Round 2 of the Sportsmart Women’s Premier League saw the unusual occurrence of every team scoring a goal, and there were many standout performances in the attacking half of the pitch.
Box Hill came back to beat Casey 3-2 on Friday night, whilst at the same time in Monbulk, Cairnlea came away with a big 2-1 win in the ranges. Bundoora and Sandringham played out a 3-3 thriller on the Saturday, while South Melbourne left it late to beat Boroondara 4-2, and the FFV U17s upset Heidelberg in a 3-2 win.
Sunday’s only fixture saw Bulleen turnaround a poor first half to defeat Ashburton 3-1.
With so much action to dissect, this week’s Team of the Week wasn’t an easy one to pick, and there may just be a couple of surprises in store!
Starting XI: 4-4-2 Formation
GK – Anna Lanning (Boroondara Eagles)
South Melbourne could have put their game against Boroondara to bed had it not been for the efforts of Lanning in goal. The Eagles stopper kept her team in the contest with several saves that frustrated South Melbourne. While she may have conceded four on the day, the two goals late in the game were a slight blemish to an otherwise solid outing.
RB – Lauren Farrugia (South Melbourne)
Though she is deployed at left back for South Melbourne, Farrugia moves over to the right back spot simply because of Annabel Martin’s outstanding display for the FFV U17s. The experienced defender had her hands full all afternoon looking after the likes of Louise Mason and Sarah Petty breaking down her flank, but didn’t bat an eyelid and staved off the challenges.
CB – Emily Thomas (Cairnlea)
Thomas was a standout performer in Cairnlea’s big result away to Monbulk. The centre back made some crucial blocks for the visitors, and ensured that much of the host’s pressure amounted to little. Her presence at the back was vital for Cairnlea as they remained unbeaten in their first two games.
CB – Alex Cheal (South Melbourne)
Unlucky to miss out on selection last week, the ever consistent Cheal was solid at the back again for South Melbourne who had to withstand the speed of Boroondara’s forward line on the break. Not only making some crucial blocks in the second half, she was especially important in ensuring Louise Mason didn’t get into the box often, forcing her to shoot from tough angles after doubling up on the inside forward along with Farrugia.
LB – Annabel Martin (FFV U17s)
The young left back impressed in her first outing against Sandringham the previous week, but showed her potential against Heidelberg, and was a key part as to why the FFV U17s were able to beat the Bergers on the day. Almost nothing got past her, restricting time and space on the ball for any Heidelberg player that went down her side. Martin was also quick to bomb forward when possible, and even had the confidence to shoot from range.
MR – Natalie Exon (Box Hill United)
The speedy winger was a menace on either flank for Box Hill in their game against Casey. Exon wins selection because of her match winning spell in the second after being switched to the left side. She took her goal well, while set up Jasmina Pedic for the winner just minutes later after some smart dribbling down the flank.
MC – Selin Kuralay (South Melbourne)
Having starred in the club’s opening fixture away to Bulleen, Kuralay continued her impressive start by adding two more goals to her tally. Her strikes straight after the break gave South their 2-0 lead, and was generally a source of creativity for the side throughout the match.
MC – Cindy Lay (Bulleen Lions)
It was a game of two halves at Ashburton Park, and part of the reason for that was Cindy Lay’s introduction at the break. The Melbourne Victory midfielder is being eased back into action and she took this game by the scruff of the neck, injecting more intensity and intent through the Bulleen midfield. Her goal was well taken, and very much deserved as she helped Bulleen turned around an abject first half to win 3-1.
ML – Stacey Papadopoulos (Bundoora United)
Bundoora played out a classic at home to Sandringham, with some thanks to Papadopoulos who scored the second and assisted the third goal for the home side. Lightning quick as usual down the flanks, her drive to get into the box and pull the trigger was an important part of Bundoora’s game, especially against a tough Sandringham defence.
ST – Emma Runnalls (Sandringham)
Runnalls scored the first two goals for Sandringham, firstly beating the keeper to the ball, before stunning the home side straight after half time with an impressive effort from outside the box. Her general presence up front and hard work made her a menace to deal with for Bundoora throughout the match, and was a big part of why Sandringham were able to secure a point.
ST – Janna Lawson (FFV U17s)
While Beattie Goad might headline the FFV U17s attacking force, Janna Lawson took the plaudits on this occasion with her two strikes against Heidelberg. Her link-up with Goad was highly impressive in the fixture as they almost ran away with the game. We await to see just what this new partnership has in store for us for the rest of the season.
Bench:
Beattie Goad (FFV U17s)
You really couldn’t have one without the other, and Goad takes her place on our bench this week with her own performance against Heidelberg. Her driving run and shot in the 26th minute ended up in a goal after Lawson swept in the rebound and also played a part in the creation of the third goal.
Aneta Komijat (Cairnlea)
Komijat is enjoying her move up from Altona, having scored another goal this week to back up her effort against Casey the previous week. The winger was one of Cairnlea’s outlets and was in the right place at the right time to score her team’s crucial opening goal. Only misses out on starting due to other outstanding performances on the wings.
Emma Heckenberg (Monbulk)
Heckenberg was utilised on the left side of midfield this week, after playing in a deeper lying midfield position against Heidelberg. The shift back out left aided her on this occasion as she starred for Monbulk against Cairnlea. Her free kick in the second half was headed in by Nikki Ceeney to set up a tense finish to the match, but her efforts were in vain as Monbulk lost 2-1 on the night.
Louise Mason (Boroondara)
The Scottish import dusted off the cobwebs last week against Bundoora, and unleashed her ability on South Melbourne. She caused South Melbourne a lot of problems at the back, but found it tough to score with Cheal and Farrugia forcing her to shoot from tight angles. She looks to be quite a signing for the Eagles, and we await to see what she does next.
Melina Ayres (Ashburton)
The young left back was part of the reason Ashburton were able to play well in the first half against Bulleen, as she was solid in defence but more so in helping her team play out from the back. She also had the awareness to play a through ball to Wendy Lopez which resulted in Ashburton’s goal. Maybe a surprise selection, but keep an eye out for Ayres in the coming weeks.
That concludes the Team of the Week for Round 2. Once again many thanks to all our various writers, FFV writers and any others that have contributed to the picking of the team.