Sandringham's Alice Maxwell is shadowed by Preston Lions' Kirstie Shearing. Image Courtesy: John Punshon.
A windy Saturday afternoon signalled the beginning of round 12, with Box Hill Inter and Bendigo Vipers playing off in a tough match on very firm pitch.
The Vipers got off to a good start with the first goal of the match through Ilona Jakab, but Box Hill Inter were able to equalise when a shot came off the crossbar and dropped at the feet of Aleksandra Sinclair who put it away.
Natalie Exon scored in the 20th minute, and Sinclair scored her brace in the 27th minute to give Box Hill a 3-1 lead. Tal Karp scored Box Hill Inter's fourth goal soon after with a chip over Kristen O'Connor. The Vipers scored their second towards the end of the first half, through Sarah Richardson, after a cross from Catey Wiley-O'Brien.
The teams came out for the second half with even more wind around the ground. The Vipers were able to hold Box Hill to a scoreless half, however couldn't score themselves, so Box Hill Inter came out on top, 4-2.
Box Hill Inter Coach Jeff Hawkins said the conditions were horrible.
"The sheets covering the benches blew off at half time, and the firm ground... they were just not good conditions. We should have scored a few more, and we let a few through that we shouldn't have. I'm happy with the three points from that match."
Vipers Coach Peter Richardson was pleased with the way the team played.
"There were some good early possessions from the girls and the first goal was a good one. When Inter scored their third goal, the girls didn't get rattled, and kept trying to play our game.
"In the second half they didn't score and there were some good chances for us, but it ended up nil-all. I was really pleased. It was a great level of competition on Saturday and it gave the girls a chance to see what level of play they aspire to."
Altona City travelled to Ashburton Park to take on a hungry Ashburton in their round 12 clash.
Ashburton had the wind in the first half and made the most of it, slotting away their first goal in the fifth minute with a good team goal from Christine Leland. Altona City played hard in the middle of the field but had trouble getting the ball in dangerous possisions early in the half.
Ashburton had their second of the match in the 30th minute, via an Elly Curo header from a corner. At the end of the first half, Ashburton's Sarah Walsh fired in a corner at the Altona City keeper Emma Fonua, who got a touch on it, but the rebound was cruel and Ashburton had their third goal for the match.
In the second half, Leland had a brace when Fonua blocked her first shot, but couldn't stop the second. Altona City had some good chances in the second half, including a strike from Amy Jackson that went wide in the 68th minute.
Both sides played out a tense final 20 minutes with no real chances, however in the 89th and 90th minutes, Ashburton added two more goals to increase the scoreline to 6-0.
Ashburton Coach Chris Michail was glad the side finally played two matches in a row.
"We've had weeks on and off over the last month, so it's nice to be back to normal now. Altona City came out fighting and had some good chances. They're pretty competitive.
"Some days you have it and some you don't and on Sunday we finished our chances."
Altona City Coach Paul Kilpatrick said that a few players didn't 'turn up' for the match.
"We had a few players unavailable and the conditions weren't the best. Basically we were rubbish. Ashburton had a full side and knocked the ball around well. They fully deserved the win. We had three chances and one half chance, but by that stage it was four-nil. We were very ordinary."
Sunday's second match was between Preston Lions and Sandringham at BT Connor Reserve, and again, the wind played a role early in the match, with both sides struggling to make an impact.
Sandringham's Steph Catley scored the first of the match when she sprinted away from Jess Cvetkovska and put the ball into the right corner of the net. Preston's defence was strong in the first half and they stopped many of Sandringham's attacks, but they were unable to create any real chances themselves.
Sandringham's Hannah Stuart scored her side's second goal in the 66th minute when she put the ball into an open goal. Unfortunately for Preston Lions, Cvetkovska badly hurt her knee at the 80 minute mark, and the line-up was reshuffled, with keeper Jamie Floros playing on the field, however Sandringham scored two more goals in the 90th and 91st minutes through Emma Runnalls and Lucy Kapusta which put the scoreline up to 4-0 and handed Sandringham the three points.
Sandringham Coach Shaun Parton was very happy with the result against Preston Lions.
"Considering the game was played in tricky conditions, I'm very happy. Hopefully the goals to Steph Catley, Emma Runnalls, Hannah Stuart and Lucy Kapusta will be a confidence boost."
Preston Lions Coach Spiro Thalassinos said that the team played well in the first half.
"The endeavour was good in the first half, but we fell away in the second. It was only 1-0 at half time."
The final match of round 12 was played on Monday night between Heidelberg United and South Melbourne at Olympic Village.
Top of the ladder Heidelberg were keen for a big win to secure top spot for another week, but South Melbourne were not going to be taken lightly.
South Melbourne scored first from a quickly taken free kick by Annabelle Gibney who struck it past the keeper from 25 metres out. Gibney scored again on the run from 30 metres out in a one-on-one with the keeper and South Melbourne were looking the goods.
Heidelberg United were unable to be the goal scoring force they had been over the last five weeks, and South Melbourne kept the spaces well covered and didn't allow Heidelberg many chances.
In the second half Heidelberg United came out hard, but South Melbourne looked in control and had their third goal through some good play by Jade Barnden who crossed the ball to Laura Spiranovic who slotted it away to give South Melbourne a 3-0 lead, which they were able to hold on to for the match.
Heidelberg United were unable to score for the first time in season 2010, while this marks South Melbourne's best win for the season, knocking off the top side.
South Melbourne Assistant Coach Matthew Shaw said that it was a good all-round performance by the team.
"I'm very happy. Anyone that can beat Heidelberg is doing well. We finished our chances and blocked the spaces in their attacking third so they couldn't be as dangerous. We knew they'd be hard at us in the second half, but we got more comfortable as the game went on. We laid some good tackles and didn't feel seriously threatened."
Heidelberg United Coach John Lioupas says that being undermanned was not an excuse for the loss.
"We were short on senior players and ended up with 10 players for the last 30 minutes after Rita [Mankowska] was sent off. That's not why we lost. We had to lose sometime, and South Melbourne were well organised and played well. I was happy with the endeavour of the girls, they didn't let up.
"It just shows the tightness of the competition that teams can get results against anyone. We'll take the loss in our stride."
At the end of round 12, Box Hill Inter are back on top of the ladder after Heidelberg United faltered against South Melbourne. Their goal difference has suffered and they are now 6 goals behind Box Hill Inter. Sandringham are on 20 points in third, two points clear of Ashburton after both sides had convincing wins in round 12. Casey Comets are in fifth on 15 points after they sat out the round with a bye. The Vipers are one point clear of South Melbourne who are on the way up after another win, while Altona City and Preston Lions are one and two matches behind South Melbourne.
For detailed results, please visit the Competitions section of the website.
Last updated: Tuesday July 13, 2010 12:05PM
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