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Rd 5
Three-Way Tie At Top After Five Rounds
by Jeremy Ruane
As statement results go, "The Hoops"' 4-0 trouncing of "The Lilywhites" at Seddon Fields is right up there. Yet it never looked like being that sort of outcome early doors, with Suburbs guilty of squandering three great chances in the first ten minutes.
Springs' response, however, was brutal, and was led by the league's leading markswoman, Sofia Garcia. She was on fire in this match, scoring two and setting up the others - a big game player rising to the challenge and delivering with interest.
Her first, in the 24th minute, saw her beat Brooke Bennett all ends up at her near post in a one-on-one situation, to which Suburbs responded through Charlotte Lancaster, a rising drive which Angelique Tuisamoa tipped onto the crossbar.
Two goals in three minutes around the half-hour mark put "The Hoops" in high spirits, however. Aimee Atkins had the misfortune to head a viciously angled Garcia cross into her own net before a quite superb move culminated in Arisa Takeda working one-twos with Lily Taitimu and Rina Hirano before pinging one over the top to reward Garcia's arcing run in off the left flank.
The striker promptly outmuscled Arya Blackler, who forced her opponent away from goal. But Garcia had an ace up her sleeve, duly delivering a "buffet ball" cross to the far post which Ela Jerez gleefully helped herself to to make it 3-0.
Suburbs kept plugging away in search of a goal to get themselves back into the contest, drawing numerous saves from Tuisamoa along the way. But Garcia put paid to their hopes halfway through the second spell with a fine finish, after which a close-range effort from Hirano was diverted onto the crossbar by Ella Findlay as the defensively under-strength league leaders were put to the sword by "The Hoops", who are just two points behind their rivals as a result.
That result has seen Suburbs drop to third place on goal difference, with the top rung on the league ladder now occupied by Auckland United. Bree Johnson scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over Ellerslie at Michaels Avenue, but the visitors had chances to win by a greater margin at the expense of the only team still without a point in this competition.
Southern United are sandwiched in between the Queen City duo, after coming from behind to down Canterbury United Pride 2-1 in the battle for South Island supremacy at Logan Park. Second half strikes from Freya Partridge-Moore and Abby Rankin clinched the points for the home team, offsetting Nicola Dominikovich's eleventh minute strike for the visitors.
The Wellington derby at Fraser Park saw "The Diamonds" overcome a 2-0 half-time deficit to down Phoenix 3-2 - not a result the stacked-again home team would have anticipated after Ella McCann's first half brace put them firmly in the driving seat.
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But Alyssa Whinham, Michaela Robertson, Zoe McMeeken et al could do nothing to prevent Natalie Olson pulling one back from distance for United just before the hour mark in a match, although the scorer missed an absolute sitter soon afterwards which would have levelled the scores.
Unperturbed, United came again, Pepi Olliver-Bell levelling the scores to set up a grandstand finish, during which Rebekah Trewhitt had a golden chance to clinch it for the Phoenix, only to hit the post from the penalty spot.
Punishment was extracted in stoppage time, Jemma Catherwood's angled piledriver clinching a come-from-behind victory for "The Diamonds", who join Western Springs in being two points off the leading trio.
Waterside Karori are three points further back after seeing off Central Football 3-1 at Massey University, where Emma Kruszona and Kaley Ward had "The Magpies" in the driving seat with late first half goals.
Ward doubled her tally for the game seventeen minutes from time, and while Maddison Hughes pulled one back for the home team soon after, the die was cast when Central's captain, Grace Smith, was shown the red card eight minutes from time for directing foul and abusive language at referee Rachael Titter.
All of which sets up the sixth round action on the last weekend in October rather nicely. The game of the round is the top-of-the-table clash at Keith Hay Park on Sunday, with Southern making their lone trip to Auckland, United their opponents.
Across town at Madills Farm, Eastern Suburbs should hold too many guns for Central Football, while "The Diamonds" and "The Hoops" meet in the other Sunday affair at Newtown Park in a clash which is crucial to the Grand Final hopes of both teams.
Saturday's fare sees the four of the teams in the lower half of the table locking horns. Canterbury welcomes Wellington Phoenix to English Park - and with no Liberty A-League game this weekend, it'll be interesting to see how the visitors stack up for this match! - while at Martin Luckie Park, "The Magpies" and "The Ponies" square off, with the visitors hoping that this will be a lucky venue for them in their pursuit of three points.
Details:
Central Football 1 (M. Hughes (76)), Waterside Karori 3 (E. Kruszona (38), K. Ward (45, 76)) HT 0-2
Ellerslie 0, Auckland United 1 (B. Johnson (30)) HT 0-1
Southern United 2 (F. Partridge-Moore (51), A. Rankin (60)), Canterbury United Pride 1 (N. Dominikovich (11)) HT 0-1
Wellington Phoenix 2 (E. McCann (13, 44)), Wellington United 3 (N. Olson (58), P. Olliver-Bell (79), J. Catherwood (90)) HT 2-0
Western Springs 4 (S. Garcia (24, 67), "oggie" (30), E. Jerez (33)), Eastern Suburbs 0 HT 3-0
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