast Flame 1
A superb strike on the counter-attack from Naomi Hart was the difference between two lively teams at Landen Stadium on Sunday, South Coast Flame leaving with three points and Blacktown City wondering just how they didn’t score. A rousing second half from the hosts saw them go close on multiple occasions, but the killer instinct was missing; is this set to be a season of ‘what could have been’ for Blacktown’s bright young things in the Girls Youth League Under 18 Division Two?
The bright orange shirts of today’s visitors were a statement, but they lived up to their vivid colour with a positive warm-up and a dominant first period of the game. Captain Arika English and fellow defender Lola Garcia stroked the ball around like superstars in the opening ten minutes, the hesitant City strikers unable to get anywhere near the ball. Caelin Rogers on the left up against Lara Green was already shaping up to be an exciting tussle, but it was fellow attacker Amalia Harb who broke through onto a defensive giveaway and brought the best out of Courtney Mackenzie in the City goal, palming the ball away for a corner.
South Coast’s corners were leaving a lot to be desired, but they kept pushing, Harb again beating two players before sliding a glorious ball through for Rosie Lewis but the ball just ran away. A sweet turn from Hart then tested Mackenzie, Flame continued to push but Courtney Kitching was quick to clear up any danger from the long searching ball over the top. Harb again pounced on a loose pass in defence and fired in a cross from the right. Kitching was first to it, but she could only divert the ball goalwards and Mackenzie made an astonishing save to prevent an own goal and turn the ball behind for a corner.
Harb played in Madison Latta, but the offside flag was up before she shot, and Hart raced up the left into the box, firing low to Mackenzie’s left, but the ball was inches past the far post. This was a case of survival for City, and with too many misplaced pases in defence and a lack of intensity in the increasingly hot conditions, they were dicing with danger.
Sarah De Sousa and Sienna Bell battled for a loose ball as City finally got some traction, De Sousa firing over from distance, then Rachel Fry slid a delicious through ball in to De Sousa, but goalkeeper Spiridoula Spyrakis was out quickly at her feet to clear. An interception by Aurelia Smith was played to De Sousa, but her lofted shot was plucked out of the air by Spyrakis. There was finally life in the City attack. A belated drinks break was called, but not before Hart had been foiled by a last-ditch Kitching tackle and Hart again had a fierce shot charged down. A drinks break was most welcome, the heat starting to beam off the slick Landen Stadium surface.
Refreshed and refocused, City continued to battle, De Sousa doing well up against the strong Latta. All of a sudden a stray pass in defence from Flame had Fry in space in front of goal, but she dragged her shot wide. De Sousa, Green and Fry then combined with some intricate one-touch passing, but the final ball was just out of reach for Fry. Emily Jackson continued the onslaught for the reinvigorated City attack, teeing up Liliana Waterhouse, but the shot was scuffed and cleared. Fry raced up the left to cross, but Spyrakis pounced, before City won a corner after good work by Jackson and Green.
The corner was half-cleared to Fry who took aim, and got a second attempt when her shot was blocked, the ball falling for Angelica Conate whose shot was well saved by Spyrakis. Sienna Bell was by now on maximum charge. Flame were a constant threat though, Harb playing in Annabelle Shelton, but Kitching was in quick to clear. Smith was venturing forward and played in a through ball, but Evdokia Papafilopoulos wasn’t on the same wavelength and the ball was cleared. Half time was upon us when Bell won a ball in midfield and raced up the right, her dangerous cross sliced high into the air, but the whistle sounded and the players could have some respite from the energy-sapping heat.
South Coast Flame were out early into the searing afternoon sunshine, kept waiting by the referee and their opponents, and the breeze was now well and truly in favour of the visitors. A superb move involving Smith and Waterhouse eventually led to Papafilopoulos striking on goal, but there was no power in the effort, and Papafilopoulos was struggling to find her range as a second attempt was mis-hit. At the other end Dominique Ashton pursued English, eventually forcing the ball out for a corner, and when the corner came in, Hart’s rising shot was saved well by Mackenzie in the City goal.
