Blacktown City 2 Inter Lions 0
The first day of winter welcomed the start of the second round of the 2025 Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s, Blacktown City emerging victorious after a tough battle with Inter Lions at Landen Stadium. Despite posting a less-than-clean bill of health with an ailing squad, City ground out the win, Zoe Thompson scoring an incredible solo goal in the first half before reacting first to a rebound in the second half to secure the points. An angry Inter team made the referee’s day tougher than it should have been, but the contest ended in smiles and handshakes as the home team consolidated their top half position ahead of a crunch clash next weekend.
A beautiful sunny day in North West Sydney was the scene for a tough encounter between Blacktown City and Inter Lions, two teams who shared the spoils on the opening day of the season and who have both been resolute in defence, yet shot-shy in front of goal. With sickness going around the City squad, the expectation was for a difficult afternoon, and the opening exchanges were played out to a background of hacking and coughing from the field. Inter started with a verve that surprised the hosts, Madeleine Cheng racing away up the left after keeping the ball in, but birthday girl Courtney Kitching was there to clear.
Blacktown’s first foray into Lions’ territory was from a free kick, Thompson pushed in the back in front of the referee, but her set piece was dealt with by the scrambling defence. Rachel Fry and Lily Waterhouse combined on the left soon after, the cross again cleared, and at the other end, Cheng galloped up the left only to be tracked by Angelica Conate, who forced the ball away for a corner. Goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie came confidently for the corner, but spilled for a split second, enough time for Lara Green to boot the ball clear. Fry went to challenge the loose ball and it fell for Thompson, not far outside her own penalty area. Her arcing run out right took her into the space left by the defenders committed to the corner, and Thompson continued her run, reaching the opposing penalty area unchallenged with the Inter cavalry homing in for the tackle. Goalkeeper Sienna Froggatt was given no chance with a low shot to her right and the ball nestled in the inside of the left-hand post for an incredible solo goal.
A goal to the good, City almost made it two straight away. A stray pass across the back line saw Waterhouse react to intercept and she strode on confidently into the box, firing in a low shot to Froggatt’s left, and the Inter keeper reacted brilliantly to touch the ball onto the post before the ball was hacked away by Hasapis.
Inter attacked; Green was forced to concede a corner as the visitors played in a high ball, and from the corner, Mackenzie showed great hands to deny the pack of Inter players awaiting the scraps. Aurelia Smith and Fry combined in midfield but Fry’s cross was blocked, then Green spun brilliantly from a throw-in, but the cross was too close to Froggatt. A swift move by Inter saw Andrea Michael play a ball over the top for the advancing Angela Diamantopoulos, but Mackenzie was quick off her line to smother.
Zara Gard slipped past Mickayla Gadd on the Inter left, but her cross was cut out by Kitching at the expense of a corner. A clever corner routine with the second corner saw Michael cut in from the left and spin a tempting ball across the penalty area but there were no takers from her teammates. A corner from the right this time saw confusion as Mackenzie looked to field a miss-hit shot, but Gadd’s sliced clearance sent the ball past the goalkeeper, Conate well-placed to clear the ball away from the post. The Inter players were spraying acidic chatter around the field by now, getting angry at each other and creating a negative atmosphere; maybe this was their way of urging each other on.
A long kick from Mackenzie saw Evdokia Papafilopoulos hesitate when she could have run clear through on goal. Thompson then played in Papfilopoulos who did well to keep the ball alive but couldn’t find the final ball. Diamantopoulos smashed in a shot that was straight at Mackenzie, and Zoe Gibson raced through onto a long ball but couldn’t get the ball under control, the assistant referee flagging the offside before she could get the shot in. Conate was upended in the middle of the park, Kitching lifting a long ball into the penalty area, but Froggatt was there to take the ball for the final act of an absorbing first half.
In a scrappy opening to the second half, Cheng found space on the left but she couldn’t get the cross in and the ball was behind for a goal kick. City tried to play controlled possession across the back until Dominique Ashton stood on the ball, and Mimi Sewell was in on goal, but her shot was deflected for a corner. Mackenzie’s safe hands calmed the City defence, plucking the ball out of the air in a dangerous position.
Sarah De Sousa was putting herself about up front for City, knocking Hasapis to the ground in a meaty challenge, before Emily Jackson and Waterhouse combined, Waterhouse striding onto the ball to win her duel with her defender, but her first-time shot was well wide. A crazy short goalkick routine then saw Thompson pounce, Fry tried to keep the ball alive in vain, but the danger signs were there. Thompson was pulled down in midfield, Kitching lifting in a long free kick that was well dealt with by the Inter defence.
