Two rounds into this season’s Builders Club Women’s Division 1 and the Albion Park juggernaut is back in top gear with another resounding win. Woonona Sharks are keeping pace, though, with a second victory for Mick Sutton’s team; and Kiama remains unbeaten too going into Round 3.

Aside from the Albion Park results, and University’s win last week, there’s every indication that the 2018 comp will produce some tight scorelines, with results able to go either way in most fixtures each week. For sheer entertainment, though, Uni are the side to watch this season, with 13 goals (8 for, 5 against) in their two matches so far.

Gale force winds made playing conditions across all Sunday matches very difficult and credit to all players and officials for battling on.

Balgownie Rangers 1-1 Kiama

The Quarriers remain unbeaten after securing a point at Balgownie, which leaves them handily placed in third on the ladder. Kiama’s scorer was Allira Giles-Gregory, who has notched ten goals over the last two seasons at Kiama, but was opening her account for 2018 with this one.

Kiama coach Umberto Sorrentino was pleased with his team’s performance: “We are getting into the opposition’s third far more than we did last year. We created enough to win the match; now we just need to put those chances away.” He was especially pleased with Katie French’s all-round performance on the day, but felt Kiama captain and sweeper Brooke Perkiss was his stand-out player.

For Balgownie, it was a first point on the board this season, and first goal, courtesy of Shaeley Aldridge’s spot kick. The Rangers coach Earle Canvin was disappointed with the result, though: “We missed several really good chances to steal all three points away from home. We’ll be looking for more improvement from this young squad next week.”

Round 3 will see the Rangers up against unbeaten Woonona, while Kiama travel to Thirroul, looking to extend their own unbeaten run.

Woonona 2-1 Thirroul

Woonona made it two wins from two, keeping the Sharks snapping at the heels of Albion Park at the top of the ladder. Sinead Bailey made it three goals from two starts, popping up for the winner twenty minutes from time this weekend. She had several chances to increase her tally, but was denied repeatedly by Thirroul keeper Matilda Davis-Raiss.

Woonona coach Mick Sutton was pleased with his side’s dominant second half performance after going behind just before the break. On his top scorer Bailey, he had this to say: “Sinead always gets into good positions. She can get frustrated when they don’t all go in, but always keeps going for that winning goal.”

Alexandria Pritchard’s 40^th minute goal gave the Thunderbirds hope with a 1-0 half time lead, but conceding twice in the second stanza meant it’s back-to-back losses for Tina Siskoska’s squad. Speaking after the game, Siskoska said her side had played a lot better than last week, but “We need to create more chances up front in the final third.”

Next up for Woonona is a trip to Balgownie, while Thirroul host Kiama in Round 3.

University 3-5 Russell Vale Black

University’s young squad have no problems hitting the target in 2018. Kristen Gorgieski hit her 4^th goal in two matches, but even with further goals for Rachel Abbott and Geraldine Ponce, it wasn’t enough to see off a rampant Russell Vale. So after a resounding win in Round 1, it was back down to earth for Brod Crighton’s side in Round 2.

Crighton paid credit to Russell Vale, who ‘took their chances well and are a good side’. He thought “Uni played great football through midfield and got in behind them enough to have had the game under control by half time. But we didn’t capitalise on the chances, so we’ll be working on the final third ahead of next week’s match” (away at Fernhill).

Four names got themselves on the scoresheet for Russell Vale, Kerry Matthews scoring a brace, one apiece for Frances and Kathleen Halloway and a goal for Bonnie MacDonnell. For Matthews, that equals her total goals tally for each of the last three seasons when playing with Tarrawanna.

The Black’s team manager said before the season started that her side’s priority was to enjoy their football. After the disappointment of the opening day loss to Kiama, a 5-3 away win will certainly have put the spark back into the Russell Vale camp as they prepare to take on Albion Park next weekend.

 

Albion Park 6-0 Fernhill

It was Casey Leigh-Suttle’s turn for a hat-trick this week as the reigning champions hit another opponent for six. That took her tally to four, and she was joined by last week’s hat-trick hero Rylee McGartland who notched another goal this weekend against Fernhill. Last season’s top scorer Brittany Ring made it two goals from two games, and for the second week in a row Renee Crowe came off the bench to score.

Next up for Albion Park is Russell Vale. Let’s see if the experience in that squad can slow down the champions’ drive for another title.

For Fernhill, defeat may not have come as a surprise this week, but it leaves Josh Sebben’s side propping up the ladder with no points from two games and a goal difference of minus seven.

“Coming up against the strongest attack in the league is even harder with six defenders out of action,” said Sebben, “Next week (against University) should be a different story as players return from injury.” But Sebben also said he used the match to try a new set up, with new players and regulars in new positions. We’ll see next week whether the experiments paid off.

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo Credit: Dylan Arvela