Blacktown City 2 Nepean FC 0
A sensational first-half performance from Blacktown City earned them the breathing space required for victory and another three points as high-flying Nepean were ambushed at Landen Stadium in the Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s on Sunday. A teasing free-kick from Dominique Ashton went all the way in, and that was followed by a poacher’s goal from captain and goal machine Courtney Kitching from a corner as the home team turned on the style. The second half failed to live up to the thrills and spills of the first, both teams having chances, but there was no way through and City saw out the game despite living dangerously. But that first half, wow…
A bright and sunny winter’s afternoon welcomed a hearty crowd to Blacktown for a clash between two form teams. With a full complement of officials, and Nepean winning the toss to give City the kick off, the game got underway at quite a pace. The defensive duo of Abbey Cox and Shae Brukman were immediately under pressure when Lara Green raced up the left for City, captain Cox stretching to clear the cross from inside her six-yard box. A delicate through ball from Mikaya Gadd then saw Sienna Bell race up the right, City starting the game with pace and power. The opening pressure continued as Aurelia Smith and Green combined, Zoe Thompson firing a shot from distance past the post.
Nepean’s Jezebel Yuletian was the main threat up front, but it was City who continued to press. Lily Waterhouse was seeing a lot of the ball and she combined with Bell to set Thompson away on the right, but the ball was just too far. Smith burst from deep in midfield with the ball to feed Thompson, who found Bell again on the right but the cross was cleared from in front. This was an intense start to the game, and when Emilie Chandran sent her defender the wrong way with a smart turn, she was bundled to the floor for a free-kick near the left side line. Ashton stepped up to deliver an inswinging arcing ball, begging for a touch from anyone to send it goalwards; the ball bounced, goalkeeper Samantha Callaghan misread the bounce, and the ball looped into the net with Kitching on hand to usher the ball in. A freak goal, but a delicious cross, and just reward for a fast start from the home side.
Another burst from midfield by Waterhouse saw her find Thompson, who lifted a tempting ball over for Bell, but the fierce right-foot volley was well held by Callaghan at the near post. Nepean were busy up front as they tried to get back into the game, and when Kitching hesitated, Yuletian was away, drawing goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie, who stood firm and saved the shot with her legs. City were shaken into action and when Green played the ball into the feet of Thompson, the flick for the on-rushing Smith was just too far. A superb raking ball from Kitching then found Green racing up the left. Her cross went all the way through to Waterhouse, who had two bites at the effort and sent a curling shot just wide.
More enterprising play by Bell forced a corner after Waterhouse had prised open the defence, and when Ashton swung in the corner, Emily Jackson was able to control on the chest, but ran out of space for the shot. The hurried clearance bounced past Smith and found Yuletian, but Chandran was quick to come across and make a telling interception. A long searching ball by Skye Haladus then found Yuletian, but Mackenzie was out and flicked the ball away from the attacker with a nonchalance that seemed a little out of place in this frantic contest.
Waterhouse then found Thompson on the right but the low cross was hacked clear by Cox, and when Green hoisted a speculative ball over for Bell, the tough-tackling attacker hassled well to almost create something out of nothing for herself. Another good move saw Waterhouse race up the right to cross, and when the ball was half-cleared, Green stepped up to blaze a shot over the bar. Ashton had to be quick to foil Yuletian in a foot-race, before Smith was adjudged to have fouled her player as she got the shot away, the frustration at the referee evident on the face of the City midfielder.
Sienna Monardo gave a cry of anguish as her wild slice screwed behind for a corner, and Thompson’s inswinging freekick was scrambled away from the near post by Cox, and Green’s Bergkamp flick took her past her defender to loop a long ball to the far post, where Waterhouse forced a corner off the exposed Callaghan. When Ashton delivered the corner into the six-yard box, the ball bounced past Jackson and straight to the unmarked Kitching, who swivelled to finish brilliantly past Callaghan for a superb second goal.
Green and Smith combined for Jackson to advance and smash in a trademark shot, but Callaghan was behind it, and then Kitching was awarded a cheap free kick coming out of defence, but the set piece was wasted. There was a moment of excitement at the back for City as Kitching played a ball a little short for Mackenzie, and Ashton had to be clever to ride the challenge to get out of trouble as Nepean closed in. City, though, were first in every tackle, and were playing with a commanding pressing style.
A simply sublime minute-and-a-half spell of possession, with one-touch passing, triangles, one-twos and cross-field passes culminated in Smith having a long-range effort that ended up in the shrubs behind Callaghan’s goal; the manner of the passing football in midfield was a joy to behold. Even at the back, when Monardo played in Elise Biurra, there was an extra player to clear up the loose ends, and when Daisy Haythornthwaite did well on the left, Lu-Anne Angwin’s shot was no trouble for Mackenzie. Chandran and Angelica Conate combined to get out of trouble magnificently on the left, and the play of the day saw Chandran turn on a sixpence to leave her marker wondering where she had gone, a huge roar from the sideline accompanying the majestic moment.
A dart inside from Gadd and a hopeful pass was deflected into the path of Thompson, who didn’t hesitate and hit a first-time shot that sailed well wide, but this had been the best half of football that we had seen from Blacktown City this season, and they thoroughly merited their two-goal half-time lead as the players disappeared into the changing rooms to escape the beaming sunshine.