A flashpoint came when De Sousa chased a long ball into the corner, Matilda Ryan adjudged to be doing more than shepherding as she gave the City striker a shove. Ryan was incensed at the referee, Ashton took the set piece, which came back to her but she slashed the ball spectacularly over the bar. City were always dangerous coming forward and when Waterhouse intercepted brilliantly in midfield, she fed Jackson on the right, who cut inside to beat two players before sweeping in a cross that was cleared well under pressure by the Inter Lions’ defence. Another good chase on the right from Fry caused the Inter Lions defence to cough up cheap possession, but this time Thompson slashed the ball well wide of the goal.
Eva Gawel was played through at the other end, Mackenzie racing out to clear, as Inter reminded City of the slender scoreline. A long ball over the top from Ashton then sent Thompson away on a long chase. The cross was blocked, but Fry recycled the ball on the left and played a cross field pass to Green on the right, the ball sitting up for her, but the thrilling shot was blazed over the bar. Jackson and Conate then worked their way up the left, the cross found Thompson on the egde of the area, but a deflection took the sting out of the shot and Froggatt saved easily.
Gard was then played in behind the City defence, Ashton getting the ball away for a corner, and Gibson’s deflected effort flashed past the post for another corner. Mackenzie got her fingers to the ball as the second corner came in dangerously, but she was taken out in the process, and the scramble that ensued was curtailed by the referee’s whistle.
Thompson made a good tackle in the middle of midfield and played in Green up the right. The busy winger tricked past her player and smashed in a stinging shot that Froggatt parried away. Thompson had followed up and retrieved the ball on the left, cutting unchallenged onto her right foot as Froggatt regained her feet, and she dinked a delightful shot around the keeper and into the far post for 2-0, lighting up Landen Stadium for a second time with a composed finish. City continued to press, Fry winning a corner on the left, but Ashton’s corner was easily cleared.
A high bouncing clearance from Froggatt then almost caught out City at the other end, Conate and Emilie Chandran on different wavelengths, Gibson momentarily in shooting range, but the shot was cleared by Conate. There was concern when Conate went down after a full-blooded 50-50 challenge in the middle of the park, the dynamic midfielder eventually forced off the field.
A series of corners then almost paid dividends for Inter, Gard’s corner from the right forced out for another on the left which was again scrambled away. De Sousa and Green combined on the right, Green doing well to keep the ball alive but a goalkick was the outcome. Chandran did well on the right to feed Jackson, who spun brilliantly only to be taken out. This was within shooting distance, and Jackson lined up her own shot from the free kick, the ball just clearing the bar to an excited roar from the Landen Stadium faithful.
Another suicidal short goal kick routine was picked off by Waterhouse, who had only one intention, but her shot curled wide of Froggatt’s goal. Inter then had one of their best moves as time ticked towards the 90, Diamantopoulos out to Gard who found Diamantopoulos again, and her swift turn gave her a sight of goal, but the shot went wide. An exciting weaving run by Rachael Morgan took her through two challenges into the City area, but Mackenzie raced out to clear, and the final whistle sounded, Blacktown City relieved to have negotiated a tricky fixture against a team who have been very difficult to beat in 2025. The referee too was relieved to blow the final whistle after the haranguing he had received all game from the players, and surprisingly there were no cautions during a spicy 90 minutes today.
Inter Lions can feel unlucky today; they went down fighting and will definitely give many of the teams further up the ladder a run for their money in the second half of the season. They face Hills United next weekend who have met a speed hump on their way to the premiership, while Blacktown City travel to Kembla Grange for Saturday service against South Coast Flame in what looks like a real turning point in the season.
Hope to see you next week as we dissect the action from Ian McLennan Oval. We’re excited to see what Blacktown City are really made of in a six-pointer that could make or break their season.
Many thanks for reading this far. This part-time journalist brings you action from Blacktown City’s under 18s as a labour of love, and I hope this gives you five minutes of entertainment in your week. Give it a like and a share on social media. You can see more Texi Smith reports at The Roar, where I’ll be covering the Matildas in Canberra and the Socceroos in Perth this week before the pinnacle in Wollongong on Saturday. No editors involved here though; if there are any mistakes, let me know, any mistaken identity, any smelling pistakes, this isn’t the Sydney Morning Herald and we can easily change it! Let’s go City!