Women's soccer wins to Umina and Woy Woy
Umina defeated Ourimbah and Woy Woy defeated Southern and Ettalong United in women's first division soccer on Sunday, May 8.
Woy Woy's 3-2 win takes the club to the top of the WPL Ladder.
The Southern side was previously top of the ladder and it entered the game coming off an impressive 14-1 win.
Woy Woy's attack put a lot of pressure on Southern's backline early and Woy Woy was able to dominate and maintain the majority of possession.
The Lionesses' backline eventually cracked as Lynette Soames was able to put the ball in the Southern goal after a scramble in the box.
Being a goal up did not stop Woy Woy who kept up the pressure as they searched for another goal.
Woy Woy was moving the ball from side to side well which allowed space to open up in the middle of the park and their captain coach Lucy Metcalfe hit a 30-yard shot that tucked under the post to double her side's lead.
After conceding two straight goals, Augusto Terra's side finally came alive and they started to enjoy their fair share of the ball.
Southern hit back through a beautiful finish from Alana Currie to bring the game to 2-1. Southern rallied on and pushed hard to grab another before halftime but was unsuccessful and the score remained 2-1 at halftime.
The second half of action saw a slower-paced game as fatigue began to set in for both sides.
Southern was able to find the equaliser very early on in the half when Tatum Ansiewicz slotted home from a very acute angle.
After the score was locked at level, both teams pushed hard to grab a go-ahead goal.
Woy Woy was awarded a corner late in the game which found Brianna Green who slotted home the winner for Woy Woy.
Lucy Metcalfe said she was happy with how her team performed: "It was a great win with a tough battle in the midfield.
"We played great football and capitalised on each opportunity"
Women's Premier League favourites Umina finally got their season underway as the E-Gals sent Dave Hurley's Ourimbah side home with a loss.
Ourimbah came into their Round 5 fixture prepared for a tough game against one of the grand final participants of the 2020 season.
Having already faced off in the Association Cup, Umina knew what to expect with their deep-lying defence that aimed to frustrate and suppress the Umina attack.
Ourimbah successfully managed this for large parts of the game.
For Ourimbah, the first half was a defensive battle as Umina pressed their backline and goalkeeper for the majority of the first half.
The E-Gals picked up an early goal after a corner found Hannah Batten's head as she successfully slotted past the opposition goalkeeper.
Umina was able to grab another and extend their lead just before halftime when a Hayley Fulwood longshot found the back of the net.
With some minor formation adjustments at halftime, Ourimbah commenced the second half with the concept of smothering and pressuring the Umina midfielders.
This defensive block worked well as it disallowed the quick Umina attackers the opportunity to get beyond the defenders.
It took another long-range strike, this time from Nicole Carmichael, to give Umina a three-goal lead.
Umina was awarded a penalty as they grabbed their last goal of the day through Kate Styles who took the opportunity well and got her side a maximum three points in their opening fixture.
Reflecting on the game, Umina coach Steve Donaldson had nothing but credit for the opposition and their coach.
He said he saw them being a real test for a lot of teams this season.
"The scoreline probably doesn't do justice to how much we dominated as there is a pretty clear division in quality.
However, they had a game plan that they stuck to and kept the scoreline as it was.
"I can see them picking up a fair few results, as well as hopefully really frustrating the top teams with the same game plan."
SOURCE:
Website, 9 May 2022
Central Coast Football