With the City players back out onto the field well before their opponents and the officials, we were treated to a half-time show of YMCA from the happy and relaxed home team, but they were less relaxed when play got underway and Yuletian kept the ball in on the right, advanced and fired a shot wide. Bell started the second half as she left off in the first, romping up the left to beat her player, but Cox scrambled the ball away. A clever trick by Waterhouse then saw her bamboozle her defender on the right, but the low cross across goal had no takers.
Smith’s back-header caused a heart flutter but Chandran fixed the situation, and when Jackson emerged in midfield to play in Thompson, the ball wide for Rachel Fry saw Amelia Wood upend the City winger, giving the hosts a free-kick in an interesting position. Thompson lifted in the set-piece but Cox got to the ball before Jackson.
City continued to pressure the Nepean backline. Gadd’s instinctive pass inside for Fry led to the City player taking on two players before freeing Waterhouse on the right, and the long cross was well dealt with by Callaghan. The second half was already littered with free-kicks, Jackson’s tricky feet too much for Haythornthwaite, and when Smith found Fry on the right, the visitors had to scramble to keep the ball away. A handball in midfield gave Kitching the opportunity to launch a long ball upfield, and when the bounce tempted Callaghan from goal, she did well to snatch the ball ahead of Bell who was in no mood to take any prisoners.
The spark had perhaps gone out of the game, and City found themselves on the back foot. Waterhouse lost out to Lily Smith but did well to race back and win the ball back, and Madeline Southers found herself in space on the edge of the area but the shot was charged down. Yuletian then found space on the right but her shot was comfortable for Mackenzie.
More foraging by Jackson on the right earned a free-kick as Wood was again penalised. The ball was swung in by Jackson, Kitching made her presence known, the ball falling to Chandran, who had two shots blocked, and when the ball was quickly cleared, Conate had to be alert to quell the counter attack as Nepean broke upfield with intent. Lily Smith was helped from the field after succumbing to injury, Nepean earning a free-kick further up the field. Claire O’Sullivan’s shot from the set-piece was high and mighty.
Hannah Sproule and Southers combined to panic the City defence, O’Sullivan cutting in from the left to shoot, but it lacked precision or power. A long ball forward from Cox was tracked all the way by Kitching, who headed the ball away to avert the danger, and Sproule won a corner on the right, jogging across to take it herself as the tempo went up from the visitors.
Mackenzie met the cross with a punch, Fry completing the clearance, Southers did well to get the ball back to Brukman, whose shot was saved by Mackenzie in the City goal. The pressure was rising, City were hemmed in, and when Conate nipped ahead of Sproule, the midfielder grabbed the City player’s shirt and the pressure was eased. The game was scrappy now, a far cry from the calculated and direct football from earlier in the game, and when Yuketian got free of Conate on another swift counter-attack, the shot was blazed wide and a good chance was missed.
Sarah De Sousa raced on to Chandran’s ball on the left, but the ball was just too fast; Chandran was having a great battle with Sproule on the City left, using her body to fend off her domineering opponent. With ten minutes to go, Nepean got the chance they had craved. Southers played in Sproule, Mackenzie came out to narrow the angle and made the save, the rebound was forced goalwards by Sproule, and Mackenzie was forced into a full length dive to grab the ball before it crossed the line, Kitching sliding in for good measure just in case. City had survived.
De Sousa was brought down cheaply, Angwin booked harshly, and the free-kicks continued as Fry was brought down by Biurra. De Sousa then hassled her opponent into coughing up possession and advanced, managing to keep her feet as she hurdled the tackle and fired in a shot that whistled wide.
Green was the next to be fouled on the right. Cox cleared the immediate danger from Kitching’s free-kick, but it fell for Green who smashed a shot high over the bar. Smith then read the bounce perfectly to advance and fire a shot from distance that was straight at Callaghan, and De Sousa did well to race onto a stray pass as Evdokia Papafilopoulos hounded her player on the right, but the near-post effort was saved by Callaghan. The game ended on a contentious moment as a long ball brought Mackenzie out of goal. She was forced into a header and was clattered to the ground, a meaty collison earning the foul. There was no time for the Nepean players to argue, the final whistle sounding a second later, and this difficult second half ended with no further goals, but a few heart-in-mouth moments for both defences.
This was an excellent win for Blacktown City that keeps their top-four hopes alive. A three-team mini-league has materialised that will see one of Nepean, SD Raiders and City sneak into finals contention with the big guns, but Blacktown will need to pull out a massive result at new league leaders St George next Sunday to stay in the hunt. Nepean face Marconi Stallions on the same day, with SD Raiders taking on Bankstown, leaving City with the biggest ask as we enter the final third of the season.
Today, though, will be remembered for a champagne first-half performance from the home team, and a second half that saw Blacktown City hold off a strong opponent to emerge victorious and ready to fight for every point in the last eight games of the 2025 season.
Thanks again for giving your time to read all about your favourite GYL2 team. If you see any mistakes, mistaken identity or something that doesn’t seem right, let me know; it will be changed. Keep on believing, who knows where these girls can take their season. See you next weekend! Remember : likes, shares, comments are most welcome on social media, tell your friends and family, there’s no other way to spread the word.