Blacktown City 7 Sutherland Strikers 0
A first-half performance from the top drawer saw Blacktown City almost double their goals for the season as they powered to a five goal lead at the break. A hat-trick from captain and central defender Courtney Kitching and strikes from Zoe Thompson, Lara Green, Emily Jackson and Evdokia Papafilopoulos made fantastic viewing for the City faithful who have seen their team struggle for goals so far this season. Intervention from the officials prevented the scoreline from blowing out as the final half hour remained goalless, but this was a statement win for Blacktown and a welcome freshening of their goal difference in the Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s.
A miserable day in North Western Sydney greeted the two teams, the referees late to proceedings as the rain threatened to make an already gloomy day even moreso. City looked relaxed in their warm-up, but Aurelia Smith’s lung-busting run onto Mikayla Gadd’s pass in the first minute set the tone. Strikers’ goalkeeper Stacey Ellis would be in for a difficult afternoon, and her central defensive partnership of Pollyanna Condon and Ella Terzoski would need to offer her as much protection as possible. The game was still in its early stages when Rachel Fry won a corner off the legs of her defender and swung in a cross that Kitching met with an unorthodox right-foot volley, Ellis given no chance as City strode into an early lead.
City continued to push and Green played in Thompson who raced through to fire in a superb shot that was touched over the bar by Ellis for a corner. A succession of corners then saw the ball pop out of the six yard box where Thompson had to wait an age for the ball to come down and her improvised shot deflected off Condon and beat Ellis for 2-0. This was an unprecedented start for City, totally in command and playing with ultimate confidence.
Gadd played a ball into Thompson who found Green racing up the right. She waited for Thompson to get into the area and fired in a cross. It was just out of the reach of Thompson, but hit the unsuspecting Fry in the face, the referee deeming it to have hit Fry’s hand in a bizarre moment. An even more strange moment saw Green swivel and shoot, only for the ball to screw off her boot towards the corner flag; the tricky winger had the wherewithal to chase her own ball and won a corner off the defender. This time the corner was cleared, but the pressure continued as Thompson jinked past her player on the edge of the area and flashed a low shot just past the post. Fabulous inter-play by Gadd, Green and Smith went close to unlocking the Sutherland defence again, but the visitors did finally fashion an attack of their own, Emily Moran racing up the right, Clio Buckley controlling the ball but Kitching there to clear the danger.
The deceptively strong breeze was in City’s favour and they continued to force the game, a looping shot from Fry just clearing the corner of post and bar, and Green won a tussle in midfield and fired in a searing shot that Ellis did well to save. Courtney Mackenzie in the Blacktown City goal had her first touch on 18 minutes, such was the dominance of her team, and when Emilie Chandran slipped a ball inside for Smith, a swift pass found Green in space, who took aim and smashed an unstoppable shot into the corner of the net, giving Ellis no chance for 3-0.
Chandran’s loose ball across the back was then picked up by Buckley and she fired in a shot that Mackenzie dealt with, Sutherland reminding their hosts that the game was not over as a contest. At the other end, Fry won a corner on the right, Kitching eased her defender out of the way but couldn’t force the ball past Ellis, before Thompson fired in a low shot that was well wide. City were creating chances, but could they finish them off?
Smith and Gadd combined on the right to find Thompson, who shot just wide from distance, before Sutherland’s insistance of playing the short game from defence caught them out again, the clearance from Ellis under pressure intercepted by Jackson, who took the ball down, took a step forward and placed a fabulous finish past the stranded goalkeeper for 4-0.
Jackson again took aim from distance soon after as the Strikers turned over possession immediately, this time not catching the shot right, and Thompson played in Papafilopoulos, but the offside flag and a swift intervention from Ellis prevented further score. Fantastic play down the left by Chandran and Lily Waterhouse then saw Papfilopoulos win a corner. This time Thompson took the corner, Kitching’s volley brought cries of handball, and Smith fired the rebound handsomely over the bar.
An outstanding piece of play then brought a fifth goal for the home team as Thompson chased a lost cause up the right. Her persistence saw her keep the ball in and find Green, who waltzed past two tackles and crossed low for Papafilopoulos; her first time effort seemed to take a deflection and loop over Ellis into the net, but it was reward for a superb team effort to keep the move alive.
Gadd was caught in possession on the City right, but cleverly manufactured a foul to fix the issue, and when Thompson was set free on the right, she was chased all the way by Connie Treanor, who brought down the City player, earning a yellow card for persistent infractions. Jackson’s free kick, neither a cross nor a shot, was well wide, and from the goal kick, Terzoski was fortunate when the ball bobbled up onto her hand, but the referee was unsighted. Smith fired in a long-range effort that was easy for Ellis, Thompson chose not to shoot and play in Green, but the ball ran away, and the half ended with a free kick. Chandran raced up the left and was upended, but the half-time whistle sounded before Jackson could cross the ball in from the set piece.
City ahead 5-0 at half time and deservedly so.
With the wind at their backs, Sutherland may have expected more possession and more attacking intent, but it was City out of the blocks quickly. Sarah De Sousa raced up the right but her cross went astray, but when Smith played her in again, a deft touch through the legs of her defender saw her race in on goal, the shot pushed away for a corner. The corner from Jackson was half-cleared, Kitching and Waterhouse both having a bite at it before Kitching leathered the ball into the net past the bemused Ellis for 6-0, a true striker’s finish from the towering defender.
