Let’s check out the mini reviews from Round 9 of the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW Women’s competition.
Match of the Round - Newcastle Olympic 0-1 Maitland FC
Maitland ended Newcastle Olympic’s unbeaten start to the season with a thrilling 1-0 victory on Sunday.
Olympic dominated much of the first half at Darling Street with forward Marion Dunbabin hitting the bar with a spectacular effort as Maitland looked stretched at the back, with Magpies goalkeeper Imogene Tomasone producing a number of fine saves to keep the visitors in the match.
Magpies coach Keelan Hamilton named his ninth different back four combination in as many rounds, while both sides were boosted by the inclusions of A-League Women’s players following the completion of their Newcastle Jets commitments.
Sophie Stapleford proved to be a constant menace for Maitland in her advanced role on the left, while Clare Coelho lined up in goal for Olympic.
The Magpies grew into the match and eventually got their reward 13 minutes from the end.
Sophia Laurie won the ball in the middle of the park for Maitland following a scrappy passage of play. The midfielder nodded the ball into Mercedes McNabb’s path just inside Olympic’s half.
The attacker turned and ran at the retreating Olympic defence before bursting past Zoe Horgan and firing low into the bottom left corner past Coelho’s despairing dive.
Olympic pushed for an equaliser but were unable to find one, losing the match and their undefeated record to slip to second place on the table.
Maitland remain fifth despite the victory though are in touching distance of the top four, just a point behind Adamstown.
Adamstown Rosebud JFC 7-0 Warners Bay FC
Doubles were the order of the day as Adamstown Rosebud thrashed Warners Bay 7-0 at Adamstown Oval on Sunday.
Returning Newcastle Jets players Josie Morley and Leia Puxty both scored twice, as did striker Tanya Jones, with Ash Vetter also notching for the hosts.
The win saw Ryan Campbell’s side consolidate their place in the top four, with Adamstown two points behind third-placed Charlestown and a point clear of Maitland in fifth.
The defeat was Warners Bay’s ninth from as many matches this season, with the Panthers having conceded 104 goals.
Mid Coast FC 0-15 Broadmeadow Magic
Lucy Jerram scored five goals as Broadmeadow thrashed Mid Coast 15-0 on Sunday.
Magic made the trip north to Taree knowing a victory would take them to the top of the table following Newcastle Olympic’s defeat to Maitland earlier in the day.
And they got off to the perfect start as Jerram completed a hat-trick inside 24 minutes.
Kiarra Lewis, Kalista Hunter, Adriana Konjarski and Chelsea Lucas all added goals before half-time, giving Broadmeadow a 7-0 lead at the break.
And they went on with the job in the second half. Konjarski and Lewis added three more each after the interval while Jerram added two more to complete the rout.
The win saw Broadmeadow climb to the top of the table, three points clear of Olympic, though Olympic have a match in hand.
Mid Coast remain seventh.
Charlestown Azzurri 0-3 New Lambton FC
A double from Cassidy Davis saw New Lambton down Charlestown Azzurri 3-0 on Sunday.
Davis made her first New Lambton appearance of the season following her Newcastle Jets commitments alongside fellow Jets Lauren Allan and Tara Andrews.
A scoreless first half at Lisle Carr Oval saw both sides battle for an opener, which Davis finally delivered three minutes into the second half with a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area.
New Lambton substitute Macy Anthony made it 2-0 from an Allan cross with 13 minutes to play before Davis sealed the result with a strike from distance late on.
New Lambton remain sixth despite the victory, though the Golden Eagles have two matches in hand as they attempt to erase a nine-point deficit to the top four.
Azzurri remain third despite suffering their third defeat in their last four matches.