The impressive Natalia Badrov then rode three City challenges in midfield before raking a glorious ball out right to Hart to win a corner, and when the first corner was scrambled behind, a second corner was cleared well by the Blacktown defence. De Sousa played the ball off her own face in a comedy falcon moment, still managing to play in Fry through moist eyes, but the ball was cleared. Smith then found herself in unfamiliar territory bursting through up the left, but she couldn’t find a way past the final player.
Emilie Chandran won a free kick on the left, Ashton fired in a teasing ball in front of Spyrakis, and Smith just couldn’t meet the ball. Ashton was winning a lot of her duels by simply playing the ball off the legs of her attacker, but she could only watch when Kitching and Smith got in a knot from a goal kick and Harb fired wide with the best chance of the game. A similar moment upfield was to gift Flame the ball when De Sousa and Jackson left the ball for each other. A swift interception and through ball to Hart sent her off and running, and this time Ashton couldn’t get the run of the ball and Hart advanced on goal, steering a shot inside the far post for a superb opening goal. Hart was almost through again a minute later but City survived, and South Coast Flame were hunting for more.
De Sousa was bundled over for a free kick from the right; Jackson and Bell combined brilliantly but the shot lacked conviction, before City had their best chance. Beth Lucas got in the way of a huge clearance from Kitching, and Spyrakis presented De Sousa with the ball on the edge of the area with the goal open. De Sousa shot instantly, but Spyrakis stuck out a hand and the ball was diverted for a corner. Kitching was in the area looking for a heading opportunity from the corner but the ball wouldn’t fall for her.
A great move on the right then saw Bell race into space and pick out Waterhouse at the far post. The ball was there to be struck, but the City flyer got the ball tangled in between her legs and the chance was gone. City had turned the contest in their favour, and the drinks break was well-timed to give them one last push to get something out of the game.
Another superb move with De Sousa and Smith then sent Green chasing a through-ball, but the ball just beat her on the byline. A sudden interception by Smith was played instantly to Lucas, free on the edge of the area, but her back was turned and she couldn’t turn and shoot quickly enough, the defence having gone walkabout. The officials appeared to be suffering from the heat too as a series of decisions went the wrong way. Lewis was tackled by Green for a corner but a goal kick was awarded. Hart and Rogers then combined but the shot was blocked, and the corner again ended up frustratingly behind the goal. De Sousa was battling hard, but the next moment puzzled everyone, a deflection out of play by a Flame defender being awarded as a throw-in to Flame despite the protestations from everyone in black and red.
Smith then found Bell out on the right who cut in and fired on goal, the ball bobbling just wide of the far post, the referee awarding a mystery corner to protests from the Flame defence. Flame made their final sub, but were trying to make two substitutions; the referee reminded them they only had one available in the final ten minutes of play, but as soon as he turned his back, the player quickly went off to be replaced, a quite unbelievable moment that was missed by all of the officials, and unable to be rectified in retrospect. Early season gremlins we’ll put that down to.
Rogers then played in Shelton but the assitant referee had his flag up, the Flame bench in uproar at that decision. The final whistle couldn’t come quickly enough for the third team. That gave City a final chance to get forward, and the Flame defence was panicked. The referee though brought the game to a close though, the clock a minute or two away from the full forty-five, but by this stage the players were keen to get off the boiling hot field. City had lost their opening game at Landen Stadium in a thriller.
A difficult pill to swallow, City had dominated in the second half and had chances to equalise. It would be easy to bemoan the loss of a proven goalscorer just prior to the season, but the chances were there to be taken, and these players are all capable of much more in front of goal. But for the hand of Spyrakis in the Flame goal, this would have ended in a draw, although the first-half display from the visitors suggested that the margin of victory would have been much greater. Well done to the visitors from Wollongong for the win, well played Blacktown City for getting back into the game and making this an exciting contest, and we look forward to another massive test next Sunday when they visit the home of Football NSW at Valentine Park for a clash with Hills United. See you there!
Thanks for reading. Great to see more photographers at the games, such is interest in the women’s game, and this means unparalleled coverage for our City girls! Now, was it Naomi Hart or Rosie Lewis who scored the only goal of the game? We await confirmation from eagle-eyed fans, and we’ll change it based upon your feedback. The referee may have seen the number clearer than me!