Buckley and Moran gave the visitors some hope, playing a one-two on the edge of the City penalty area, but Kitching slid in to clear the danger. City were straight back on the attack, De Sousa winning the ball on the right before being bundled over, but Kitching’s free kick was harmless. De Sousa was all-action and she raced up the right again onto an exquisite ball from Green to win another corner. Jackson’s corner looped over Ellis in the Sutherland goal, Chandran was in the right place to force the ball towards goal, but the ball was blocked, and Kitching was on hand to stab the ball home for 7-0, the defender completing an unlikely hat-trick and apologising to Chandran for stealing the goal.
City were playing some champagne football. Fry tricked her way up the left, and when she couldn’t go any further, Jackson took over, beat her player and fired in a superb low cross that Papfilopoulos connected with on the volley but blazed over the bar. Smith was well tackled up the right when she threatened to break free, Green played in Papfilopoulos who turned brilliantly to fire in a shot that deflected for another corner. In a moment not seen before, with 30 minutes still left to play, goalkeeper Mackenzie came up for the corner, and Jackson’s ball in found the City shot-stopper free, but she could only get her chest to the ball and send it past the post. That moment of madness now past, City regained composure and continued their hunt for more goals.
Jackson fed Gadd on the right, who played in De Sousa, but the shot was poor, then Jackson won the ball in midfield and fed Green, the long-range shot being watched wide by Ellis but it was still a close call. City continued to win corners, Smith and Gadd combining to win the latest up the right, but this time there was no dividend. Green then advanced centrally and played a sweet ball through for De Sousa. She still had a lot to do, but turned her defender and fired in a shot which Ellis saved and gathered on the rebound with Papafilopoulos lurking.
When Chandran was shoved off the ball on the left, Kitching lifted in a teasing free kick, Ellis advanced but misjudged the bounce and was fortunate to see the ball trickle just wide of her post. An enterprising run by Papafilopoulos saw her take control of the ball in the penalty area with Ellis indecisive, and her ball back to Fry led to a shot that was blocked. Jackson continued her marauding runs through the midfield, this time freeing De Sousa with an outrageous pass, but Ellis was quick to smother at her feet.
When Jackson set off on another searching run, the defence let her continue and shoot, Ellis making the save with Papfilopoulos on hand to smash home the rebound. After a lengthy consultation with the assistant referee, the man in the middle disallowed the goal for offside, today’s VAR not able to confirm that it was onside until well after the game had finished. Jackson’s command of the midfield was underlined by her most precise ball yet, wrong-footing the defence with an incredible through ball to De Sousa, who ran on to shoot, but it was a good height for Ellis, Papafilopoulos unable to make the most of the rebound this time.
Gadd and Green then spread the play up the right, Gadd finding De Sousa who was upended, but the referee waved play on. There was absolute confusion as the assistant referee flagged for an infringement on a throw-in on the City right. Everyone stopped for a few seconds until the referee shouted to play on, De Sousa picked up the ball and instead of going for goal, rolled the ball out for a goal kick, the confusion just too much and the City striker let the referee know what she thought.
De Sousa then played a ball through the tightest gap for Green, who turned and shot from distance but it was easy for Ellis. City hadn’t scored for half an hour, but they kept creating chances. This time Green raced up the right and delivered a stinging cross that Fry caught first time, Ellis tipping the rising shot over the bar for another corner kick.
Another controversial moment followed as Jackson’s corner popped out from the crowd to Chandran, but her shot lacked power. Kitching was standing in front of goalkeeper Ellis and the ball rolled past her into the goal, the referee deeming the City captain to have been involved in play and offside, ruling out the goal immediately. Probably the correct call this time. There was time for another corner as De Sousa continued her toil up the right, but this time Jackson’s cross was easily cleared.
The game ended with Sutherland on the attack. Green was penalised for handball on the left, Condon swung in the ball and Taylor Malin battled to get a cross in, but Kitching was there to clear the danger and the final whistle brought a fascinating game to its conclusion. Sutherland had been swept aside today, City had scored from set-pieces and kept their opponents quiet. Deflections that would normally have ended a move in frustration went to the City player every time, and the art of winning a corner from nothing was demonstrated well by the City attack. Whilst a lot of chances were spurned and the finishing under-cooked, the fact is that City created chance after chance and made their pressure pay, today’s first-half performance especially fluid.
City’s goal difference received a timely boost. With predicted heavy rain theis week, Wednesday’s trip to Central Coast Mariners is in jeopardy, and the weekend trip to Camden Tigers may also fall foul of the weather. Two opponents of contrasting goalscoring feats this season, the visit of Inter Lions to Landen Stadium may be the next fixture we see as we head into winter. Keep track of the Football NSW website for news of fixture changes. Sutherland Strikers host an unpredictable Bankstown City next weekend as they look to consolidate their mid-table position and try to erase today’s result from the memory banks.
An unexpected triumph for Blacktown City today, and whilst their striking problems remain, there are goals all through this team, including their captain fantastic Courtney Kitching, today’s hat-trick hero.
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