The penultimate round of the 2020/21 Westfield W-League season brought us no closer to finding out which four sides will be competing in the Finals Series, as congestion between the top five sides remains ahead of an unmissable final round of action.
Torrential rain postponed the Big Blue between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory on Saturday afternoon, while Brisbane Roar sat out the action in Round 13.
Adelaide United defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 and Canberra United won 1-0 over Newcastle Jets, leaving the two sides to jump Victory into third and fourth on the table respectively.
The two results left Victory (fifth) four points behind the Sky Blues in first, with the pair of sides required to play two games before the season’s end.
In the opening game of Round 13, Perth Glory fell to a seventh-straight loss as Melbourne City notched successive wins with a 1-0 scoreline on Friday night.
Read on to see the 11 players who made our 4-3-3 formation in the Team of the Week for Round 13, presented by Bunnings Warehouse.
Goalkeeper
Claire Coelho – Newcastle Jets
In a losing Newcastle Jets side, Claire Coelho was simply outstanding in between the sticks against Canberra United.
Coelho made eight saves from her nine shots faced, including two fantastic reflex stops from close-range strikes on either side of half time.
Michelle Heyman’s well-taken shot in the 22nd minute was the only Canberra attempt which managed to pierce Coelho’s guard as the Jets custodian did her best to keep her team in the contest which ultimately ended in a 1-0 Newcastle defeat.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6242210501001
Defenders
Gema Simon – Newcastle Jets
Newcastle’s left-back impressed in a 1-0 defeat, winning the majority of her individual battles as her side fell to Canberra by the slimmest of margins.
Simon won both of her attempted tackles and four of six duels to go with five clearances and two interceptions, whilst crossing four times and creating three chances in Newcastle’s attacking third.
Matilda McNamara -Adelaide United
An imperious defensive performance from McNamara helped Adelaide United to victory in front of a record home crowd at Coopers Stadium.
5,159 fans packed the stands to watch the Reds win 3-1 against Western Sydney Wanderers.
The hosts conceded early, but from that moment on McNamara took charge of Adelaide’s defensive line to help spark the comeback effort. McNamara won seven of 12 duels, made four interceptions, won three of four tackles and made an outstanding 10 clearances.
RD 13 REPORT: Adelaide United 3-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Maruschka Waldus – Adelaide United
Adelaide’s Dutch defender continued to display her aerial prowess against the Wanderers, scoring the all-important second goal in her side’s comeback win.
Waldus headed home with authority from a corner to put her side in front, then helped pick out Fiona Worts from a smart set-piece routine as Adelaide went 3-1 ahead in the second half.
Waldus won five of six duels and made three clearances and two interceptions to go with her immense attacking input.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6242351630001
Tori Tumeth – Melbourne City
Tumeth was one of the busier Melbourne City players against Perth Glory on Friday night, operating to great effect down the right flank in a 1-0 victory.
Tumeth played 57 passes at an accuracy of 87.7%, intercepted four times, made one clearance and created on chance for her side to score, contributing to her side’s clean sheet as City won two games in a row for the first time this season.
REPORT: Perth Glory 0-1 Melbourne City
Midfielders
Bianca Galic – Canberra United
At the base of Canberra’s midfield, Galic put in a commendable performance typified by commitment to regaining possession distributing the ball effectively.
Galic made 11 recoveries and won eight of her 13 duels, along with two clearances and three interceptions.
Galic’s 61 passes were played at an overall accuracy of 80.3%, while her passes in the final third found their mark 91.7% of the time, resulting in three created chances.
Emily Condon – Adelaide United
Condon assisted Waldus’ goal to help Adelaide go ahead in a must-win match against the Wanderers.
The central midfielder enjoyed a 100% passing accuracy in the final third and an overall accuracy of 87.5% from her 24 attempted passes. Condon made six ball recoveries throughout the game as she helped the Reds come from behind to win 3-1.
Grace Maher – Canberra United
An expert display of midfield play from Maher helped Canberra boss the centre of the park against the Jets in a 1-0 win.
Maher assisted the vital winner for star striker Heyman, won two of two tackles and three of four duels, made four interceptions and played in three crosses in a performance which also included 55 passes played at an accuracy of 90.9%.
RD 13 REPORT: Newcastle Jets 0-1 Canberra United
Forwards
Caitlin Doeglas – Perth Glory
In a struggling Perth Glory outfit, Doeglas was a standout performer against City at Dorrien Gardens.
Her performance produced everything but a goal, which Doeglas went close to achieving with a first-half strike which rattled the side-netting. Doeglas won five of six tackles and eight of 12 duels, showing blistering pace in wide areas to take two shots and create two chances for her side in a busy shift in a losing side.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6241906397001
Michelle Heyman – Canberra United
Another game, another goal for Heyman. The Canberra forward has put a mid-season dry spell behind her with goals in her last three fixtures, including the winner in Round 12 against the Jets.
Heyman’s 10th strike of the season came in a game in which she fired 10 shots on goal. Heyman could have filled her boots with greater accuracy, but will settle for scoring the winner in a 1-0 result which keeps Canberra in Finals Series contention.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6242206763001
Alexandra Chidiac – Melbourne City
Energetic forward play highlighted Chidiac’s performance in a 1-0 City win over Perth in Round 12.
The electric forward took 74 touches, made four ball recoveries, took three shots on goal and created two chances, producing the vital assist for Rhali Dobson’s second-half winner.
Chidiac crafted the chance for Dobson to score with an inventive sliding pass into the right-hand side of the box, while dribbling toward the opposite flank.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514572001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6241920524001
