MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE 0-8 PERTH SC
by Ben Gilby
The Azzurri ran out comfortable winners at Besteam Stadium this afternoon to go top of the NPLW WA ladder.
A first half blitz of four goals in 12 minutes plus three more in another 12 minute blast after the break laid bare Perth’s superiority. However, it was not all good news, with key midfielder Daisy McAllister being stretchered off early in the second half after an aerial collision with home goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mohan.
Head coach Tom Glavovic added newly returned A-League Women stars Tijan McKenna and Georgia Cassidy to his starting line-up as the Azzurri went all out for the victory over their winless bottom placed hosts that would see them reach the league summit.
Perth dominated possession and territory from the off. Sam Mathers was supplying dangerous ammo along the right, and the deadly duo of McKenna and Cassidy were spraying around perfectly weighted passes to spread the play from the middle of the park.
The visitors hit the front just 10 minutes in when a corner came in high from the right. Flannery hit a shot which came back off a MUM FC defender and fell perfectly for Kim McCartney to fire into the roof of the net.
After Mohan saved a goal bound effort with her feet and Mathers saw a corner come back off the bar, the Azzurri doubled their lead with 20 minutes played as McKenna sent a stunning lofted shot into the net from the right hand side of the penalty area.
Three minutes later, it was 3-0 as Mathers drove the ball across the box from the right for Flannery who was coming in at the back post to fire home.
Shortly afterwards, Cassidy threaded a centimetre-perfect pass through for McAllister who saw her shot roll narrowly wide of the right hand post.
Perth had better luck on the half hour when Kim McCartney fired a trademark free-kick in to the net from the left of centre at the edge of the box.
The spell of four goals in 12 minutes concluded as Hannah Collins dispatched a fantastic first time shot as the ball came across to her from the left.
Whilst the early exchanges of the second half saw the hosts have their best period of possession all game, it wasn’t long before Perth imposed their authority on the game once more as McKenna let fly from the edge of the box with a rocket that came off the top of the bar.
There then followed a nasty looking injury to McAllister as she collided with Mohan as both jumped in competition for the ball. Following lengthy treatment, the young Azzurri midfielder was stretchered off.
Midway through the second half, Perth stepped it up once more with another rapid fire burst of goals beginning in the 68th minute. McKenna found Boehm out on the left flank from the centre of the park to lift in a high ball for Louise Tana to direct a first time low volley into the goal.
It was 7-0 with 11 minutes remaining when Cassidy’s high corner from the left was headed home by Mathers at the back post.
The scoring was completed eight minutes from time when Mathers’ corner in from the right found Boehm completely unmarked at the back post to come in and hit a side foot volley into the net.
It was a comfortable win for the Azzurri as they made the most of Football West Academy’s defeat yesterday to earn top spot in the NPLW WA ladder as the mid-point of the season approaches.
Teams: MURDOCH UNIVERSITY MELVILLE: Mohan, Jorquera, Denona, Ascenzo-Cabello, Cleminson, Baldin, Patience, Ellis, Saraceni, Baiamonte, Glanfield. Substitutes: Richards, Harding, Hotchin, Bui.
PERTH SC: Schroeder, Nossent, McCartney, Boehm, McKenna, McAllister, Cassidy, Collins, Archibald, Flannery, Mathers. Substitutes: Ottobrino, Insch, Tana, Rennie, Cavill, Longmore.
Scorers: McCartney 10’, 30’. McKenna 20’, Flannery 23’, Collins 32’, Tana 68’, Mathers 79’, Boehm 82’.