South East Phoenix 1 Blacktown City 2
An all-action performance from Lily Waterhouse earned Blacktown City a crucial win in a Friday night showdown as South East Phoenix went close to denting the visitors’ finals hopes even further. An early tap-in on the rebound was cancelled out by a terrific strike on the run from Amelia Cummings, but that was only after Sophie De Wit’s first-half penalty was saved by Courtney Mackenzie. The game was on a knife edge until Waterhouse swooped to follow in a cracking effort by Emily Jackson to burst the net from close range, and the excitement continued to the very end with both teams having chances to change the complexion of this tense but exciting encounter. The bonus game that no one wanted, and what a cracker of a contest.
A Friday night battle through Sydney traffic was never going to be an experience to get the Blacktown City team to Nowra in a positive mood, but the perfect conditions had the players hyped for a must-win game against a tricky opponent. The surface of Ison Park was ideal after another week of rain, and the visitors were out of the blocks quickly. Zoe Thompson’s first raid down the right resulted in a cross that evaded everyone, but Sienna Bell was pole-axed as she went to retrieve the ball. The resulting free-kick from Dominique Ashton dipped just over the bar.
At the other end, Mackenzie’s first touch was to scuff a back pass towards Angelica Conate and Laini Glover nipped in to fire in a shot from distance that was easy for Blacktown’s expert shot-stopper. Bridie Glover and Emily Grasso were busy from the off in the centre of defence, and when Thompson bulldozed through a challenge on the right to bear down on goal, she fired in a stinging shot, White parried well, but the ball fell perfectly for Waterhouse who had made the run in anticipation, and she slotted coolly into the unguarded net at the far post. What a start for City, and they were purring up front.
Leilarni Findeisen’s uncontested run up the left was a warning sign to Blacktown that the game was definitely a contest, although she ran out of room, and when Rose Atkins burst up the left to beat Courtney Kitching, she was unlucky to see the offside flag go up. Atkins and Findeisen combined beautifully again on the left, and it was Findeisen with the snapshot after Bell had played a loose cross-field pass, but the shot was hopelessly wide. Cummings was then afforded way too much room for a shot, Mackenzie down low to make the save, and City were struggling to make their passes stick.
Ashton was penalised for handball on the Phoenix left. Grasso’s cross was wayward but headed on, the offside flag again coming to City’s rescue. City had weathered the storm since taking the lead, and Jackson embarked on a trademark run in midfield, smashing in a shot with no backlift, but White made the save look easy.
The referee’s stance that tonight was a non-contact sport came into the spotlight as Thompson was penalised for putting her hand on the back of her defender. Thompson though was involved in the next move as she kept the ball in and fed Waterhouse, the cross closed down for a corner. Ashton’s corner was short to Thompson, another corner the result but this time Ashton’s miskick resulted in perhaps the worst corner of the season, the classy defender’s sheepish expression when retaking her defensive position telling the full story.
Waterhouse showed us some exquisite skills on the touchline in front of the crowd, Bell shimmied inside to shoot low, but the shot had no power. The Phoenix players were not afraid to shoot on sight, and Cummings spun majestically on the edge of the area to fire a shot just past the left-hand post.
After Bell had cut in from the left to fire in a cross that Thompson just couldn’t reach, Blacktown embarked on a full minute of unbroken possession, stroking the ball around on the lush grass as though they were seasoned professionals. When the ball was finally given up, Laini Glover won a corner on the right off the covering Emilie Chandran, but the corner was boomed away by Jackson.
The first moment of true controversy in the game then had the crowd engaged. Hadli Lissenden raced away on the right, bearing down on goal with Kitching in hot pursuit. The City defender had to make a challenge, but caught Lissenden as she went in from behind, the referee signalling the foul, but then heading immediately to the assistant to discuss the sanction. A penalty was awarded, Kitching awaited her fate, but the referee had forgotten about cards and was setting the penalty up for Sophie De Wit. The low shot was well read by Mackenzie, saving down low, and leaping to her feet to accept the congratulations of her teammates. From the clearance, Bell smashed De Wit in an aerial challenge and the crowd was warmed some more.
A dynamic run from Waterhouse led to a deflected shot that was easy for White, then an Ashton free-kick saw the lively Lara Green force a corner on the right. Thompson took the corner which led to a second when Brianna Tinney challenged, and when Ashton’s corner kick landed straight to Bell on the edge of the six-yard box, she didn’t know whether to meet the ball with her head or her foot, and the ball came off her midriff and bounced wide of the goal.
The all-action Waterhouse was then harshly yellow-carded for a push from behind as she challenged to force a corner, and a glorious move involving Green, Tinney and Mikayla Gadd led to Jackson winning a free-kick for another soft foul, the referee continuing the no-contact policy to the annoyance of the players and the benches. Ashton’s teasing free-kick saw White claim the ball well, and the half-time whistle brought an absorbing first 45 minutes to a close with Blacktown City hanging on to a slender margin.
The second half was moments old when a surging run by Jackson led to a beautiful through-ball to Rachel Fry on the City left, the wily winger winning an early corner. The ball was cleared straight back to Fry whose cross fell for Tinney on the edge of the area, but the shot was blocked. Green, who had been a constant source of driving runs, made headway up the right before Gadd floated past her player, the crowd loving the moment as the fullback sold the dummy to get away up the wing. Gadd was soon in the action at the other end, blocking a cross for a corner, Grasso swiging the ball in but Mackenzie was out smartly to snuff out the danger.
