The girl’s teams have showed some strong defensive resilience in recent weeks and goals have been flowing in the attacking end for the most part. This week the girls took on Mt Druitt who proved to be stubborn opponents in the 14G but were no match for the table topping 15 and 17 Girls.

14 GIRLS (DREW 0-0)

The girls were held to another frustrating draw at Popondetta Park under tough conditions.

The first half ebbed and flowed with both sides having spells of dominance although it soon became apparent that the South Coast girls were having the better of possession. Amalie Kelly and Sam Shallcross were causing mayhem down the left flank which resulted in multiple shots on goal. The pressure began to mount on the Rangers and perhaps the half time whistle came too soon for Flame as they were seeing much more of the play.

The second half was a story of attack against defence as the Flame had Mt Druitt pinned in their own territory for the majority of the half. Shallcross continued to be lively and created chances for herself, Sienna Trip and Alyssa Nicovska. The girls thought they had their breakthrough 3 minutes from time when Alivia Beath found herself eye to eye with the Rangers keeper only to be denied by the shot stopper rushing out and closing the angle.

Player of the Week: Amalie Kelly
Amalie has been training with the U14’s GCL once a week whilst also fulfilling her duties with her U12s SAP side. Amalie has shown an exemplary attitude in all aspects with the U14s. This translated to her first league appearance for the side as she was one of the stand outs. The diminutive winger gave the Mt Druitt backline plenty to think about with her direct running and quick feet.

15 GIRLS (WON 5-0)

South Coast extended their unbeaten run to the season at a muddy Popondetta Park, where they met a tough Mt Druitt team.

Flame asserted their dominance from the opening whistle, keeping possession and moving the opposition from side to side. Mt Druitt opted for 5 across the back line and were happy to sit in a low block and try and catch us on the counter. Our pressure paid off on 20 minutes as Lili Rosandic’s free kick was too hot to handle for the Rangers goalkeeper who fumbled the ball over the line to give Flame a one nil lead. Minutes later, Flame doubled their lead, this time Rosandic turned provider as her low cross was finished well by Bethany Horton from close range.

More chances presented themselves through some individual creativity from Caitlin Russell and Lauren Brooks, but the score remained 2-0 at the half.

The second half was probably our best half of football so far this season with long spells of possession and a vicious high press that saw Mt Druitt struggle to get out of their own penalty area at times. Annabel Suthers and Sienna Powell were causing havoc down the right-hand side. A clever little combination between the pair put Suthers inside the penalty area who picked out an unmarked Brooks in front of goal for a tap in and her 12th goal of the season.

Ten minutes later, Lily Roodenrys’ clever pass found Natasha Duckinoski inside the area. She took one touch and then curled the ball into the top corner to claim her first goal of the season and make it four for Flame.

Finally, with the clock running down, in an unfamiliar #9 position, Ruby Blanch dribbled her way through four defenders before unselfishly drawing the Rangers goalkeeper out and squaring up U14’s Alyssa Nicovska for an easy finish and the last kick of the game.

The girls showed their quality and dictated the tempo of the game from the first whistle to the last. A very well-rounded performance from all involved.

Player of the Week: Sienna Powell
Sienna is new to the Flame this year and has shown determination and a willingness to learn from day one. Against Mt Druitt, she came back on the field after an injury scare to boss her defensive duties and show some crisp passing in the middle and final third.

17 GIRLS (WON 4-0)

The girls were pumped up for this top of the table clash against the only other undefeated team in the league. This might have affected our composure during the early stages of the game, as we gave away possession cheaply a couple of times and squandered one or two opportunities.

Once the girls settled into the game, we started to keep the ball more comfortably and dictate the tempo. Mt Druitt started with a 4-4-2 formation, which gave them an overload in the midfield against our 4-3-3 shape. It was pleasing to see the girls problem solve by adjusting their defensive shape to nullify their midfield overload.

Meanwhile, the fullbacks started to push forward to give us a wide outlet as we played from the back into the middle third.

Taya Kelly continued her fine run of form by opening the scoring again from left fullback. From there, our confidence grew and with that the opportunities came. Co-captain Brooke Love has been prolific in front of goal in recent weeks and got a superb hat trick, all from outside the box.

Special mention to Isabella Zipparo, who was extraordinarily strong in midfield, and Darby Walsh who led our defence very capably.

Player of the Week: Caitlyn Zamuner
At number 6, Caitlyn was her usual disruptive presence for us, winning the ball back for us on numerous occasions. This week though, her composure with the ball along with superb passing accuracy really got us on the front foot again and again. After a really promising pre-season, it was great to see such a dominant performance from Caitlyn in what was a big game for the team. Well done.