Casey Comets grabbed their first point of the season, after a rear-guard performance set up a scoreless 0-0 draw against Senior NTC in their Round Three Women’s Premier League clash.
Unlike last week – where they performed better than the 7-1 loss to South Melbourne suggested – Casey were perhaps fortunate this week to nab a point, given NTC’s dominance across the park at Comets Stadium
The last meeting between the two sides at Casey’s home ground ended in a 2-1 win to the hosts, but they had a Brittany Dudley-Smith double to thank for their victory.
Without their star forward, they were forced to work much harder as the NTC prodded and probed around the box with their assertive game style.
The visitors had the most joy down both flanks, with Hayley Richmond and Ashleigh Lefevre – both blessed with great speed – exploiting a stagnant back four in the first half.
Casey on the other hand found it easier going playing patient football, as they fought hammer and tong to win the ball back off the elite pathways outfit.
But NTC were undoubtedly the better side despite not impacting the scoreboard, as they controlled large passages of the first half.
Marika Kamoda would’ve felt vindicated with her clean sheet to half-time, given she’d seen the net burst three times against South Melbourne in the same period of time.
She was also a major contributor in keeping it to nil, first rushing off her line to take the ball off a charging Em Harbis, before stopping Joey Cartwright’s driven shot at the near post on the half hour mark.
The aforementioned Richmond was released four minutes later, bursting down the left flank before cutting the ball back for Cartwright once more, but the midfielder skewed her shot narrowly wide.
NTC skipper Annabel Martin marauded forward with five minutes left in the half, and her teasing deliver was inches away from meeting Richmond square on the forehead at the far post.
Gallery > Round 3: Casey Comets vs. Senior NTC
Whitney Knight rotated off the bench at the break and immediately made her presence known; first shooting high off Liv Ellis’ far post delivery from deep on the left, before swinging in a low driven cross, which narrowly evaded the sea of boots in the Casey box.
Comets continued their struggle to gain ascendency in the contest, but they did a job stemming the flow of chances.
It was only in the final 15 minutes of the clash that it began to open up once again, as NTC piled on late pressure.
Captain Annabel Martin had a crack from 30 yards in a desperate attempt to break the deadlock, and her rapier like strike arrowed towards the top right corner, but drifted millimetres wide of the post.
On the counter, full-back Chelsie Selleck pushed forward and tested Teresa Morrissey at her near post, wasting Casey’s best opportunity of the night.
More chances continued to fall for Senior NTC, with Harbis trying her luck, but her shot bobbled across the face of goals.
Kamoda was called into action with five minutes remaining, as she somehow managed to scupper a one-on-one chance with Knight, who shot low into the diving arms of the keeper.
With time running out, and Casey in panic stations, it was a cool head from Harriet Cordner who stopped a certain winner in the 90th minute.
Played over by the incredible vision of Jaimee Williams, Harbis broke on the right in the final minute of normal time, before cutting inside past Kamoda, staring at an empty net.
Up stepped centre-half Cordner whose desperate lunge at the boot of the NTC forward was the sole reason they escaped with a point.
A long period of extra-time was spent around the Casey 18-yard-box, but it was much ado about nothing, as NTC failed to make that all-important breakthrough.
***
Casey Comets 0 drew with Senior NTC 0 at Comets Stadium [HT: 0-0]
Casey Comets: 1. Marika KAMODA (GK), 6. Chelsie SELLECK, 12. Harriet CORDNER, 4. Rachel BINNING, 8. Shaunna MURRAY, 2. Antonia NITEROS, 3. Laura CROFT (c), 11. Natasha MACHADO, 13. Sharnoah HURLEY, 9. Elsie HIBBERT, 5. Melissa KIRBY
Yellow Card(s): Machado 59’ Niteros 69’
Red Card(s): Nil
Rotation: 7. Sheridan DUDLEY, 10. Amy RADFORD
Senior NTC: 16. Teresa MORRISSEY (GK), 10. Lexi ANASTASSIOU, 14. Edith FORDYCE-CROKER, 9. Joey CARTWRIGHT, 13. Annabel MARTIN (c), 4. Liv ELLIS, 33. Ashleigh LEFEVRE, 31. Coby MCINERNEY, 2. JAIMEE WILLIAMS, 3. Natasha DAKIC, 17. Hayley RICHMOND, 30. Celia KELSALL (GK), 25. Melindaj BARBIERI, 11. Whitley KNIGHT, 7. Emily HARBIS
Yellow Card(s): Nil
Red Card(s): Nil
Photo: Backline Photography