Waterhouse showed us more trickery on the right to beat her player, and teed up Green who touched the ball to Jackson for a smart shot that stung White’s palms from distance. Tinney was given a good talking to by the referee, presumably for some choice words in his direction, and Gadd was pulled up harshly for a foul as Phoenix broke up the left. De Wit’s shot from the free kick was straight at Mackenzie who made no mistake with the save.
The game was getting spicy. Thompson was flattened on the right, Fry then nipped inside when the free kick fell her way, and when she crumbled to the floor, the referee was again quick to award the free kick. That led to complete chaos in the South East Phoenix penalty area when Thompson smashed in the free kick; White made the save but the ball fell for Fry who hit the post from close range and then couldn’t force the ball over the line, the clearance falling perfectly for Green who smashed the ball off the bar, an absolutely thrilling moment that had the stadium buzzing.
Straight from going close to making it 2-0, the scores were suddenly level. Kitching was turned on halfway, Cummings was in an ocean of space and accelerated through the gears to race through on the right, and her shot flew past Mackenzie, lodging in between the goal stanchion and the net, a goal that emulated Trevor Brooking’s famous effort for England v Hungary in 1981. What a goal! We now had a game on our hands, and the stakes had just been raised.
Chandran raced away on the left, unlucky not to win a corner, Waterhouse turned inside on the left to fire in a shot from distance that White did well to smother after a wicked bounce, and the game was at its turning point. Which way it would turn was anyone’s guess. City looked undermanned at the back, Chandran having to scramble the ball away under heavy pressure from two attackers, and Cummings again found space for a shot, but this time Mackenzie watched it wide.
The champagne football of the first half was by now a long way in the past, and Grasso earned a cheap yellow card for kicking the ball away in frustration at yet another soft free kick. Chandran and Fry kept the pressure on up the left, but when Phoenix broke again, Gadd was beaten to the header and Cummings raced away on the right once more, but shot this time straight at Mackenzie who had stayed on her line.
White raced from her goal to make a clearance, which Green returned with interest towards the open goal. The sliced effort looked to fall to Thompson, but with the goalkeeper out, she was deemed offside. Green then fired in a long-range shot that White saved, before Kitching was turned and the referee again decided to pull-up play for a foul. Waterhouse cleared the free kick, the handball shout in City’s favour, and the visitors’ panicky disposition was causing them to retreat further back.
Great persistence from Jackson then allowed Tinney to fire in a shot, the defender now promoted to attack to try and win the game. Another powder-puff free kick was awarded when Waterhouse stumbled through a challenge, the whistle coming a few seconds after the coming-together. Ashton took the set-piece from wide on the left, Tinney couldn’t get a touch as it flashed across her body, Jackson managed a clean shot on goal that White parried, and the only player anticipating the rebound was Waterhouse, who swung the right boot and smashed the ball into the net, just under the bar, to give City the lead again. There was relief all round for the visitors, but the game wasn’t over yet.
The teams traded blows. De Wit bundled into Green for a free kick. Ava Dragovic and Laini Glover combined but Jackson cleared up. Waterhouse was playing like a woman possessed, taking a leaf out of Bell’s book of big hits and having her eyes only on the ball. Jackson then surged out of midfield to fire a long ball over the top for Sarah De Sousa. She looked second best to get to the ball behind Marli Renshaw, but when she saw her chance, nipped in front of the defender and tumbled to the floor. There was confusion as there was no whistle, but then there was, the referee racing in to point to the spot, De Sousa cheekily asking for the card that Kitching had escaped in the first half, when it could have easily gone her way on another day, and Renshaw was duly given only a yellow card.
Jackson never looked totally convincing as she stepped up to take the penalty and she drilled her fierce shot straight at White who batted the ball away to a roar from the crowd. Bell was first on the scene with Jackson choosing not to follow in her penalty, but she didn’t have room to get control, and did well to resist bundling White into the net.
The game was back on edge. Gadd missed a routine clearance that left Atkins scampering away on the left. She cut inside and curled a shot on goal, Mackenzie flinging herself to her left to palm the ball behind for a corner. Bell then skipped around her player and eked another mystery foul from the referee, Jackson playing a gorgeous ball inside for Gadd as City pressed, the rampaging fullback winning a corner on the right. Jackson’s corner caused mayhem in the penalty ara, Tinney with the bicycle kick, but it was well wide. Bell then embarked on a Jackson-esque burst through midfield, teeing up the shot that White saved comfortably.
De Sousa was then shoved to the floor on the right. Kitching’s ball in struck Renshaw’s hand for another free kick, in range and central. Time stood still as Ashton’s magnificent free kick arrowed onto the crossbar, Kitching could only get a touch to the header on the rebound, and White claimed the ball well to give the home team a final chance to get upfield. The final whistle though stopped them in their tracks and Blacktown City had done what they came to do, leaving Nowra with the three points to keep the pressure on those around them in the league ladder.
This had been a fabulous contest. There were moments in the first half when Blacktown looked like world beaters. That was countered by some shaky moments in the second half as they threatened to throw it all away. Had it not been for Millie White in the Phoenix goal as well as the post and crossbar, this could have been a different story and likewise with Courtney Mackenzie’s penalty save in the first half and then her acrobatic save in the second, City had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping them in the lead. Tonight though belonged to Lily Waterhouse. Two goals, a yellow card and she was just everywhere. We look forward to seeing what City can still achieve in this exciting end to the 2025 league season.
City now travel to Sutherland Strikers for their final away day of the season on Sunday, and they will be expecting a battle. South East Phoenix entertain South Coast Flame in the South Coast derby on Sunday, while all eyes will be on St George v SD Raiders, which has a massive bearing on the top of the table. Tune in to this website to keep up to date as the weekend unfolds.
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