A depleted Bundoora United have succumbed 2-0 to a rampaging Heidelberg United at Hillsview Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
With Rachel Alonso, Jess Au, Monique Ianella and Claudia Fruscalzo all missing, the hosts were able to hold off the visitors for the first half, before Anisa Guajardo and Julia Nicolaci both scored in the second to secure an emphatic victory.
The Bergers fashioned the first chance on goal when a good passage of play between Guajardo, Holly Tsalikidis and Demi Mihaloudis on the overlap saw the ball land at Christy Zwolski, who shot straight at Beth Mason-Jones.
Two clear cut chances to Heidelberg then went begging minutes later.
The first came when Mason-Jones punched Sadie Murphy’s cross away, with the ball landing at Michelle Verzi who drove it back into the box, allowing Zwolski to take aim at the goals, only for Emma Heckenberg to clear it off the goal line.
Zwolski then spurned the second golden opportunity, following in from Nicolaci’s long range strike which was saved onto the crossbar by Mason-Jones, but blasting the rebound over the net from point-blank range.
A fascinating battle was emerging on the right flank between Guajardo and Tyla-Jay Vlajnic, with the left-back drawing a couple of fouls from the Mexican.
Guajardo must have said something to annoy the referee, as a yellow card and a number of more calls went against her throughout the game, while she was also bizarrely forced to the sidelines to literally pull up her socks to knee height.
It wasn’t the only controversial moment involving the match official, who also stopped play to tell the Heidelberg bench off about the number of staff in its technical area, check the pressure of the ball, and in the second half deny substitutes waiting at the halfway line from entering the pitch seemingly until their respective coaches stood next to them.
It exacerbated both teams’ frustrations, as up that point the Bergers weren’t taking their chances to lead, while Bundoora were struggling to find the decisive final ball to generate opportunities to score.
One of the few glimpses at goal came when Elly Curo won a free kick near the sideline, with Louisa Bisby’s free kick fumbled by Christine Fonua before a teammate scrambled the ball to safety.
After the break the referee was involved in another contentious moment, as a looping delivery by Gulcan Koca into the box saw Fonua collect Stacey Padapoulos while reaching for the ball, with the Bundoora party up in arms that a penalty wasn’t awarded.
The breakthrough eventually came in the 56th minute when Aneta Komijat’s sprayed shot was collected by Zwolski, whose cross back into the box was headed in by Guajardo.
She should have had a second goal minutes later when she was played clear through in behind Koca by Tsalikidis, but her shot at the near post missed wide.
Bundoora had a golden chance of their own when another long ball by Koca found Bisby on the edge of the box, but her right footed effort on the bounce wasn’t timed perfectly and landed straight into the arms of a relieved Fonua.
It proved costly as Heidelberg got the ball up the other end and scored the sealer, with Verzi running to the byline and cutting back to Nicolaci for the finish in the 65th minute.
To their credit, Bundoora kept trying to salvage something out of the game, with Bisby and Barilla combining to play Papadopoulos out wide, whose cross just had too much on it for Curo to connect cleanly in the box.
Papadopoulos later found Barilla out wide, who teed up a marauding Koca on the edge of the area with a squaring ball, but the resultant shot flew high.
In the end Heidelberg held on for the 2-0 win, a result which made up for their midweek Team App Cup loss to Bulleen, and reflected both its firepower up front combined with a solid defence.
Bundoora will have to regroup for its Wednesday Team App Cup semi-final fixture against Boroondara Eagles, with a number of names expected to return for that clash.
Bundoora United 0 defeated by Heidelberg United 2 (Guajardo 56′ Nicolaci 65′) at Hillsview Recreation Reserve
Bundoora United: 1. Bethany MASON-JONES (GK), 10. Gulcan KOCA, 15. Krystal MCKLUSKY (22. Dearna FRUSCALZO 81’), 3. Emma HECKENBERG, 9. Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC, 16. Louisa BISBY, 8. Elly CURO, 21. Claudia DIMASI (4. Giulia SEPE 62’), 17. Stacey Papadopoulos (18. Hailee MESITI 85’), 7. Enza BARILLA (12. Daniella GALLUCIO 81′)
Unused Subs: 24. Mia KILLICK
Heidelberg United: 21. Christine FONUA (GK), 2. Demi MIHALOUDIS, 4. Michelle VERZI (22. Ellie GAVALAS 81′), 6. Laura PHILLIPS, 10. Julia NICOLACI, 11. Aneta KOMIJAT (45. Elise MAMNU-GRAY 69′), 14. Holly Tsalikidis (9. Belinda Panella 87′), 15. Lisa FONUA, 18. Sadie MURPHY, 38. Christy ZWOLSKI (5. Elly Torre 90′), 50. Anisa GUAJARDO
Unused Subs: 40. Hannah RYAN
Yellow Card: GUAJARDO 31′