One-one was the score line in the match between the fourth-placed Kiama and the fifth-placed Balgownie of the Women's 1^st Division.

With both teams vying for a finals position come the end of the season, there was little to separate the sides. The uprights coming to the assistance for both sides despite the few clear-cut chances during the first half.

During the eighth minute, the first big chance of the day fell to Kiama’s Kristina Janeska. Having received a pin-point accurate cross from teammate, Tahlia Burke, Janeska looked as though she had lobbed the keeper with her deft volley. However, she was denied by the crossbar.

In the 15^th minute, Balgownie had their first chance of the match when Eda Yakan drove down the middle of the field. However, her touch let her down as she dribbled towards goal, and the ball was comfortably picked up by Kiama goalkeeper, Brooke Perkiss.

The game meandered along until the far-post denied Balgownie of an opener in the 40^th minute. Having won a freekick a metre away from the corner flag, Sophie Hancock whipped in a cross-come-shot, that was only millimetres away from sailing directly into the net. The rattling post marked the beginning of a late Balgownie surge in the final minutes of the half. In the 43^rd minute, Yakan made her way into the box again but her shot destined for goal was denied by the back of a Kiama defender. Then in the 44^th minute, Teisha McKenzie released a good shot from the top of the box but was denied by Perkiss in goals, thus keeping the scores level at the break.

However, Balgownie couldn’t take the momentum that they had built heading into the break into the beginning of the second half. Rather, it was Kiama who started the strongest having a flurry of chances early on, culminating in a penalty in the 48^th minute when Tahlia Burke was shoved over in the box. Natalie Henderson stood over the ball but her casual approach to hitting the penalty did not pay dividends as she hit the left upright. Kiama’s, Louisa Wood was the first to reach the rebound but her shot from within the box was saved by Balgownie keeper, Aaliyah Sigabalavu.

Things went from bad to worse for Kiama when defender Rebecca Walsh went off injured only moments later. Balgownie capitalised on Kiama’s unsettled backline, scoring in the next play. Running in behind Kiama’s back four, Sophie Hancock stabbed her foot out at the incoming cross, only for her shot to hit the post. However, fortuitously for Hancock, the ball rebounded right into her path as she converted a simple tap in to put the visitors into the lead.

Balgownie's lead though would be short-lived when Henderson made up for her earlier penalty miss, heading home an equaliser off a beautifully floated in, Alex Stronach corner, in the 61^st minute.

Stronach’s prowess from the corner flag would cause trouble in the Balgownie area again when Henderson got her head to another ball in the 70^th minute. However, this time the ball lobbed off her head and was punched clear by Sigabalavu.

Balgownie’s final promising attack would come about in the 78^th minute when Yakan Eda dribbled her way around the 18-yard box. Ultimately, she held onto the ball for too long, turning down good opportunities to shoot until she eventually did when she was crowded by defenders, hitting a poor effort straight to the keeper.

As the game descended into long balls to and forth with no real purpose, the game looked to peter out into a draw. However, with Stronach standing over a corner in the 87^th minute, Kiama looked a real chance to snatch a late winner. Another good cross by Stronach caused havoc in the area, and when Kiama got the ball towards goal, they looked to have won it. Yet, Balgownie’s Rebecca Apostolovski would salvage a point for the Ranger’s when she cleared the ball off the line.

With both sides taking a point apiece, Kiama maintains their position in the top 4 while Balgownie sits four points off the pace.

Kiama will look to sure up their finals position when the take on the red-hot University midweek in their deferred Round 11 fixture.

Meanwhile, Balgownie will be confident of taking home all three points next weekend when they face bottom-placed Fernhill.

21^st July 2019 @ Kiama Sporting Complex

Kiama – 1 (Henderson 61’)

Balgownie – 1 (Hancock 52’)

Kiama – Ailin BLACKA, Tahlia BURKE, Emily CARBONE, Emma-Kate DEWHURST, Kari GONZALEZ, Jessica GROZDANOV, Natalie HENDERSON, Kristina JANESKA, Brooke PERKISS, Alex STRONACH, Rebecca WALSH, Louisa WOOD, Nerissa PETERSON, Lanae ROBINSON, Nicole MILJEVIC, Claire DUNBAR

Balgownie – Mikaylee AIR, Alicia ANDERSON, Ashleigh ANDERSON, Rebecca APOSTOLOVSKI, Sophie BOURKE, Sophie HANCOCK, Emma JONES, Teisha McKENZIE, Aaliyah SIGABALAVU, Eda YAKIN

Report by Nic Wilson, on twitter @_nicwilson