Queensland Roar confirmed their favouritism for the inaugural Westfield W-League title
Results – Round 6
Adelaide United 0 lost MELBOURNE VICTORY 3
QUEENSLAND ROAR 3 beat Sydney FC 0
Central Coast Mariners 2 lost NEWCASTLE JETS 4
Perth Glory 2 drew Canberra United 2
Game Wraps
A double from new signing Selin Kuralay has given Melbourne Victory an impressive 3-0 win over Adelaide United and moved them up into fourth position on the ladder. Neither side looked like breaking the deadlock early on in the match with both defences well in control. The shackles were finally broken in the 36th minute, when she pounced on a rebound from Adelaide keeper Sian McLaren, who had failed to hold a shot. It should have been 1-1 at the break, but Sharon Black-s penalty kick just four minutes before half time, sailed wide of the left post. The second half was one-way traffic early with McLaren-s goal under siege from Victory. Their efforts were rewarded with a second goal; Daniela Digiammarco heading home a corner kick in the 64th minute. Kuralay made it a good day at the office for her and Melbourne adding a third goal six minutes later with a good solo run and shot.
If there were any doubts about who is outright favourites for this season-s inaugural, it was well and truly put to bed at Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane, with Queensland winning the top of the table clash with an emphatic 3-0 win. The Roar won the battles right across the park throughout with Sydney struggling to get many meaningful attacks on goal. Karla Reuter opened the scoring when she pounced on an error from Rachel Cooper, who allowed Lana Harch-s shot to fall from her grasp and Reuter, who earlier hit the post, rushed in and buried. Alicia Ferguson made it 2-0 after 30 minutes, heading home a corner and shortly after the break Courtney Beutel made it 3-0, racing from halfway and rounding Cooper and sliding her shot home. Sydney should have scored in the 75th minute, but Leena Khamis goalbound shot was brilliantly cleared away by Kate McShea. On a sour note for the Roar though, Kim Carroll was stretchered off with a knee injury early in the game.
The Central Coast Mariners played its second successive derby match, this time going down 4-2 to Newcastle Jets at Campbelltown Stadium. After a mainly uneventful opening half hour of the game, it was the Jets that got on the board first with Nicole Jones looping a header over Lisa Hartley. Kyah Simon, within seconds of the re-start, almost had the match level but her shot was narrowly wide. The defining minutes of the match came a minute either side of the half time break with Emily Van Egmond providing both moments of inspiration for the Jets. Just before half time, she beat Hartley with a magnificent strike from 25 metres out and then straight after the break her shot from wide out took a massive deflection and Hartley had no chance in the Mariners goal. But the Mariners didn-t give up and pulled a goal back when Renee Rollason finishing neatly after 65 minutes. The great goals were not finished with yet however and the match was in the Jets safe keeping when Jo Peters hit a terrific looping effort over Hartley. Simon, who earlier was denied by the woodwork with what would have been a wonder goal, got her reward in the dying minutes of the match, heading home and ending a highly entertaining clash.
The final match of the round saw Canberra United rescue a point against bottom side Perth Glory at Members Equity Stadium, thanks to late strikes by Caitlin Munoz and Ashleigh Sykes. The points looked headed to Perth for just the second time this season, after Elisa D-Ovidio and Lisa De Vanna had Perth in front with just over half an hour to go. The match was an entertaining affair, with both sides prepared to attack. The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when D-Ovidio capitalised on a poor clearance, beat several defenders before guiding her shot past Lydia Williams. It was 2-0 nine after the break, when Samantha Kerr-s cross-cum-shot was parried down by Williams and De Vanna was on hand to poke home. De Vanna was forced off the field shortly after and Canberra started to gain some momentum and it was Westfield Matilda Caitlin Munoz, returning from injury, who came on and pulled the goal back with nine minutes to play. The unlucky Glory keeper Luisa Marzotto produced a superb save to deny Munoz initial shot, but the ball lobbed up and the spun over the line. Then with just a minute to go, Sykes used her explosive pace to burst into the box and shoot under a diving Marzotto and earn a draw for the Canberra side.
Weekend Goals Tally: 16
Card Count: 13 yellows – 0 reds
Leading Goalscorers
6- Leena Khamis (SFC)
4- Katie Gill (NJ)
3- Sandra Scalzi (AU), Sharon Black (AU), Lana Harch (QR), Courtney Beutel (QR), Renee Rollason (CCM), Kyah Simon (CCM), Lauren Colthorpe (QR)
