Round 1 of the Women’s Premier League kicked- off over the weekend, seeing 9 teams in the 2014 Competition.

 

FFSA U14/15 Girls hosted Metro United Women’s Football Club at Burton Park Football Centre on Sunday 23 March with MUWFC getting the first 3 points of their season.

 

In the opening round fixture both teams were looking to kick start their seasons off on a high, particularly the girls from Metro United as they look to go one better this season after falling short - only by goal difference - as champions in the 2013 season.

 

The FFSA U14/15 side was placed under immense pressure from the opening whistle, and straight away two dangerous back passes led to early opportunities for MUWFC to take an early lead.

 

Only 8 minutes in, and Metro United’s number 9 Chantel Reynolds stole the ball off of a shaky State defender and struck the ball from the edges of the 18 yard box, ricocheting off of the underside of the cross bar and deflecting into the back of the goal to give MUWFC an early one goal advantage.

 

With some desperate defending from Metro United they managed to keep the lead, as the FFSA girls came back firing with a large amount of possession and hitting the post only twenty minutes later.

 

With the half time whistle vastly approaching, FFSA striker Georgie Nicola beat both her opposing defender and goalkeeper to a through ball quite a distance out from the goal and cleverly slipped the ball to her right, rolling to the feet of an unmarked Tayla Bradley, with time enough to get her head up and carefully place the ball into the back of an open goal, levelling the scores just before the half time break.

 

After a slow start in the first half, the FFSA U14/15 girls came out to redeem themselves in the second, with acres of space in the midfield, controlling possession and dictating the play. 

 

Lapses of concentration led to almost costly opportunities as MUWFC broke forward against the run of play, striking the cross bar with a header from a corner, and missing the goal by only inches as a one-on-one deflected off of the inside of goalkeeper Daniela Colangelo’s leg and bent around the post.

 

In the 84th minute Metro United were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position, Vanessa Reed placed the ball down before taking a few steps back, 25 yards out from the goal, waiting for the referee to take organise the wall.

 

Composing herself, Reed stepped up and expertly bent the free-kick up and around the wall sneaking it into the top corner, reclaiming the lead very late in the game.

 

From the kick off the FFSA girls replied immediately, as second half substitute Chanel Todino made a darting run down the line and whipped in a troubling cross that fell to the feet of Georgie Nicola, who then blasted the ball into the roof of the net levelling the game for a second time, after conceding no less than 60 seconds earlier.

 

In a game that really could have gone either way, the experienced MUWFC weren’t going to give up on a potential 3 points, and in the 89th minute, deep in the FFSA defensive half, Metro United winger played the ball back inside to team-mate Chantel Reynolds who shot first-time from 30 yards out, burying the ball inside the far post, to surely put the game to rest.

 

Three minutes of extra time later, and the referee blew the final whistle of the day, ending with a score line that read FFSA U14/15 2 – 3 MUWFC, in a brilliant end-to-end game, that did not lack chances, and really could have finished either way.

 

The FFSA U14/15 girls will now have a weekend off with a BYE as MUWFC look ahead to their clash with Para Hills Knights at home on Sunday, March 30.

 

Round 1 Results:

 

Friday 21 March
Para Hills Knights 1 (N.Tilley) West Adelaide 5 (O.Robinson 3, S. Scalzi 1, R. Wallace1) 

 

Sunday 23 March

Adelaide University 1 (K. Gilbert 1) Cumberland United 2 (T. Mcgrath 2)                               

Sturt Marion 7 (E. Garlick 5, M. Lindgren 2) Fulham United 0

FFSA U14/15 Girls 2 (T. Bradley , G. Nicola) MUWFC 3 (C. Reynolds 2, V. Reed 1)